2005–06 Edmonton Oilers season

2005–06 Edmonton Oilers
Western Conference champions
Division	3rd Northwest
Conference	8th Western
2005–06 record	41–28–13
Home record	20–15–6
Road record	21–13–7
Goals for	256
Goals against	251
Team information
General manager	Kevin Lowe
Coach	Craig MacTavish
Captain	Jason Smith
Alternate captains	Ethan Moreau Ryan Smyth
Arena	Rexall Place
Average attendance	16,832 (99.96%)
Minor league affiliate(s)	Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) Iowa Stars (AHL) Greenville Grrrowl (ECHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Ryan Smyth (36)
Assists	Ales Hemsky (58)
Points	Ales Hemsky (77)
Penalty minutes	Ethan Moreau (87)
Plus/minus	Steve Staios (+10)
Wins	Jussi Markkanen (15)
Goals against average	Dwayne Roloson (2.43)

The 2005–06 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 27th season in the NHL, and they were coming off a 36–29–12–5 record with 89 points and finishing 9th in the Western Conference in 2003–04 and missed the playoffs. In 2005–06, the Oilers qualified for the playoffs in eighth place, and put on a playoff run that brought them to the Stanley Cup Finals finishing with a loss in Game 7 to the victorious Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 3–1. This was the first time an eighth seeded team reached the Stanley Cup Finals (which was repeated in 2012, 2017, and 2023). This was the last time the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Finals until 2024.

Offseason

Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, the 2004–05 NHL season was cancelled when the players and owners could not agree to a new CBA. The two sides would come to agreement, and there would be many changes for both the Oilers and the NHL as a whole.

The NHL introduced a salary cap of $39 million for the 2005–06, which meant the teams above that figure would cut salary to fit under the cap. The Oilers, who had a lot of cap room, took advantage of this, and the St. Louis Blues would trade former Hart- and Norris Trophy-winning Chris Pronger to the Oilers in exchange for Eric Brewer, Jeff Woywitka and Doug Lynch. Pronger would then sign a five-year, $31.25 million contract with Edmonton. The Oilers would then make another blockbuster trade, this time acquiring former Frank J. Selke Trophy winner Michael Peca from the New York Islanders for Mike York and a fourth-round draft pick.

The NHL also made a number of rule changes, such as adding a shootout to determine the winner of a game that was tied after five minutes of overtime to eliminate ties, goaltenders were not allowed to play the puck in the corners of the ice surface and the referees would crack down on obstruction.

Regular season

The Oilers would start off the season rather slowly, sitting with a 9–9–1 record after 19 games, but the club would get hot, going 21–9–7 in their next 37 games. As the trade deadline approached, the club did not have a clear number one goaltender, and they addressed this issue by trading their first-round draft pick in 2006 to the Minnesota Wild for Dwayne Roloson. Edmonton would also add former Calder Memorial Trophy winner Sergei Samsonov to the club, sending Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny and a second-round draft pick (Milan Lucic) to the Boston Bruins to acquire him. The Oilers played mediocre hockey for the rest of the season, but nonetheless managed to finish in eighth place in the Western Conference and qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

Offensively, Ryan Smyth would lead the club with 36 goals, his highest total since scoring 39 goals in 1996–97, and 22-year-old Ales Hemsky would break-out, earning a club-high 58 assists and 77 points. Shawn Horcoff would also have a breakout season, scoring 22 goals and 73 points, as would Jarret Stoll, who scored 22 goals and earned 68 points. On defence, Chris Pronger would anchor the blueline, earning a defenceman-high 56 points, while Marc-Andre Bergeron would score 15 goals and 35 points from the blueline. Ethan Moreau had a club-high 87 penalty minutes.

In goal, Edmonton would use a trio of goaltenders until the arrival of Dwayne Roloson at the trade deadline. Mike Morrison would win ten games and have a 2.83 goals against average (GAA), but he would not last the season with the Oilers; he was claimed off waivers by the Ottawa Senators. Ty Conklin, the starter from 2003 to 2004, would appear in only 18 games, going 8–5–1 with a 2.80 GAA, before being sent to the minors. Jussi Markkanen won a club-high 15 games, and would serve as Dwayne Roloson's backup when the club acquired him. Roloson would post a team-best 2.43 GAA and have an 8–7–4 record with the team.

The Oilers allowed the fewest shorthanded goals in the NHL, with just five.

Season standings

Northwest Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	3	Calgary Flames	82	46	25	11	218	200	103
2	7	Colorado Avalanche	82	43	30	9	283	257	95
3	8	Edmonton Oilers	82	41	28	13	256	251	95
4	9	Vancouver Canucks	82	42	32	8	256	255	92
5	11	Minnesota Wild	82	38	36	8	231	215	84

Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Western Conference

R		Div	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	P- Detroit Red Wings	CE	82	58	16	8	305	209	124
2	Y- Dallas Stars	PA	82	53	23	6	265	218	112
3	Y- Calgary Flames	NW	82	46	25	11	218	200	103
4	X- Nashville Predators	CE	82	49	25	8	259	227	106
5	X- San Jose Sharks	PA	82	44	27	11	266	242	99
6	X- Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	PA	82	43	27	12	254	229	98
7	X- Colorado Avalanche	NW	82	43	30	9	283	257	95
8	X- Edmonton Oilers	NW	82	41	28	13	256	251	95
8.5
9	Vancouver Canucks	NW	82	42	32	8	256	255	92
8	Los Angeles Kings	PA	82	42	35	5	249	270	89
11	Minnesota Wild	NW	82	38	36	8	231	215	84
12	Phoenix Coyotes	PA	82	38	39	5	246	271	81
13	Columbus Blue Jackets	CE	82	35	43	4	223	279	74
14	Chicago Blackhawks	CE	82	26	43	13	211	285	65
15	St. Louis Blues	CE	82	21	46	15	197	292	57

