Esa Tikkanen should have won the 1990 Conn Smythe Trophy. Did Bill Ranford play well during the Oilers’ last successful run to the Cup? Yes, yes, he did. Was the playoff MVP awarded the trophy? I don’t think so. I was stunned after the final game against the Bruins when Esa didn’t win. Had I watched a different playoff run? The Grate One was robbed.

Hockey Hall of Fame

Bill Ranford poses with the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1990.

Tikkanen was a unique left winger with skill and grit. At the age of 17, he came over early from Finland and played for the Regina Pat Blues in 1981. This was unusual for Europeans at the time. That season he had 38 goals, 37 assists, and 216 penalty minutes in 59 games. For years, the Oilers had looked for a left winger to play with Gretzky and Kurri. Fearless Esa was the perfect fit until No. 99 was traded. In an interview with Jason Gregor, Perry Berezan admitted his Calgary team hated Tikkanen more than any other Oiler.

The former Flame said the Finn was a menace and they could never get him off his game: “There was nothing you could do that would break the guy.” Berezan also spoke of Esa’s famous Tikkanese or Tiki Talk: “You couldn’t understand a word he said.”

The Oilers’ No. 10 had the skill to play with world-class players, was responsible defensively, and got under the skin of........

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