Top 100 Oilers: No. 21 — Craig MacTavish
Oilersnation is reviving the Top 100 Edmonton Oilers of All Time list, a project originally created by the late Robin Brownlee in 2015. Craig MacTavish comes in at No. 21 on our updated 2025 list. He was ranked No. 17 on Brownlee’s original list.
Craig MacTavish’s playing days were highlighted by the four Stanley Cups he won, three of which were in Edmonton, and another with the Rangers. His coaching days were highlighted by building up a young Oilers team and taking them to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. His general managing days were highlighted by the draft selections of Darnell Nurse and Leon Draisaitl, who would go on to become key pieces of the Oilers organization.
Whatever element of the game of hockey he touched, he left in a better place.
Notable
Craig MacTavish’s arrival in Edmonton was nothing short of controversial, as Glen Sather signed him as a free agent after serving a year in jail for vehicular homicide in the 1984 death of 26-year-old Kim Radley in Massachusetts.
Radley died of injuries after being involved in a multi-car crash when her car was struck by another driven by MacTavish, who was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision. MacTavish served his time, and when MacTavish made his return to Boston as a member of the Oilers, he made peace with Radley’s parents, Ron and Hazel Foote. It never changed what happened, but that first meeting saw the Footes express their willingness to forgive, and MacTavish his remorse over what happened.
“I was real apprehensive about doing it,” MacTavish told the New York Daily News. “Sure........
