Recently we counted down the top Edmonton Oilers captains, from No. 5 to No. 1 all-time. Jason Smith, Lee Fogolin, Connor McDavid, Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier were recognized as the greatest leaders among what is already a select group: just 15 Oilers have donned the ‘C’ since Edmonton joined the NHL in 1979.
Considering that 600 players have suited up for the Oilers in the last 43 seasons, that leaves a lot of high-character men who never became captain in Edmonton. With that in mind, we’re following up with a countdown of the Oilers’ five best leaders to not captain the team.
5. Jari Kurri
Jari Kurri served the 1989-90 season as an alternate captain during Messier’s tenure, playing a hugely important role as the Oilers regrouped from the shocking 1988 offseason trade of Gretzky to recapture the Stanley Cup in 1990.
As part of a leadership core that included fellow alternate Kevin Lowe, the cool-headed Kurri was a fine complement to his emotional mates. He had a team-high 102 points in 1988-89, becoming the first player besides Gretzky in Edmonton’s NHL history to lead the Oilers in points for a season.
Kurri got to captain the Oilers for one night only, on Nov. 8, 1988, against the Pittsburgh Penguins, when Messier was serving a one-game suspension. Edmonton coach and general manager Glen Sather put the ‘C’ on Kurri, who famously rose to the occasion by notching a hat trick and propelling his team to victory (from ‘Captain Kurri charts the Oilers’ course’, The Edmonton Journal, 11/9/88).
“I wanted to see Jari get an opportunity to wear it. He’s been here a long time and hasn’t been recognized as much as he should,” Sather said following the game. “I wanted to bring some limelight to Jari, if I could to show how much we appreciate what he’s done.”
4. Luke Richardson
The prototypical lead-by-example workhorse defenceman, Richardson spent three seasons as an Oilers alternate captain, serving first under Shayne Corson (1994-95) and then Kelly Buchberger (1995-96 and 1996-97).
Related: Edmonton Oilers’ Forgotten Greats: Luke Richardson
A stabilizing presence during Edmonton’s mid-90s rebuild, Richardson was the only blueliner who was with the Oilers both when they made the last of 13 consecutive playoff appearances in 1992 and in 1997 when they made their return to the postseason following a four-year absence.
Richardson was twice (1993, 1995) named Oilers Defenceman of the Year, and received the team’s Community Service Award in 1996.
His captaincy potential was realized in 2003 when he became the third man ever to wear the ‘C’ for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He continues to be a leader today, as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks.
3. Leon Draisaitl
Draisaitl, who has served as an alternate captain to McDavid on the Oilers since 2019-20, would probably wear the ‘C’ on most NHL teams. The only reason he’s not captain in Edmonton is because he shares a locker room with the best player on the planet.
The German forward certainly comes across as a leader, both during and after games. He drives his team on the ice and holds himself and his teammates accountable when speaking to the media. Until recently, it could be argued that Draisaitl possessed a more galvanizing personality than McDavid.
Draisaitl is also a great player in his own right. He’s the only player in the last four years besides McDavid to lead the NHL in points, doing so in 2019-20 when he also won the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Draisaitl has three 50-goal campaigns to his credit, including in each of the last two seasons.
While not to suggest Draisaitl is a leader the calibre of Messier (almost no one is), it could be said that Draisaitl is to McDavid what Messier was to Gretzky.
2. Ryan Smyth
Smyth served five seasons as an Oilers alternate captain (four seasons under Jason Smith and one under Andrew Ference), but for whatever reason did not ascend to team captain.
It certainly isn’t for lack of character qualities. No one has ever taken more pride in wearing Oilers colours than Smyth, whose dedication and effort helped make him one of the most beloved players ever in Edmonton.
Over 15 seasons with the Oilers, Smyth played 972 regular season games, second most in franchise history behind Lowe. The winger ranks among the top 10 all-time on the Oilers for goals, assists and points.
While Smyth never wore the ‘C’ for a city, he wore it often for his country. The Banff, Alta., native captained the Canadian national team for a record five consecutive years, from 2001 to 2005, at the IIHF World Championship, earning the nickname “Captain Canada.”
1. Chris Pronger
Chris Pronger captained three different NHL teams for a total of eight seasons over his Hockey Hall of Fame career, and many might have guessed he was captain of the Oilers in 2005-06.
He wasn’t. At least not officially. That’s because at the time that Pronger was acquired by Edmonton (via trade with the St. Louis Blues on Aug. 3, 2005), Smith was firmly entrenched as Edmonton’s captain, having served in that capacity since 2001. But during his one season in Edmonton, Pronger had the greatest leadership impact, taking the Oilers to their only Stanley Cup Final appearance over the last 33 years.
Pronger had 12 goals and 44 assists during the 2005-06 regular season, then led the team with 21 points in 24 playoff games, as the Oilers drove all the way to Game 7 of the championship series, ultimately falling just short against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Alongside Draisaitl, the 2023-24 Oilers will have many leaders who are not captain, such as alternates Darnell Nurse and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, not to mention players who aren’t even wearing a letter, like Zach Hyman. Oilers fans hope this is the core that can finally bring the team back to championship glory.
