Quote:
Originally Posted by troutman
The Oilers only entered the NHL one year before the Flames moved from Atlanta. I don't know any native Calgarians that cheered for the Oilers then. I was an Islanders fan before the Flames.
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Lots of people cheered for them when they were still in the WHA though.
They have been around since 72 and certainly had a following locally. Then things exploded with Gretzky lighting the league up as an 18 year old which was completely unheard of back then.
Then they moved to the NHL and the prevailing thought was he couldnt last a year in their league.
He led the league in scoring (along with Marcel Dionne) as a 19 year old. The Oilers quickly became a massive draw Canada wide.