title: After Hours (The Weeknd album)

text: Another virtual experience collaboration occurred with Spotify during August 2020 as well. This experience titled "Alone With Me", allowed users to interact with an AI based on the Weeknd in a highly personalized manner. In the experience, the Weeknd AI would discuss with the user their stats in regards to Tesfaye's music, and play their most listened to songs from "After Hours" while the interaction occurred.


title: After Hours (The Weeknd album)

text: On July 26, 2022, it was announced that Tesfaye would collaborate with Universal Parks & Resorts on an "After Hours"-themed haunted house, titled "The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare", for that year's Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood. The house is set to be based off of and feature elements of the videos and short film from the album, and will be soundtracked by the songs "After Hours", "In Your Eyes", "Heartless", "Blinding Lights", the solo version of "Save Your Tears", and "Too Late".


title: After Hours (The Weeknd album)

text: "After Hours" was met with generally positive reviews from contemporary critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on 20 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.


title: After Hours (The Weeknd album)

text: In a rave review, "The New York Times" journalist Jon Caramanica complimented "After Hours" for its "sparkled trauma, kaleidoscopic emotional confusion, urgent and panting physical release paired with failed-state romantic dyspepsia". Writing for "Consequence", Candace McDuffie stated that as the Weeknd evolves, "he continues to reinvent himself, and he knows exactly how to leave fans hooked on havoc", and "After Hours" proves that he is "not done with us yet; in fact, he's just getting started". "Exclaim!" reviewer Jacob Carey stated that ""After Hours" does feel like the Weeknd's very own version of Vegas – a place where overindulgence, self-loathing and promiscuity are not only welcomed, but encouraged". "The Guardian"s Michael Cragg praised the "sense of narrative cohesion" on the album, saying that its songs "bleed into each other", with the Weeknd exploring new sonic influences. He added that "After Hours" "feels like the first Weeknd album in a while to offer up a clear, singular vision rather than something frustratingly abstract". Writing for "The Independent", Roisin O'Connor stated that the album eschews the danceability of its predecessor for "moody introspection", and called it "the music you listen to when the party's over". O'Connor further compared the album to the Weeknd's previous releases, saying that "After Hours" "still delves into a sadboy persona but there's a tinge of remorse that runs through, in comparison to the cold and often cruel tone of earlier cuts". Luke Morgan Britton of "NME" called it the Weeknd's "strongest record in some time", free of featured artists and "full of probing self-reflection".


title: After Hours (The Weeknd album)

text: Jon Dolan of "Rolling Stone" wrote that "After Hours" "has its share of pity-partying", but also displays vulnerability that "goes beyond the usual too-beautiful-for-the-world sulking". Dolan explained that the album strikes the best balance between the "gloomy melodrama" of the Weeknd's early EPs or his 2018 release "My Dear Melancholy" and the "pop slickness" of his 2016 album, "Starboy", at once lachrymose and sleek, cold but plush, like a lavishly ornamented fallout shelter. Writing for "Variety", Jem Aswad branded "After Hours" the "most fully realized album" of the Weeknd's career. He characterized the album's musical style as "ultra-cinematic keyboards, pulsating sub-bass, hard beats (which are seldom danceable), '80s synthesizer flourishes and caverns of echo, all of which contrast with his high, angelic voice". Aswad concluded that the album tests the balance "between innovation and commerciality as much as anyone today". In less favourable reviews, David Smyth of "Evening Standard" particularly praised the track "Blinding Lights", but found the Weeknd to be "in a bit of a fug" on the rest of "After Hours". Tom Hull rated the album a B grade, finding it "remarkably consistent, at least until the closer drags its butt".


title: After Hours (The Weeknd album)

text: On March 19, 2020, "After Hours" broke the record for the most global pre-adds for an album in Apple Music history, with over 1.02 million users pre-adding the album to their libraries.


title: After Hours (The Weeknd album)

text: "After Hours" debuted at number one on the US "Billboard" 200 with 444,000 album-equivalent units, which included 275,000 pure album sales. It is the Weeknd's fourth number-one album, and marks the biggest first week sales of 2020 for an album at the time. Additionally, after the album's first week of availability, all 14 songs charted on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, with ten of them in the top 40, led by "Blinding Lights" at number one, and "In Your Eyes" debuting the highest, at number 16. The album remained at number one on the "Billboard" 200 in its second week with 138,000 album-equivalent units, of which 47,000 were pure album sales. It is the Weeknd's third consecutive album to top the chart for multiple weeks. In its third week, the album remained at number one on the "Billboard" 200 with 90,000 album-equivalent units (including 23,000 pure album sales). Becoming the first album to lead for three consecutive weeks since Post Malone's "Hollywood's Bleeding" (2019). In its fourth week, "After Hours" earned 75,000 album-equivalent units (including 20,000 pure album sales), remaining at number one on the "Billboard" 200 chart. It's the first album to notch four consecutive weeks since Drake's "Scorpion" (2018). "After Hours" was the fourth best selling album of 2020 with 2.032 million album-equivalent units, including 480,000 pure copies in the US. On March 9, 2021, "After Hours" was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for earning over two million album-equivalent units in the US.


title: After Hours (The Weeknd album)

text: The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with over 26,000 units sold, making it the Weeknd's second number one on the chart, five years after "Beauty Behind the Madness". It also topped the Canadian Albums Chart of the Weeknd's home country, generating 54,000 album-equivalent units, which marked the biggest first-week album sales of the year. It achieved a total of six non-consecutive weeks atop the chart, the most by a Canadian artist since the Weeknd's own "Starboy", which led the chart for seven weeks in 2016–2017.


title: After Hours (The Weeknd album)

text: The Weeknd did not receive any nominations for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on November 24, 2020, and Tesfaye responded by calling the Grammys "corrupt" in social media posts. Speculation arose over whether the announcement of his then-upcoming Super Bowl performance, as well as the confusion as to whether he should be nominated as pop or R&B, contributed to the snubs in all the categories he was submitted to by his team. Harvey Mason Jr., interim president of the Recording Academy, responded to the backlash by saying:


title: After Hours (The Weeknd album)

text: The Weeknd later remarked in an interview with "Billboard" that the snub felt like "an attack", asserting: "Look, I personally don't care anymore. I have three GRAMMYs, which mean nothing to me now, obviously [...] It's not like, 'Oh, I want the GRAMMY!' It's just that this happened, and I'm down to get in front of the fire, as long as it never happens again. I suck at giving speeches anyways. Forget awards shows." Despite the Recording Academy announcing the elimination of private nominating committees, Tesfaye said that moving forward with his career, he will prevent his record label from submitting his work for Grammy consideration.


title: Northern Premier League

text: The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Division One Midlands (which stand at level 8).


title: Northern Premier League

text: Geographically, the league covers all of Northern England and the northern/central areas of the Midlands, and western parts of East Anglia. Originally a single-division competition, a second division was added in 1987: Division One, and in 2007 a third was added when Division One split into two geographic sections - Division One North and Division One South. In 2018 Division One was re-aligned as East and West Divisions, then North West and South East in 2019. On 18 May 2021, the FA restructured the non-League football pyramid and created Division One East, West, and Midlands.


title: Northern Premier League

text: Successful teams at the top of the NPL Premier Division are promoted to level 6 of the pyramid (either National League North or National League South), and at the bottom end of the competition, teams are relegated down to level 9, where several regional feeder leagues promote clubs into the league.


title: Northern Premier League

text: The Northern Premier League (NPL) was founded in 1968, as the northern equivalent of the Southern League, decades after the other two leagues at what is now the seventh tier of the English football league system, the Isthmian League and the Southern League. At that time they were the highest level non-League division below the English Football League, the same level as the other league in Northern England, the Northern League.


title: Northern Premier League

text: Over the next two decades, the NPL successfully displaced its older rival to become the pre-eminent regional competition in Northern England, with the Northern League eventually forced to accept status as feeder league to the NPL. In 1979, upon the creation of the Alliance Premier League (which later became the Conference and is now the National League), the NPL became a feeder league and fell down one level in the English football league system, and with the then-Conference's addition of regional divisions in 2004 the NPL was demoted by a further tier and there are now two levels between it and the English Football League.


title: Northern Premier League

text: From 1992–93 to 1994–95 the league's Division One included two non-English clubs, Caernarfon Town from Wales and Gretna from Scotland, who later joined their countries' league systems. Colwyn Bay, Bangor City, Newtown, and Rhyl have also played in the league.


title: Northern Premier League

text: In 2018, the NPL's member clubs voted 37–27, with one abstention and three clubs' absence, to split Step 4 (level 8) divisions from east to west starting from the 2018–19 season, and one year later, the league published its successful bid to add another division at Step 4 initially in 2020, further altering Division One into northwest and southeast for travel reasons. After the Football Association (FA) deferred its implementation of changes to the NLS, the NPL's additional division was created in 2021 instead.


title: Northern Premier League

text: Owing to title sponsorship deals, the league has been billed under various names, including a sixteen-year spell as the Unibond League, the longest such deal in world football.


title: Northern Premier League

text: When this deal ended in 2010, a new deal was announced which saw the competition billed as the Evo-Stik League until the 2017–18 season.


title: Northern Premier League

text: The League announced on 8 July 2019 that a two-year deal for seasons 2019-20 and 2020-21 had been agreed with new sponsor BetVictor. This sponsorship agreement with BetVictor was subsequently terminated early in April 2020 with a replacement, Entain's Pitching In, announced as the next sponsor for 2020–21. At the time of announcement, Entain went by its former name GVC Holdings. Under this partnership, the NPL is marketed as one of the three Trident Leagues, alongside its Isthmian and Southern counterparts.


