1989–90 Edmonton Oilers season



The 1989–90 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 11th season in the NHL. The Oilers finished 2nd in the Smythe Division and defeated the Boston Bruins in the 1990 Stanley Cup Finals 4 games to 1.

Regular Season
The early part of the season was hard on the Oilers, as they finished October with an under .500 record and traded away Jimmy Carson to the Detroit Red Wings after he felt he could not take the pressure of replacing Wayne Gretzky and not liking to live in the city of Edmonton. The Oilers would receive Petr Klima, Joe Murphy and Adam Graves from Detroit in the deal. Also, Oilers goaltender Grant Fuhr was suspended by the NHL for substance abuse, so Edmonton used Bill Ranford in his place.

Mark Messier got a career high 129 points, scoring 45 goals and adding on 84 assists, and was the lone Oiler to break the 100-point barrier. Jari Kurri had a strong season, recording 93 points (33 goals, 60 assists). Craig Simpson provided some scoring, getting 29 goals and 61 points, and provided some toughness, leading the club with 180 penalty minutes.

In goal, Bill Ranford got the majority of starts, winning a club-high 24 games and having a 3.19 GAA. Grant Fuhr put together a 9–7–3 record with a 3.83 GAA before being suspended by the NHL for substance abuse.

In the playoffs, the Oilers faced the Winnipeg Jets for the sixth time in club history, and for the sixth time, Edmonton defeated Winnipeg, this time in a tough series that went the full seven games. In the Smythe Division finals, the Oilers would face the Los Angeles Kings, who knocked out Edmonton the previous year. The Oilers would get their revenge, sweeping the Kings in 4 games and advancing to the Campbell Conference finals. Edmonton would face the Norris Division champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, and after Chicago took a 2–1 series lead, the Oilers would step it up and win 3 in a row and advance to the Stanley Cup finals for the 6th time in 8 seasons, and face the Boston Bruins, whom they swept to win the 1988 Stanley Cup. After a stunning triple OT victory in game 1 at the Boston Garden, the Oilers took full control of the series by winning game 2 in Boston. The Bruins got a win in Edmonton in game 3, but the Oilers then won two games in a row, to defeat the Bruins and win their 5th Stanley Cup in the last 7 years. Goaltender Bill Ranford, a former Bruin, won the Conn Smythe Trophy after he tied an NHL record by winning all 16 playoff games.

Awards and Records

 * Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: Edmonton Oilers
 * Hart Memorial Trophy: Mark Messier
 * Conn Smythe Trophy: Bill Ranford
 * Lester B. Pearson Award: Mark Messier
 * King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Kevin Lowe
 * Mark Messier, Center, NHL First Team All-Star

Trades
*Later traded to the Montreal Canadiens

Draft Picks
Edmonton's draft picks at the 1989 NHL Entry Draft