On Thursday (Aug. 1), Randy Gregg and Craig MacTavish were announced by the Edmonton Oilers as the latest inductees into the Oilers Hall of Fame (OHOF). They will be inducted when the Oilers host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 25 at Rogers Place, bringing the OHOF membership to 16.
Founded in 2022, The OHOF recognizes the most extraordinary players, coaches, trainers, staff, and executives involved with the franchise. Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Lee Fogolin, Grant Fuhr, Wayne Gretzky, Al Hamilton, Jari Kurri, Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier, Rod Phillips and Glen Sather received automatic induction by virtue of having a banner raised by the Oilers.
The Oilers have since added two members to the OHOF each year, inducting Lee Fogolin and Ryan Smyth in 2022, Charlie Huddy and Doug Weight in 2023, and now Gregg and MacTavish in 2024. The newest two inductees boast impressive resumes: Gregg played defence on all five of Edmonton’s championship-winning teams (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990), while MacTavish is the only individual to reach the Stanley Cup Final as both a player (1987, 1988, 1990) and head coach (2006) with the Oilers. There’s no question that both Gregg and MacTavish belong in the OHOF.
That said, some equally deserving individuals are still waiting on their call to the OHOF. With that in mind, here are several names to seriously consider for the class of 2025:
Kelly Buchberger
Kelly Buchberger captained Edmonton from 1995 to 1999, leading the Oilers back into the postseason after their post-dynasty rebuild. The blue-collar forward’s four-season tenure as captain is the fourth longest in franchise history.
Related: Edmonton Oilers’ Forgotten Greats: Kelly Buchberger
A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Oilers, in 1987 and 1990, Buchberger is Edmonton’s all-time leader in penalty minutes and ranks seventh in franchise history for regular season games played (795). From 1992-93 to 1996-97, he won the Oilers’ Top Defensive Player award a record five straight years.
Shawn Horcoff
No matter what criteria is used to determine a worthy OHOF inductee, Shawn Horcoff checks the box, from serving as team captain (from 2010-11 to 2012-13) to playing in an All-Star Game (2008) to reaching the Stanley Cup Final (2006, when Edmonton came one win short of a championship).
Horcoff also ranks sixth for regular season games played as an Oiler, with 796 (one more than Buchberger). A four-time Oilers Top Defensive Forward award winner (2003-04, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2011-12), he is credited with the second most faceoff wins (5,978) and fourth most takeaways (341) in franchise regular season history.
Joey Moss
The late Joey Moss worked as an Oilers locker room attendant for the better part of four decades. Born with Down Syndrome, Moss served as an inspiration and had a profound impact on both the team and the entire Edmonton community.
In 2003, Moss received the NHL Alumni Association’s Seventh Man Award, recognizing “behind-the-scene efforts to make a difference in the lives of others”. He was presented with the Mayor’s Award by the City of Edmonton in 2007 and awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. He is also a member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2015.
Bill Ranford
Bill Ranford backstopped the Oilers to their last Stanley Cup championship in 1990 when he won the Conn Smythe Trophy, after posting a 16-6 record with a goals-against average of 2.53 and a save percentage of .912 that postseason.
No goalie has played more regular season games (449) with the Oilers than Ranford, who spent parts of 10 seasons (1987-88 to 1995-96 and 1999-2000) in Edmonton. He was the team’s Molson Cup winner four times (1990-91, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95) and received the Zane Feldman Trophy as Oilers MVP four seasons in a row, from 1990-91 to 1993-94.
Dave Semenko
The impact that Dave Semenko made over his decade playing for the Oilers (beginning in 1977, while Edmonton was still in the World Hockey Association) can’t be measured by stats, although 1,279 penalty minutes in 579 regular season games (WHA and NHL combined) help tell the story.
Semenko was Gretzky’s loyal and fearsome bodyguard, and as long as he was around, no one dared mess with the Great One. He helped the Oilers win their first two Stanley Cups (1984, 1985). Beloved in Edmonton, the late forward became a fixture with the Oilers after retiring in 1988, serving in various capacities from radio colour commentator to assistant coach to pro scout until 2015.
Jason Smith
Jason Smith has the second-longest tenure as captain in franchise history (behind only current captain Connor McDavid), serving from 2001 to 2007 in that capacity. He was wearing the ‘C’ when Edmonton went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006.
The rugged defenceman led by example: his effort, toughness, and no-nonsense demeanour set the tone for his teammates to follow. He holds the Oilers’ single-season and single-postseason records for blocked shots, with 228 in the 2006-07 regular season and 67 in the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, respectively.
Esa Tikkanen
Esa Tikkanen is one of only 10 players to win at least four Stanley Cups with the Oilers. A legendary playoff performer, he ranks fifth in Oilers postseason history with 51 goals and was the first player in franchise history to score in overtime of Game 7, against the Calgary Flames in 1991.
In 1990-91, the Finnish forward became the first player not named Gretzky or Messier to lead the Oilers in points for a season. Arguably the greatest two-way player in Oilers history, Tikkanen would shadow the opposition’s top offensive threat, most famously former teammate Gretzky after the Great One was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988.
There will be no argument to make against any of the aforementioned individuals being selected for induction next year. Likewise, there will be an argument to make on behalf of any of the above that are not selected for induction in 2025. Let the debate begin.