title: Northern Premier League

text: Since 2021, the NPL has had four divisions: the Premier Division, Division One Midlands, Division One West and Division One East. Prior to 2007 there was just a single Division One, and from 2018 to 2021 Division One was arranged on a north-south, then east-west basis.


title: Northern Premier League

text: The Premier Division has 22 clubs, with the champions promoted to the National League along with the winners of a playoff between the second to fifth place clubs. Theoretically, clubs from the NPL could be promoted into either of the National League's two regional divisions, but the geographical footprint of the NPL has never overlapped with that of the National League South, so (as of 2015) all promoted NPL clubs have been placed in the National League North. The bottom three teams are usually relegated to Division One North West or South East, but NPL Premier Division clubs in the most southerly locales could be relegated to the Southern League Division One Central.


title: Northern Premier League

text: From the 2019–20 season, Division One North West and South East have 20 clubs each. In each division, the champions are promoted to the Premier Division, along with the winners of a divisional playoff. The bottom two clubs in each division are relegated to one of the feeder leagues below provided there are enough suitable promotion candidates from those leagues. The champions of the three feeder leagues covering the NPL area are promoted each season. These are the Northern League, the Northern Counties East League, and the North West Counties League. Clubs in the northern extremities of the Midland League and the United Counties League may also be promoted to the Northern Premier League.


title: Northern Premier League

text: Should there be an unusually large or small number of clubs relegated to and/or promoted to the level of the NPL from Northern England, the National League System (NLS) Committee can order one or more of the NPL's southernmost clubs to transfer to the Southern League (or vice versa) to maintain numerical balance between the leagues.


title: Northern Premier League

text: Division One North West and South East teams receive a bye to the Preliminary Round of FA Cup Qualification. Premier Division teams receive a bye to the First Round of Qualification.


title: Northern Premier League

text: The league currently runs one cup competition, with all member clubs competing in the League Challenge Cup. In the past, the league has run other competitions, such as the Chairman's Cup, the President's Cup and the Peter Swales Shield.


title: Northern Premier League

text: Since the league's formation in 1968, the following clubs have won promotion to higher levels of the English football league system -


title: Northern Premier League

text: The league currently runs one cup competition, the League Challenge Cup, which is contested by every club in the league.


title: Northern Premier League

text: In the past the league has run three other cup competitions - the President's Cup, Chairman's Cup and Peter Swales Shield.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Herpes simplex is a viral infection caused by the herpes simplex virus. Infections are categorized based on the part of the body infected.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Oral herpes involves the face or mouth. It may result in small blisters in groups often called cold sores or fever blisters or may just cause a sore throat.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Genital herpes, often simply known as herpes, involves the genitalia. It may have minimal symptoms or form blisters that break open and result in small ulcers. These typically heal over two to four weeks. Tingling or shooting pains may occur before the blisters appear. Herpes cycles between periods of active disease followed by periods without symptoms. The first episode is often more severe and may be associated with fever, muscle pains, swollen lymph nodes and headaches. Over time, episodes of active disease decrease in frequency and severity.


title: Herpes simplex

text: There are two types of herpes simplex virus, type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). HSV-1 more commonly causes infections around the mouth while HSV-2 more commonly causes genital infections. They are transmitted by direct contact with body fluids or lesions of an infected individual. Transmission may still occur when symptoms are not present. Genital herpes is classified as a sexually transmitted infection. It may be spread to an infant during childbirth. After infection, the viruses are transported along sensory nerves to the nerve cell bodies, where they reside lifelong. Causes of recurrence may include: decreased immune function, stress, and sunlight exposure. Oral and genital herpes is usually diagnosed based on the presenting symptoms. The diagnosis may be confirmed by viral culture or detecting herpes DNA in fluid from blisters. Testing the blood for antibodies against the virus can confirm a previous infection but will be negative in new infections.


title: Herpes simplex

text: The most effective method of avoiding genital infections is by avoiding vaginal, oral, and anal sex. Condom use decreases the risk. Daily antiviral medication taken by someone who has the infection can also reduce spread. There is no available vaccine and once infected, there is no cure. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) and topical lidocaine may be used to help with the symptoms. Treatments with antiviral medication such as aciclovir or valaciclovir can lessen the severity of symptomatic episodes.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Worldwide rates of either HSV-1 or HSV-2 are between 60% and 95% in adults. HSV-1 is usually acquired during childhood. Since there is no cure for either HSV-1 or HSV-2, rates of both inherently increase as people age. Rates of HSV-1 are between 70% and 80% in populations of low socioeconomic status and 40% to 60% in populations of improved socioeconomic status. An estimated 536 million people worldwide (16% of the population) were infected with HSV-2 as of 2003 with greater rates among women and those in the developing world. Most people with HSV-2 do not realize that they are infected.


title: Herpes simplex

text: The name is from "herpēs", which is related to the meaning "to creep", referring to spreading blisters. The name does not refer to latency.


title: Herpes simplex

text: HSV infection causes several distinct medical disorders. Common infection of the skin or mucosa may affect the face and mouth (orofacial herpes), genitalia (genital herpes), or hands (herpetic whitlow). More serious disorders occur when the virus infects and damages the eye (herpes keratitis), or invades the central nervous system, damaging the brain (herpes encephalitis). People with immature or suppressed immune systems, such as newborns, transplant recipients, or people with AIDS, are prone to severe complications from HSV infections. HSV infection has also been associated with cognitive deficits of bipolar disorder, and Alzheimer's disease, although this is often dependent on the genetics of the infected person.


title: Herpes simplex

text: In all cases, HSV is never removed from the body by the immune system. Following a primary infection, the virus enters the nerves at the site of primary infection, migrates to the cell body of the neuron, and becomes latent in the ganglion. As a result of primary infection, the body produces antibodies to the particular type of HSV involved, which can help reduce the odds of a subsequent infection of that type at a different site. In HSV-1-infected individuals, seroconversion after an oral infection helps prevent additional HSV-1 infections such as whitlow, genital herpes, and herpes of the eye. Prior HSV-1 seroconversion seems to reduce the symptoms of a later HSV-2 infection, although HSV-2 can still be contracted.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Many people infected with HSV-2 display no physical symptoms—individuals with no symptoms are described as asymptomatic or as having subclinical herpes. However, infection with herpes can be fatal.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Neonatal herpes simplex is a HSV infection in an infant. It is a rare but serious condition, usually caused by vertical transmission of HSV-1 or -2 from mother to newborn. During immunodeficiency, herpes simplex can cause unusual lesions in the skin. One of the most striking is the appearance of clean linear erosions in skin creases, with the appearance of a knife cut. Herpetic sycosis is a recurrent or initial herpes simplex infection affecting primarily the hair follicles. Eczema herpeticum is an infection with herpesvirus in patients with chronic atopic dermatitis may result in spread of herpes simplex throughout the eczematous areas.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Herpetic keratoconjunctivitis, a primary infection, typically presents as swelling of the conjunctiva and eyelids (blepharoconjunctivitis), accompanied by small white itchy lesions on the surface of the cornea.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Herpetic sycosis is a recurrent or initial herpes simplex infection affecting primarily the hair follicle.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Although the exact cause of Bell's palsy—a type of facial paralysis—is unknown, it may be related to reactivation of HSV-1. This theory has been contested, however, since HSV is detected in large numbers of individuals having never experienced facial paralysis, and higher levels of antibodies for HSV are not found in HSV-infected individuals with Bell's palsy compared to those without. Antivirals may improve the condition slightly when used together with corticosteroids in those with severe disease.


title: Herpes simplex

text: HSV-1 has been proposed as a possible cause of Alzheimer's disease. In the presence of a certain gene variation (APOE-epsilon4 allele carriers), HSV-1 appears to be particularly damaging to the nervous system and increases one's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The virus interacts with the components and receptors of lipoproteins, which may lead to its development.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Herpes is contracted through direct contact with an active lesion or body fluid of an infected person. Herpes transmission occurs between discordant partners; a person with a history of infection (HSV seropositive) can pass the virus to an HSV seronegative person. Herpes simplex virus 2 is typically contracted through direct skin-to-skin contact with an infected individual, but can also be contracted by exposure to infected saliva, semen, vaginal fluid, or the fluid from herpetic blisters. To infect a new individual, HSV travels through tiny breaks in the skin or mucous membranes in the mouth or genital areas. Even microscopic abrasions on mucous membranes are sufficient to allow viral entry.


title: Herpes simplex

text: HSV asymptomatic shedding occurs at some time in most individuals infected with herpes. It can occur more than a week before or after a symptomatic recurrence in 50% of cases. Virus enters into susceptible cells by entry receptors


title: Herpes simplex

text: such as nectin-1, HVEM and 3-O sulfated heparan sulfate. Infected people who show no visible symptoms may still shed and transmit viruses through their skin; asymptomatic shedding may represent the most common form of HSV-2 transmission. Asymptomatic shedding is more frequent within the first 12 months of acquiring HSV. Concurrent infection with HIV increases the frequency and duration of asymptomatic shedding. Some individuals may have much lower patterns of shedding, but evidence supporting this is not fully verified; no significant differences are seen in the frequency of asymptomatic shedding when comparing persons with one to 12 annual recurrences to those with no recurrences.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Antibodies that develop following an initial infection with a type of HSV can reduce the odds of reinfection with the same virus type. In a monogamous couple, a seronegative female runs a greater than 30% per year risk of contracting an HSV infection from a seropositive male partner. If an oral HSV-1 infection is contracted first, seroconversion will have occurred after 6 weeks to provide protective antibodies against a future genital HSV-1 infection. Herpes simplex is a double-stranded DNA virus.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Primary orofacial herpes is readily identified by examination of persons with no previous history of lesions and contact with an individual with known HSV infection. The appearance and distribution of sores is typically presents as multiple, round, superficial oral ulcers, accompanied by acute gingivitis. Adults with atypical presentation are more difficult to diagnose. Prodromal symptoms that occur before the appearance of herpetic lesions help differentiate HSV symptoms from the similar symptoms of other disorders, such as allergic stomatitis. When lesions do not appear inside the mouth, primary orofacial herpes is sometimes mistaken for impetigo, a bacterial infection. Common mouth ulcers (aphthous ulcer) also resemble intraoral herpes, but do not present a vesicular stage.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Genital herpes can be more difficult to diagnose than oral herpes, since most people have none of the classical symptoms. Further confusing diagnosis, several other conditions resemble genital herpes, including fungal infection, lichen planus, atopic dermatitis, and urethritis.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Laboratory testing is often used to confirm a diagnosis of genital herpes. Laboratory tests include culture of the virus, direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) studies to detect virus, skin biopsy, and polymerase chain reaction to test for presence of viral DNA. Although these procedures produce highly sensitive and specific diagnoses, their high costs and time constraints discourage their regular use in clinical practice.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Until the 1980s serological tests for antibodies to HSV were rarely useful to diagnosis and not routinely used in clinical practice. The older IgM serologic assay could not differentiate between antibodies generated in response to HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection. However, a glycoprotein G-specific (IgG) HSV test introduced in the 1980s is more than 98% specific at discriminating HSV-1 from HSV-2.


