3 Things That Made the Oilers' WHA Years So Special
Before I get into the Oilers' WHA years, I should probably confess something. As a young professor at the University of Alberta, I was first introduced to professional hockey through the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association (WHA).
Back then, going to a game wasn't the production it is today. A few of us from the university would decide we wanted to see some hockey, drive over to the arena, buy a ticket for ten or twelve dollars, and head inside. No planning weeks ahead. No fighting for seats. Just hockey.
And what hockey it was.
What a surprise to see a professional hockey team like the WHA Oilers up close.
I had never been that close to the game before. The speed surprised me. The skill surprised me. Most of all, the energy surprised me. Those WHA games felt wide open—players flying, chances everywhere, and every night entertaining.
What I remember most isn't one particular game. It's the experience of sitting there with colleagues after a week of teaching and simply enjoying the sport. The Oilers weren't yet the NHL powerhouse they would become, but they were already building something special.
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The Oilers’ WHA days need more attention.
That's why I've always thought the WHA years deserve a little more attention than they get. For many fans, Oilers history begins with the NHL in 1979. For me, it starts a few years earlier, sitting in the stands with a group of university friends, watching my first taste of professional hockey.
When most hockey fans think about the Edmonton Oilers, they immediately think about Wayne Gretzky, five Stanley Cups, and one of the greatest dynasties the sport has ever seen. And that's fair for younger fans. But sometimes I think Oilers fans forget that the story didn't start in 1979 when the team joined the NHL. The Oilers already had a history before that.
In fact, some of the franchise’s most important pieces were put in place during its years in the WHA. Those seasons don't get talked about much anymore, but they helped create the Oilers we know today.
Three things stand out about those WHA years.
1. The Oilers Were Already Good Before They Joined the NHL.
One thing that gets lost over time is that the Oilers weren't some brand-new expansion team when they entered the NHL. They had already spent seven seasons in the WHA and had become one of that league's better organizations. They made the playoffs regularly and reached the WHA championship series in 1979.
By the time the NHL came calling, Edmonton already had a fan base, a hockey culture, and a team that knew how to win. The NHL chapter was important, but it wasn't the beginning of the story.
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2. Gretzky Arrived in Edmonton Before the NHL Did.
This is the part that still amazes me. Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton story actually started in the WHA. In 1978, the Oilers acquired a teenage Gretzky from the Indianapolis Racers. At the time, nobody could have known they were bringing in the player who would become the greatest hockey player ever.
Looking back, it's hard to imagine a more important move in franchise history. Before the Stanley Cups, before the records, before all the banners hanging from the rafters, Gretzky first arrived as a WHA player. Without those WHA years, the Oilers dynasty might never have happened.
3. Oil Country Existed Before 1979.
This might be the most overlooked part of the whole story. Today, people talk about Oil Country as if it were created when the NHL arrived. But the fans were already there. The Oilers drew great crowds during their WHA years and became one of the league's flagship franchises. By the late 1970s, Edmonton was proving itself to be one of hockey's strongest markets.
The passion didn't suddenly appear when the NHL came to town. It was already there. That's why the WHA years matter. They weren't just a warm-up act before the NHL. They were the foundation.
The Oilers Dynasty Put Edmonton on the Map, But the WHA Seasons Made It All Possible.
The Stanley Cups may have made the Oilers famous, but the WHA years helped make those Stanley Cups possible.
Sometimes the most important chapter in a franchise's history isn't where the story reaches its peak. It's where the story begins.