NHL: The best captain in each team’s history (Updated 2023)

Best NHL captain from each franchise: Edmonton Oilers – Wayne Gretzky

Oh yes, “The Great One” was such a legendary player, he’ll be mentioned twice on two separate teams here for being arguably one of the greatest NHL captains to ever do it. Before Gretzky did what he did with the Kings, he originally achieved greatness back in the early 80s on the Edmonton Oilers.

Once the Oilers made it official that Gretzky would be their team captain back in 1983, it was from that moment on that his legacy began. He led the Oilers for the next five years as captain and won four Stanley Cup championships.

Not only was Gretzky considered a phenomenal player but he was ahead of his time in terms of strategies and overall hockey intelligence. He just saw things that others didn’t see and knew how to play to not just his strengths but the overall strengths of his teammates for success. Always putting those around him in a position to thrive, Gretzky was a selfless player that always put team success over his individual accolades.

One can only imagine what else Gretzky could have accomplished had he spent his entire career with the Oilers instead of the shocking trade they made back in 1988 just months after he won his fourth championship with the franchise. Regardless, most hockey fans will forever correlate Gretzky on the Oilers more than the other stints he had with other teams because they were truly a dynasty in the hockey world featuring the greatest player of all-time.