Divisions: CE – Central, PA – Pacific, NW – Northwest

P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

Playoffs

Edmonton would open up the playoffs against the Presidents' Trophy winners, the Detroit Red Wings, who finished with 124 points during the season. Hockey experts almost unanimously predicted a Detroit victory; however, the Oilers had played the season in a tougher division than the Red Wings, who played 24 of their 82 games against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, who had finished 25th, 28th and 30th, respectively, in the standings. In Game 1 at Joe Louis Arena, the Oilers played a tight defensive style and took the Wings to double overtime before losing 3–2, despite being outshot 57–25 in the game. The Oilers tied the series with a solid 4–2 win in Game 2 to return home with a split. Game 3 at Rexall Place saw the Oilers squander a late two-goal lead as the Wings forced the game to double overtime, where the Oilers won on a goal by Jarret Stoll. Game 4 saw the Red Wings score three powerplay goals and tie the series with a 4–2 win, and the teams returned to Detroit for Game 5. With the series tied 2–2, the Oilers jumped out to an early 3–0 lead and hung on for a 3–2 win, behind the strong two-way play of defenceman Chris Pronger. The Oilers returned home looking to complete the upset in Game 6, but fell behind the Red Wings 2–0 by the second intermission. Then the Oilers caught fire in the third period, tying the game on two goals from Fernando Pisani. After the Red Wings scored to re-take the lead, the Oilers again tied the game on a crease-crashing goal from Ales Hemsky. In the final minute of play, Hemsky roofed a pass from Sergei Samsonov behind Detroit goaltender Manny Legace, and the Edmonton crowd exploded in jubilation. The Oilers hung on to win the game 4–3, eliminating the heavily favoured Red Wings in six games. It was the Oilers' first playoff series win since eliminating the Colorado Avalanche in 1998.

The opening round of the 2006 NHL playoffs had an unprecedented development in the Western Conference: in each of the four series played, the team with the lower points total had emerged as the victor. As a result, in the Conference Semifinals, the eighth-place Oilers would face the fifth-place San Jose Sharks, who finished the season with only four more points than Edmonton, at 99. Still, the Sharks were considered a tough opponent, having NHL MVP and scoring leader Joe Thornton, along with League goals leader Jonathan Cheechoo among their stars.

Game 1 at the HP Pavilion ended in a 2–1 San Jose victory as the Sharks executed a physical forechecking gameplan and outshot the Oilers 30–16. In Game 2, the Sharks entered the ice to a cheer that eclipsed 109 decibels, and they rode their fans' emotion to another slim 2–1 victory. The Sharks had taken a two-game lead in the series, but were now missing Milan Michalek, one of their best offensive forwards. Michalek had been blasted in open ice by Oilers' forward Raffi Torres in Game 2. When the teams returned to Rexall Place for Game 3, the Edmonton crowd exploded; the noise in the building eclipsed 114 decibels as the Oilers came onto the ice. The Oilers parlayed the noise into inspired play, running roughshod all over the ice and outshooting the Sharks 15–2 by the end of the first period. Sharks goaltender Vesa Toskala held tough, however, and the Oilers only took a 1–0 lead into the first intermission. By the third period, the Sharks had taken a 2–1 lead, and it stood until Torres tied the game with a wrist-shot as he came down the wing. The game went into overtime, and the Sharks nearly ended it on a 2-on-1 rush, as Thornton passed to Cheechoo for the shot, but Dwayne Roloson dove across the crease and sniped the puck out of mid-air. The game finally ended in the third overtime, as the Oilers' top line of Horcoff, Hemsky and Smyth worked a passing play into the San Jose crease, where Horcoff jammed the puck in the San Jose goal for the Edmonton win. In Game 4 in Edmonton, the Oilers were trailing 3–2 in the second period when Sergei Samsonov's penalty expired and he was sent in alone on Toskala. To everyone's shock, Toskala came charging out of the net to get the puck before Samsonov. Toskala lost the puck and Samsonov slid a backhand into the open net to tie the game. The Edmonton crowd exploded in delight, and the Oilers never looked back, cruising to a 6–3 win. Game 5 in San Jose was the site of an unfortunate incident: the American feed of the Game 4 broadcast in Edmonton had picked up background noise during the playing of the American National Anthem. San Jose fans had thought it was booing, and in Game 5, a majority of San Jose fans booed the entire Canadian National Anthem. The game itself saw the Oilers carry over the momentum they gained from Game 4, and they struck for three powerplay goals and one shorthanded goal en route to another 6–3 win. In Game 6 in Edmonton, the Edmonton crowd loudly cheered the singing of the American anthem, and then joined anthem singer Paul Lorieau in a throaty and passionate rendition of "O Canada." The Oilers picked up where they had left off in the previous game – they stymied the Sharks' high-scoring forwards and Dwayne Roloson made 24 saves for his first career playoff shutout as the Oilers eliminated the Sharks in six games. The Oilers had earned a trip to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1991–92.

