1981–82 Edmonton Oilers season



The 1981–82 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 3rd season in the NHL, as they finished with a franchise record 48 wins and 111 points, and won the Smythe Division for the first time in team history. The Oilers set an NHL record win 417 goals, the first time in NHL history that a team finished with over 400 goals.

Regular Season
Wayne Gretzky continued rewriting the record books, scoring an NHL record 92 goals, which included 50 goals in 39 games, also an NHL record. Gretzky's 212 points was also a record, and it was the first time in NHL history that a player had over 200 points, as he would win his 3rd Hart Trophy and his 2nd Art Ross Trophy.

Mark Messier broke the 50 goal plateau for the first time in his career, while Glenn Anderson got 105 points. Paul Coffey led the defense with 89 points.

In goal, Grant Fuhr became the starting goalie and broke the Oilers franchise record for wins in a season with 28. He would also lead the club with a 3.31 GAA and a .898 save percentage.

Going into the playoffs, the Oilers faced the Los Angeles Kings and after splitting the first 2 games, the Oilers held a 5–0 lead on the Kings heading into the 3rd period of game 3. Los Angeles came back to tie the game 5–5, before completing the comeback with an overtime goal, taking a 2–1 series lead. Edmonton came back to tie the series in game 4, but the Kings eliminated Edmonton in game 5, shocking the hockey world, and ending the Oilers season a lot sooner than expected.

Awards and Records

 * Art Ross Memorial Trophy: Wayne Gretzky
 * Associated Press Athlete of the Year: Wayne Gretzky
 * Hart Memorial Trophy: Wayne Gretzky
 * Lou Marsh Trophy: Wayne Gretzky
 * Lester B. Pearson Award: Wayne Gretzky
 * NHL Plus/Minus Award: Wayne Gretzky
 * Wayne Gretzky, Center, NHL First Team All-Star
 * Mark Messier, Left Wing, NHL First Team All-Star
 * Paul Coffey, Defense, NHL Second Team All-Star

Trades
* Later traded to the Minnesota North Stars

Draft Picks
Edmonton's draft picks at the 1981 NHL Entry Draft