title: Herpes simplex

text: It should not be confused with conditions caused by other viruses in the "herpesviridae" family such as herpes zoster, which is caused by varicella zoster virus. The differential diagnosis includes hand, foot and mouth disease due to similar lesions on the skin. Lymphangioma circumscriptum and dermatitis herpetiformis may also have a similar appearance.


title: Herpes simplex

text: As with almost all sexually transmitted infections, women are more susceptible to acquiring genital HSV-2 than men. On an annual basis, without the use of antivirals or condoms, the transmission risk of HSV-2 from infected male to female is about 8–11%.


title: Herpes simplex

text: This is believed to be due to the increased exposure of mucosal tissue to potential infection sites. Transmission risk from infected female to male is around 4–5% annually. Suppressive antiviral therapy reduces these risks by 50%. Antivirals also help prevent the development of symptomatic HSV in infection scenarios, meaning the infected partner will be seropositive but symptom-free by about 50%. Condom use also reduces the transmission risk significantly. Condom use is much more effective at preventing male-to-female transmission than "vice versa". Previous HSV-1 infection may reduce the risk for acquisition of HSV-2 infection among women by a factor of three, although the one study that states this has a small sample size of 14 transmissions out of 214 couples.


title: Herpes simplex

text: However, asymptomatic carriers of the HSV-2 virus are still contagious. In many infections, the first symptom people will have of their own infections is the horizontal transmission to a sexual partner or the vertical transmission of neonatal herpes to a newborn at term. Since most asymptomatic individuals are unaware of their infection, they are considered at high risk for spreading HSV.


title: Herpes simplex

text: In October 2011, the anti-HIV drug tenofovir, when used topically in a microbicidal vaginal gel, was reported to reduce herpes virus sexual transmission by 51%.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Condoms offer moderate protection against HSV-2 in both men and women, with consistent condom users having a 30%-lower risk of HSV-2 acquisition compared with those who never use condoms. A female condom can provide greater protection than the male condom, as it covers the labia. The virus cannot pass through a synthetic condom, but a male condom's effectiveness is limited because herpes ulcers may appear on areas not covered by it. Neither type of condom prevents contact with the scrotum, anus, buttocks, or upper thighs, areas that may come in contact with ulcers or genital secretions during sexual activity. Protection against herpes simplex depends on the site of the ulcer; therefore, if ulcers appear on areas not covered by condoms, abstaining from sexual activity until the ulcers are fully healed is one way to limit risk of transmission. The risk is not eliminated, however, as viral shedding capable of transmitting infection may still occur while the infected partner is asymptomatic. The use of condoms or dental dams also limits the transmission of herpes from the genitals of one partner to the mouth of the other (or "vice versa") during oral sex. When one partner has a herpes simplex infection and the other does not, the use of antiviral medication, such as valaciclovir, in conjunction with a condom, further decreases the chances of transmission to the uninfected partner. Topical microbicides that contain chemicals that directly inactivate the virus and block viral entry are being investigated.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Antivirals may reduce asymptomatic shedding; asymptomatic genital HSV-2 viral shedding is believed to occur on 20% of days per year in patients not undergoing antiviral treatment, versus 10% of days while on antiviral therapy.


title: Herpes simplex

text: The risk of transmission from mother to baby is highest if the mother becomes infected around the time of delivery (30% to 60%), since insufficient time will have occurred for the generation and transfer of protective maternal antibodies before the birth of the child. In contrast, the risk falls to 3% if the infection is recurrent, and is 1–3% if the woman is seropositive for both HSV-1 and HSV-2, and is less than 1% if no lesions are visible. Women seropositive for only one type of HSV are only half as likely to transmit HSV as infected seronegative mothers. To prevent neonatal infections, seronegative women are recommended to avoid unprotected oral-genital contact with an HSV-1-seropositive partner and conventional sex with a partner having a genital infection during the last trimester of pregnancy. Mothers infected with HSV are advised to avoid procedures that would cause trauma to the infant during birth (e.g. fetal scalp electrodes, forceps, and vacuum extractors) and, should lesions be present, to elect caesarean section to reduce exposure of the child to infected secretions in the birth canal. The use of antiviral treatments, such as aciclovir, given from the 36th week of pregnancy, limits HSV recurrence and shedding during childbirth, thereby reducing the need for caesarean section.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Aciclovir is the recommended antiviral for herpes suppressive therapy during the last months of pregnancy. The use of valaciclovir and famciclovir, while potentially improving compliance, have less-well-determined safety in pregnancy.


title: Herpes simplex

text: No method eradicates herpes virus from the body, but antiviral medications can reduce the frequency, duration, and severity of outbreaks. Analgesics such as ibuprofen and paracetamol (acetaminophen) can reduce pain and fever. Topical anesthetic treatments such as prilocaine, lidocaine, benzocaine, or tetracaine can also relieve itching and pain.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Several antiviral drugs are effective for treating herpes, including aciclovir (acyclovir), valaciclovir, famciclovir, and penciclovir. Aciclovir was the first discovered and is now available in generic. Valaciclovir is also available as a generic and is slightly more effective than aciclovir for reducing lesion healing time.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Evidence supports the use of aciclovir and valaciclovir in the treatment of herpes labialis as well as herpes infections in people with cancer. The evidence to support the use of aciclovir in primary herpetic gingivostomatitis is weaker.


title: Herpes simplex

text: A number of topical antivirals are effective for herpes labialis, including aciclovir, penciclovir, and docosanol.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Evidence is insufficient to support use of many of these compounds, including echinacea, eleuthero, L-lysine, zinc, monolaurin bee products, and aloe vera. While a number of small studies show possible benefit from monolaurin, L-lysine, aspirin, lemon balm, topical zinc, or licorice root cream in treatment, these preliminary studies have not been confirmed by higher-quality randomized controlled studies.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Following active infection, herpes viruses establish a latent infection in sensory and autonomic ganglia of the nervous system. The double-stranded DNA of the virus is incorporated into the cell physiology by infection of the nucleus of a nerve's cell body. HSV latency is static; no virus is produced; and is controlled by a number of viral genes, including latency-associated transcript.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Many HSV-infected people experience recurrence within the first year of infection. Prodrome precedes development of lesions. Prodromal symptoms include tingling (paresthesia), itching, and pain where lumbosacral nerves innervate the skin. Prodrome may occur as long as several days or as short as a few hours before lesions develop. Beginning antiviral treatment when prodrome is experienced can reduce the appearance and duration of lesions in some individuals. During recurrence, fewer lesions are likely to develop and are less painful and heal faster (within 5–10 days without antiviral treatment) than those occurring during the primary infection. Subsequent outbreaks tend to be periodic or episodic, occurring on average four or five times a year when not using antiviral therapy.


title: Herpes simplex

text: The causes of reactivation are uncertain, but several potential triggers have been documented. A 2009 study showed the protein VP16 plays a key role in reactivation of the dormant virus. Changes in the immune system during menstruation may play a role in HSV-1 reactivation. Concurrent infections, such as viral upper respiratory tract infection or other febrile diseases, can cause outbreaks. Reactivation due to other infections is the likely source of the historic terms 'cold sore' and 'fever blister'.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Other identified triggers include local injury to the face, lips, eyes, or mouth; trauma; surgery; radiotherapy; and exposure to wind, ultraviolet light, or sunlight.


title: Herpes simplex

text: The frequency and severity of recurrent outbreaks vary greatly between people. Some individuals' outbreaks can be quite debilitating, with large, painful lesions persisting for several weeks, while others experience only minor itching or burning for a few days. Some evidence indicates genetics play a role in the frequency of cold sore outbreaks. An area of human chromosome 21 that includes six genes has been linked to frequent oral herpes outbreaks. An immunity to the virus is built over time. Most infected individuals experience fewer outbreaks and outbreak symptoms often become less severe. After several years, some people become perpetually asymptomatic and no longer experience outbreaks, though they may still be contagious to others. Immunocompromised individuals may experience longer, more frequent, and more severe episodes. Antiviral medication has been proven to shorten the frequency and duration of outbreaks. Outbreaks may occur at the original site of the infection or in proximity to nerve endings that reach out from the infected ganglia. In the case of a genital infection, sores can appear at the original site of infection or near the base of the spine, the buttocks, or the back of the thighs.


