This Day in Hockey History – July 14, 1995 – Oilers Keep Wearing Blue
The 1980s Edmonton Oilers must have had quite the bond as they won five championships in seven seasons. Others, especially Mike Keenan, seemed keen to recapture that magic. He had witnessed it first hand back in 1987, when coaching the Philadelphia Flyers through losing the finals. When Keenan coached the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup in 1994, several former Oilers were there hoisting it high. After he ditched the Rangers in favor of the St. Louis Blues that summer, he began acquiring them again. To that end, on July 14, 1995, as the Blues GM, Keenan signed both Grant Fuhr and Geoff Courtnall.
Goalie Grant Fuhr had been with the Oilers since they drafted him 8th overall in 1981. After winning four championships with them, in September 1991, Edmonton traded Fuhr (with Glenn Anderson and Craig Berube) to Toronto. Fuhr struggled a bit as, in February 1993, Toronto traded him to Buffalo, who traded him to Los Angeles two years later. Meanwhile, Toronto passed Anderson on to the Rangers in March 1994. He signed with St. Louis in February 1995.
As for left winger Geoff Courtnall, he started his NHL career by signing with the Boston Bruins on July 6, 1983. Perhaps to their chagrin, they traded him to Edmonton in March 1988, only to have the Oilers beat them for the Stanley Cup a few months later. In the offseason, Edmonton traded Courtnall to Washington, who traded him to St. Louis two years later. In March 1991, the Blues traded him to Vancouver. Despite his brief time in St. Louis, Courtnall decided to return there in 1995.
Apparently, Keenan decided on Fuhr after a chance encounter with the most famous of the Oilers, Wayne Gretzky. Fuhr’s efforts during the 1994-95 lockout impressed Gretzky enough to sing his former-teammate’s praises. With the Ninety-Nine All-Stars he organized, Fuhr played eight exhibition games in five countries. The Blues’ two primary goalies, Curtis Joseph and Jon Casey, were both free agents. Keenan liked the idea of switching off Fuhr and Casey. “I think, in that situation, Grant would respond in a positive fashion. He still has athletic ability, in my mind.” He signed Fuhr to a multi-year contract.
Courtnall was one of the other three big stars (along with Dale Hawerchuk and Brian Noonan) signed at the same time. Keenan crowed, “I don’t think there is a better team in the league as far as left wing goes. You’re looking at a lot of depth.” After all, the Blues already had Esa Tikkanen, who had played for both the Oilers and the Rangers. Just a few months after the 1994 Final, Tikkanen had been traded by the Rangers to the Blues. However, in November 1995, the Blues traded Tikkanen on to New Jersey. In February 1996, Gretzky himself was traded to the Blues and reunited with his Oilers teammates. The following month, Hawerchuk was traded for Craig MacTavish, another Cup winner from the Oilers and Rangers.
The 1995-96 season started off rocky for Fuhr, who turned up to training camp so out of shape that Keenan suspended him. Fuhr more than made up for it by setting an NHL record of playing 76 consecutive games and a total of 79. In the process, he managed his personal best save percentage (.903). In the meantime, Courtnall came in fifth in scoring (with 40 points). As a team, the Blues placed fourth in the Central Division with 80 points (32-34-16). In the postseason, they beat Toronto (4-2) then lost to Detroit (4-3). Many felt that if Fuhr had not been injured during the first round, the team would have gone all the way that season.
Both Fuhr and Courtnall remained in St. Louis until 1999. That September, Fuhr was traded to Calgary. Two months later, Courtnall announced his retirement. Fuhr retired in September 2000 and (as the first black player) was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.
Additional Sources:
- Mike Commito, Hockey 365: Daily Stories from the Ice(Toronto: Dundurn, 2018), kindle edition.
- Jeff Gordon, “Blues Make Talent Base Grow Fast,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 16 July 1995, pp. F1 and F12.
