Do you want to see a fight at an Edmonton Oilers game?

If you do, go to a game in February…in Calgary… make sure you're in your seats during the second period… have Kelly Buchberger in the Oilers' lineup… put Ian Laperriere on the other team… and have it be the 1987-1988 season.

If you could attend such a game, you'd have some pretty awesome Edmonton Oilers tickets.

Since entering the National Hockey League, 217 different Oilers have fought 1,982 times.

Of those nearly 2,000 fights, 957 occurred at home and 1,025 occurred on the road.

That's not the only nugget of puck pugilism we want to share.

Below, we look at the Edmonton Oilers and their rich history of dropping the gloves.

Thanks to our friends at hockeyfights.com, we've compiled lists highlighting the history of the Oilers and their hockey fights.





Oilers Fights Per Regular Season



With the NHL's recent rule changes, it's no surprise that the 1980s and 1990s dominate the list of seasons with the most Oilers fights. Only one campaign from the 21st century makes the rundown.

Season # of Fights 1987-1988 94 1985-1986 90 1993-1994 79 1979-1980 79 2008-2009 69 1989-1990 67 1997-1998 65 1991-1992 65 1986-1987 65 1988-1989 64



^ top Derek Boogaard vs. Steve MacIntyre. Photo credit: Matthew D. Britt

Seasons with the Fewest Oilers Fights



Labor strife canceled the 2004-2005 season and truncated the 1994-1995 and 2012-2013 crusades to 48 games.

That explains why the Oilers duked it out just 13 times in 2012-2013. In the other lock-out shortened season, the Oilers turned up their aggression. They averaged nearly a fight a night.

Season # of Fights 2012-2013* 13 2015-2016 26 2011-2012 27 2005-2006 28 2014-2015 30 1981-1982 33 2016-2017 35 2013-2014 36 1996-1997 41 1994-1995* 41

*= 48-game season



Fighting and the Stanley Cup



The NHL officially recognizes the Edmonton Oilers of 1983 through 1990 as a dynasty. During that era, the franchise won five Stanley Cups. Besides winning sports' toughest trophy, the Oilers also posted a franchise-best 94 fights.

The Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Finals at the end of the 1982-1983 and 2005-2006 seasons. They didn't skate away with the cup, but they did post 61 and 28 fights, respectively, during those regular seasons.

Stanley Cup Championship # of Fights Franchise Rank 1983-1984 48 25th 1984-1985 57 16th 1986-1987 65 7th 1987-1988 94 1st 1989-1990 67 6th



Luke Gazdic vs Brian McGrattan. Photo courtesy of YouTube

Oilers Fights Per Month



Edmonton Oilers like to fight in the middle of the season—December, January, and February. They seem to keep their gloves on in autumn and spring.

It's completely understandable that April has a low number brawls. The regular season ends in the middle of April.

Month Total # of Fights October 277 November 298 December 333 January 333 February 341 March 301 April 99

Months with the Most Oilers Fights



The 1980s are responsible for six months with the most Edmonton Oilers fights. The 1990s were responsible for five, and the 21st century has two entries including one of four months where the Oilers tussled twenty or more times.

Remember, the Oilers first NHL season was 1979-1980.

Month/Year # of Fights January 1980 28 December 1985 26 March 1988 22 February 2008 20 January 1988 19 January 1992 19 December 1992 18 February 1994 18 November 1980 17 March 1987 17 October 1991 17 December 1993 17 December 2009 17



Oilers vs. Wild. Photo courtesy of Flickr

Oilers Fights Per Period



Surprisingly, Oilers tend to resort to fisticuffs in the middle of the game instead of the end.

You'd think the waning moments of a contest, when the outcome has been decided, is when Oilers would throw down the most, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

Period # of Fights 1 707 2 712 3 561 4 2

Most Oilers Fights in Regular Season Game



On Jan. 19, 1980 the Edmonton Oilers fought the Pittsburgh Penguins nine times during a single regular season game. Oilers hit Penguins and the back of the net. They picked up the win, 5-2.

The two games where the Oilers fought eight times were both losses. The Oilers fell 2-4 to the Kings and 2-5 to the Flames.

Date Opponent # of Fights Jan. 19, 1980 @ Pittsburgh 9 Feb. 28, 1990 @ Los Angeles 8 March 20, 1995 Calgary 8 Dec. 20, 1985 Los Angeles 7 March 20, 1987 Calgary 7 Feb. 11, 2004 Atlanta 7 Feb. 16, 2008 @ Vancouver 7 Oct. 14, 1988 @ Calgary 6 Oct. 25, 2003 Calgary 6

Oilers with the Most Fights, All-Time



Kelly Buchberger played for the Edmonton Oilers from 1987 to 1999. He, and another member of the top ten, Marty McSorley, were the last players remaining from the Oilers five Stanley Cup Championship teams.

