Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers and forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins agreed to an eight-year, $41 million contract Tuesday.  

Ryan Rishaug of TSN first reported the news, noting Nugent-Hopkins wanted to stay in Edmonton. 

Nugent-Hopkins, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 NHL draft, spent the first decade of his career in Edmonton. While he's not quite lived up to the No. 1 overall hype, Nugent-Hopkins proved an aptitude when asked to transition from center to the left wing and has versatility teams covet.

Nugent-Hopkins struggled a bit in 2020-21, compiling only 35 points in 52 regular-season games. He was coming off two straight stellar seasons but got lost in the shuffle for an Oilers team that underperformed as a whole.

A contract extension seemed to be in the works before the 2020-21 campaign but fell apart, leading to a sense of uncertainty heading into free agency. Nevertheless, Nugent-Hopkins maintained he wanted to stay in Edmonton. 

"I think I've said it from the start, I love being an Oiler, I always have," Nugent-Hopkins told reporters in May. "My goal is always to stay an Oiler, and right now at this point, (free agency) is not really in my mind. Right now, I have a lot more in my head than that, so it's tough to kind of think about that and get my thoughts wrapped around that. I think I've said it from Day 1, I love being an Oiler and it's something that I've taken a lot of pride in the last 10 years."

Nugent-Hopkins' desire to remain an Oiler meant leaving money on the table, but he'll be playing in a city and in a role with which he's familiar. Having already signed one massive long-term contract in his career, Nugent-Hopkins prioritized stability rather than hitting the open market. 

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ethan Bear responded to the racist remarks he received after his team was swept in the first round of the NHL playoffs by the Winnipeg Jets.

"I'm here to stand up to this behaviour... I'm proud of where I come from. I'm proud to be from Ochapowace First Nation. I'm not just doing this for myself. I'm doing this for all people of colour & for the next generation."

Ethan Bear's statement in response to racist comments. pic.twitter.com/3CK6DENnHC

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 26, 2021

"I'm here to stand up to this behavior," he said. "I'm proud of where I come from. I'm proud to be from Ochapowace First Nation. I'm not just doing this for myself. I'm doing this for all people of color and for the next generation."

The video response comes after Lenasia Ned, who is Bear's girlfriend, said that Bear was the target of racist messages after the playoff loss:

Ethan Bear's girlfriend shared this post after she said he received racist messages on his social media - adding that he appreciates the love and support from everyone else. #yeg #oilers #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/7uwHShsHlj

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) May 26, 2021

Thomas Williams of Yahoo Sports noted Bear's line change in triple overtime of Game 4 helped lead to Winnipeg's series-clinching goal.

Edmonton lost three of the four games against the Jets in overtime periods, underscoring how much closer the series was than the sweep indicated.

"Totally uncalled for, totally unacceptable," Oilers general manager Ken Holland told reporters when speaking about the racism directed at Bear. "It's disgusting. There's no place in our world for racism."

Holland also described what an "unbelievable young man" the 23-year-old defenseman is and pointed to the work he does in the community as a "tremendous role model."

The Oilers also released a statement:

The Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club is disappointed in these disgusting, cowardly and racist remarks. While we have witnessed progress in the area of equality and inclusion, this reprehensible behaviour demonstrates we still have significant work to do. Ethan Bear is an incredibly skilled hockey player and a beloved teammate. His community-minded efforts both here in Edmonton and in Saskatchewan represent the qualities any organization could possibly ask of its members.

These comments also fly in the face of the work the organization has done to embrace reconciliation and build a strong and positive relationship with our Indigenous community. We call upon everyone in Oil Country to stand up to racism, call out hatred and do their part in making our community one of acceptance, inclusion and respect.

The NHL offered support as well:

Ethan Bear represents both our game and his Indigenous heritage with dignity and pride. He, and all people from Indigenous backgrounds, deserve to feel empowered and respected on and off the ice. We stand with Ethan and his family in denouncing hate. pic.twitter.com/BQazdfjS1B

— NHL (@NHL) May 26, 2021

Williams pointed out that "Bear is one of the few active Indigenous NHL players and the only one on the Oilers."

Bear, who once wore a jersey with Cree syllabics on his nameplate in an exhibition game, appeared in 43 games this season and finished with eight points on two goals and six assists.