title: Herpes simplex

text: HSV-2-infected individuals are at higher risk for acquiring HIV when practicing unprotected sex with HIV-positive persons, in particular during an outbreak with active lesions.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Worldwide rates of either HSV-1 and/or HSV-2 are between 60 and 95% in adults. HSV-1 is more common than HSV-2, with rates of both increasing as people age. HSV-1 rates are between 70% and 80% in populations of low socioeconomic status and 40% to 60% in populations of improved socioeconomic status. An estimated 536 million people or 16% of the population worldwide were infected with HSV-2 as of 2003 with greater rates among women and in those in the developing world. Rates of infection are determined by the presence of antibodies against either viral species.


title: Herpes simplex

text: In the US, 58% of the population is infected with HSV-1 and 16% are infected with HSV-2. Among those HSV-2-seropositive, only 19% were aware they were infected. During 2005–2008, the prevalence of HSV-2 was 39% in blacks and 21% in women.


title: Herpes simplex

text: The annual incidence in Canada of genital herpes due to HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection is not known (for a review of HSV-1/HSV-2 prevalence and incidence studies worldwide, see Smith and Robinson 2002). As many as one in seven Canadians aged 14 to 59 may be infected with herpes simplex type 2 virus and more than 90 per cent of them may be unaware of their status, a new study suggests. In the United States, it is estimated that about 1,640,000 HSV-2 seroconversions occur yearly (730,000 men and 910,000 women, or 8.4 per 1,000 persons).


title: Herpes simplex

text: In British Columbia in 1999, the seroprevalence of HSV-2 antibody in leftover serum submitted for antenatal testing revealed a prevalence of 17%, ranging from 7% in women 15–19 years old to 28% in those 40–44 years.


title: Herpes simplex

text: In Norway, a study published in 2000 found that up to 70–90% of genital initial infections were due to HSV-1.


title: Herpes simplex

text: In Nova Scotia, 58% of 1,790 HSV isolates from genital lesion cultures in women were HSV-1; in men, 37% of 468 isolates were HSV-1.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Herpes has been known for at least 2,000 years. Emperor Tiberius is said to have banned kissing in Rome for a time due to so many people having cold sores. In the 16th-century "Romeo and Juliet", blisters "o'er ladies' lips" are mentioned. In the 18th century, it was so common among prostitutes that it was called "a vocational disease of women". The term 'herpes simplex' appeared in Richard Boulton's "A System of Rational and Practical Chirurgery" in 1713, where the terms 'herpes miliaris' and 'herpes exedens' also appeared. Herpes was not found to be a virus until the 1940s.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Herpes antiviral therapy began in the early 1960s with the experimental use of medications that interfered with viral replication called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) inhibitors. The original use was against normally fatal or debilitating illnesses such as adult encephalitis, keratitis, in immunocompromised (transplant) patients, or disseminated herpes zoster. The original compounds used were 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine, AKA idoxuridine, IUdR, or(IDU) and 1-β-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine or ara-C, later marketed under the name cytosar or cytarabine. The usage expanded to include topical treatment of herpes simplex, zoster, and varicella. Some trials combined different antivirals with differing results. The introduction of 9-β-D-arabinofuranosyladenine, (ara-A or vidarabine), considerably less toxic than ara-C, in the mid-1970s, heralded the way for the beginning of regular neonatal antiviral treatment. Vidarabine was the first systemically administered antiviral medication with activity against HSV for which therapeutic efficacy outweighed toxicity for the management of life-threatening HSV disease. Intravenous vidarabine was licensed for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1977. Other experimental antivirals of that period included: heparin, trifluorothymidine (TFT), Ribivarin, interferon, Virazole, and 5-methoxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (MMUdR). The introduction of 9-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl)guanine, AKA aciclovir, in the late 1970s raised antiviral treatment another notch and led to vidarabine vs. aciclovir trials in the late 1980s. The lower toxicity and ease of administration over vidarabine has led to aciclovir becoming the drug of choice for herpes treatment after it was licensed by the FDA in 1998. Another advantage in the treatment of neonatal herpes included greater reductions in mortality and morbidity with increased dosages, which did not occur when compared with increased dosages of vidarabine. However, aciclovir seems to inhibit antibody response, and newborns on aciclovir antiviral treatment experienced a slower rise in antibody titer than those on vidarabine.


title: Herpes simplex

text: Some people experience negative feelings related to the condition following diagnosis, in particular if they have acquired the genital form of the disease. Feelings can include depression, fear of rejection, feelings of isolation, fear of being found out, and self-destructive feelings. Herpes support groups have been formed in the United States and the UK, providing information about herpes and running message forums and dating websites for affected people. People with the herpes virus are often hesitant to divulge to other people, including friends and family, that they are infected. This is especially true of new or potential sexual partners whom they consider casual.


title: Herpes simplex

text: In a 2007 study, 1,900 people (25% of which had herpes) ranked genital herpes second for social stigma, out of all sexually transmitted diseases (HIV took the top spot for STD stigma).


title: Herpes simplex

text: An important source of support is the "National Herpes Resource Center" which arose from the work of the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA). The ASHA was created in 1914 in response to the increase in sexually transmitted diseases that had spread during World War I. During the 1970s, there was an increase in sexually transmitted diseases. One of the diseases that increased dramatically was genital herpes. In response, ASHA created the National Herpes Resource Center in 1979. The Herpes Resource Center (HRC) was designed to meet the growing need for education and awareness about the virus. One of the projects of the HRC was to create a network of local support (HELP) groups. The goal of these HELP groups was to provide a safe, confidential environment where participants can get accurate information and share experiences, fears, and feelings with others who are concerned about herpes.


title: Herpes simplex

text: In the UK, the Herpes Association (now the Herpes Viruses Association) was started in 1982, becoming a registered charity with a Dept of Health grant in 1985. The charity started as a string of local group meetings before acquiring an office and a national spread.


title: Herpes simplex

text: As of October 2022, the U.S. FDA have not approved a vaccine for herpes. However, there are herpes vaccines currently in clinical trials, such as Moderna mRNA-1608. Unsuccessful clinical trials have been conducted for some glycoprotein subunit vaccines. As of 2017, the future pipeline includes several promising replication-incompetent vaccine proposals while two replication-competent (live-attenuated) HSV vaccine are undergoing human testing.


title: Herpes simplex

text: A genomic study of the herpes simplex type 1 virus confirmed the human migration pattern theory known as the out-of-Africa hypothesis.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which opened in 2016. Their current head coach Jay Woodcroft was hired on February 11, 2022, and Ken Holland was named as the general manager on May 7, 2019. The Oilers are one of two NHL franchises based in Alberta, the other being the Calgary Flames; their close proximity to each other has led to a fierce rivalry known as the "Battle of Alberta".


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers were founded in 1971 by W. D. "Wild Bill" Hunter and Dr. Chuck Allard, and played its first season in 1972 as one of the twelve founding franchises of the major professional World Hockey Association (WHA). They were originally intended to be one of two WHA Alberta teams, along with the Calgary Broncos. However, when the Broncos relocated and became the Cleveland Crusaders before the WHA's first season began, the team was renamed the Alberta Oilers. They returned to their current name in the following year, and subsequently joined the NHL in 1979 as one of four franchises absorbed through the NHL–WHA merger.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: After joining the NHL, the Oilers went on to win the Stanley Cup on five occasions: 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, and 1989–90. Along with the Pittsburgh Penguins, they are tied for the most championships won by any team since the NHL-WHA merger, as well as the most won by any team that joined the league in or after 1967. Among all NHL teams, only the Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup more times since the league's 1967 expansion. The Oilers also won six straight division titles from 1981–82 through 1986–87. Notably however, the Oilers have not won a division title since 1987, a drought that includes their most recent two Stanley Cup wins and is currently the longest division title drought in all of the North American major professional sports. For their overall success in the 1980s and early 1990s, the Oilers team of this era has been honoured with dynasty status by the Hockey Hall of Fame.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers began to struggle after coming up short in their most recent trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006, missing the playoffs for the subsequent ten seasons. The Oilers have made twelve first-round selections since 2007: ten within the first ten picks overall, six within the first four picks overall, and four first overall selections. In the NHL Entry Draft, Edmonton selected Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, and Connor McDavid with those first overall picks; of these, only Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid remain with the team as of 2022.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: On November 1, 1971, the Edmonton Oilers became 1 of the 12 founding WHA franchises. The original owners were "Wild Bill" Hunter (1920–2002) and partner, Dr. Charles A. "Chuck" Allard (1919–1991) (father of Vancouver lawyer Peter Allard) who, a decade later, also brought the "SCTV" sketch comedy TV series to Edmonton. Hunter also owned the Edmonton Oil Kings, a junior hockey franchise, and founded the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League (now known as the Western Hockey League (WHL)). Hunter's efforts to bring major professional hockey to Edmonton via an expansion NHL franchise had been rebuffed by the NHL. So, he looked to the upstart WHA instead. It was Hunter who chose the "Oilers" name for the new WHA franchise. This was a name that had previously been used as a nickname for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 1950s and 1960s. Hunter also served as head coach during the 1972–73, 1974–75, and 1975–76 seasons.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: After the newly founded Calgary Broncos folded prior to commencement of the inaugural WHA season, the Oilers were renamed the Alberta Oilers as it was planned to split their home games between Edmonton and Calgary. Possibly for financial reasons or to allow for a less complicated return of the WHA to Calgary, though, the team ultimately played all of its home games in the Edmonton Gardens and changed its name back to the Edmonton Oilers the following year. They won the first game in WHA history 7–4 over the Ottawa Nationals.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers drew fans with players such as defenceman and team captain Al Hamilton, goaltender Dave Dryden and forwards Blair MacDonald and Bill Flett. However, a relatively little-noticed move in 1976 had an important impact on the history of the franchise. That year, journeyman forward Glen Sather was acquired by the Oilers. It turned out to be his final season as a player and he was named player-coach late in the season, moving to the bench full-time after the season. Sather was the coach or general manager of the Oilers for the next 23 years.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: Although the Oilers' on-ice performance for most of the WHA's history was mediocre, they remained relatively well-supported and financially stable by WHA standards. In 1976, Hunter and Allard sold the franchise to Vancouver real estate tycoon Nelson Skalbania, who later became notorious for flipping property, both real and franchised. Skalbania soon made local businessman Peter Pocklington a full partner, then sold his shares to him the following year. The team's fortunes improved dramatically in 1978 when Pocklington acquired underage player Wayne Gretzky, as well as goaltender Eddie Mio and forward Peter Driscoll, for cash, from Skalbania's recently folded Indianapolis Racers.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: His first year of WHA experience prevented Gretzky from being an official 1979–80 NHL rookie; his first and only WHA season, 1978–79, saw the Oilers finish first in the WHA standings, posting a league-best 48–30–2 record. However, Edmonton failed to win the championship, as they fell to the Winnipeg Jets in the Avco World Trophy Final. Dave Semenko of the Oilers scored the last goal in WHA history in the third period of the final game, which they lost 7–3.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers joined the NHL for 1979–80, along with fellow WHA teams Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and the Jets following a merger agreement between the two leagues. Of these four teams, only Edmonton has avoided relocation and renaming; the Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche in 1995, the Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996 and the Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers lost most of the players from 1978–79 when the NHL held a reclamation draft of players who had bolted to the upstart league as they were allowed to protect two goaltenders and two skill players. Originally, Gretzky was not eligible to be protected; under the rules of the time, he normally would have been placed in the Entry Draft pool. However, Pocklington had signed him to a 21-year personal services contract in 1979 and Pocklington used the contract to force the NHL to admit the Oilers and allow the Oilers to keep Gretzky.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: Upon joining the NHL, the Oilers were placed in the Campbell Conference's Smythe Division. They were mediocre during the regular season in their first two seasons, finishing sixteenth and fourteenth respectively. However, because 16 of the 21 NHL teams made the playoffs at the time, the Oilers were still able to get their young players experience in the playoffs (they made the playoffs for their first 13 years in the NHL). They won only one playoff series in their first three NHL seasons, though, upsetting the Montreal Canadiens in 1980–81. Gretzky set new NHL records in 1980–81 for assists (109) and points (164). Also, they still had great draft positions. This allowed the Oilers to put together a young, talented, experienced team quickly. Within three years, Sather and chief scout Barry Fraser had drafted several players who would have an important role in the team's success, including Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Kevin Lowe, Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers improved in 1981–82, finishing second overall. Grant Fuhr emerged as the starting goaltender, and he set a rookie record by going undefeated in 23 straight games. However, Gretzky stole the show by setting the single season record for goals with 92 and becoming the first player in NHL history to score 200 points (with 212). Gretzky's accomplishments helped the Oilers become the first team to score 400 goals in a season, a feat they accomplished for five straight years. However, they were upset by the Los Angeles Kings in five games (Game 3 of this series, the Miracle on Manchester, saw the Oilers take a 5–0 lead into the third period, only to lose 6–5 in overtime).


