Randy Gregg (NHL 1983-1992, Canucks 1991-92)

[Kevin Biestra]

Just a note that this year Randy Gregg was inducted into the Edmonton Oilers Hall of Fame (rough counterpart to their Ring of Honour) along with Craig MacTavish.

 

Gregg played his last NHL season with the Canucks in 1991-92 and I was pretty pumped when we acquired him.  That year was, by the way, our second ever regular season division title and our first since 1974-75 when goaltender Gary "Suitcase" Smith played over 70 games and almost won the division singlehandedly (and came reasonably close to the Hart Trophy as well).  

 

Gregg was a legitimate MD during his playing career.  Got his name on the Stanley Cup five times as a member of the Oilers and one of the reliable blueliners the whole way through from the first Cup Final in 1983 to the last Stanley Cup in 1990.  In fact his Oilers career is EXACTLY the dynasty years from 1982-83 to 1989-90.  He arrived and the dynasty instantly started.  He left and the dynasty instantly ended.

 

He also played for Canada in two Olympics (1980 and 1988) and made the very-hard-to-crack Team Canada roster for the 1984 Canada Cup.  Interestingly, after his college hockey and right before joining the Oilers, he played two years of pro hockey in Japan.  Making him one of the rare players back then with Asian roots of some kind, like Rod Langway who was born in Taipei.

 

He only played 21 games as a Canuck that last year before hanging up the skates, putting him as one of the all time great "Cup of Coffee" Canucks with guys like Mel Bridgman, Pit Martin, Randy Holt, Glen Cochrane, Murray Craven, Esa Tikkanen, Vladimir Krutov, Tom Kurvers, Andrew McBain, Tom Fergus, Sean Burke, Gary Leeman, Jimmy Carson, Rick Vaive, Brent Ashton, Bill Derlago, Peter McNab and some other great names of the past.  But between Gregg and Tikkanen...that's ten Stanley Cups.  Sigh and the city is still working on its first...unless you count the Millionaires, which I actually do.

 

 

Edited November 23 by Kevin Biestra