# 1990–91 Edmonton Oilers season

The 1990–91 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 12th season in the NHL, and they were coming off of their 5th Stanley Cup in the last 7 seasons, after defeating the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals. The Oilers would finish the season with a 37–37–6 record for 80 points, their lowest point total since 1980–81, and Edmonton scored a franchise low 272 goals, however, the Oilers set a franchise record for fewest goals against, with 272. After a 2–11–2 start to the season, the Oilers rebounded and finished 3rd in the Smythe Division and continued their playoff streak of making the playoffs every year they've been in the NHL.
Prior to the season, long time Oiler Jari Kurri left the team due to a contract dispute signing with Italian club Milano Devils, leaving a big hole on the team's top line. Injuries also hurt the Oilers, as Mark Messier missed 29 games due to injuries, and his 64 points was his lowest total since 1984–85. Messier also matched the lowest goal total of his career with 12, which matched his rookie season total back in 1979–80. Esa Tikkanen led the club in points with 69, while Petr Klíma scored a career high 40 goals to lead Edmonton in that department. Steve Smith would lead the Oilers defense with 54 points, and his 193 penalty minutes led the club.
In goal, Bill Ranford had a solid season, winning a team high 27 games and posting a 3.20 GAA. Grant Fuhr was suspended by the NHL for the season, but the suspension was lifted by the league after 59 games and his completion of a two-week rehab program, finishing out the regular season with a solid 6–4–3 record and a 3.01 GAA.
The Oilers finished the regular season with the fewest short-handed goals allowed (4).

## Season standings

Smythe Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 46 | 24 | 10 | 340 | 254 | 102 |
| Calgary Flames | 80 | 46 | 26 | 8 | 344 | 263 | 100 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 37 | 37 | 6 | 272 | 272 | 80 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 28 | 43 | 9 | 243 | 315 | 65 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 26 | 43 | 11 | 260 | 288 | 63 |
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Campbell Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | p – Chicago Blackhawks | NRS | 80 | 49 | 23 | 8 | 284 | 211 | 106 |
| 2 | St. Louis Blues | NRS | 80 | 47 | 22 | 11 | 310 | 250 | 105 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Kings | SMY | 80 | 46 | 24 | 10 | 340 | 254 | 102 |
| 4 | Calgary Flames | SMY | 80 | 46 | 26 | 8 | 344 | 263 | 100 |
| 5 | Edmonton Oilers | SMY | 80 | 37 | 37 | 6 | 272 | 272 | 80 |
| 6 | Detroit Red Wings | NRS | 80 | 34 | 38 | 8 | 273 | 298 | 76 |
| 7 | Minnesota North Stars | NRS | 80 | 27 | 39 | 14 | 256 | 266 | 68 |
| 8 | Vancouver Canucks | SMY | 80 | 28 | 43 | 9 | 243 | 315 | 65 |
| 9 | Winnipeg Jets | SMY | 80 | 26 | 43 | 11 | 260 | 288 | 63 |
| 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NRS | 80 | 23 | 46 | 11 | 241 | 318 | 57 |
Divisions: NRS – Norris, SMY – Smythe
bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy

## Schedule and results

1990–91 Game Log :

## Playoffs

In the playoffs, the Oilers faced their Battle of Alberta rivals, the Calgary Flames, who finished with 20 more points than they did, were huge favourites to win the series. The series went the full 7 games, with the Oilers winning the series in OT at the Saddledome in Calgary to advance to the division finals. There, they met the Los Angeles Kings, who finished 22 points better than Edmonton, however, the Oilers overtime magic continued after dropping game one, as Edmonton won 2 games in a row in double OT to take the series lead. Edmonton won the series in 6 games, clinching the series in OT. Having defeated the top two teams of their division, the Oilers advanced to the Conference Finals, facing the even more surprising Minnesota North Stars, who finished the season 12 games under .500, yet defeated the Presidents' Trophy winning Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues, who finished 1 point behind Chicago, to make it to the 3rd round against Edmonton. The North Stars cinderella playoff run continued, as they defeated the Oilers in 5 games, ending Edmonton's chance for back-to-back Stanley Cups.
1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs :

## Season stats
### Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Esa Tikkanen | 79 | 27 | 42 | 69 | 85 |
| Petr Klíma | 70 | 40 | 28 | 68 | 113 |
| Mark Messier | 53 | 12 | 52 | 64 | 34 |
| Joe Murphy | 80 | 27 | 35 | 62 | 35 |
| Craig Simpson | 75 | 30 | 27 | 57 | 66 |

