That's what people thought after the '88 Stanley Cup win. They wanted to see if the Oilers, after some changes, could continue on with their success. One headline trade involved Paul Coffey moving down south to Pittsburgh on November 24, 1987. He never played a game, having a contract dispute.

But still, the Oilers' reign continued. This battle would see them face off against the Boston Bruins, and again two years down the road in 1990. Gretzky set an NHL record with 31 assists in a single playoff year. The final round would also see his name 13 times on the scoring summary, either with a goal or assist.

The first game didn't see much in a way of shots. Both teams combined for a total of 26 shots, 14 of those belonging to Boston. Gretzky opened up the scoring in the second, after Boston took a minor penalty for too many men on the ice. But Boston would catch up, Cam Neely leading the way, before the end of the second. Keith Acton scored early in the third period to get the win for Edmonton.

The Great Four lead the way in game two. Messier, Gretzky, Anderson, and Kurri scored the Oilers' four goals, in a vicious game for the Bruins. Fuhr faced only 12 shots, while Boston goalie Reggie Lemelin stopped 30. Unfortunately for him, the Oilers had taken 32 shots.

At the end of the second, the Oilers had a 2-0 lead. But Boston turned up the heat on the power play, and Bob Joyce, along with Ken Linseman, tied up the game pretty fast. Gretzky and Kurri soon regained that two-goal lead as the Bruins took a 4-2 loss that night.

For game 3, the Bruins put up a solid wall of offense, stretching the Oilers defense to it's boundaries. But with this offence, they gave the Oilers far too much space to skate around in. Players like Gretzky and Kurri love space. And players like Gretzky and Kurri are playmakers. Tikkanen scored three times thanks to those two, and Gretzky threw in four assists to lead the Oilers to a huge 6-3 victory.

Game 4 was an odd one. It was a hot and humid day to start out with. Down 2-0 after the first, the Bruins come back in the second to take a one-goal lead. The Oilers pushed back.

Craig Simpson managed to tie up the game, and the Oilers celebrate. Then, the lights go out. An overloaded transformer took out the power. It would never come back on. And as the fans filed out of Boston Gardens, the game is decided to be postponed. If necessary, game seven, which is really kinda game eight, would come back to Boston.

But there would be no need for that planning.

Game five was a mirror of game 3. The Oilers fought hard, and took the 6-3 victory. Perhaps predicting something in the near future, Gretzky decided to group everybody on the ice, all the coaches, players, and trainers, for a group photo on the ice. It would start a tradition that still lasts today.

Of course, we all know what happened on the dark day of August 9, 1988. Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, and along with the deal, an estimated $15-20 million went into Peter Pocklington's pockets. More on the trade.