How Many Stanley Cups Have The Edmonton Oilers Won?

The Edmonton Oilers were added to the National Hockey League as an expansion team in 1971. During their 50+ year tenure, they have been the host to many hockey legends including Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey and Connor McDavid. The Oilers have been a mainstay as one of the premiere Canadian teams in the NHL and have won 7 Western Conference Championships. With how successful and popular the franchise has been, how many Stanley Cups have the Edmonton Oilers won?

The Edmonton Oilers have won 5 Stanley Cups, with the most recent coming in 1990. Before that, they won two in a row in 1984 and 1985 and also went back-to-back in 1987-1988. The Oilers were largely considered to be one of the best teams during the 1980s, lending their success to great team-building and leadership.

Stanley Cup Finals 1984: Edmonton Oilers vs New York Islanders

Center Mark Messier was a solid force for the Oilers throughout the playoffs, earning himself the Conn Smythe Trophy. During their run, Messier accrued 8 goals and 18 assists (26 P). Center Wayne Gretzky was also highly effective in the playoffs with a playoff-high in points (35) and assists (22). Edmonton right winger Jari Kurri led the playoffs with 14 goals.

Once the Oilers beat the Minnesota North Stars in a Conference Finals sweep, the Islanders were hard-pressed to stop their momentum. Edmonton won the series in 5 games, with their only loss coming in Game 2. Gretzky led the team with 4 goals, and Messier added 3 goals as well. Kurri had a team-high 5 assists while Gretzky added 3.

Defenseman Paul Coffey also had a solid series with 2 goals and 2 assists. The Oilers split time at the goalie position between Andy Moog and Grant Fuhr. The two netminders allowed a combined 12 goals on 131 shots against.

Stanley Cup Finals 1985: Edmonton Oilers vs Philadelphia Flyers

Maintaining the core of their team, the Oilers were able to repeat their success and won another Cup the following year. This time, Gretzky secured the Conn Smythe, leading the playoffs in points (47) and assists (30) and also added 17 goals. Kurri again led the playoffs in goals with 19. Edmonton was again able to make quick work of their opponents and took the series against Philly in 5 games.

The only game they dropped was Game 1, and they were able to win 4 in a row to go back-to-back. Gretzky had 11 points (7 G, 4 A) in the series, tying Coffey (3 G, 8 A) for the team lead. Kurri added a goal and 6 assists. Messier had a relatively quiet series, scoring 2 goals and adding 4 assists. This year, the Oilers found success with Fuhr in goal, as he allowed 13 goals on 133 shots against for a .902 save percentage.

Stanley Cup Finals 1987: Edmonton Oilers vs Philadelphia Flyers

After losing to the Calgary Flames in the 1986 playoffs, the Oilers once again played their way into the Cup Finals in 1987. Gretzky once again led the playoffs in points (34) and assists (29), adding 5 goals. Kurri was once again an outstanding goal scorer, notching a playoff-high 15 goals. Edmonton was once again matched up against the Flyers, but this time Philly was able to force the series to 7 games.

Philadelphia goalie Ron Hextall actually earned himself the Conn Smythe, going 15-11 in the playoffs with a 2.76 GAA. Despite this, the Oilers were able to score 22 goals on Hextall. Leading the scoring was Kurri with 5 goals, and right winger Glenn Anderson scored 4 goals. Gretzky led the team in points (2 G, 9 A) with 11 points, and Messier also added 2 goals and 3 assists.

Coffey was yet again essential on both offense and defense, notching 2 goals and 4 assists. Edmonton again rolled with Fuhr in goal, allowing 17 goals on 206 shots against. Edmonton went up 2 games on the Flyers before the teams went back and forth for the remaining games, culminating in a 3-1 Edmonton Game 7 win.

Watch: The Oilers win the 1987 Stanley Cup in Game 7.

Stanley Cup Finals 1988: Edmonton Oilers vs Boston Bruins

The Oilers managed to work their way to another consecutive Cup run, but this time, they were missing a beloved team member in Paul Coffey, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins following the 1987 Cup. Despite losing their main defensive presence, the Oilers remained unphased and swept the Bruins in the Finals. Gretzky earned his second Conn Smythe, accruing a playoff-high 43 points and 31 assists. He also added 12 goals.

Kurri, per the usual, led the playoffs in goals with 14. The Cup Finals were somewhat uneventful, despite a tied Game 4 being canceled due to a power outage, making the Oilers the first and only team to “sweep” a 5 game series. Gretzky led the series in points (13), scoring 3 goals and 10 assists. Young left winger Esa Tikkanen added 6 goals for the Oilers. Grant Fuhr was once again in goal for Edmonton, allowing 12 goals on 92 shots against.

Stanley Cup Finals 1990: Edmonton Oilers vs Boston Bruins

After taking another single year off between runs, the Oilers won their most recent Cup in 1990. Yet again, Edmonton found themselves without one of their main pieces, as Wayne Gretzky was traded in the offseason. Regardless of losing The Great One, the Oilers scraped together their 5th Stanley Cup in less than a decade. Mark Messier and up-and-coming Edmonton left winger Craig Simpson tied for the playoff lead in points with 31. Messier also led the playoffs in assists with 22, while Simpson led the playoffs with 16 goals.

The Oilers faced off against the Boston Bruins once again, this time taking the series to 5 games. Simpson and Glenn Anderson led the Oilers in goals with 4 each, while Kurri and Tikkanen both added 3. Kurri and Messier each had 5 assists in the series, while Simpson also added 4. The most notable part of this run was the performance of 23-year-old goalie Bill Ranford, who won the Conn Smythe. He went 16-6 in the playoffs with a 2.53 GAA. Ranford was a stone wall in the Finals, allowing just 8 goals on 156 shots against.

The Oilers most recent Stanley Cup appearance came in 2006 when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in a 7-game series. Despite having some recent high draft picks in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the Oilers have been unable to find playoff success in the recent future. However, the 5 Cups they won in the 80s were enough to establish them as a premiere franchise in the NHL.