1972–73 Alberta Oilers season

The 1972–73 Alberta Oilers season was the 1st season of the Oilers franchise in the World Hockey Association (WHA). The Oilers finished 5th in the Western Division and lost in a 1 game playoff tie-breaker to the Minnesota Fighting Saints.

Off-season
The Oilers inaugural jersey colours were blue, white and orange with a primarily white home jersey and a primarily orange away jersey. The sleeve numbers were placed on the shoulders. The logo had a white background with an orange oil drop and blue "OILERS" elongated to appear to be dripping. The logo colour scheme would change for the 1974-75 season.

Unusually, the jersey back had "ALBERTA" nameplates instead of the player's names. This was modified later in the season to a the player's names in a unique font.

Regular Season
The Oilers victory over the Ottawa Nationals on October 11, 1972 was the first game in league history, with Ron Anderson scoring the first goal.

Jim Harrison led the team in scoring, with 39 goals and 86 points. On January 30, 1973, in an 11–3 defeat of the New York Raiders, Harrison set a professional hockey record with 10 points (3G, 7A) in a single game. That feat was later matched by Darryl Sittler on February 7, 1976 in a National Hockey League game.

The Oilers leaned heavily on goalie Jack Norris who led the league in games played (64) and was 5th in goals against average (3.06). Norris wore an unusual mask with a large nose and smile painted on.

The Oilers posted a winning record in the regular season, with 38 wins, 37 losses and 3 ties. The Minnesota Fighting Saints finished with an identical record, so a single game playoff was contested to decide fourth place in the Western Division. The Fighting Saints defeated the Oilers 4–2 on a neutral site rink (in Calgary), ending the Oilers season.

Minnesota Fighting Saints 1, Alberta Oilers 0
The Minnesota Fighting Saints and the Minnesota Fighting Saints were tied at the end of the season. They had the same number of victories and points, and they had both won four games against each other. Subsequently, it was decided that the two teams would play a one game playoff to decide the final spot in the playoffs, to be played in Calgary.

Skaters
Note: GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties In Minutes †Denotes player traded to the Oilers mid-season.

‡Denotes player traded away mid-season.

Statistics for all players reflect only games played with the Oilers.

Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Awards and Records

 * Jim Harrison, WHA Record, Most Points in a game (10)
 * Four Oilers were selected to play in the mid-season All-Star Game on January 6: Jack Norris (G), Al Hamilton (D), Bob Wall (D), Jim Harrison (C)

Draft Picks
The WHA General Player Draft was held on February 12–13, 1972 to stock each new WHA team with their initial rosters. The Oilers selected four NHL players with their "priority" selections: Ullman and MacGregor would eventually play for the Oilers, but not during the 1972–73 season. Both were Edmonton-born players who finished their playing careers with the Oilers after long NHL careers.
 * Norm Ullman, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
 * Bobby Clarke, C, Philadelphia Flyers
 * Bruce MacGregor, RW, New York Rangers
 * Phil Myre, G, Montreal Canadiens

The Oilers selected an additional 96 players in subsequent rounds of the draft. Of those, 22 players would play for the Oilers, 16 in the 1972–73 season.

Free Agents

 * Bill Hicke signed September 1972