He did not register a point in his team's four playoff games.

NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky announced Tuesday that he was resigning as the Edmonton Oilers vice chairman, effective immediately. 

pic.twitter.com/rJ7MJOVsnN

— Wayne Gretzky (@WayneGretzky) May 25, 2021

Gretzky, 60, was hired as a partner and vice chairman of the Oilers Entertainment Group in Oct. 2016. 

"It's a good organization," Gretzky said back in 2016. "Part of what enticed me to come back was they have so many good things in place. I can enjoy it, just be part of the group."

During his tenure in the Oilers' front office, the team has reached the playoffs twice, losing in the first round this season and the second round in 2016-17, as well as the qualifying round during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign. Edmonton has gone 190-148-35 and finished above .500 in three of the five seasons while Gretzky has been vice chairman.

Gretzky spent the first nine years of his playing career with the Oilers, winning four titles with the organization in the '80s, before stints with the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers. 

He famously holds the NHL's all-time records for goals (894), assists (1,963) and points (2,857), and nobody since has come particularly close. Gordie Howe is second all-time in goals with 801, Ron Francis is No. 2 in assists with 1,249 and Jaromir Jagr is second all-time in points (1,921). 

Yes, you read that correctly, Gretzky scored 936 more points than any other player in NHL history. Only 107 players in NHL history have even scored 936 or more points, and that's just the gulf between Gretzky and Jagr.

Here's another way to put that in perspective: Connor McDavid has averaged 95 points per season in his NHL career, an impressive scoring pace. At that current pace, he would need to play 24 more seasons to catch Gretzky. 

Following his playing career, Gretzky bought a small stake in the Phoenix Coyotes in 2001. He also eventually coached the Coyotes for four seasons, stepping down in 2009 after leading the team to a 143-161-24 record and zero playoff appearances. 

Listen closely, hockey fans. And you'll hear it.

Particularly the closer you get to Rogers Place in Edmonton.

It's the alarm clock ticking on Ken Holland's desk. Or maybe just in his mind.

Either way, as each day passes this spring—and each hour brings the GM closer to the end of yet another unsatisfying Oilers season—the din from said clock gets louder and louder.

It's the time remaining until the franchise's signature player says enough is enough.

It's already happening in Buffalo, where Jack Eichel is using words like "disconnect" to describe his relationship with the organization and fielding questions about how long he'll be a Sabre.

And make no mistake, it could be coming to northern Alberta, too.

Whether it's via a phone call from agent Jeff Jackson, a headline citing a handful of high-placed "team sources" or an office visit from No. 97 himself, it's the fodder for a 65-year-old's night terrors.

Thanks to a four-game sweep at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets—a team the Oilers beat seven times in nine games this season—the epic sixth year of Connor McDavid's career ended exactly as each of the first five did.

No Stanley Cup hoist. No blissful parade lap. No center-ice team picture.

And, unless you're a full-on franchise apologist, there's no reason to believe any of the above are imminent.

Even though the trophy-flushed McDavid won the Art Ross this year and seems sure to capture the Hart as well. Even though the guy who won both last season, Leon Draisaitl, is also on the team.

And let's not forget that among defensemen, the Oilers boast this season's top point-getter (Tyson Barrie) and the second-highest goal-scorer (Darnell Nurse).

Still, in spite of that obvious top-end talent, the Oilers are a hollowed-out husk of a contender when compared to the deeper Jets. Though McDavid and Draisaitl were the league's highest-scoring forwards in the regular season, Winnipeg had five players with more points than Edmonton's No. 3 producer.   

And in nine games against the Jets from January to April, McDavid had 22 points—the most by a player against a single opponent in 33 years.

In four games in May, he got a more pedestrian four points on 15 shots and was a minus-2 in better than 30 minutes of ice time per game.

Nevertheless, of the Oilers' eight goals in the series, he and Draisaitl had three. Meanwhile, Winnipeg had four players with two apiece and eight more with one. 

It's an awfully inglorious position for a team whose recent history is already dubious.

Lest we forget, the Oilers were ninth in the league and fifth in the Western Conference last summer when positioned opposite the 12th-seeded Chicago Blackhawks in the COVID-prompted postseason qualifying round. And four ugly games later, it was the Blackhawks advancing and thereby wasting the MVP season in which Draisaitl scored 110 points in 71 games.

