BREAKING NEWS: City of Champions: The Edmonton Oilers Story โ A Powerful, Emotional Journey Through Hockeyโs Most Iconic Dynasty
Edmonton, Alberta โ July 23, 2025
From frozen ponds to championship parades, few franchises in professional sports carry a legacy as rich, dramatic, and deeply emotional as the Edmonton Oilers. Now, for the first time ever, the story of their rise, fall, and resurgence is being told through the eyes of their most iconic legends in an upcoming documentary titled:
“๐๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด: ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ”
Set for global release later this year on ESPN+, the multi-part series is already generating buzz across the hockey world โ not just for its star-studded cast of narrators, including Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Grant Fuhr, and Connor McDavid, but for its raw emotional depth and unfiltered exploration of what it means to carry the weight of greatness.
A Dynasty Forged in the North
The story begins in the early 1980s, when the Edmonton Oilers were still viewed as an upstart NHL team transitioning from the WHA. But everything changed when a skinny, soft-spoken teenager from Brantford, Ontario โ Wayne Gretzky โ took the ice.
“We werenโt just trying to win hockey games,” Gretzky says in the documentaryโs opening minutes. “We were trying to change what hockey looked like โ how it was played, how it was celebrated, and how it brought people together.”
Between 1984 and 1990, the Oilers would win five Stanley Cups โ four with Gretzky and one shortly after his departure. The team became a juggernaut, powered by an all-time great core: Messier, the fierce and emotional leader; Paul Coffey, the revolutionary defenseman; Jari Kurri, the Finnish sniper; and Grant Fuhr, the calm, acrobatic netminder who stood tall in every big moment.
Behind the Glory: Brotherhood and Adversity
But โCity of Championsโ doesnโt just linger on victory parades and goal highlights. It dives into the real lives behind the superstars โ the toll of being young men under an intense spotlight, navigating fame, pressure, and loss.
Mark Messier recounts the teamโs bond off the ice, formed through long Alberta winters and grueling road trips:
โWe werenโt just teammates. We were brothers. And sometimes, brothers fight. But when we stepped on the ice, we were unstoppable.โ
The documentary includes rare behind-the-scenes footage from the 1980s Oilers locker room, never-before-heard audio from post-Cup celebrations, and heartfelt reflections on the tragic losses of players like Steve Chiasson and Edmontonโs own Joey Moss, the beloved locker room attendant whose legacy still resonates.
The Trade That Shook a Nation
No Oilers story would be complete without examining The Trade โ the 1988 deal that sent Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings. The documentary dedicates an entire episode to the impact of the move, which fans in Edmonton still speak of with emotion nearly four decades later.
Gretzky breaks down in tears in one of the most poignant segments of the film:
โLeaving Edmonton… it still hurts. Not because I didnโt want to go. But because it was home. And we were just getting started.โ
Footage of Edmonton fans crying in the streets and interviews with teammates show just how deeply the Oilers were embedded in the cityโs soul.
A New Chapter: McDavid and the Return of Hope
Fast-forward to the 2010s, and the Oilers were a team adrift โ mired in losing seasons and front-office instability. But that changed in 2015, when the team selected Connor McDavid with the No. 1 overall pick.
From the moment he laced up his skates in Oilers blue and orange, McDavid carried not only the weight of expectation but also the legacy of an entire generation of fans yearning for a return to greatness.
โI grew up idolizing Gretzky,โ McDavid says in the film. โWearing this jersey means more than just being a hockey player. It means representing an identity. A history. A standard.โ
The documentary highlights McDavidโs evolution into a leader โ from a phenom with blistering speed to a mature captain making community-impact decisions, including his recent donation of his $3 million signing bonus to combat homelessness. It also features insights from Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and former coach Dave Tippett, showcasing the Oilersโ rebirth as a Western Conference powerhouse.
The City That Breathes Hockey
At its core, โCity of Championsโ is not just about the players โ itโs about Edmonton itself. The documentary tells the story of a community that rose alongside its team โ enduring heartbreaks, harsh winters, and years of doubt โ only to come back stronger with each era.
Footage of parades down Jasper Avenue, snow-covered backyard rinks, and children wearing Oilers jerseys in every corner of the city remind viewers that hockey in Edmonton is more than a sport โ itโs a way of life.
A Story for the Ages
With soaring cinematography, a stirring orchestral score, and candid, soul-baring interviews, City of Champions promises to be one of the definitive sports documentaries of the decade.
Executive producer Ken Burns called it:
โA tribute not just to a team, but to human resilience, passion, and the extraordinary power of unity.โ
Coming Soon
โCity of Champions: The Edmonton Oilers Storyโ premieres October 14, 2025, on ESPN+, TSN, and international streaming platforms. It will also be released in select theaters across Canada for limited-run screenings.
As the final trailer voiceover echoes:
โThey werenโt just chasing a puck. They were chasing immortality