The Edmonton Oilers recently announced that Randy Gregg and Craig MacTavish will be inducted into the Oilers Hall of Fame when Edmonton hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 25 at Rogers Place.
Gregg played defence for the Oilers from 1982 to 1990, appearing in 453 regular season games and 130 postseason contests. He has the third-highest career plus/minus rating (plus-81) among defencemen in Stanley Cup Playoff history.
With the addition of Gregg, the Oilers Hall of Fame now includes all seven players that were part of all five of Edmonton’s Stanley Cup victories (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990). The others are Glenn Anderson, Grant Fuhr, Charlie Huddy, Kevin Lowe, Jari Kurri, and Mark Messier.
Gregg is one of just 38 players to win at least five Stanley Cups with one team, and that’s probably only about the 38th most interesting fact about the former blueliner who was born and raised in Edmonton.
Of everyone who has ever played in the NHL, there might not be anyone who has led a more incredible life outside of hockey than Gregg. It predates his time with the Oilers more than four decades ago and continues in Edmonton to this day. Here are the most fascinating facts about Gregg:
He’s a Doctor
Before he even played in the NHL, Gregg graduated from the University of Alberta with a medical degree. He would finally complete his residency after he retired from the NHL for good in 1992.
Gregg’s career in medicine now spans over three decades. Currently, he serves as the main primary care physician responsible for evaluating sports-related injuries as soon as possible after the injury at Lifemark Sports Institute Edmonton.
He’s Got an Award Named After Him
The Dr. Randy Gregg Award is presented to one student-athlete annually by U Sports, recognizing community service in men’s hockey.
Gregg won two national championships as a member of the University of Alberta Golden Bears varsity hockey team. In 1978-79 he captained the Golden Bears and received the Senator Joseph A. Sullivan Award as the top player in Canadian university hockey.
He’s Making Baseball Big Again in Edmonton
Gregg is the managing director of the Edmonton Riverhawks, who have become one of the biggest success stories in baseball during their third season in the West Coast League, a collegiate summer league.
The Riverhawks have set the WCL attendance record in back-to-back seasons, leading to interest from professional leagues. Edmonton has been without affiliated baseball since after the 2004 season when the triple-A Edmonton Trappers of the Pacific Coast League relocated to Texas where they became the Round Rock Express.
Growing up, Gregg was a pretty good baseball player. In 1976 he led the Edmonton Tigers to a 4-2 series victory over the Red Deer Generals to capture the Alberta Major Baseball League title, pitching a three-hitter in the deciding game while batting 10 for 19 in the series.
He’s Part of an Olympian Family
Gregg played for the Canadian men’s hockey team at the Winter Olympics in 1980, when he served as captain, and in 1988.
Being a two-time Olympian might sound impressive, but it only puts Gregg on par with his wife, Kathy Vogt, who herself competed in two Olympic Games, as a long-track speed skater in 1976 and 1980.
So what do you get when you have two parents who are Olympians? How about two kids that are Olympians: son Jamie Gregg (long-track speed skating, 2010 and 2014 Winter Games) and daughter Jessica Gregg (short-track speed skating, 2010 Winter Games).
Jessica is the only of the Olympian Greggs to appear at just one Winter Games, but she’s also the only one to win a medal, capturing silver in the 3,000-metre relay at Vancouver 2010.
He’s Worked for Canada Soccer
Hockey isn’t the only Canadian national team that Gregg has been a part of. From 2009 to 2015, he served as team doctor for Canada Soccer’s men’s national youth program.
Gregg was part of Canada Soccer’s team staff at two FIFA U-17 World Cups (2011 and 2013) and CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championships (2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015).
He’s Already in 4 Other Hall of Fames
This business of getting inducted into one Hall of Fame or another seems to be a semi-regular occurrence for Gregg. It started way back in 1983 when he was added to the University of Alberta Sports Wall of Fame. In 1999, he was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. He got the call to the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. And in 2022 he was enshrined in the Canada West Hall of Fame.
Related: Oilers Hall of Fame: Who Should be Inducted in 2025?
Now, along with MacTavish, he’ll bring the membership of the Oilers Hall of Fame to 16: one coach/general manager (Glen Sather), one broadcaster (Rod Phillips), and 14 players. Make that 13 players and one player/doctor/baseball team owner.
