The relationship between Edmonton Oilers fans and the team’s goalies is something less than unconditional love.
Unlike Vancouver Canucks fans, who from inception treated the team’s stalwart goaltenders as something otherworldly, Oilers fans often regard the goalie as the guy who merely has to stop a few pucks while the elite forwards pile up the score.
Or so it seems.
It’s fair to suggest that roster construction (traditionally the Oilers are a run-and-gun team with all their cannons pointed to offence) has created this situation.
For Stuart Skinner, who has started 35 playoff games in the last two seasons, winning over the Oilers fan base is almost complete.
His last two seasons have seen the big goalie deliver as the starter in both regular seasons when the coaching staff checked down to him from free-agent signing Jack Campbell.
He then led the Oilers into two successful playoff runs, winning 19 of those 35 postseason games.
What must he do, that hasn’t been accomplished up until now, in order to become universally popular among Oilers fans?
It’s a tough city
Skinner is from the Edmonton area, so no doubt knows the franchise history as it pertains to goaltenders.
The Oilers have drafted and developed exactly one Hall of Fame goaltender, Grant Fuhr. Fuhr was also from the Edmonton area and was a major part of the glory teams of the 1980s.
With Edmonton, from 1982 through 1991, Fuhr played in 111 playoff games, winning 74. He was a key player in four of the five Stanley Cup victories and is now remembered fondly by Oilers fans of that era.
It wasn’t always that way.
In early January of 1983, the Oilers were going through what has become a traditional “Christmas hangover” over the years. Fuhr allowed seven goals at home against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 29, played well in a win on the road against the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 5, and heard a chorus of boos on Jan. 9 in losing to the lowly Detroit Red Wings. Going into that game, the visitors had just nine wins in 43 games.
Fuhr lashed out at the fans after the game. He was quoted saying, “They’re a bunch of jerks” and “I’ve given up on them” and those quotes landed hard with fans. The young goaltender apologized, general manager Glen Sather said he hoped fans would have compassion and the rest is history.
Fuhr is a highly regarded player in Edmonton and among Oilers fans of all ages.
Skinner plays in the same market, and social media means the heat is even more intense all these years later.
Skinner has handled the pressure well since arriving as the starter.
Signature moment
The lore of Fuhr built itself through the 1980s while the legend of Andy Moog was secured in a 1981 playoff win against the Montreal Canadiens.
Curtis Joseph secured his legendary status with a fantastic run against the Dallas Stars in the late 1990s, highlighted by an impossible stop against Joe Nieuwendyk in the 1997 series.
Dwayne Roloson did the same in 2006, with a brilliant stop versus Sharks forward Jonathan Cheechoo. It was regarded as the turning point in that series, and the club made it all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final that spring.
Skinner led the Oilers to Game 7 of the Final this spring but did not deliver a signature moment — or at least was not credited with being a major difference-maker.
That moment is out there for Skinner and could come next spring.
Win the Stanley Cup
The Edmonton Oilers have five Stanley Cup victories in team history.
In 1984, Fuhr played 16 games and Moog seven. Moog was in net for the clinching game against the New York Islanders. Mike Zanier dressed as the backup in Games 4 and the clinching Game 5 due to a Fuhr injury earlier in the series.
In 1985, 1987 and 1988, the team ran Fuhr heavily.
In 1990, Bill Ranford started poorly and then had a legendary run that is talked about in Edmonton to this day.
Each one of those Stanley Cup wins includes great stories about goaltending that helped make the difference.
If Skinner is part of a team that wins the Stanley Cup, and starts the clinching game, he too will pass into legend.
The goalie in Edmonton is always overshadowed
Oilers fans have been spoiled over these decades with exceptional offensive players who have often been generational.
Skinner won’t know the fame of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier or Connor McDavid, but he can stake his claim to part of team history by backstopping his team to a Stanley Cup win.
He has grown into the role over these past two seasons, and shown a great deal of courage when under the microscope and facing tough questions.
The last line of defence
Oilers fans are a knowledgeable group and are aware of the roster challenges defensively.
The number of two-on-ones and high-danger chances this season against Edmonton will fall shy of the 1980s Oilers teams that Fuhr played with, but there will be plenty of chaos as the season wears along with the current team.
Edmonton fans are also aware that the goalie is somewhat at the mercy of the coaching staff.
Devan Dubnyk was an established starter for Edmonton when the club adopted a “swarm” defence in the fall of 2013. The new alignment was a disaster, mostly because the team’s skaters couldn’t execute the plan. It was Dubnyk who paid the price, and it would be over a year before he recovered and became a productive starter again.
The team’s coaching staff in 2024-25 seems ready for the challenge and the same can be said for Skinner. His backup, Calvin Pickard, was rock solid when called upon one year ago and the team is counting on his quality play again this season.
The bottom line for this team: The Oilers have to win the Stanley Cup and the pressure mounts for everyone each season.
Skinner looks like the ideal goaltender with the perfect combination of confidence and calm. He’s no longer a rookie or even a sophomore NHL contributor.
If the stars do align and Stanley visits Edmonton next spring (after 35 years), Skinner is likely to be a big part of it.
This fall, goalie worries among fans have been rare, but that anxiety can rise in a heartbeat.
Great size, quick glove, calm feet. Skinner appears to be the perfect match for the moment that will be this Oilers season.
(Photo: Perry Nelson / USA Today)
