Before the Oilers reached the heights of their current success, Edmonton endured a decade of darkness that according to Ryan Whitney, produced one of the worst teams in NHL history.
The Former Oiler turned media personality joked tonight that the Chicago Blackhawks’ dismal performance against the lowly Buffalo Sabres honestly reminded him of those brutal days of 2010-11.
The Blackhawks went down by a score of 4-0 in the first five minutes of the game against the Sabres, who just came off a 13 game losing streak.
Now that the team’s brutal performance is long in the rear view, it’s almost funny to look back on the abysmal year that was 2010-11, and how it could’ve been so much better.
Former Oiler Ryan Whitney Pokes Fun at Worst Oilers Roster Ever
The 2010-11 Oilers finished last in the division, conference, and league with a horrific record of 25-45-12.
Edmonton had just drafted Taylor Hall 1st overall and brought him onto the roster as an 18 year old rookie, and he lead the team in scoring with 22 goals.
They also ended up with the first overall pick the next offseason, selecting Ryan Nugent-Hopkins after that terrible year.
That Oilers roster was filled with some players that were actually fam favourites and skilled players, but entirely incomplete that lead to getting pummelled most nights.
Jordan Eberle, Sam Gagner, Shawn Horcoff, and Dustin Penner were the star players, and while they’re good players and people, they’re not leading any team to the playoffs.
Ryan Whitney had a relatively decent year in 2010-11 despite being limited to only 35 games. He scored an impressive 27 points, and lead the team in plus minus with a +13 rating.
If there’s only blessing for maybe their rock bottom season, it’s that the Oilers got the opportunity to select Nugent-Hopkins – the only player left from the decade of darkness.
It’ll be a magical moment to see Nuge of all players lift the Stanley Cup when the Oilers finally break their drought and win the first in their McDavid era.