Speaking of champions, Mark Messier's 39 fights makes him the first Oiler cut from the following list. If the following list included all 217 Oilers who threw fists, near the bottom, you'd find Wayne Gretzky. While an Oiler, “The Great One” fought twice.

Oiler # of Fights Kelly Buchberger 138 Georges Laraque 97 Kevin McClelland 92 Zack Stortini 80 Louie Debrusk 71 Marty McSorley 59 Steve Smith 47 Dave Semenko 46 Sean Brown 44 Jeff Beukeboom 40



Opposing Players with Most Fights Against Oilers, All-Time



Marty McSorley played 160 games for the Edmonton Oilers between 1985 to 1988 and then played another 46 games in 1998-99. During those 201 games, McSorley fought 59 times.

He battled his former teammates ten times as a member of the Los Angeles Kings, twice as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and once as a San Jose Shark.

Opposing Player # of Fights Ian Laperriere 21 Gino Odjick 18 Joel Otto 16 Jim Peplinski 15 Stu Grimson 14 Jay Miller 13 Marty McSorley* 13 Matt Johnson 13 Chris Nilan 12 Jeff Odgers 12 Tim Hunter 24

*= Also played with Edmonton Oilers



Most Oilers Fights in a Single Regular Season



During the 2007-2008 campaign, Zack Stortini appeared in 66 games, spent 201 minutes in the sin bin, and fought 23 times. The following season, he appeared in fewer games (52), and spent less time in the penalty box (181 PIM), but mixed it up two more times.

In 1985-1986, McSorley fought 25 times in 59 games. He spent 265 minutes off the ice thinking about the penalties he committed and finished the regular season with two more fights than points.

Oiler # of Fights Season Zack Stortini 25 2008-2009 Marty McSorley 25 1985-1986 Zack Stortini 23 2007-2008 Kevin McClelland 22 1987-1988 Kelly Buchberger 20 1988-1989 Louie Debrusk 19 1992-1993 Kelly Buchberger 19 1989-1990 Georges Laraque 18 2001-2002 Louie Debrusk 18 1993-1994 Marty McSorley 18 1987-1988 Kevin McClelland 18 1985-1986

Oilers Fights Against NHL Franchises, Home & Away



The Calgary Flames are rude guests. When they visit Rogers Place, they like to turn the ice rink into a boxing ring. One of their 122 fights in Edmonton came when the franchise was based in Atlanta.

Edmonton Oilers' Home Opponents # of Fights Calgary Flames 122 Vancouver Canucks 85 Los Angeles Kings 78 Arizona Coyotes 72 Chicago Blackhawks 43 Colorado Avalanche 42 Dallas Stars 42 San Jose Sharks 40 St. Louis Blues 39 Boston Bruins 34 Anaheim Ducks 31 Buffalo Sabres 30 Detroit Red Wings 27 New York Islanders 27 Philadelphia Flyers 27 New Jersey Devils 25 Minnesota Wild 22 Montreal Canadiens 22 Toronto Maple Leafs 22 Carolina Hurricanes 20 Washington Capitals 18 New York Rangers 16 Florida Panthers 15 Winnipeg Jets 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 13 Columbus Blue Jackets 11 Tampa Bay Lightning 10 Nashville Predators 6 Ottawa Senators 3



James Vandermeer vs. Tim Jackman, Calgary vs. Oilers

About 300 kilometers separate Edmonton and Calgary. This proximity breeds contempt. Since 1979, the two franchises have duked it out more than 250 times. One-hundred and thirty of those fracases happened in Calgary.

Most of the Oilers' melees with the Arizona Coyotes came when the franchise was in Winnipeg. The franchise that's currently in Winnipeg used to be in Atlanta and nicknamed the “Thrashers.” Edmonton has clashed with that franchise just four times.

Edmonton Oilers' Away Opponents # of Fights Calgary Flames 130 Los Angeles Kings 103 Vancouver Canucks 91 Arizona Coyotes 64 St. Louis Blues 52 Colorado Avalanche 51 Dallas Stars 51 Detroit Red Wings 46 Chicago Blackhawks 42 Boston Bruins 35 San Jose Sharks 35 New York Islanders 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 29 Toronto Maple Leafs 26 Anaheim Ducks 25 Minnesota Wild 23 Nashville Predators 23 New Jersey Devils 23 Columbus Blue Jackets 21 New York Rangers 21 Philadelphia Flyers 21 Buffalo Sabres 16 Montreal Canadiens 15 Carolina Hurricanes 14 Washington Capitals 14 Ottawa Senators 10 Tampa Bay Lightning 7 Florida Panthers 4 Winnipeg Jets 4

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