Prior to that, they'd made the playoffs just once—in 2017—since a stirring run to the Stanley Cup Final ended in a Game 7 loss at Carolina 11 years earlier. In fact, outside of that single year with Chris Pronger on the blue line, Edmonton has won exactly seven series since capturing its last championship in 1990.

Ironically, Pronger demanded a trade within days of the loss to the Hurricanes and was gone soon after to Anaheim, where he won a Cup the following season. The Oilers, meanwhile, embarked on a record run of futility, missing the playoffs for 10 straight years before the aforementioned return in 2017.

This week's flameout, however, will leave a scar that'll linger past many others.

Primarily because it wasted an historic season by McDavid, who produced a preposterous 105 points in 56 games—a per-game average of 1.875 that's been bested by six players in the past 50 years.

It's prompted comparisons to the likes of Gretzky, Lemieux and Crosby, the game's most recent generational talents—two of whom (Lemieux and Crosby) were also drafted first overall, while Gretzky arrived as part of the NHL's absorption of four teams from the World Hockey Association.

Like McDavid, each was a teenage superstar on a subpar team.

But unlike McDavid, each had won a title—or was on the verge of one—by this stage.

Crosby was in the Cup Final in his third season and won a title in his fourth, while Gretzky pulled off the same double in the fourth and fifth seasons of his career. Lemieux took slightly longer, reaching the playoffs in his fifth season and missing in the sixth before winning titles in years seven and eight.

The biggest difference? The talent that surrounded them.

The Oilers were remarkably successful through the draft in Gretzky's formative years, adding Hall of Famers Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson in 1979, Paul Coffey and Jari Kurri in 1980 and Grant Fuhr in 1981. Lemieux's Penguins, on the other hand, were built through trades that brought in Coffey, Tom Barrasso, Kevin Stevens and Ron Francis, and a 1990 draft pick that yielded Jaromir Jagr.

As for Crosby, he was preceded in Pittsburgh by goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and joined in year two by Evgeni Malkin, before the final trade pieces arrived in the veteran forms of Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz.

McDavid, meanwhile, is having his fate decided by the likes of Josh Archibald and Mike Smith.

In fairness, Holland inherited a personnel and salary cap mess from Peter Chiarelli.

But it's not as if he hasn't had some chances to change the dynamics since his arrival.

Many labeled him a winner at the 2020 trade deadline for separate deals that netted speedy forwards Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Ennis and defenseman Mike Green.

But Athanasiou never clicked with McDavid and was released, Green injured his knee in his second game and retired before this season and Ennis broke his leg in Game 3 of the qualifier with Chicago.

This time around, it was more about what he didn't do.

Though secondary scoring was a glaring need and former Edmonton draftee Taylor Hall was available, Holland was apparently unwilling to part with enough to bring the former MVP back—though Boston got him for a second-round pick and a middling prospect and has reaped the rewards of 17 points in 21 games, including a five-game playoff elimination of the Washington Capitals.

Same goes for veteran winger Jeff Carter, a two-time Cup champ who'd been languishing in Los Angeles but has scored 12 goals in 16 post-deadline games (regular and postseason) with the Penguins, including three in four games of a first-round duel with the New York Islanders.

As for Smith, he was a 39-year-old revelation on a one-year deal—posting a .923 save percentage in the regular season, but it's not been so long since he gave up five in 27-plus minutes during last year's qualifying opener and two more in 16 seconds during Winnipeg's dagger-plunging Sunday comeback.

That all followed a goaltender frenzy in the offseason, when eight starters changed teams and a few others took big payouts to avoid such a move.

Holland was reportedly hot and heavy about ex-Vancouver stalwart Jacob Markstrom, but failed to meet the six-year, $36 million number that got him to Calgary instead.

Would Markstrom or someone else have made a Game 3 difference?

No one knows for sure.

Still, cynics are within reason to suggest that if Holland got Hall, Carter or anyone else on that level who'd been available in April, McDavid's margin for error wouldn't have been so narrow come May.

Full disclosure, the player himself has been a good company man in Edmonton.

McDavid signed a three-year, $11.325 million deal upon arrival in 2015, and extended his stay with an eight-year agreement in 2017 that's worth $100 million and has him locked down for five more seasons.