In the Conference Finals, the Oilers faced the sixth-seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, with the series to open at the Arrowhead Pond. In Game 1, Michael Peca extended his playoff goal-scoring streak to three games, and Roloson stopped 31 of 32 shots as the Oilers stunned the Anaheim crowd into silence with a 3–1 victory. Peca would extend his goal streak in Game 2, scoring an empty-netter as the Oilers again iced the Ducks in their home rink, 3–1. Raffi Torres and Marc-Andre Bergeron missed the game, as a bad flu had hit the Oilers' dressing room. The Oilers returned home with a 2–0 series lead, and the Edmonton fans stole the show in Game 3. The crowd was in bedlam by the time the Oilers hit the ice, prompting TV analyst Don Cherry to scream, "This is unbelievable! I don't know how they can lose with this crowd!" Then during the national anthem, after the opening verse, anthem singer Paul Lorieau spontaneously turned the microphone over to the crowd, who finished the song. It was hailed as one of the most touching moments of the entire year in sports. When the game started, the Mighty Ducks attempted to literally fight their way back into the series, as skirmishes ensued after nearly every whistle. By the end of the first period, the Oilers held a slim 1–0 lead, which held until the third period when the Oilers got goals from Peca, Steve Staios and Chris Pronger. By now, the effects of the flu were noticeable on the Oilers, and late in the game the Ducks fought back to make it close, but the Oilers prevailed with a 5–4 win despite being outshot 38–22. In Game 4, the Mighty Ducks started Jean-Sebastien Giguere for the first time in the playoffs and avoided the series sweep by outskating the Oilers, winning the game 6–3 off the strength of two goals by Dustin Penner. The Ducks again outshot the Oilers 45–23 in the tilt. In Game 5 in Anaheim, the Ducks jumped out to an early 1–0 lead, but second period goals by Torres and Ethan Moreau put the Oilers in front. The Oilers would never relinquish their lead as the Ducks pressed furiously for the equalizer. Edmonton would win the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl for the seventh time in team history and claim the series in five games. The win earned the Oilers their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals since their last Cup win in 1990.

Edmonton would face the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes in the Finals. In the opening game, goaltender Dwayne Roloson would go down to injury midway through the third period with the score tied 4–4, and Ty Conklin came in to replace Roloson. Conklin, however, would allow the winning goal as Carolina won the game 5–4. With Jussi Markkanen starting in Game 2, the Hurricanes dominated the Oilers, winning the game 5–0. Edmonton would rebound in Game 3, playing their first home game in the Stanley Cup Finals since May 22, 1990, with a 2–1 victory, but the Hurricanes would take Game 4 2–1 to take a commanding 3–1 series lead. The Oilers, facing elimination, would take Game 5 to overtime, and eventually win 4–3 score to stay alive in the series. The series then returned to Edmonton for Game 6, and the Oilers shut out Carolina 4–0, setting up the Stanley Cup-deciding Game 7. The Hurricanes, led by goaltender Cam Ward, played a solid defensive game and held the Oilers to just a single goal (scored by Fernando Pisani, his 14th of the playoffs), while the Hurricanes managed to put two behind Jussi Markkanen, as well as score an empty-netter, to seal the game and their first Stanley Cup victory in team history.

Blue Mile

Oiler fans, unable to enter the jam-packed Rexall Place, celebrate on Edmonton's Whyte Avenue during the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Blue Mile or the Copper Kilometre is the name given by the local media to the Old Strathcona District's Whyte Avenue during the Edmonton Oilers 2006 Stanley Cup playoff run, since it closely resembled the events which took place on the Red Mile in Calgary two years prior.

Following the Edmonton Oilers upset victory over the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 2006 playoffs, several thousand Oiler fans flocked to Whyte Avenue and turned the district into a hockey party strip, as Oiler fans walked the streets cheering, chanting, high-fiving, horn-honking, and flag-waving for their team. Others surfed the crowd in a grocery-shopping cart, and still others climbed trees and traffic lights.

Whyte Avenue in Edmonton gained national attention for its level of violence in May 2006. The arrests at the Blue Mile are estimated at least 350 people through the Oilers Stanley Cup playoff run, including breaching the public peace, assaults, impaired driving, mischief, and alcohol-related offences. This rowdy behaviour led the mayor of Edmonton, Stephen Mandel, to threaten to close down the strip: "I hope this doesn't come down to having to shut down Whyte completely...but this will not be tolerated going into the final series."

