The Edmonton Oilers organization and the broader hockey community are mourning the loss of former forward Bobby Sheehan, who passed away on November 7, 2026, at his home in Weymouth, Massachusetts. He was 77.
Sheehan’s time in an Oilers uniform came during the franchise’s World Hockey Association years, a formative period before the team joined the NHL.
Acquired partway through the 1973-74 season from the New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights franchise, the speedy center appeared in 10 regular-season games and added a goal and three assists in five playoff contests.
He returned for a full campaign in 1974-75, skating in 77 games and posting 19 goals and 39 assists for 58 points while accumulating just eight penalty minutes.
That production ranked him among the Oilers’ leading scorers, tied for third or fourth on a roster that featured young talents such as Mike Rogers and a veteran goaltender in Jacques Plante.
A compact, left-shooting center listed around 5-foot-7 or 5-foot-8 and 155–160 pounds, Sheehan was renowned for his blistering speed and skating ability.
Those traits helped him carve out a professional career that spanned both the NHL and WHA.
Drafted 32nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1969, he contributed to the Habs’ Stanley Cup championship in 1971 before stops with the California Golden Seals, New York Raiders, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Indianapolis Racers, New York Rangers (where he excelled in a 1979 playoff run to the Final), Colorado Rockies, and Los Angeles Kings.
Across 310 NHL games he recorded 48 goals and 111 points; in the WHA he added 75 goals and 185 points in 241 games.
After retiring in the early 1980s, Sheehan returned to his Massachusetts roots and worked as a minor-hockey instructor, sharing the game with the next generation.
He is survived by his five children.
For Oilers fans who remember the blue-and-orange WHA squads of the mid-1970s, Sheehan’s name evokes an era of high-scoring, freewheeling hockey in Edmonton.
His speed and playmaking helped the early Oilers compete in a competitive league, leaving a modest but lasting mark on the franchise’s pre-NHL history.
The organization extends its condolences to his family and friends.
