His stay there was short spent as he only played eight games before the team folded. Fortunately Wayne's next stop would be the most memorable one in his career. This stop was the Edmonton Oilers, also of the WHA who had acquired Wayne's rights. The first year in the league was spectacular as Wayne and other great Oilers Mark Messier, Glen Anderson, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, and Grant Fuhr set the league on fire. The next year Wayne had in a sense reached his first goal of playing in the NHL when the WHA folded and four teams including the Oilers merged with The NHL. .
Those first few years in the NHL were very productive for Wayne and the Oilers. The team had become known as the most offensive in the league by setting numerous scoring records and marks while Wayne was showing he could produce the same kind of fire power in the NHL where he was sought to be too small. In 1980-81 season Wayne won his first of seven scoring titles and set a new assists record with 109. The following year he tallied a total of 92 goals in the season (NHL record) and 212 total points (NHL record). Wayne's offensive production was due in part to his skillful teammates but mainly due to his innovative style of play that revolutionized the offensive attack in the NHL. .
The Oilers were gaining steam through the early 1980's and in 1983 they finally reached the Stanley Cup Finals poised to win the Holy Grail. Unfortunately Gretzky and the Young Oilers were handled easily in four straight games by the aging dynasty of New York Islanders. The loss served as a learning experience and fuel to make another run for the Cup. The following year The Oilers got their revenge defeating the same Islander team to win the Cup who was looking for its fifth straight title. That First Cup win was the first of four in a row for the Oilers who repeated as champions until 1988. It was after that fourth Cup that the Hockey World saw one of the most shocking deals in the history of sport take place.