5 In the Big Leagues

Chapter 5 In the Big Leagues Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province Alberta. Edmonton is farther north than any other city with a pro hockey team. And in 1979, it seemed worlds away from the center of the sport. But the city of Edmonton was growing. Its oil industry, begun in 1947, was hotter than ever. And the people loved hockey. They couldn't wait for the WHA season to begin in October. Glen Sather, the Oilers' coach, took a quick look at seventeen-year-old Wayne.

Skinny. Long hair. Young. In fact, the whole team was new and young. And they didn't take themselves too seriously. For Wayne's eighteenth birthday, a huge cake was brought onto center ice. Later, back in the locker room, one of the guys sat on it! Unfortunately, the next year the WHA went out of business. Some teams folded. Not the Oilers. They took a step up and joined the NHL. At eighteen, Wayne became part of the NHL. When Wayne joined the NHL, he found the players stronger and tougher than any he'd yet faced. They were the best in the world. Once

again, critics pointed a finger at Wayne. Yes, he had done fine in the WHA. But he wouldn't cut it in the NHL. Wayne didn't let the comments get to him. As always, he tried even harder. Luckily, the young Oilers had grown. They had defenseman Kevin Lowe and center Mark Messier. Wayne became great friends with both.

THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE THE NHL FORMED IN 1917 WITH ONLY FIVE TEAMS, ALL FROM CANADA: THE MONTREAL CANADIENS, THE MONTREAL WANDERERS, THE

OTTAWA SENATORS, THE QUEBEC BULLDOGS, AND THE TORONTO ARENAS, RENAMED THE MAPLE LEAFS IN 1927. OVER TIME, THE LEAGUE GREW TO INCLUDE US TEAMS, WITH THE BOSTON BRUINS THE FIRST TO JOIN IN 1924. THE NHL SHRANK DURING WORLD WAR II, THEN GREW AGAIN. TODAY, IT'S THE TOP HOCKEY LEAGUE IN THE WORLD, WITH THIRTY TEAMS, TWENTYTHREE IN THE UNITED STATES AND SEVEN IN CANADA. THE TEAMS ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO CONFERENCES, THE EASTERN (WITH THE METROPOLITAN AND ATLANTIC DIVISIONS) AND WESTERN (WITH THE PACIFIC AND CENTRAL DIVISIONS).

It wasn't an easy year. Wayne had a bad sore throat for most of the season. He lost weight. He lived on aspirin and cough drops. Still, Wayne finished the season tied for scoring leader with the Los Angeles Kings' Marcel Dionne. And he started his collection of NHL awards: the Hart Trophy for Most Valuable Player and the Lady Byng Trophy for most gentlemanly player. The Lady Byng meant a lot to Wayne. MARK MESSIER MARK "THE MOOSE" MESSIER GREW UP IN EDMONTON, PART OF A HOCKEY-PLAYING FAMILY. AT SIXTEEN, WEIGHING TWO HUNDRED POUNDS, HE STARTED PLAYING FOR A JUNIOR LEAGUE