Tulsa Oilers
| Tulsa Oilers | |
|---|---|
 2016–17 ECHL season
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| City | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| League | ECHL |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 1992 (In the CHL) |
| Home arena | BOK Center |
| Colors | Navy blue, maroon, silver, white |
| Owner(s) | Rodney Steven Brandon Steven Johnny Steven |
| General manager | Taylor Hall |
| Head coach | Jason Christie |
| Affiliates |
Winnipeg Jets (NHL) Manitoba Moose (AHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1992–present | Tulsa Oilers |
| Championships | |
| Ray Miron President's Cup | 1993 |
The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma which plays in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tulsa Oilers name was shared with Tulsa's former minor-league baseball team that pre-dated the Tulsa Drillers. To reduce confusion in local news reporting, the hockey team was often called the "Ice Oilers", a moniker that continues to this day among many Tulsans.
Formerly a member of the Central Hockey League, the Oilers are one of only two teams which played every one of the CHL's 22 seasons (the other being the Wichita Thunder). The Oilers established a winning tradition, making the playoffs in 9 of their first 13 seasons. However, their performance in recent years has been less successful making the playoffs three times since 2005.
Original owner Jeff Lund played an integral part in assembling the 1992–93 team, led by veteran minor league coach and former NHL ironman Garry Unger. The team, anchored by high-scoring forward Sylvain Naud and veteran goalie Tony Martino, finished the regular season in second place, right behind intrastate rival Oklahoma City Blazers. However, in the revived league's first championship series the Oilers handily defeated the Blazers, clinching the title on OKC's home ice. Lund assumed ownership of the franchise in February 1999 after being the team's General Manager.
On June 23, 2013, Lund sold the team to the owners of the Wichita Thunder, the Steven brothers.
Tulsa has previously had several other hockey teams named the "Oilers."
The original Oilers joined the five team American Hockey Association as an expansion team in 1928. Their first home game was January 1, 1929, against the Duluth Hornets as part of the grand opening of the Tulsa Coliseum. The team won the AHA championship that season, and again in the 1930–31 season. For the 1932–33 season, the Oilers moved to St. Paul, Minnesota and became the St. Paul Greyhounds, but halfway through the season they moved back to Tulsa once again becoming the Tulsa Oilers. At the end of the 1941–42 season, the AHA and the Oilers disbanded due to World War II. Hockey Hall of Famers Duke Keats and Bill Cowley played for short periods on the Tulsa Oilers during this period.
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