Twenty years ago, when the Oilers were in their first glory days, their young bravado perfectly matched Edmonton's boom-town spirit. We though we were living in Camelot, and Gretzky, [Messier. Coffey] and the boys were our knights in shining armour. They were our Arthurian holy warriors, dominating Canada's game, just as Edmonton, buoyed by oil and gas money, was trying to enter the national stage as an economic and political powerhouse.

The city's crazy, naive boom zeitgeist was embodied by the Oilers' antics, both on and off the ice. And when oil prices crashed and the boom was bust, when Gretzky was sold for 30 pieces of silver to pay Peter Pocklington's bills, when the city was hurting, Messier powered the Oilers to one last Cup and made us feel that we were down, but not out.

Two decades ago, we were proud and content to let Gretzky, Messier and their Oilers put Edmonton on the map. Now, we know that we can't rely on a few sports gods and heroes to give a city self-respect and staying power. We've learned the hard way that it takes more than a hockey team to make a city great. It takes hard work, passion, courage, vision and teamwork -- just like a Stanley Cup drive.