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In 1982–83, the Oilers finished third overall in the NHL. They advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals (losing only once in the process) before getting swept by defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders. During this season, Gretzky, Messier, Anderson, and Kurri all topped 100 points, with Coffey not far behind at 96. After the season, Lee Fogolin resigned as captain of the Oilers, picking Gretzky as his successor.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In 1983–84, the Oilers finished first overall in the NHL, winning a franchise record 57 games and earning 119 points (15 points ahead of the second-place Islanders). They were the first team to feature three players with 50 goals (Gretzky, Kurri and Anderson). Gretzky started off strong by scoring at least a point in the first 51 games of the season. Paul Coffey became the second defenceman ever to score forty goals in a season (with forty exactly). The team scored a grand total of 446 goals as a team, an NHL record. The Oilers were so determined to win the Stanley Cup that they hired Roger Neilson as a video analyst. They started the playoffs strongly by sweeping the Winnipeg Jets in the Smythe Division semifinals. They faced a tougher test in the Calgary Flames, but they defeated them in seven games in the division finals. They then swept the Minnesota North Stars in the conference finals to earn a rematch with the Islanders in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Oilers split the first two games in Long Island, but then won three in a row in Edmonton to become the first former WHA team to win the Stanley Cup. After the series, Mark Messier was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The following season, the Oilers finished second overall in the NHL with 49 wins and 109 points. Gretzky led the NHL in goals with 73, and Kurri was close behind with a career high 71. Gretzky also became the youngest player in NHL history to score one thousand points. In the playoffs, the Oilers swept the Kings in the opening round and Jets in round two. They won the first two games of the Campbell Conference Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, but lost the next two before winning the final two and returning to the Stanley Cup Finals. Edmonton lost the first game to Philadelphia, but won the next four to win the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row. Paul Coffey had a playoff performance to remember, setting records for most goals (12), assists (25) and points (37) ever by a defenceman in a playoff year. In addition, Jari Kurri tied Reggie Leach's record for most goals in a playoff year, with 19. However, Gretzky won the Conn Smythe Trophy after setting the record for most points in a playoff year (47). The 1984–85 Oilers were voted as the greatest NHL team of all-time during the league's centennial celebrations in 2017.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: Despite off-season legal issues, the Oilers were again the top team in the NHL during the 1985–86 season, with 56 wins and 119 points. They won the inaugural Presidents' Trophy, the trophy given to the team with the best regular-season record. Gretzky, Kurri and Anderson each scored 50 goals again. Kurri led the NHL in goals with 68, finishing with 131 points. Paul Coffey set a new record for most goals in a season by a defenceman (48), and just missed setting a new record for points by a defenceman with 138 (Bobby Orr scored 139 in 1970–71). Gretzky also set records for assists (163) and points (215). However, the Oilers failed to win their third-straight Stanley Cup, as the Calgary Flames defeated them in seven games in the second round. In the third period of a 2–2 tie during Game 7, Steve Smith, a rookie for the Oilers, accidentally sent the puck into his own net on his birthday. This goal stood as the series-winning goal.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: 1986–87 saw the Oilers capture their second straight Presidents' Trophy with 50 wins and 106 points. Gretzky and Kurri were first and second in the NHL point-scoring race, while Messier was fourth. Edmonton returned to the Stanley Cup Final and faced the same opponent as they had in 1985, the Philadelphia Flyers. The Oilers took a three-games-to-one lead in the series. However, strong goaltending by Flyers' rookie Ron Hextall forced a Game 7, which the Oilers won, 3–1. In the post-game celebration, Gretzky immediately passed the Stanley Cup to Steve Smith, vindicated after his costly miscue the previous season. Hextall won the Conn Smythe Trophy.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers began losing star players in 1987–88. Paul Coffey sat out the first 21 games of the season before getting traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Andy Moog also failed to report; he was tired of being the backup goalie. Moog played for the Canadian Olympic team in the 1988 Winter Olympics before getting traded to the Boston Bruins for Bill Ranford. Despite the changes, the Oilers placed third overall in the NHL. Grant Fuhr started a league-record 75 games (which has now been broken) and posted a team-record 40 wins. In the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers dispatched the third-place Winnipeg Jets in five games. The Oilers then defeated first-overall Calgary in a sweep. In the Campbell Conference Final against the Detroit Red Wings, the Oilers prevailed in five games. The Oilers then swept the Boston Bruins in four games. The fourth game had to be re-played because of a cancellation. With the score tied 3–3 with 3:23 to play in the second period, a power outage hit the Boston Garden, forcing cancellation of the entire game. The Oilers won the next game (originally scheduled as game five) back in Edmonton 6–3 to complete the series sweep. However, all player statistics for the aborted game four in Boston are counted in the NHL record books. Gretzky won the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading the playoffs in scoring with 43 points. After the Cup-clinching game, Gretzky implored his teammates, coaches, trainers and others from the Oilers organization to join at centre ice for an impromptu team photo with the Stanley Cup. This started a tradition since continued by every subsequent Stanley Cup champion. After the season, Fuhr was awarded the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In a surprising and shocking trade, Gretzky, along with enforcer Marty McSorley and centre Mike Krushelnyski, were traded to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988. In exchange, the Oilers received US$15 million, young star Jimmy Carson, 1988 first-round draft choice Martin Gelinas, and the Kings' first-round draft picks in 1989, 1991, and 1993. The trade occurred because Pocklington did not want to risk Gretzky leaving Edmonton without getting anything in return. Gretzky had converted his personal-services contract with Pocklington into a standard five-year player's contract with the Oilers in the summer of 1987 with an option to declare himself an unrestricted free agent after the 1988–89 season. During the 1987–88 season, Pocklington had approached Gretzky about renegotiating the contract, but Gretzky, unwilling to give up his chance at free agency, refused, which ultimately led to the trade. None of this was public knowledge at the time. However, the Oilers and their fans were still upset. Nelson Riis, the New Democratic Party leader in Canada's House of Commons, went so far as to ask the government to block the trade. Several of the Oilers considered launching a team-wide strike, and even considered demanding that Pocklington sell the team.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The loss of Gretzky had an immediate impact in 1988–89, as the Oilers were only able to finish in third place in their division. Mark Messier was chosen to succeed Gretzky as captain. Coincidentally, the Oilers' first-round playoff opponent was Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings. Edmonton took a commanding 3–1 series lead, but Gretzky and the Kings fought back to win the series, winning Game 7 6–3 in Los Angeles. It was the first time since 1982 that the Oilers had been eliminated from the playoffs in the first round.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers underwent more changes during the 1989–90 season. John Muckler replaced Sather, who remained general manager and became the Oilers' president, as head coach of the team. During training camp, Grant Fuhr came down with a severe case of appendicitis. He missed the first ten games of the season, and when he returned he suffered a shoulder injury that eventually sidelined him for the remainder of the season. This marked the emergence of Bill Ranford as a starter. Four games into the season, Jimmy Carson decided the pressure of playing in Edmonton was too intense, and he was traded to Detroit with Kevin McClelland in exchange for Petr Klima, Adam Graves, Joe Murphy, and Jeff Sharples. The Oilers improved on their previous season, finishing with 38 wins and 90 points, good for fifth place overall in the NHL. Messier had 45 goals and 84 assists for 129 points, good for second in the NHL scoring race (behind only Gretzky).