### Goaltending

| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | SO | Save % | GAA |
| Grant Fuhr | 13 | 778 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 39 | 1 | .897 | 3.01 |
| Bill Ranford | 60 | 3415 | 27 | 27 | 3 | 182 | 0 | .893 | 3.20 |
| Kari Takko | 11 | 529 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 0 | .867 | 4.20 |
| Pokey Reddick | 2 | 120 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | .847 | 4.50 |

## Playoff stats
### Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Esa Tikkanen | 18 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 24 |
| Craig Simpson | 18 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 12 |
| Mark Messier | 18 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 16 |
| Petr Klíma | 18 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 16 |
| Glenn Anderson | 18 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 41 |

### Goaltending

| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | Save % | GAA |
| Grant Fuhr | 17 | 1019 | 8 | 7 | 51 | 0 | .895 | 3.00 |
| Bill Ranford | 3 | 135 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .897 | 3.56 |

## Awards and records
### Milestones

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Jeff Beukeboom | 200th NHL Game | October 6, 1990 |
| Anatoli Semenov | 1st NHL Game | October 6, 1990 |
| Mark Messier | 800th NHL Game | October 7, 1990 |
| Anatoli Semenov | 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | October 11, 1990 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 5th NHL Hat-trick | October 14, 1990 |
| Dave Brown | 400th NHL Game | October 16, 1990 |
| Kelly Buchberger | 500th NHL PIM | October 19, 1990 |
| Steve Smith | 1st NHL Gordie Howe hat trick 900th NHL PIM | October 19, 1990 |
| Craig MacTavish | 400th NHL PIM | October 24, 1990 |
| Tomas Srsen | 1st NHL Game | October 31, 1990 |
| David Haas | 1st NHL Game | November 6, 1990 |
| David Haas | 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point | November 8, 1990 |
| Mark Messier | 600th NHL Assist | November 24, 1990 |
| Craig Simpson | 400th NHL Game | December 5, 1990 |
| Igor Vyazmikin | 1st NHL Game | December 12, 1990 |
| Petr Klíma | 300th NHL Point | December 15, 1990 |
| Igor Vyazmikin | 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point | December 18, 1990 |
| Chris Joseph | 100th NHL PIM | December 20, 1990 |
| Mark Messier | 1,100th NHL PIM | December 20, 1990 |
| Craig MacTavish | ??? NHL Hat-trick | December 22, 1990 |
| Geoff Smith | 100th NHL Game | December 23, 1990 |
| Dave Brown | 1,300th NHL PIM | December 27, 1990 |
| Steve Smith | 1,000th NHL PIM | December 27, 1990 |
| Kevin Lowe | 1,000th NHL PIM | December 30, 1990 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 600th NHL PIM | January 4, 1991 |
| Jeff Beukeboom | 600th NHL PIM | January 9, 1991 |
| Steve Smith | 200th NHL Point | January 12, 1991 |
| Glenn Anderson | 400th NHL Goal | January 13, 1991 |
| Mark Messier | 1,000th NHL Point | January 13, 1991 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 200th NHL Assist | January 13, 1991 |
| Chris Joseph | 100th NHL Game | January 17, 1991 |
| Petr Klíma | 300th NHL PIM 400th NHL Game | January 25, 1991 |
| Joe Murphy | 200th NHL Game | January 25, 1991 |
| Glenn Anderson | 800th NHL Game | January 30, 1991 |
| Kelly Buchberger | 600th NHL PIM | January 30, 1991 |
| Adam Graves | 1st NHL Gordie Howe hat trick | January 30, 1991 |
| Petr Klíma | ??? NHL Hat-trick | January 30, 1991 |
| Martin Gélinas | 100th NHL Game | February 3, 1991 |
| Petr Klíma | ??? NHL Hat-trick | February 5, 1991 |
| Ken Linseman | 800th NHL Point | February 5, 1991 |
| Craig Simpson | 500th NHL PIM | February 6, 1991 |
| Adam Graves | 300th NHL PIM | February 8, 1991 |
| Geoff Smith | 100th NHL PIM | February 8, 1991 |
| Ken Linseman | 1,700th NHL PIM | February 11, 1991 |
| Shaun Van Allen | 1st NHL Game | February 18, 1991 |
| Dan Currie | 1st NHL Game | February 22, 1991 |
| Kevin Lowe | 900th NHL Game | February 22, 1991 |
| Joe Murphy | 100th NHL Point | February 22, 1991 |
| Adam Graves | 200th NHL Game | February 24, 1991 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 400th NHL Game | February 24, 1991 |
| Kelly Buchberger | 200th NHL Game | March 24, 1991 |
| Charlie Huddy | 500th NHL PIM | March 28, 1991 |
| Petr Klíma | ??? NHL Hat-trick | March 31, 1991 |
Playoffs :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Mark Messier | 150th NHL Game | April 6, 1991 |
| Craig Simpson | 50th NHL Game | April 6, 1991 |
| Glenn Anderson | 150th NHL Game | April 10, 1991 |
| Jeff Beukeboom | 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | April 10, 1991 |
| Kelly Buchberger | 1st NHL Goal | April 10, 1991 |
| Petr Klíma | 50th NHL PIM | April 12, 1991 |
| Kevin Lowe | 150th NHL Game | April 12, 1991 |
| Grant Fuhr | 100th NHL Game | April 14, 1991 |
| Charlie Huddy | 100th NHL PIM | April 14, 1991 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 150th NHL PIM | April 14, 1991 |
| Norm Maciver | 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | April 16, 1991 |
| Anatoli Semenov | 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point | April 16, 1991 |
| Craig Simpson | 50th NHL PIM | April 16, 1991 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 2nd NHL Hat-trick | April 16, 1991 |
| Anatoli Semenov | 1st NHL Assist | April 20, 1991 |
| Jeff Beukeboom | 1st NHL Goal | April 22, 1991 |
| Mark Lamb | 50th NHL Game | April 24, 1991 |
| Steve Smith | 200th NHL PIM | April 26, 1991 |
| Glenn Anderson | 100th NHL Assist | April 28, 1991 |
| Petr Klíma | ??? NHL Hat-trick ??? NHL Natural Hat-trick | May 4, 1991 |
| Glenn Anderson | 300th NHL PIM | May 8, 1991 |
| Jeff Beukeboom | 50th NHL PIM | May 10, 1991 |
| Dave Brown | 200th NHL PIM | May 10, 1991 |