Schedule and results

Regular season

2005–06 regular season
October: 5–6–1 (home: 2–2–1; road: 3–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 5 Colorado Avalanche 3–4 Edmonton Oilers Conklin 16,839 1–0–0 2 Recap 2 October 8 Vancouver Canucks 3–4 Edmonton Oilers SO Markkanen 16,839 2–0–0 4 Recap 3 October 10 Edmonton Oilers 4–2 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Markkanen 17,174 3–0–0 6 Recap 4 October 11 Edmonton Oilers 1–3 Los Angeles Kings Conklin 16,394 3–1–0 6 Recap 5 October 14 Dallas Stars 3–2 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 3–2–0 6 Recap 6 October 15 Edmonton Oilers 0–3 Calgary Flames Markkanen 19,289 3–3–0 6 Recap 7 October 18 Phoenix Coyotes 4–3 Edmonton Oilers OT Markkanen 16,839 3–3–1 7 Recap 8 October 20 Edmonton Oilers 1–3 Calgary Flames Markkanen 19,289 3–4–1 7 Recap 9 October 21 Colorado Avalanche 7–1 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 3–5–1 7 Recap 10 October 25 Edmonton Oilers 3–5 Colorado Avalanche Markkanen 18,007 3–6–1 7 Recap 11 October 28 Edmonton Oilers 5–3 Dallas Stars Markkanen 16,342 4–6–1 9 Recap 12 October 29 Edmonton Oilers 5–1 Nashville Predators Markkanen 14,610 5–6–1 11 Recap
November: 9–5–0 (home: 3–2–0; road: 6–3–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 13 November 1 Columbus Blue Jackets 1–5 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 6–6–1 13 Recap 14 November 3 Edmonton Oilers 4–3 Detroit Red Wings OT Markkanen 20,066 7–6–1 15 Recap 15 November 4 Edmonton Oilers 7–2 St. Louis Blues Markkanen 13,626 8–6–1 17 Recap 16 November 7 Edmonton Oilers 0–4 Dallas Stars Markkanen 15,286 8–7–1 17 Recap 17 November 8 Edmonton Oilers 2–3 Nashville Predators Markkanen 11,748 8–8–1 17 Recap 18 November 11 Edmonton Oilers 3–1 Columbus Blue Jackets Markkanen 18,136 9–8–1 19 Recap 19 November 13 Edmonton Oilers 1–3 Chicago Blackhawks Markkanen 15,299 9–9–1 19 Recap 20 November 14 Edmonton Oilers 5–2 Colorado Avalanche Morrison 18,007 10–9–1 21 Recap 21 November 17 Detroit Red Wings 5–6 Edmonton Oilers OT Markkanen 16,839 11–9–1 23 Recap 22 November 19 Chicago Blackhawks 4–3 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 11–10–1 23 Recap 23 November 21 San Jose Sharks 1–2 Edmonton Oilers SO Morrison 16,583 12–10–1 25 Recap 24 November 23 Edmonton Oilers 4–3 Minnesota Wild Morrison 18,568 13–10–1 27 Recap 25 November 25 Edmonton Oilers 2–1 Calgary Flames SO Morrison 19,289 14–10–1 29 Recap 26 November 29 Colorado Avalanche 3–2 Edmonton Oilers Morrison 16,839 14–11–1 29 Recap
December: 8–3–3 (home: 5–2–1; road: 3–1–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 27 December 1 Vancouver Canucks 3–5 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 15–11–1 31 Recap 28 December 3 Boston Bruins 5–4 Edmonton Oilers OT Markkanen 16,839 15–11–2 32 Recap 29 December 8 Edmonton Oilers 3–2 Philadelphia Flyers Morrison 19,411 16–11–2 34 Recap 30 December 10 Edmonton Oilers 2–3 New York Islanders SO Markkanen 12,249 16–11–3 35 Recap 31 December 13 Edmonton Oilers 1–2 New Jersey Devils SO Conklin 13,507 16–11–4 36 Recap 32 December 15 Montreal Canadiens 3–5 Edmonton Oilers Conklin 16,839 17–11–4 38 Recap 33 December 17 Edmonton Oilers 5–4 Vancouver Canucks OT Markkanen 18,630 18–11–4 40 Recap 34 December 19 Calgary Flames 4–5 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 19–11–4 42 Recap 35 December 21 Edmonton Oilers 7–6 Vancouver Canucks Conklin 18,630 20–11–4 44 Recap 36 December 23 Los Angeles Kings 3–5 Edmonton Oilers Conklin 16,839 21–11–4 46 Recap 37 December 26 Minnesota Wild 4–1 Edmonton Oilers Conklin 16,839 21–12–4 46 Recap 38 December 28 Minnesota Wild 4–2 Edmonton Oilers Conklin 16,839 21–13–4 46 Recap 39 December 30 Nashville Predators 2–4 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 22–13–4 48 Recap 40 December 31 Edmonton Oilers 5–6 Calgary Flames Markkanen 19,289 22–14–4 48 Recap