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In the first round, the Oilers faced the Winnipeg Jets. Trailing the series 3–1 and trailing Game 5 by the identical score, the Oilers rallied to win the next three and take the series. In the division final, the Oilers met Los Angeles for the second-straight season. Edmonton swept the series 4–0, outscoring the Kings 22–10. The Oilers then met the Chicago Blackhawks in the Campbell Conference Final and fell behind 2–1 in the series. However, the Oilers won the next three games to earn a rematch of the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals with Boston. The Final is remembered for Game 1, still the longest Stanley Cup Final game played in the modern NHL. Despite being soundly outshot by the Bruins, the Oilers won the game 3–2 when Klima—benched for much of the game, and thus the only player on either team who was not exhausted—scored at 15:13 of the third overtime. The Oilers defeated the Bruins in five games, and won their first Cup without Gretzky. For his superlative goaltending, Bill Ranford won the Conn Smythe Trophy.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers lost another important player before the 1990–91 season, as Jari Kurri chose to play the entire season with Devils Milano. Grant Fuhr was suspended for 60 games for drug abuse. The season itself was not great for the Oilers, who finished with 37 wins and 80 points, in third place in the Smythe Division. In the playoffs, the Oilers met the Flames in the opening round, winning a thrilling series in seven games, led by seven goals by Esa Tikkanen. Despite injuries suffered in the series with Calgary, they next defeated the Los Angeles Kings in six games. However, their success did not continue into the Conference Final, as they lost in five games to the Minnesota North Stars.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The final star players from the Oilers left before the 1991–92 season. Fuhr and Glenn Anderson were traded to Toronto, Steve Smith was traded to Chicago, and Kurri was traded to Philadelphia. Charlie Huddy was claimed by Minnesota in the expansion draft, and Mark Messier was traded to the New York Rangers a day after the season began. The Oilers even lost their head coach, as John Muckler left to become head coach and general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. Ted Green replaced Muckler as head coach, and Kevin Lowe succeeded Messier as captain.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: Despite the number of changes, the Oilers produced a comparable season to 1990–91, finishing third in the Smythe Division with 36 wins and 82 points. In the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers again met the Los Angeles Kings. Again, for the third time since the Gretzky trade, the Oilers defeated the Kings. In the next round, the Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks in six games to return to the Campbell Conference Final for the third straight season, this time facing the Chicago Blackhawks. However, the Oilers unexpected run in the playoffs came to a crashing halt, as the Blackhawks dominated every game and swept the series.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The departures of the stars from the 1980s exposed serious deficiencies in the Oilers' development system. They had done a poor job of drafting during the dynasty years, and the younger players had not had enough time to develop before the core of the 1980s dynasty left the team. This did not become apparent for a few years; as noted above, the Oilers still had enough heft to make the conference finals two years in a row. However, it was obvious that they were nowhere near being the powerhouse that had dominated the league in the previous half-decade. In 1992–93, they missed the playoffs for the first time as an NHL team. They did not return to the postseason for four years, despite the emergence of young centremen Doug Weight and Jason Arnott. In the 1993–94 season, the Oilers were placed into the Western Conference's Pacific Division.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In 1996–97, the Oilers made the playoffs for the first time in five years, thanks to stellar goaltending by Curtis Joseph. In the first round, they upset the Dallas Stars, who had compiled the league's second-best record, in a seven-game series. The Oilers won game seven on a goal by Todd Marchant in overtime. However, the Oilers' surprise playoff run failed to continue, as the Colorado Avalanche defeated them in the next round. In 1997–98, Joseph led the Oilers to another first-round upset. After Colorado took a 3–1 series lead, the Oilers held them scoreless for eight straight periods en route to winning the series in seven games. Dallas and Edmonton met again in the second round, but this time, the Stars were the victors. The Oilers made the playoffs in four of the next six years, but they were defeated after the first round every time.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: Despite their success over the past two seasons, the Oilers were in trouble off the ice. Owner Peter Pocklington had explored moving the Oilers to Minnesota during the 1990s. In 1998, Pocklington almost made a deal to sell the team to Leslie Alexander, the owner of the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), who would have moved the team to Houston, Texas. On March 14, 1998, hours before the deadline to keep the team in Edmonton, the Edmonton Investors Group agreed to pay $70 million to buy the club. The EIG were spearheaded by Cal Nichols, who had a commitment to retain NHL hockey in Edmonton. The deal was finalized on May 5, and thus prevented them from being the third Canadian team to move in the 1990s and the fourth former WHA team to move in successive years (Quebec had moved in 1995, Winnipeg in 1996 and Hartford in 1997). The Oilers received support from the NHL for this very reason. In the 1998–99 season, the Oilers joined the Western Conference's Northwest Division.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: On November 22, 2003, the Oilers hosted the 2003 Heritage Classic, the first regular-season outdoor hockey game in the NHL's history and part of the celebrations of the Oilers' 25th season in the NHL. They were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens 4–3 in front of more than 55,000 fans, an NHL attendance record, at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. The Oilers failed to make the playoffs in the 2003–04 season.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers struggled with their small-market status for several years, but after the wiped-out 2004–05 season, they were aided by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NHL owners and players. This included a league-wide salary cap that essentially forced all teams to conform to a budget, as the Oilers had been doing for years. A more reasonable conversion rate of Canadian dollar revenues to US dollar payroll in the new millennium also helped the Oilers to return to profitability. Because of this, Edmonton was able to acquire Chris Pronger (former winner of the Hart and Norris Trophies) and Michael Peca (two-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner) before the 2005–06 season.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The team suffered from inconsistency during the first few months of the regular season, especially in goal and on offence. Goaltenders Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen were unreliable in net, and Peca also struggled with offence. However, in-season acquisitions, such as defencemen Jaroslav Spacek and Dick Tarnstrom, goaltender Dwayne Roloson, and left winger Sergei Samsonov, helped Edmonton finish the season with 95 points and clinch the final playoff spot in the Western Conference over Vancouver.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers played the Detroit Red Wings (winners of the Presidents' Trophy). Despite Detroit's much better regular-season record, the Oilers pulled off a six-game upset for their first playoff series win since 1998. Edmonton then met the San Jose Sharks in the Conference Semifinals. After trailing the series two games to none, the team won the next four and became the first eighth-seeded team to reach a Conference Final since the NHL changed the playoff format in 1994. There, the Oilers beat the sixth-seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in five games, claiming the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl for a seventh time.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In the Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton met the Carolina Hurricanes. During Game 1, the Oilers blew a 3–0 lead, lost Dwayne Roloson for the series after he suffered a knee injury, and ultimately lost 5–4 when Carolina's captain Rod Brind'Amour scored the winning goal in the final minute after backup goalie Ty Conklin misplayed the puck. From that game forward, the Oilers used Jussi Markkanen in net. Despite trailing the series 2–0 and 3–1, the Oilers forced a Game 7 with a 2–1 win in Game 3, a Fernando Pisani short-handed overtime winner in Game 5 and a 4–0 shutout for Markkanen in Game 6. However, the Oilers could not complete the comeback as the Hurricanes won Game 7 3–1 to capture their first-ever Stanley Cup.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In the 2006 off-season, many Oilers left the team. Four days after their loss to the Hurricanes, Chris Pronger surprisingly issued a trade request for personal reasons. Pronger was subsequently traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Joffrey Lupul, Ladislav Smid, and three draft picks. Several Oilers left via free agency and during the season, long-time Oiler Ryan Smyth was traded to the New York Islanders for Ryan O'Marra, Robert Nilsson, and a first-round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft (used to select Alex Plante). However, the Oilers were able to re-sign Dwayne Roloson and Fernando Pisani. Having lost so many players, the Oilers posted a 32–43–7 record in 2006–07, their worst record since the 1995–96 season, and eventually finished in 11th place in the Western Conference. Throughout the season, the Oilers lost various players to injury and illness; at one point, they had 11 players out of the line-up and had to rely on emergency call-ups to fill their roster.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In 2007–08, the Oilers had a 16–21–4 record after the first half of the season. They improved in the second half of the year, however, going 25–14–2 in 41 games for a final record of 41–35–6. Nonetheless, this was not enough to qualify for the playoffs, as the Oilers finished three points out in ninth place. During the season, Daryl Katz, owner of the Rexall pharmaceutical company, purchased the team from the Edmonton Investors Group. The Oilers announced a restructuring of their hockey operations on July 30, 2008, which saw the promotion of Kevin Lowe to the role of president of hockey operations and was replaced by Steve Tambellini.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The 2008–09 season saw the Oilers finish with a record of 38–35–9, but that was only good enough for 11th in the West. However, one bright spot during the season was Oilers goaltender Dwayne Roloson, as he became the oldest goaltender to play 60 NHL games in one season. After the season, the Oilers fired head coach Craig MacTavish and hired Pat Quinn as his replacement.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: Roloson left via free agency at the end of the season, and the Oilers replaced him in goal with Nikolai Khabibulin. The Oilers also worked out a trade with the Ottawa Senators for star right wing Dany Heatley, which would have seen Dustin Penner, Ladislav Smid, and Andrew Cogliano go the other way, but Heatley refused a trade to Edmonton and was later acquired by San Jose. Off-season moves failed to help the Oilers as they finished last in the NHL during 2009–10. It was also easily their worst season as an NHL team.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: Following the season, Tom Renney replaced Quinn as the Oilers head coach. The one advantage to such a bad season was that the Oilers were able to make the first pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The Oilers selected two-time Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy winner Taylor Hall from the Windsor Spitfires with their pick. They used the off-season to begin the rebuild of the club around their young talent. Patrick O'Sullivan was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Jim Vandermeer, Robert Nilsson was bought out of his contract and Oilers captain Ethan Moreau was placed on waivers and claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Along with these players, several others were allowed to enter free agency, including Mike Comrie, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, and Ryan Potulny. Also during the off-season, radio announcer Rod Phillips announced his retirement. Phillips had been the Oilers' play-by-play announcer since 1973–74. Phillips called ten specific games in 2010–11 before calling it quits. The 2010–11 Oilers season is documented in the series "Oil Change".