## Transactions
### Trades

| October 22, 1990 | To Boston BruinsVladimir Ruzicka | To Edmonton OilersGreg Hawgood |
| November 10, 1990 | To New Jersey Devils9th round pick in 1991 | To Edmonton OilersMax Middendorf |
| November 22, 1990 | To Minnesota North StarsBruce Bell Future considerations | To Edmonton OilersKari Takko |
| March 5, 1991 | To Philadelphia FlyersKim Issel | To Edmonton OilersBrad Aitken |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team |
| July 1, 1990 (1990-07-01) | Kevin McDonald | Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) |
| August 31, 1990 (1990-08-31) | Ken Linseman | Philadelphia Flyers |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team |
| July 16, 1990 (1990-07-16) | Steve Graves | Los Angeles Kings |

### Waivers

| Date | Player | Team |
| October 1, 1990 (1990-10-01) | Randy Gregg | to Vancouver Canucks |

### Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 1990 NHL Entry Draft
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 17 | Scott Allison | Canada | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) |
| 2 | 38 | Alexander Legault | Canada | Boston University (NCAA) |
| 3 | 59 | Joe Crowley | United States | Lawrence Academy (USHS) |
| 4 | 67 | Joel Blain | Canada | Hull Olympiques (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 101 | Greg Louder | United States | Cushing Academy (USHS) |
| 6 | 122 | Keijo Säilynoja | Finland | Jokerit (SM-liiga) |
| 7 | 143 | Mike Power | Canada | Western Michigan University (NCAA) |
| 8 | 164 | Roman Mejzlik | Czechoslovakia | Dukla Jihlava (Czech.) |
| 9 | 185 | Richard Žemlička | Czechoslovakia | Sparta Praha (Czech.) |
| 10 | 206 | Petr Korinek | Czechoslovakia | Dukla Jihlava (Czech.) |
| 12 | 248 | Sami Nuutinen | Finland | Kiekko-Espoo (SM-liiga) |
| S | 22 | Sandy Galuppo | United States | Boston College (Hockey East) |