January: 6–4–2 (home: 1–4–0; road: 5–0–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 41 January 3 Chicago Blackhawks 0–5 Edmonton Oilers Conklin 16,839 23–14–4 50 Recap 42 January 7 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–2 Edmonton Oilers Conklin 16,839 23–15–4 50 Recap 43 January 10 Edmonton Oilers 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Markkanen 14,905 24–15–4 52 Recap 44 January 12 Edmonton Oilers 4–5 New York Rangers OT Markkanen 18,200 24–15–5 53 Recap 45 January 14 Ottawa Senators 5–3 Edmonton Oilers Conklin 16,839 24–16–5 53 Recap 46 January 16 Buffalo Sabres 3–1 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 24–17–5 53 Recap 47 January 19 Edmonton Oilers 3–2 San Jose Sharks SO Morrison 15,683 25–17–5 55 Recap 48 January 21 Edmonton Oilers 3–4 Phoenix Coyotes OT Markkanen 17,799 25–17–6 56 Recap 49 January 23 Calgary Flames 3–1 Edmonton Oilers Morrison 16,839 25–18–6 56 Recap 50 January 25 Edmonton Oilers 6–3 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Markkanen 14,456 26–18–6 58 Recap 51 January 26 Edmonton Oilers 5–3 Los Angeles Kings Morrison 18,118 27–18–6 60 Recap 52 January 29 Edmonton Oilers 4–3 Phoenix Coyotes SO Morrison 16,153 28–18–6 62 Recap
February: 2–2–2 (home: 2–1–2; road: 0–1–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 53 February 2 Columbus Blue Jackets 2–1 Edmonton Oilers SO Markkanen 16,839 28–18–7 63 Recap 54 February 4 Vancouver Canucks 1–3 Edmonton Oilers Morrison 16,839 29–18–7 65 Recap 55 February 6 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 5–6 Edmonton Oilers SO Morrison 16,839 30–18–7 67 Recap 56 February 7 Edmonton Oilers 2–5 Colorado Avalanche Morrison 18,007 30–19–7 67 Recap 57 February 10 Minnesota Wild 6–3 Edmonton Oilers Morrison 16,839 30–20–7 67 Recap 58 February 12 St. Louis Blues 5–4 Edmonton Oilers SO Morrison 16,839 30–20–8 68 Recap
March: 7–5–4 (home: 4–3–2; road: 3–2–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 59 March 1 St. Louis Blues 4–2 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 30–21–8 68 Recap 60 March 3 San Jose Sharks 2–3 Edmonton Oilers Conklin 16,839 31–21–8 70 Recap 61 March 5 Nashville Predators 2–3 Edmonton Oilers OT Conklin 16,839 32–21–8 72 Recap 62 March 7 Dallas Stars 4–3 Edmonton Oilers SO Morrison 16,839 32–21–9 73 Recap 63 March 9 Edmonton Oilers 2–5 San Jose Sharks Roloson 15,878 32–22–9 73 Recap 64 March 11 Edmonton Oilers 3–4 Columbus Blue Jackets OT Roloson 18,136 32–22–10 74 Recap 65 March 12 Edmonton Oilers 3–4 Minnesota Wild Roloson 18,568 32–23–10 74 Recap 66 March 14 Edmonton Oilers 2–1 Minnesota Wild Roloson 18,568 33–23–10 76 Recap 67 March 16 Calgary Flames 2–3 Edmonton Oilers OT Roloson 16,839 34–23–10 78 Recap 68 March 18 Detroit Red Wings 4–3 Edmonton Oilers SO Roloson 16,839 34–23–11 79 Recap 69 March 21 Vancouver Canucks 4–1 Edmonton Oilers Roloson 16,839 34–24–11 79 Recap 70 March 23 Edmonton Oilers 3–4 Vancouver Canucks SO Roloson 18,630 34–24–12 80 Recap 71 March 25 Edmonton Oilers 3–2 Vancouver Canucks Roloson 18,630 35–24–12 82 Recap 72 March 26 Edmonton Oilers 4–3 Colorado Avalanche SO Roloson 18,007 36–24–12 84 Recap 73 March 28 Minnesota Wild 3–2 Edmonton Oilers Roloson 16,839 36–25–12 84 Recap 74 March 30 Los Angeles Kings 0–4 Edmonton Oilers Roloson 16,839 37–25–12 86 Recap
April: 4–3–1 (home: 3–1–0; road: 1–2–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 75 April 1 Calgary Flames 4–1 Edmonton Oilers Roloson 16,839 37–26–12 86 Recap 76 April 3 Phoenix Coyotes 1–7 Edmonton Oilers Roloson 16,839 38–26–12 88 Recap 77 April 6 Edmonton Oilers 1–2 Minnesota Wild SO Roloson 18,568 38–26–13 89 Recap 78 April 7 Edmonton Oilers 4–3 Chicago Blackhawks OT Roloson 14,280 39–26–13 91 Recap 79 April 9 Edmonton Oilers 1–2 St. Louis Blues Roloson 19,090 39–27–13 91 Recap 80 April 11 Edmonton Oilers 0–2 Detroit Red Wings Roloson 20,066 39–28–13 91 Recap 81 April 13 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 1–2 Edmonton Oilers Roloson 16,839 40–28–13 93 Recap 82 April 17 Colorado Avalanche 2–4 Edmonton Oilers Conklin 16,839 41–28–13 95 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Playoffs

