6 Here We Go, Oilers!

Chapter 6 Here We Go, Oilers! The Oilers were a team to watch. In the next season's playoffs, they beat the Montreal Canadiens, winner of twenty-two championship titles at that time. In baseball's World Series, the winning team gets their own Commissioner's Trophy. In the NHL, every team shares one trophy: the Stanley Cup. Each year, it's passed on to the new winners. In the first game of the season's playoffs, Wayne got five assists. A playoff record! He led his team to sweep the series. It's still one of the biggest upsets in hockey history. The Oilers went on to face the defending champions, the New York Islanders. Wayne and his teammates were excited. The entire team sat on the bench and chanted like fans, "Here we go, Oilers. Here we go."

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They lost. The Stanley Cup went to the Islanders. But the Oilers had proved themselves. Each season, teams play about eighty games. In 1981–1982, Wayne dominated almost every one he was in. He broke record after record. Goals. Assists. Scoring streaks. THE STANLEY CUP

THE NHL TROPHY IS NAMED FOR FREDERICK ARTHUR STANLEY, AN ENGLISH LORD. LORD STANLEY CAME TO CANADA AS GOVERNOR GENERAL AND QUICKLY BECAME A HOCKEY FAN. IN 1892, HE BOUGHT A PUNCH BOWL FOR FIFTY DOLLARS, AND GAVE IT TO THE TOP AMATEUR HOCKEY TEAM. LATER IT WAS AWARDED TO PRO TEAMS, FINALLY SERVING AS THE NHL PRIZE. ALL WINNING PLAYERS, COACHES, OWNERS, AND STAFF MEMBERS ARE LISTED ON THE CUP, WHICH WAS REMADE IN 1958. WHEN THE TROPHY RUNS OUT OF SPACE, THE OLDEST TEAM IS TAKEN OFF. MISTAKES HAVE BEEN MADE: CANADIENS GOALIE JACQUES PLANTE WON THE CUP FIVE TIMES, AND EACH TIME HIS NAME WAS SPELLED DIFFERENTLY. EVERY TEAM MEMBER GETS TO KEEP THE CUP FOR A DAY. IT'S BEEN TO RESTAURANTS, HOMES, STADIUMS, EVEN IN A SWIMMING POOL WITH HOCKEY GREAT MARIO LEMIEUX. THE STANLEY CUP IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER PRO-LEAGUE TROPHY. The area behind the net was nicknamed "Gretzky's office." No other player used the space like Wayne. He would wait there patiently, holding the puck. When he saw the right pass? Bang—he slid the puck to a teammate for a goal.

Or he banked it off the goalie, or the net, or the boards, to score. Magazines called him the best player in the NHL. He starred in commercials for soda and sportswear. Over the years, his fame grew. He had his own cereal and his own doll. He appeared on talk shows, a soap opera, and other TV programs. By 1991, there was even a cartoon series with "Wayne Gretzky." But after three seasons in the NHL, his team had yet to win the Stanley Cup.

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