Top 10 Candidates for the New Edmonton Oilers Hall of Fame

On Sept. 7, the Edmonton Oilers announced the creation of the Oilers Hall of Fame and inducted an inaugural group that ranks right up there with some of the greatest names in the history of the sport of hockey. Glen Sather, Rod Phillips, Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey, Kevin Lowe, Al Hamilton and Glenn Anderson were all inducted automatically because they already have their banners hanging proudly in Rogers Place.

Introducing the #Oilers Hall of Fame! 🏅
Created to honour outstanding contributions to the hockey club, the Hall of Fame may include players, coaches, trainers, staff or any other person whose role or service since 1972 is recognized as extraordinary. https://t.co/WLFBqLN9aX

It’s fitting that the Oilers would create a tribute to their greatest players and personalities during the 2022-23 NHL season, as this season marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the franchise. On Oct. 11, 1972, the Alberta Oilers played their first game on the first night of the World Hockey Association (WHA). The Oilers, who changed their name to the Edmonton Oilers in their second WHA season, have certainly built a strong legacy that belongs with the greatest franchises in hockey.

Oilers Hall of Fame Selection Committee Introduced

As part of the announcement of the establishment of the Oilers Hall of Fame, a special selection committee was created to vote on new inductees in the future. The committee is comprised of executives, media members, community leaders and former players. The list includes Gretzky, Ron Low, Louie DeBrusk, Chris Joseph, former executive Bruce MacGregor, media members Jim Matheson, Terry Jones, Bob Stauffer and Jason Gregor, Chief Wilton Littlechild and Olympic gold medalist Shannon Szabados. They will be voting on two new inductees, with the names being announced on Sept. 20.

Top 10 Future Candidates for the Oilers Hall of Fame

If you were part of the selection committee, who would you consider worthy of the honour? As a fan, I took the liberty of creating a list of the top ten candidates I believe are worthy of induction into the Oilers Hall of Fame, and the reasons why they are deserving of the honour:

10. Andy Moog

The roots of the Oilers dynasty can be traced back to their first-round best-of-five playoff series in 1981 against the Montreal Canadiens. There was this tiny kid in goal named Andy Moog, recently called up from the Billings Bighorns of the Western Hockey League, who was chosen to start…