2006 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (1) Detroit Red Wings – Oilers win 4–2 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 21 Edmonton Oilers 2–3 Detroit Red Wings 2OT Roloson 20,066 0–1 Recap 2 April 23 Edmonton Oilers 4–2 Detroit Red Wings Roloson 20,066 1–1 Recap 3 April 25 Detroit Red Wings 3–4 Edmonton Oilers 2OT Roloson 16,839 2–1 Recap 4 April 27 Detroit Red Wings 4–2 Edmonton Oilers Roloson 16,839 2–2 Recap 5 April 29 Edmonton Oilers 3–2 Detroit Red Wings Roloson 20,066 3–2 Recap 6 May 1 Detroit Red Wings 3–4 Edmonton Oilers Roloson 16,839 4–2 Recap
Western Conference Semifinals vs. (5) San Jose Sharks – Oilers win 4–2 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 May 7 Edmonton Oilers 1–2 San Jose Sharks Roloson 17,496 0–1 Recap 2 May 8 Edmonton Oilers 1–2 San Jose Sharks Roloson 17,496 0–2 Recap 3 May 10 San Jose Sharks 2–3 Edmonton Oilers 3OT Roloson 16,839 1–2 Recap 4 May 12 San Jose Sharks 3–6 Edmonton Oilers Roloson 16,839 2–2 Recap 5 May 14 Edmonton Oilers 6–3 San Jose Sharks Roloson 17,496 3–2 Recap 6 May 17 San Jose Sharks 0–2 Edmonton Oilers Roloson 16,839 4–2 Recap
Western Conference Finals vs. (6) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim – Oilers win 4–1 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 May 19 Edmonton Oilers 3–1 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Roloson 17,174 1–0 Recap 2 May 21 Edmonton Oilers 3–1 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Roloson 17,264 2–0 Recap 3 May 23 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4–5 Edmonton Oilers Roloson 16,839 3–0 Recap 4 May 25 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 6–3 Edmonton Oilers Roloson 16,839 3–1 Recap 5 May 27 Edmonton Oilers 2–1 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Roloson 17,174 4–1 Recap
Stanley Cup Finals vs. (E2) Carolina Hurricanes – Hurricanes win 4–3 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 June 5 Edmonton Oilers 4–5 Carolina Hurricanes Conklin 18,797 0–1 Recap 2 June 7 Edmonton Oilers 0–5 Carolina Hurricanes Markkanen 18,928 0–2 Recap 3 June 10 Carolina Hurricanes 1–2 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 1–2 Recap 4 June 12 Carolina Hurricanes 2–1 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 1–3 Recap 5 June 14 Edmonton Oilers 4–3 Carolina Hurricanes OT Markkanen 18,974 2–3 Recap 6 June 17 Carolina Hurricanes 0–4 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 3–3 Recap 7 June 19 Edmonton Oilers 1–3 Carolina Hurricanes Markkanen 18,978 3–4 Recap
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season						Playoffs
			GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
83	Ales Hemsky	RW	81	19	58	77	−5	64	24	6	11	17	−3	14
10	Shawn Horcoff	C	79	22	51	73	0	85	24	7	12	19	4	12
16	Jarret Stoll	C	82	22	46	68	4	74	24	4	6	10	−4	24
94	Ryan Smyth	LW	75	36	30	66	−5	58	24	7	9	16	−2	22
44	Chris Pronger	D	80	12	44	56	2	74	24	5	16	21	10	26
14	Raffi Torres	LW	82	27	14	41	4	50	22	4	7	11	2	16
34	Fernando Pisani	RW	80	18	19	37	5	42	24	14	4	18	4	10
47	Marc-Andre Bergeron	D	75	15	20	35	3	38	18	2	1	3	0	14
20	Radek Dvorak	RW	64	8	20	28	−2	26	16	0	2	2	−1	4
24	Steve Staios	D	82	8	20	28	10	84	24	1	5	6	0	28
18	Ethan Moreau	LW	74	11	16	27	6	87	21	2	1	3	0	19
19	Marty Reasoner‡	C	58	9	17	26	−12	20	—	—	—	—	—	—
37	Michael Peca	C	71	9	14	23	−4	56	24	6	5	11	5	20
6	Jaroslav Spacek†	D	31	5	14	19	3	24	24	3	11	14	−3	24
21	Jason Smith	D	76	4	13	17	1	84	24	1	4	5	5	16
12	Sergei Samsonov†	LW	19	5	11	16	0	6	24	4	11	15	2	14
27	Georges Laraque	RW	72	2	10	12	−5	73	15	1	1	2	2	44
55	Igor Ulanov	D	37	3	6	9	−11	29	—	—	—	—	—	—
13	Todd Harvey	RW	63	5	2	7	−7	32	10	1	1	2	0	4
23	Cory Cross‡	D	34	2	3	5	−5	38	—	—	—	—	—	—
23	Dick Tarnstrom†	D	22	1	3	4	−5	24	12	0	2	2	1	10
22	Jani Rita‡	LW	21	3	0	3	0	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
22	Rem Murray†	C	9	1	1	2	1	2	24	0	4	4	0	2
5	Alexei Semenov‡	D	11	1	1	2	−3	17	—	—	—	—	—	—
2	Matt Greene	D	27	0	2	2	−6	43	18	0	1	1	1	34
36	Marc-Antoine Pouliot	C	8	1	0	1	1	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
30	Jussi Markkanen	G	37	0	1	1		0	6	0	0	0		0
35	Dwayne Roloson†	G	19	0	1	1		2	18	0	2	2		14
26	Brad Winchester	LW	19	0	1	1	−2	21	10	1	2	3	−2	4
15	Kyle Brodziak	C	10	0	0	0	−4	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
29	Ty Conklin	G	18	0	0	0		2	1	0	0	0		0
41	Jean-Francois Jacques	LW	7	0	0	0	−3	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
12	Krys Kolanos†‡	C	6	0	0	0	−1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
1	Mike Morrison‡	G	21	0	0	0		2	—	—	—	—	—	—
12	Mathieu Roy	D	1	0	0	0	−1	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
6	Dan Smith	D	7	0	0	0	1	7	—	—	—	—	—	—
42	Yan Stastny‡	C	3	0	0	0	−2	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
28	Danny Syvret	D	10	0	0	0	−1	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
45	Toby Petersen	C	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	1	0	1	1	0