There have been no outbursts, no petulance and no holdouts. In fact, he's been a model citizen on and off the ice, and showed herculean dedication while recovering from a serious knee injury in 2019.

But like every man has his price, every man, too, has his breaking point.

Another offseason without a deep playoff run—while surrounded by a cadre of hard-working but ham-handed complements—has surely gotten McDavid closer to his.

And unless Holland responds to the ticking, it'll get here sooner than later.

The Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers are the latest teams the clinch a berth in the 2021 NHL playoffs with their victories on Monday night.

Who will write the next chapter?

The #NHLBruins are heading to the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs!!! pic.twitter.com/N7DyCZl1zV

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 4, 2021

Boston scored a 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on the strength of a 20-save shutout from Tuukka Rask to claim a berth in the East Division, while Connor McDavid continued his torrid scoring pace with four points in a 5-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks to put the Oilers in the North Division field.

We're in. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/0ZYDZkkSR6

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 4, 2021

The East is the first division to complete its four-team playoff group with the Bruins joining the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders.

Edmonton and the Toronto Maple Leafs have claimed spots out of the North. Four teams remain active in the pursuit of the final two bids.

• Winnipeg Jets (57 points in 51 games)

• Montreal Canadiens (57 in 51)

• Calgary Flames (47 in 50)

• Vancouver Canucks (41 in 46)

In the Central division, the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning are in. The last berth is a two-team race:

• Nashville Predators (60 in 53)

• Dallas Stars (56 in 52)

There's also one more spot available in the West alongside the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild. Three teams are involved in that battle:

• St. Louis Blues (55 in 50)

• Arizona Coyotes (50 in 53)

• Los Angeles Kings (46 in 50)

The NHL playoff format was changed this season because of schedule alterations made amid the coronavirus pandemic. Each of the four restructured divisions will play postseason series against each other across two rounds to crown a division champion, who will advance to the final four.

Teams will be reseeded by regular-season points ahead of the semifinals and the winners will then face off in the Stanley Cup Final.

The playoffs will start sometime in late May with the final regular-season contest set for May 19.

Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid is not happy with the NHL's decision to reschedule a game against the Calgary Flames directly after a memorial service to late Edmonton teammate Colby Cave on Saturday.

The Oilers fell 5-0 in the Battle of Alberta only hours after a remembrance for Cave, who died in April 2020 at age 25 as a result of a brain bleed.

“I think you’re asking a lot from guys to sit through something like that and remember your teammate and see what they’re going through – their whole family -- and expect to perform that night,” McDavid told reporters. “I’m not sure what the league was really thinking there.”

A number of COVID-19 postponements throughout the North Division have forced the NHL to reconfigure the schedule in order to finish a full, 56-game season on time. 

That meant moving Saturday's game against Calgary to April 10 after originally slating the contest for May 7. The NHL's decision came days after Cave's widow, Emily, announced the Oilers would be participating in the memorial service on the same day. 

Edmonton hosted the service at Rogers Place and live-streamed the memorial on the team website. 

The Oilers then had to head to Calgary for a rivalry game with major implications in the standings.

“Some days are a little bit more than just about hockey,” McDavid said. “Obviously the performance wasn’t there [against Calgary], but today is about Colby and his memorial and celebration of life.”

Edmonton head coach Dave Tippett clearly agreed. 

After the emotional toll Saturday took on the team, the coach announced he was giving players the next two days off. The Oilers are next scheduled to play the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, April 16, at Rogers Arena. 

“There’s times you can tell your team just doesn’t have it and there isn’t enough energy in the group," Tippett said. "And tonight was one of those times."

Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid has avoided a suspension for his hit on Jesperi Kotkaniemi in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. 

Per the NHL department of player safety, McDavid did receive a $5,000 fine for elbowing Kotkaniemi in the first period. 

Discuss. pic.twitter.com/SVLnpjhDKE

— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) March 31, 2021

The Canadiens jumped out to a 3-0 lead after 16 minutes in the first period.

On the play in question, Kotkaniemi dumped the puck off to Paul Byron near mid-ice. McDavid appeared as if he had time to stop his momentum, but instead, he lifted his elbow up to Kotkaniemi's head and neck region as he delivered the hit. 

McDavid was assessed a two-minute minor for roughing. The fine is the maximum punishment allowed under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement.

