Ranking the 5 Greatest Captains in Edmonton Oilers History

The Edmonton Oilers are a team with deep history and a club that has been fortunate to have seen some of the best players in the history of the NHL suit up over the years.

While it hasn’t always been easy being an Oiler—struggling through the post-Gretzky era, financial turmoil and most recently an underachieving team—the Oilers have always had a captain who has provided a calming influence on and off the ice and has represented not only the club, but the city of Edmonton to the highest degree.

Lasting impact, legacy and on-ice impact are some of the qualities measured when attempting to select the greatest captains in team history. With that in mind, here is a ranking of the five greatest captains in Edmonton Oilers history.

5: Jason Smith

When Doug Weight was traded at the deadline in 2001, Jason Smith became the 14th captain in Edmonton Oilers history.

While a player like Ryan Smyth could have been a very appropriate candidate, Smith was the type of captain who never said a lot to the media but did most of his talking on the ice with a physical brand of hockey. He was the ultimate leader for a club searching for identity.

Smith wasn’t the flashiest choice, but his strong leadership qualities helped him tie Wayne Gretzky as the longest Oilers captain at five seasons.

Smith was never an offensive contributor, but was the type of captain who would put his body on the line to block a shot, fight an opponent or kill a penalty at the end of the game. Perhaps not glamorous, but he was willing to do all of the little things for the Oilers to help the team succeed during his tenure as captain.

4: Doug Weight

This choice may be up for debate, but during his two-year tenure as a captain for the Oilers, Doug Weight firmly established himself as a premier player and playmaker in the NHL.

Weight was a large part of what was a pretty dynamic Oilers core that featured Bill Guerin and Ryan Smyth, but it was Weight who really pushed the team to succeed.

Short tenure aside, Weight was a dynamic presence on the ice, but it was perhaps his congeniality with the media and with the fans that helped establish him as a fan favorite in the city of Edmonton.

3: Shawn Horcoff

Perhaps another controversial pick, but Shawn Horcoff deserves to be considered as one of the greatest captains in Oilers history mainly due to his dedication to the club and the city.

Though the Oilers struggled mightily during Horcoff’s captaincy, Horcoff was one of the most accountable players on a nightly basis.

Unfortunately for Horcoff, his large contract extension after the 2006 playoff run became a major point of contention for Oilers fans and led Horcoff to become the sounding board for fans' impatience with the team.

It couldn’t have been easy to constantly hear fan backlash regarding his contract and lack of production, yet Horcoff was a consummate professional and always put the team first.

2: Wayne Gretzky

It would have been easy to choose Wayne Gretzky as the greatest captain in Edmonton Oilers history, strictly due to the fact that he is arguably the best player in NHL history. So instead, he ranks second.

Gretzky captained the team during the best years in franchise history and was almost single-handedly responsible for making the Oilers, and the city of Edmonton, relevant on an international level.

Gretzky was adopted as a native son in Edmonton, and to this day the city still has shrines and roads dedicated to The Great One.

1: Mark Messier

Mark Messier earns the selection as the greatest captain in Edmonton Oilers history mainly because he was the player tasked with replacing Gretzky. Though he inherited a team with tons of talent, he was still able to capture the Stanley Cup the season after The Great One left.

Messier still remains the epitome of what a captain is to a team. He was a leader on the ice, but his impact was perhaps greater off the ice and in the community.

While Gretzky may have been the face of the franchise, Messier was most certainly the heart and the soul.