Goaltending

• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.

No.	Player	Regular season										Playoffs
		GP	W	L	OT	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
30	Jussi Markkanen	37	15	12	6	873	105	3.12	.880	0	2016	6	3	3	137	13	2.17	.905	1	360
1	Mike Morrison‡	21	10	4	2	361	42	2.83	.884	0	892	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
29	Ty Conklin	18	8	5	1	359	43	2.80	.880	1	922	1	0	1	3	1	10.00	.667	0	6
35	Dwayne Roloson†	19	8	7	4	497	47	2.42	.905	1	1163	18	12	5	618	45	2.33	.927	1	1160

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honour	Recipient	Ref
League (in-season)	NHL Defensive Player of the Week	Mike Morrison (November 28)
Team	Community Service Award	Georges Laraque
	Defenceman of the Year	Chris Pronger
	Molson Cup	Ryan Smyth
	Most Popular Player	Ryan Smyth
	Top Defensive Forward	Ethan Moreau
	Top First Year Oiler	Matt Greene
	Unsung Hero	Fernando Pisani
	Zane Feldman Trophy	Chris Pronger

Milestones

Regular season
Player	Milestone	Reached
Chris Pronger	1,100th NHL PIM	October 10, 2005
Brad Winchester	1st NHL Game
Matt Greene	1st NHL Game	October 11, 2005
Kyle Brodziak	1st NHL Game	October 15, 2005
Marty Reasoner	100th NHL Point	October 18, 2005
Jason Smith	100th NHL Assist	October 20, 2005
Alexei Semenov	100th NHL PIM	October 21, 2005
Matt Greene	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	October 27, 2005
Ethan Moreau	200th NHL Point	October 28, 2005
Jason Smith	800th NHL PIM
Ryan Smyth	200th NHL Goal
Georges Laraque	100th NHL Point	November 1, 2005
Alexei Semenov	100th NHL Game	November 3, 2005
Danny Syvret	1st NHL Game	November 4, 2005
Mike Morrison	1st NHL Game	November 7, 2005
Radek Dvorak	700th NHL Game	November 11, 2005
Steve Staios	800th NHL PIM	November 13, 2005
Mike Morrison	1st NHL Win	November 14, 2005
Jarret Stoll	100th NHL Game	December 3, 2005
Raffi Torres	100th NHL PIM	December 15, 2005
Ethan Moreau	100th NHL Assist	December 17, 2005
Shawn Horcoff	300th NHL Game	December 19, 2005
Shawn Horcoff	200th NHL PIM	December 23, 2005
Ales Hemsky	100th NHL Point	December 28, 2005
Shawn Horcoff	1st NHL Hat-trick	January 10, 2006
Marc-Andre Bergeron	100th NHL Game	January 12, 2006
Marc-Andre Bergeron	1st NHL Hat-trick	January 14, 2006
Shawn Horcoff	100th NHL Assist
Jussi Markkanen	100th NHL Game	January 16, 2006
Michael Peca	600th NHL PIM
Radek Dvorak	400th NHL Point	January 19, 2006
Chris Pronger	100th NHL Goal	January 25, 2006
Jean-Francois Jacques	1st NHL Game	February 2, 2006
Steve Staios	100th NHL Assist	February 6, 2006
Georges Laraque	800th NHL PIM	February 10, 2006
Mathieu Roy	1st NHL Game	February 12, 2006
Yan Stastny	1st NHL Game	March 1, 2006
Steve Staios	600th NHL Game	March 9, 2006
Ryan Smyth	700th NHL Game	March 11, 2006
Jarret Stoll	100th NHL PIM
Ales Hemsky	200th NHL Game	March 23, 2006
Marc Pouliot	1st NHL Game	March 30, 2006
Jaroslav Spacek	200th NHL Point
Ales Hemsky	100th NHL Assist	April 1, 2006
Marc Pouliot	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	April 3, 2006
Brad Winchester	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point
Dick Tarnstrom	200th NHL PIM	April 7, 2006
Chris Pronger	800th NHL Game	April 9, 2006

Playoffs
Player	Milestone	Reached
Ales Hemsky	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	April 21, 2006
Jaroslav Spacek
Jarret Stoll	1st NHL Game
Raffi Torres
Fernando Pisani	1st NHL Assist	April 23, 2006
Steve Staios	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point
Jarret Stoll	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point
Brad Winchester	1st NHL Game 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point
Jaroslav Spacek	1st NHL Goal	April 25, 2006
Raffi Torres	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point
Matt Greene	1st NHL Game	April 27, 2006
Raffi Torres	1st NHL Assist
Jarret Stoll	1st NHL Assist	April 29, 2006
Ales Hemsky	1st NHL Goal	May 1, 2006
Ryan Smyth	50th NHL Game
Marc-Andre Bergeron	1st NHL Goal	May 10, 2006
Jason Smith	1st NHL Goal	May 12, 2006
Chris Pronger	50th NHL Assist	May 14, 2006
Rem Murray	50th NHL Game	May 17, 2006
Dwayne Roloson	1st NHL Shutout
Todd Harvey	50th NHL PIM	May 19, 2006
Dwayne Roloson	1st NHL Assist
Toby Petersen	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	May 23, 2006
Chris Pronger	100th NHL Game
Sergei Samsonov	50th NHL Game
Steve Staios	1st NHL Goal
Jason Smith	50th NHL PIM	May 25, 2006
Ty Conklin	1st NHL Game	June 5, 2006
Matt Greene	1st NHL assist 1st NHL point
Georges Laraque	50th NHL PIM	June 7, 2006
Ethan Moreau
Jussi Markkanen	1st NHL Win	June 10, 2006
Dick Tarnstrom	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	June 14, 2006
Jussi Markkanen	1st NHL Shutout	June 17, 2006
Jason Smith	50th NHL Game

