Introducing Oilersnation’s Updated Top 100 Oilers of All Time
Back in August of 2015, the late Robin Brownlee — a longtime Edmonton sportswriter and one of the most recognizable voices at Oilersnation — took on a project that no one else had attempted.
He started compiling a definitive list of the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All Time, ranking players from every era of the club’s time in the NHL.
It wasn’t just a one-off article or a quick set of rankings. Brownlee rolled out full profiles of each player over the next couple of years, carefully explaining the impact they had on the team and how their legacies stacked up against one another. This was a living history of the franchise, told by someone who had been covering the Oilers since the glory years of the 1980s.
Brownlee’s work sparked endless debate among readers. Did dynasty role players rank too high compared to modern stars? Should Taylor Hall, then the face of the rebuild, have a place in the top 30? The answers reflected the state of the franchise in 2015, a time when the Oilers were still clawing their way out of the Decade of Darkness and before the arrival of Connor McDavid had transformed the conversation. It was a snapshot of how fans and media measured greatness at that point in time, before a new generation of players rewrote the team’s history.
Nearly a decade later, the landscape looks very different. McDavid has become the most dominant player in the world, Leon Draisaitl has blossomed into one of the league’s elite scorers, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has established himself as one of the longest-serving players in franchise history. Add in names like Zach Hyman, Darnell Nurse, and Evan Bouchard, and it’s clear the story of the Oilers has gained several new chapters since Brownlee first began his list.
With that in mind, we’re bringing back the project with an updated Top 100 Oilers of All Time. Brownlee’s original work serves as the foundation, but this version will make room for the stars of the McDavid-Draisaitl era and reflect how the franchise has evolved in the years since.
Here’s the original list from a decade ago. What changes do you think we’ll make on our updated list?
100. Marc-André Bergeron
99. Dean McAmmond
98. Pat Price
97. Mark Lamb
96. Norm MacIver
95. Scott Mellanby
94. Justin Schultz
93. Igor Ulanov
92. David Perron
91. Miroslav Šatan
90. Bryan Marchment
89. Willy Lindström
88. Luke Richardson
87. Lubomír Višňovský
86. Igor Kravchuk
85. Radek Dvořák
84. Tom Poti
83. Eric Brewer
82. Mariusz Czerkawski
81. Andrew Cogliano
80. Mike York
79. Raffi Torres
78. Jimmy Carson
77. Brett Callighen
76. Andrei Kovalenko
75. Mark Napier
74. Stan Weir
73. Steve Staios
72. Tom Gilbert
71. Georges Laraque
70. Devan Dubnyk
69. Jarret Stoll
68. Jeff Petry
67. Zdeno Cíger
66. Roman Hamrlík
65. Bernie Nicholls
64. Dustin Penner
63. Sheldon Souray
62. Sam Gagner
61. Rem Murray
60. Dave Brown
59. Tommy Salo
58. Jaroslav Pouzar
57. Boris Mironov
56. Vincent Damphousse
55. Fernando Pisani
54. Ethan Moreau
53. Janne Niinimaa
52. Dave Manson
51. Mike Comrie
50. Martin Gelinas
49. Mike Grier
48. Risto Siltanen
47. Blair MacDonald
46. Anson Carter
45. Dwayne Roloson
44. Don Jackson
43. Todd Marchant
42. Jason Arnott
41. Ken Linseman
40. Adam Graves
39. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
38. Craig Muni
37. Jeff Beukeboom
36. Pat Hughes
35. Jordan Eberle
34. Marty McSorley
33. Petr Klíma
32. Dave Semenko
31. Bill Guerin
30. Curtis Joseph
29. Shawn Horcoff
28. Taylor Hall
27. Kelly Buchberger
26. Joe Murphy
25. Dave Hunter
24. Dave Lumley
23. Mike Krushelnyski
22. Ales Hemský
21. Kevin McClelland
20. Jason Smith
19. Lee Fogolin
18. Craig Simpson
17. Craig MacTavish
16. Steve Smith
15. Chris Pronger
14. Andy Moog
13. Charlie Huddy
12. Randy Gregg
11. Bill Ranford
10. Doug Weight
9. Ryan Smyth
8. Esa Tikkanen
7B. Connor McDavid
7A. Kevin Lowe
6. Paul Coffey
5. Grant Fuhr
4. Glenn Anderson
3. Jari Kurri
2. Mark Messier
1. Wayne Gretzky