As of this moment the Edmonton Oilers top six forwards consists of Jordan Eberle, Sam Gagner, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, David Perron and Nail Yakupov. That said, if we are to take general manager Craig MacTavish at his word and do a little bit of reading between the lines, there will be at least one, if not two, different names as permanent fixtures on his first two lines
With David Perron’s first year in Edmonton Oilers silks now in the books, you would be hard-pressed to find a single Oilers fan who did not love what the twenty-five year old brought to the rink on a nightly basis. While he did post career highs in goals (28) and points (57), it was his style of play and refusal to make excuses that won over the masses throughout Oil Country.
It almost seemed fitting that Game Seven of the Western Hockey League Final between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks would be decided at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. After all, it was the very building the original Oil Kings called home after relocating to Portland, Oregon following the 1975-76 WHL season.
In all honesty, could anyone have truly seen this one coming? After building a three goal cushion through two periods of play, the Edmonton Oil Kings were a mere twenty minutes away from clinching their second Western Hockey League crown in three years. Unfortunately for them and the 11,902 in attendance at Rexall Place for Game Six of the WHL Final, the Portland Winterhawks had no intention of rolling over and simply handing over their crown.