Transactions

The Oilers were involved in the following transactions from February 17, 2005, the day after the 2004–05 NHL season was officially cancelled, through June 19, 2006, the day of the deciding game of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
August 1, 2005 (2005-08-01)	To Boston Bruins Brad Isbister	To Edmonton Oilers 4th-round pick in 2006
August 2, 2005 (2005-08-02)	To St. Louis Blues Eric Brewer Doug Lynch Jeff Woywitka	To Edmonton Oilers Chris Pronger
August 3, 2005 (2005-08-03)	To New York Islanders Mike York 4th-round pick in 2006	To Edmonton Oilers Michael Peca
August 30, 2005 (2005-08-30)	To Boston Bruins Boston’s 4th-round pick in 2006	To Edmonton Oilers Rights to Yan Stastny
November 19, 2005 (2005-11-19)	To Florida Panthers Alexei Semenov	To Edmonton Oilers Conditional draft pick in 2006
December 13, 2005 (2005-12-13)	To St. Louis Blues Future considerations	To Edmonton Oilers Blake Evans
January 26, 2006 (2006-01-26)	To Pittsburgh Penguins Cory Cross Jani Rita	To Edmonton Oilers Dick Tarnstrom
	To Chicago Blackhawks Rights to Tony Salmelainen	To Edmonton Oilers Jaroslav Spacek
March 8, 2006 (2006-03-08)	To Minnesota Wild 1st-round pick in 2006 Conditional 3rd-round pick in 2007	To Edmonton Oilers Dwayne Roloson
March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09)	To Boston Bruins Marty Reasoner Yan Stastny 2nd-round pick in 2006	To Edmonton Oilers Sergei Samsonov

Players acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Term	Via	Ref
November 11, 2005 (2005-11-11)	Krys Kolanos	Phoenix Coyotes		Waivers
March 5, 2006 (2006-03-05)	Rem Murray	Houston Aeros (AHL)	1-year	Free agency
May 31, 2006 (2006-05-31)	Patrick Thoresen	Djurgardens IF (SHL)	2-year	Free agency

Players lost

Date	Player	New team	Via	Ref
April 21, 2005 (2005-04-21)	Tony Salmelainen	HIFK (Liiga)	Free agency (II)
July 30, 2005 (2005-07-30)	Tyler Moss	HC Spartak Moscow (RSL)	Free agency (VI)
August 3, 2005 (2005-08-03)	Jamie Wright	Lukko (Liiga)	Free agency (UFA)
September 14, 2005 (2005-09-14)	Sean McAslan	Long Beach Ice Dogs (ECHL)	Free agency (VI)
	Rocky Thompson	Peoria Rivermen (AHL)	Free agency (VI)
September 17, 2005 (2005-09-17)	Joe Cullen	Ottawa Senators	Free agency (UFA)
September 19, 2005 (2005-09-19)	Mike Bishai	Phoenix Coyotes	Free agency (UFA)
December 19, 2005 (2005-12-19)	Krys Kolanos	Phoenix Coyotes	Waivers
March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09)	Mike Morrison	Ottawa Senators	Waivers

Signings

Date	Player	Term	Contract type	Ref
August 3, 2005 (2005-08-03)	Chris Pronger	5-year	Re-signing
August 5, 2005 (2005-08-05)	Jussi Markkanen	2-year	Re-signing
	Igor Ulanov	1-year	Re-signing
August 9, 2005 (2005-08-09)	Marty Reasoner	1-year	Re-signing
	Dan Smith	1-year	Re-signing
August 10, 2005 (2005-08-10)	Jani Rita	2-year	Re-signing
	Jarret Stoll	1-year	Re-signing
	Brad Winchester	2-year	Re-signing
August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15)	Ales Hemsky	1-year	Re-signing
August 16, 2005 (2005-08-16)	Matt Greene	2-year	Entry-level
	Raffi Torres	2-year	Re-signing
August 19, 2005 (2005-08-19)	Shawn Horcoff	1-year	Re-signing
August 29, 2005 (2005-08-29)	Danny Syvret	3-year	Entry-level
August 30, 2005 (2005-08-30)	Yan Stastny	2-year	Re-signing
September 11, 2005 (2005-09-11)	Mike Morrison	1-year	Re-signing
September 14, 2005 (2005-09-14)	Ryan Smyth	2-year	Re-signing
October 7, 2005 (2005-10-07)	Rob Schremp	3-year	Entry-level
May 1, 2006 (2006-05-01)	Tyler Spurgeon	3-year	Entry-level
May 24, 2006 (2006-05-24)	Devan Dubnyk	3-year	Entry-level
May 31, 2006 (2006-05-31)	Stephane Goulet	3-year	Entry-level
	Bryan Young	3-year	Entry-level
June 1, 2006 (2006-06-01)	Jonas Almtorp	2-year	Entry-level
	Fredrik Johansson	2-year	Entry-level
	Liam Reddox	3-year	Entry-level

Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 2005 NHL entry draft.

Round	#	Player	Nationality	NHL team	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	25	Andrew Cogliano	Canada	Edmonton Oilers	St. Michael's Buzzers (OPJHL)
2	36	Taylor Chorney	United States	Edmonton Oilers	Shattuck-Saint Mary's School (Midget Major AAA)
3	81	Danny Syvret	Canada	Edmonton Oilers (from Philadelphia Flyers)	London Knights (OHL)
3	86	Robby Dee	United States	Edmonton Oilers	Breck School (USHS)
4	97	Chris VandeVelde	United States	Edmonton Oilers	Lincoln Stars (USHL)
4	120	Vyacheslav Trukhno	Russia	Edmonton Oilers	Prince Edward Island Rocket (QMJHL)
5	157	Fredrik Pettersson	Sweden	Edmonton Oilers	Frolunda HC (Sweden)
7	220	Matthew Glasser	Canada	Edmonton Oilers	Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL)

Farm teams

Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)

See also

• 2005–06 NHL season

References

• "Edmonton Oilers 2005-06 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
• "2005-06 Edmonton Oilers Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
• National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007