The Edmonton Oilers had a star-studded roster in the 1980s, winning several championships—and Esa Tikkanen played a big part in that success. Now, the Finnish hero reveals Jari Kurri’s very first words of advice on how to play with Wayne Gretzky, and they were just perfect.
With stars like Grant Fuhr, Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri—and, of course, Wayne Gretzky—the Oilers were building a powerhouse in the early ’80s. In 1983, they advanced to the Stanley Cup Final but were swept by the New York Islanders. However, in the 1983-84 season, it was finally their time to shine.
The Oilers finished first in the NHL standings and made history by having three players—Gretzky, Kurri, and Anderson—score more than 50 goals. They swept the Winnipeg Jets in the opening round, edged out the Calgary Flames in a seven-game series, and then swept the Minnesota North Stars in the conference final before winning the Stanley Cup in five games over the Islanders.
Kurri’s awesome words to Esa Tikkanen
The Oilers repeated as champions in 1985, and that year, Esa Tikkanen had his name engraved on the Cup for the first time. He made his debut in Game 2 of the 1984-85 playoffs, and without playing a single regular-season game, he became a Stanley Cup champion.
The following season, he became an integral part of the Oilers, playing on a line with Jari Kurri and Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky was the greatest player of all time, and Kurri was one of the best goal-scorers of his generation. But Tikkanen played a more defensive role on the line—and he did it to perfection, becoming a key factor in Gretzky and Kurri’s success.
Tikkanen had a great NHL career, playing alongside some all-time greats. Naturally, he got some help from his fellow Finn, Jari Kurri, while breaking into the NHL. In an interview with The Hockey Beast, Tikkanen revealed Kurri’s one piece of advice on how to get the best out of playing with Wayne Gretzky.
“Jari told me, ‘Don’t go into the office,’” Tikkanen recalled.
“I was like, ‘What office!?’ And Jari said, ‘You know, Wayne’s office.’
“I asked, ‘Well, where is that?’ And he said, ‘Behind the net! Just go in front of the net, stick on the ice, and then it’s goals.’”