Kotkaniemi was able to stay in the game. He played a total of 15 minutes, 53 seconds, and scored Montreal's first goal of the game 18 seconds into the first period. 

McDavid played a season-low 16 minutes, 55 seconds in the loss. 

A game-worn and autographed jersey from Wayne Gretzky's NHL rookie season with the Edmonton Oilers in 1979-80 sold for $478,800 at auction Monday from Sotheby's.  

Game-used rookie Wayne Gretzky signed jersey sold in @Sothebys x @GoldinAuctions sale just now for $478,800 pic.twitter.com/3wxbllbFnk

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 7, 2020

Per Sotheby's, the jersey returned two photo matches from the MeiGray Group that led to the determination that Gretzky wore the blue and orange jersey during his debut NHL campaign.

Gretzky's professional hockey career began in the World Hockey Association in 1978-79 with the Indianapolis Racers. After eight games, he was sold to the Oilers, who joined the NHL for the 1979-80 season.

As an NHL rookie, The Great One immediately showed off the skill level and production that would go on to make him the most accomplished player in NHL history.

In 79 games as a rookie, Gretzky registered 51 goals and 86 assists for 137 points, tying him with Marcel Dionne for the league lead in scoring. He also won the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP and was named the NHL's most gentlemanly player by virtue of winning the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

To this day, Gretzky's performance in 1979-80 remains the greatest showing by a rookie in NHL history, which is just one bullet point on a long list of accomplishments by The Great One.

Overall, the Canadian is a nine-time Hart Trophy winner, 10-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL's leading scorer, four-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP.

No player in NHL history has more goals (894), assists (1,963) or total points scored (2,857) than Gretzky. In fact, he has nearly 1,000 more career points than Jaromir Jagr in second place.

Given his status as the GOAT in the sport of hockey, any Gretzky memorabilia tends to be highly sought after, and an autographed jersey he wore during his NHL rookie season was no exception.

The Edmonton Oilers announced center Connor McDavid tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.

"Since that time, he has been in voluntary self-quarantine at his home," the announcement read. "He will continue to be monitored and will follow all associated health protocols. He is feeling well and is experiencing mild symptoms."

The announcement comes well after Edmonton's season ended Aug. 7 with a loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL's Stanley Cup Qualifier Round.

McDavid, 23, is one of the best players in the NHL and already has a sparkling resume of on-ice success.

The three-time All-Star won the 2016-17 Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player and also has two Art Ross Trophies (top point scorer) and two Ted Lindsay Awards (most outstanding player as chosen by the players association).

He appeared in 64 games this season and finished with 97 points, 63 assists and 34 goals.

The NHL has not yet announced when the 2020-21 campaign will begin after the 2019-20 one was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league finished its season inside bubble-like environments in Toronto and Edmonton in an effort to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid has established himself as one of the NHL's best players, so it's not a surprise to see one of his rookie cards sell for a large price at auction. 

Per Darren Rovell of The Action Network, McDavid's 2015-16 Upper Deck "The Cup" rookie patch autographed card sold for $135,811 on Friday:

Some of the astronomical prices being paid for cards is hard to explain.

This Connor McDavid signed rookie card patch, one of 99 printed, and only graded in a 9, sold for... $135,811 in @Lelandsdotcom auction tonight. pic.twitter.com/ssDfBGIfGQ

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) June 20, 2020

According to PSACard.com, a Mint 9 grade indicates a card in "superb condition" with only one minor flaw ranging from a "very slight wax stain on reverse, a minor printing imperfection or slightly off-white borders."

The card seller, a man named John, told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski he originally got the card through a lucky circumstance by paying "under $150" to take part in a case break when a host opens a pack of cards for anyone who purchased a spot in the group: 

"I'm recently retired after 30 years of being a carpenter. I had never really collected a card in my life. A friend of mine last year got me into breaking cards as a hobby and really enjoyed it. I picked Jaspy's because my father was a lifeguard in Hermosa Beach in the 1940s. His elementary school is across the street from Jaspy's."

McDavid has lived up to all of the hype since being the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL draft. The 23-year-old led the league in points in each of his first two seasons with the Oilers (2016-17, 2017-18). He became the third player aged 20 or younger to win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2016-17, joining Wayne Gretzky (twice) and Sidney Crosby (2006-07).