1978-1979 Edmonton Oilers
1978-1979 Coach: Glen Sather EDMONTON Record: 48-30-2, 98 points OILERS Finish: 1st, League Playoffs: Lost in Finals to Winnipeg For the first time in their seven seasons in the WHA, the Oilers were the class of the league, running away with the regular-season crown with 48 wins and 98 points. Much credit goes to Wayne Gretzky, who came to the Oilers on November 2, 1978, purchased from Indianapolis along with Peter Driscoll and Ed Mio. The skinny 18-year old Gretzky showed he was very much worthy of his reputation, finishing strong with 46 goals, 110 points, and the league’s Rookie of the Year award. However, surrounding Gretzky was a strong, solid team ably coached by Glen Sather. Four other Oilers scored 30 goals (Blair MacDonald 34, Ron Chipperfield 32, Brett Callighen and Stan Weir with 31), as the Oilers led the league with 340 goals. On the blueline were Al Hamilton (healthy for the first time in years who played in all 80 games), Dave Langevin, Joe Micheletti and Paul Shmyr. Should a player get past the Edmonton defense, big Dave Dryden posed a formidable barrier in goal. Dryden had his best season as a professional, winning 41 games with a 2.89 average, and sharing the league lead with three shutouts. In the playoffs, the Oilers fought off the Whalers in seven games, but fell to the veteran Jets in the final round. Despite the disappointing finish to a fine season, the Oilers would see greater glory in the NHL during the 1980s.
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