BOSTON (CP) — Wayne Gretzky's shadow hung over the Edmonton Oilers for two years.

Only a Stanley Cup could make it go away and that's just what Mark Messier, Kevin Lowe, Glenn Anderson and Gretzky's other ex-teammates accomplished with heart and flair Thursday night.

“This is for you Gretz,” Messier said in the champagne-soaked Bosto'n Garden locker room after the Oilers crushed the Bruins 4-1 to take the best-of-seven Stanley Cup final in five games.

“We played on Gretzky's coattails for years,” said Lowe. “In all that time we were learning and building a winning attitude, he took a lot of the pressure for us.”

The Oilers won the fifth Stanley Cup in their 11-year history — their fifth in seven years, but it was the first without Gretzky, who was traded on Aug. 9, 1988 for Martin Gelinas, Jimmy Carson, three first round draft picks and $15 million.

Edmonton was outraged by the trade of what many consider the NHL's greatest player ever. The Oilers were first shocked, then resentful when the hockey world began predicting the end of Edmonton's dynasty that had produced Stanley Cups in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988.

Proved worth

Jari Kurri, Gretzky's sharpshooting linemate, played the next season with the goal of proving he could score without No. 99 — and had his best season ever.

But when Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings knocked off Edmonton in the first round of playoffs, the howls of doom started to really hurt.

This season, Edmonton showed there was more to the Oilers than one brilliant centre. And much of the credit has gone to president and general manager Glen Sather.

Gelinas emerged as one of the league's most promising young forwards. Carson was dealt in November to Detroit for Adam Graves, Joe Murphy, Peter Klima and Jeff Sharples. Sharples was sent to New Jersey for veteran defenceman Reijo Ruotsalainen.

Gelinas, Murphy and Graves became the phenomenal Kid Line for Edmonton in the playoffs, reveling the offence-first approach that Gretzky helped build.

Ruotsalainen became the point man the Edmonton power play needed. Klima, a complex bundle of speed and attitude, scored the single most crucial goal of the final — at 15:13 of the third overtime period of Game 1 in Boston.

Fate sealed

Another Sather deal sealed the Bruins' fate. He sent goaltender Andy Moog to Boston in 1988 for Bill Ranford, who replaced the superb but injured Grant Fuhr for this year's playoffs and carried off the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player.

Ranford allowed the Bruins only eight goals in five games.

To boot, the Oilers got the pleasure of eliminating Gretzky's Kings in four straight games in the second round, although Gretzky was injured and hardly played.

Messier, the new captain, finished tied for the playoff scoring lead with Craig Simpson, each with 31 points.

“It was everybody — it was the team,” said Lowe. “Our team discipline has been the difference all the way.”

The Bruins were left in shock. They went into the final sure they could win, only to be overwhelmed by a faster, more experienced and motivated team.