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The 2010–11 season brought a new look to the Edmonton Oilers line-up, when Shawn Horcoff was selected to succeed Ethan Moreau as team captain. Horcoff had become the Oilers longest-serving player by this point. Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson all made their NHL debuts for the team. Despite the influx of their young talent, Edmonton still found themselves at the bottom of the standings. In an attempt to gain valuable prospects and draft picks, Dustin Penner was traded from the Oilers to Los Angeles on February 28, 2011, in exchange for Colten Teubert, a first-round draft pick in 2011 (used to select Oscar Klefbom) and a conditional third-round pick in 2012. At the end of the season, the Oilers were at the bottom of the standings and received the right to choose first overall in the upcoming 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The Oilers selected Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with the first overall selection, along with several other "blue chip" prospects. During the 2011 off-season, the team again made several moves to bolster the offence and defence, re-acquiring fan favourite Ryan Smyth from Los Angeles for Colin Fraser and a seventh-round draft pick. The team also traded with the Anaheim Ducks to acquire Andy Sutton for Kurtis Foster. Sheldon Souray, who played the entire 2010–11 season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hershey Bears, was bought out of the last year of his contract. These moves, coupled with the signings of Eric Belanger, Cam Barker, Ben Eager, and Darcy Hordichuk, changed the complexion of the team, to add "grit and toughness". However, the Oilers were again unable to qualify for the playoffs for the sixth-straight season, as they finished 14th in the Western Conference.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: On May 17, 2012, a month after the ending of the 2011–12 season, the Oilers announced they would not renew the contract of head coach Tom Renney. The following month, Edmonton selected Nail Yakupov as the first overall pick at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. A week later, Ralph Krueger was named as the Oilers' new head coach on June 27, being promoted from his role as associate coach the season previous. Three days later, Edmonton announced they had agreed to terms with sought-after free agent defenceman Justin Schultz.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The 2012–13 season start was delayed from its original date of October 11, 2012, due to a labour lock-out imposed by the NHL franchise owners after the expiration of the NHL's CBA. After a new labour agreement was reached between the owners and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), training camps opened on January 13, 2013, and a 48-game season (reduced from 82 games) commenced on January 19. The Oilers played their first game of the shortened season a day later, on January 20.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: On January 23, to ensure of the health of the Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton and for the planned revitalization of downtown Edmonton, the City of Edmonton council voted 10–3 to the approval of a deal which saw a new $480 million arena built in Edmonton's downtown core for the start of the 2016–17 season. Rogers Communications announced it had the naming rights to the new arena on December 3, 2013; the new 18,641-seat arena was called Rogers Place.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: After 41 games into the shortened season, and with the Oilers mathematically eliminated from the playoffs for a seventh successive time, Edmonton terminated Steve Tambellini's contract as general manager, where he was replaced with former head coach Craig MacTavish. Following the end of the season, on June 8, MacTavish fired Ralph Krueger after just one season as head coach. Two days later, it was announced Krueger was to be replaced by former Toronto Marlies head coach Dallas Eakins. Some of MacTavish's first player moves as Oilers' general manager came at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, as Edmonton used their seventh overall selection to draft defenceman Darnell Nurse. More moves came on July 5, during free agency, which saw MacTavish trade captain Shawn Horcoff to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Philip Larsen. MacTavish also signed Andrew Ference, Boyd Gordon, Jason LaBarbera, Will Acton, Ryan Hamilton, and Jesse Joensuu. Ference was later announced as the 14th captain in Oilers NHL franchise history on September 29. Ales Hemsky and Ryan Smyth, who after the Horcoff trade became the last remaining members of the Oilers' 2006 Stanley Cup finalists still with the team, departed the Oilers franchise, as Hemsky was traded to the Ottawa Senators on March 5, 2014. Smyth (who had previously left the Oilers in 2007, but had returned in 2011) announced his retirement on April 11, playing his final NHL game on April 13, where he was ceremoniously named team captain.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: On December 15, 2014, after 31 games of the 2014–15 season, MacTavish announced Dallas Eakins had been terminated as head coach. MacTavish assumed the role of interim coach while Todd Nelson transitioned into the role for the remainder of the season. Nelson was previously serving as the head coach of the Oklahoma City Barons, the Oilers' then-AHL affiliate. Three days later, the Oilers released a statement that their affiliation with the Barons would cease at the end of the season.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: Following Edmonton's decision not to renew affiliation with the Barons, the Oilers relocated their AHL franchise from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Bakersfield, California. This move was announced on January 29, 2015, as part of the AHL's new Pacific Division, which included the Oilers' affiliation in Bakersfield. The following month, on February 25, the team was given its new identity, the Bakersfield Condors. On April 2, the Condors released their new logo.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers won the 2015 Draft Lottery on April 18, moving them from the third-overall pick to first, marking their fourth lottery win in six seasons. The Oilers selected Connor McDavid first overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft held in Sunrise, Florida, on June 26.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: On April 24, Craig MacTavish was removed from his position as general manager and was replaced by former Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli, who was also appointed president of hockey operations as part of other related changes. In Chiarelli's first transactions as Oilers general manager, he traded a first and a second-round pick during the first day of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft to the New York Islanders, in exchange for defenceman Griffin Reinhart. Chiarelli again made trades the following day and traded another second-, a third- and a seventh-round draft pick to the New York Rangers, to acquire goaltender Cam Talbot and the Rangers' seventh-round draft pick. On May 19, Todd McLellan was named the new head coach of the Oilers. He and his former team, the San Jose Sharks, mutually agreed to part ways on April 20 after the Sharks failed to qualify for the 2015 playoffs. More coaching changes came on June 4 when Keith Acton and Craig Ramsay were relieved of their duties.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In addition to these coaching changes, the Oilers also made some changes to their scouting staff on June 22, which saw both head amateur and professional scouts Stu MacGregor and Morey Gare relieved of their duties. Amateur scouts Brad Davis and Kent Hawley, professional scout Dave Semenko and Billy Moores, who served as director of coaching and special projects, were also relieved of their duties. Further changes came on October 7, when the Oilers elected to begin the 2015–16 season without a team captain; this marked the first time they had done so since entering the NHL, in 1979. Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Andrew Ference, who had served as team captain the previous two seasons, were all named as alternate captains.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: On February 27, 2016, mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, the Oilers traded defenceman Justin Schultz to the Pittsburgh Penguins, in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to his trade, Schultz endured the worst season of his professional career, with just 10 points in 45 games.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: After the 2015–16 season, the Oilers prepared to move from Rexall Place, their home since 1974, to newly built Rogers Place. On April 6, in their final home game at Rexall, the Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6–2. Before the game, the Oilers held a ceremony honouring the history of the arena. Oilers' alumni, including Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky, skated around the rink one more time.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In a one-for-one trade on June 29, Edmonton dealt all-star winger Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils, in exchange for defenceman Adam Larsson. Following the Hall trade, Chiarelli also pursued impending free agent Milan Lucic, signing him to a seven-year contract, in a bid to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Chiarelli and Lucic were already familiar with each other, during their time together with the Boston Bruins. On October 5, 19-year-old Connor McDavid was named the 15th captain of the Oilers; McDavid was the youngest team captain in NHL history, having broken the record previously held by current Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. The Oilers made further moves to their roster a few days later, when they traded Nail Yakupov to the St. Louis Blues, and signed free-agent defenceman Kris Russell.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The 2016–17 season was a great success for the team. After defeating the Los Angeles Kings 2–1 on March 28, 2017, the Oilers qualified for the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs, ending their 11-year drought. The Oilers finished with a 47–26–9 record, thanks largely to a 100-point season from McDavid and breakout performances from fellow forwards Leon Draisaitl and Patrick Maroon, whilst backstopped with strong play from netminder Cam Talbot. McDavid led the entire league with 70 assists and 100 points, earning himself both the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy, as his team's most valuable player. Talbot also set a new franchise record, with a total of 42 games won by a goaltender, surpassing the 40 games won by Grant Fuhr, during the 1987–88 season.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In the first round of the playoffs, the Oilers eliminated the San Jose Sharks, following a 3–1 win in Game 6, to secure their first playoff series win since 2006. Their playoff run was stopped on May 10, losing to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 7 with a 2–1 loss, ending the second round series.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In the 2017 off-season, the Oilers traded Jordan Eberle to the New York Islanders, in exchange for forward Ryan Strome, in order to gain salary relief. The Oilers signed both McDavid and Draisaitl to 8-year contracts worth $100 million and $68 million, carrying annual cap hits of $12.5 million and $8.5 million, respectively. The Oilers had high expectations coming into the 2017–18 season, as many expected to make progress off of their surprising year in 2016–17. However, the Oilers regressed, posting a 36–40–6 record and missing the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 seasons.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: On January 22, 2019, the Oilers terminated Chiarelli's employment as president and general manager. Keith Gretzky was appointed interim general manager the following day. The Oilers again missed the playoffs, posting a 35–38–9 record and having only qualified for the playoffs once in 13 seasons.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: On May 7, the Oilers announced the appointment of Ken Holland as general manager. Three weeks later, the Oilers named Dave Tippett as the team's new head coach, on May 28. In the 2019–20 season, the Oilers showed some hope; the team had a record of 37–25–9 on March 12, 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the season. Edmonton was chosen as one of the two host cities of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, and qualified for the playoffs as the fifth seed in the Western Conference; however, the team was upset by the Chicago Blackhawks in four games in the preliminary round.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In the 2020–21 season, the Oilers finished second in the North Division with a 35–19–2 record, largely due to a 105-point season from Connor McDavid, only the ninth player to reach the mark in 53 games. Additionally, Leon Draisaitl had an excellent season, as the runner-up in NHL league scoring, with 84 points. McDavid's 105-point season earned him a unanimous second Hart Trophy win as the most valuable player in the NHL, becoming the second unanimous winner in league history (along with Wayne Gretzky in 1981–82). The Oilers faced the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the playoffs, who finished third in the North Division. The Oilers lost four games in a sweep to the Jets, three of which were overtime losses, including the final game, which went to triple overtime. Darnell Nurse logged 62 minutes and 7 seconds of ice time in the final game, third-most in NHL history.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In the 2021–22 season, the Oilers finished with 49–27–6, their first 40-win season since 2017. McDavid got a career-high of 123 points and the Oilers clinched the second place in the Pacific Division. The Oilers faced the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. After struggling at first, the Oilers managed to cling on and win an extremely close Game 7 to advance to the second round. There, they faced the Calgary Flames (a first since 1991), a provincial rival. The series was a tight battle, leading to the Oilers triumphing over the Flames in five games. The series was apart of the iconic Battle of Alberta (a provincial rivalry), which is known for its excessive amount of high scoring games and brutality. The Oilers advanced to the Western Conference Finals (first time since 2006) where they were defeated in four games by the Colorado Avalanche.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The original 1972 design featured the now-traditional colours of blue and orange, but reversed from their more familiar appearance in later seasons, orange being the dominant colour and blue used for the trimming. For the first few games of the 1972 season, player names were not displayed on the uniform; rather the word "ALBERTA" was written in that space. About halfway through the season, though, the player names made their appearance, since the Oilers had played exclusively in Edmonton. These jerseys also featured the player numbers high on the shoulders, rather than on the upper sleeve as is standard.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In the 1975–76 season, the jersey was changed to a blue base with orange trim. The logo that appeared on programs and promotional material remained the same. However, the logo that appeared on the home jersey had a white oil drop, on a dark orange field, with the team name written in deep blue. The away jersey featured an orange-printed logo.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: When the team joined the NHL in 1979, the alternate logos were discarded, giving the jersey its most famous form. However, the logo appeared slightly differently on a few vintages of the jersey. Minor changes were also made to the numbering, lettering and collar in their first few NHL campaigns. From 1982 to 1989, Nike provided the Oilers' sweaters.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The essential design remained untouched until 1996, when the team colours were changed to midnight blue and copper with red trim. Other changes made to the jersey at that point were the removal of the shoulder bar and cuffs from the away jersey, and the addition of the "Rigger" alternate logo to the jersey's shoulders. A year later, the shoulder bars were removed from the home jersey as well, and the Oilers' sweater design then remained stable until 2007.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In 2001, the Oilers introduced their first alternate third sweater. Designed by then-minority owner Todd McFarlane and his production studio, the new uniforms were a radical departure from previous Oilers designs. The original Oilers logo was completely absent, along with copper and red; midnight blue was complemented with two shades of silver/grey, and the primary logo was a flying set of gears with an oil drop on top. Elements of the logo paid tribute to the five Stanley Cup titles and 10 team captains to that point. A silver shield bearing "OILERS" above a variation of the oil-drop gear adorned the shoulders. The jersey's sleeve numbers are located inside the white sleeve stripe.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In 2007, with the NHL's switch to jerseys, the Oilers kept their team colours but changed the style of their jerseys. Most notable about the Edge jerseys were the removal of the waistline stripes in favour of vertical piping, and the sleeve stripes only appearing on the inside of the elbow panels. The "Rigger" was retired, along with the McFarlane third jersey and its associated logos. In 2008, the Oilers introduced a new alternate jersey that closely resembled the blue-and-orange away jersey of the dynasty era. For the 2009–10 season, this jersey became the Oilers' main home jersey as blue and orange became the primary team colours once again. The old midnight blue-and-copper jersey became their alternate. On June 24, 2011, the Oilers presented their new white road jerseys at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, when they selected Ryan Nugent-Hopkins first overall. The midnight blue jersey remained as the third jersey before being dropped altogether in 2012.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: For the 2015–16 season, the team introduced a new alternate jersey inspired by their original WHA design, with orange as a primary colour. This design immediately became popular with the fanbase, and Oilers home games were soon flooded with fans wearing the orange jerseys, calling it the "Orange Surge" in response to the Calgary Flames' "C of Red" and Winnipeg Jets' "Whiteout" traditions.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: With the switch to Adidas jerseys in the 2017–18 season, the orange jersey became the Oilers' home design, but with a few alterations: the 1980s-era template was retained while midnight blue returned as an accent colour.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: To commemorate the franchise's 40th anniversary in the NHL, the Oilers wore their classic 1980s blue jerseys for four home games in 2018–19 against original Smythe Division rivals Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, and Vancouver Canucks. Prior to the 2019–20 season, the Oilers unveiled a new midnight blue alternate jersey with minimal striping and lack of white elements. The Oilers wore their midnight blue alternates at home playoff games during the and Stanley Cup playoffs, despite the popularity of the orange jerseys.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In the 2020–21 season, the Oilers released a "Reverse Retro" alternate uniform, reviving the 1980s white jersey but with the orange and blue switching places, save for the team's crest.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: Beginning with the 2022–23 season, the Oilers brought back the 1980s blue and white jerseys, while retaining the alternate midnight blue jerseys. The Oilers also unveiled a second "Reverse Retro" uniform during the season, using the 2001–2007 alternate but with the addition of orange trim.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: From 1981 to 2011, Paul Lorieau was the Oilers anthem singer. Since 2013 the Oilers' anthem singer has been Robert Clark, an opera singer from Sherwood Park. In the 2017 playoffs, Robert was the first anthem singer to sing from within the crowd, at Game 1 of the first round. Before singing the anthems, public address announcer Al Stafford introduces him as "The singing voice of your Edmonton Oilers".


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers mascot is a Canadian lynx named Hunter who was unveiled on September 26, 2016. The choosing of the Canadian lynx was because their largest place of habitat, in terms of population, is Alberta. It was also because it was the largest vote overall. The name gives tribute to the original Oilers owner, William "Wild Bill" Hunter. Hunter wears the number 72 on his jersey, referencing the year the Oilers were established, which was in 1972. Hunter has a portable drum, in which he uses to entertain the crowds and make them chant "Let's Go Oilers!", along with a rhythmic beat.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Oilers Octane was the cheer-leading team for the Edmonton Oilers. The team was the first cheer squad for a Canadian NHL franchise. The debut of the cheer-leading team received a mixed reaction from the Edmonton community, including petitions to keep cheerleading out of the sport of hockey in Canada.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: The Octane performed for the first time on December 14, 2010, at a home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The first team had 19 cheerleaders, women aged 18 to 29, dressed in uniforms that resembled the original Edmonton Oilers jerseys, albeit with skirts and knee-high boots.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: In August 2016 the Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG), which owns the Oilers, announced it was discontinuing the Octane, saying the franchise was "looking for a new direction related to the fan experience" as the team prepared to move from Rexall Place to Rogers Place for the 2016–17 season. The Group also announced auditions for a newly formed, co-ed group of "brand ambassadors" named the Oilers Orange and Blue Ice Crew for the upcoming season.


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: "This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Oilers. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Edmonton Oilers seasons"


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: "Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses/Shootout Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes"


title: Edmonton Oilers

text: Eleven Oilers players have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Jacques Plante, who briefly played for the Oilers in the WHA was inducted in 1978. Regarded as one of the greatest goalies of all time Plante led the Montreal Canadiens to six Stanley cups through the 1950s and early 1960s. Norm Ullman, who played for the Oilers in the WHA was inducted in 1982. Ullman played twenty years for the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs putting up 1,229 points. Ullman is among the top scoring forwards ever to play in the NHL. Wayne Gretzky was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999 after retiring the same year. Gretzky who played ten seasons with the Oilers, led them to four Stanley cups consecutively throughout the Mid 1980s. Known as "The Great One", Gretzky is considered the greatest hockey player ever and holds the NHL record with most goals, assists, and points. In 2001, Jari Kurri became the first Finnish player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. After being selected by the Oilers in the 1980 NHL draft Kurri played ten seasons with the Oilers alongside Gretzky and Messier. Grant Fuhr who was present during the "dynasty era" as the main starting goalie for the Oilers was inducted in 2003. Paul Coffey (inducted in 2004) and Glenn Anderson (inducted in 2008) where the final Oilers players to be inducted in the 2000s. Adam Oates was inducted into the Hockey Hall of fame in 2012. Oates played sixty games with the Oilers after signing a one year contract in 2003. Considered an elite playmaker, Oates totaled 1,079 assists which at the time of his retirement made him the fifth most assisted player in NHL history. Chris Pronger who played defence for the Oilers was inducted in 2015. Pronger helped lead the Oilers to their 2006 Stanley cup run. The most recent inductee who played for the Oilers is Kevin Lowe. Lowe played with the Oilers from 1979 to 1992 and from 1996 to 1998. After retiring Lowe became head coach of the Oilers and soon after became their general manager.