Tulsa Oilers (1928–1951)

Last updated
Tulsa Oilers
City Tulsa, Oklahoma
League American Hockey Association
United States Hockey League
Operated1928–1942 (AHA)
1945–1951 (USHL)
Home arena Tulsa Coliseum
Colorsblack, orange
  
Franchise history
1928–1932Tulsa Oilers
1932–1933St. Paul Greyhounds
1933Tulsa Oilers
1933–1934Tulsa Indians
1934–1942Tulsa Oilers
1945–1951Tulsa Oilers
Championships
Playoff championships1929, 1931

The Tulsa Oilers were a professional ice hockey team. Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, they operated within the American Hockey Association for almost 15 years and were later members of the United States Hockey League for the circuit's entire existence.

Contents

History

Walter Whiteside brought professional ice hockey to Tulsa in 1928 when he founded the Oilers. The new franchise was led by Dick Carroll and sported former and future NHLers like Duke Keats, Tom Cook and Ted Graham. Tulsa won the league championship twice in its first three seasons and firmly established itself as the premier team in the league. Carroll departed after the third year and the team sank to the bottom of the standings. [1]

Prior to the team's fifth season, the franchise was moved north to Saint Paul, Minnesota, hoping to save money on travel by being nearer to the other AHA cubs. While the operating costs were reduced, the team was in direct competition with the St. Paul Saints, who had long been established in the city. After the first half of the season, the team moved back to Tulsa and finished out the year as the Oilers once more. The team was then renamed as the 'Tulsa Indians' for the 1933–34 season but, once again, they reverted to being the Tulsa Oilers before the year was complete.

The fans saw fit not to punish the Oilers for leaving during the height of the Great Depression and continued to support the team. The Oilers saw less success in the late 20s than they had at the start of the decade but the team was still able to make two more appearance in the league finals. In 1942 the American Hockey Association suspended operations due to World War II and the Oilers were mothballed for the duration. After the war, the United States Hockey League was created to replace the AHA and Tulsa returned as one of the founding members. The Oilers were one of the top postseason teams in the league, making the finals three times in six years. Unfortunately, the by the early 50s the league was fracturing and despite the possibility of continuing, the USHL was disbanded after the summer meeting in 1951. [2]

Season by season results

AHA

SeasonGPWLTPtsFinishCoach(es)Postseason
1928–29402398541st Dick Carroll Won Championship
1929–3048181416523rdDick CarrollLost in Finals
1930–314830153601stDick CarrollWon Championship
1931–324816284325th Shorty Green missed
1932–334521231423rd Kay Iverson / Gerry Lowrey / Helge Bostrom / Yip Foster Lost in Semifinal
1933–344823250463rd Ralph Taylor / Vic Desjardins Lost in Semifinal
1934–35482321446T–2ndVic DesjardinsLost in Finals
1935–36482127042T–3rd?Lost in Semifinal
1936–374817247346th Henry Maracle / Fred Gordon missed
1937–384822215444thFred GordonLost in Semifinal
1938–395025232503rdFred GordonLost in Final
1939–404616300326thFred Gordonmissed
1940–414814340286th Pete Palangio / Connie King / Andy Bellemer missed
1941–425013343293rd in SouthGuy PatrickLost in Quarterfinal
Total66328232853.4652 Championships

USHL

SeasonGPWLTPtsFinishCoach(es)Postseason
1945–465627254583rd Gus Marker Lost in Final
1946–4760173112463rd in SouthernGus MarkerLost in Quarterfinal
1947–486623349553rd in Southern Clint Smith Lost in Quarterfinal
1948–4966332310761st in Southern Jack Riley Lost in Final
1949–5070253312625th?missed
1950–516430313634th Bud Poile Lost in Final
Total38215517750.471

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Hockey League</span> Ice hockey league in the United States and Canada

The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). As of the 2024–25 AHL season, All 32 NHL teams held affiliations with an AHL team. Historically, when an NHL team does not have an AHL affiliate, its players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL franchises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Hockey League</span> North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league

The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which operated the league from 2000 to 2013, at which point it was purchased by the individual franchise owners. As of the end of its final season in 2014, three of the 30 National Hockey League teams had affiliations with the CHL: the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulsa Oilers</span> American ice hockey team

The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Keats</span> Ice hockey player

Gordon Blanchard "Duke, Iron Duke" Keats was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association (NHA), Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) and the Boston Bruins, Detroit Cougars and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1915 and 1929. He was most famous for his time in the WCHL where he was named a First-Team All-Star by the league in each of its five seasons of existence. He won the league championship and appeared in the 1923 Stanley Cup Finals with the Eskimos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulsa Coliseum</span> Ice hockey arean in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.

The Tulsa Coliseum was an indoor arena built in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the corner of Fifth Street and Elgin Avenue. It hosted the Tulsa Oilers ice hockey team from 1929 to 1951. Many other sporting events were held at the facility including rodeos, track meets, professional wrestling, and boxing matches. The building was destroyed by fire in 1952.

The Central Professional Hockey League was a minor professional ice hockey league that operated in the United States from 1963 to 1984. Named the Central Hockey League for the 1968–69 season and forward, it was owned and operated by the National Hockey League and served as a successor to the Eastern Professional Hockey League, which had folded after the 1962–63 season. Four of the CHL's initial franchises were, in fact, relocations of the previous year's EPHL teams, while the fifth came from the International Hockey League. Its founding president was Jack Adams, who served in the role until his death in 1968. The CHL's championship trophy was called the Adams Cup in his honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western States Hockey League</span> Amateur ice hockey league

The Western States Hockey League (WSHL) was a junior ice hockey league established in 1993. It was sanctioned by the United Hockey Union, the junior hockey branch of the Amateur Athletic Union. Previously, it was sanctioned by USA Hockey from 1994 to 2011. Teams played approximately 50 games in the regular season schedule, mimicking what players would experience at the collegiate level. As of January 2022, there are no active teams in the league following the creation of the Can-Am Junior Hockey League by former WSHL teams.

The American Hockey Association (AHA) was a semi-professional ice hockey league that operated for the 1992–93 season. The league operated independently, and was not affiliated with any higher league. The league operated with central ownership of teams, presided over by Charlie Hodgins. The league scheduled exhibition games with the Russian Red Army team, and also played against them in the all-star game. The league suspended operations on January 29, 1993, resulting in no champion being declared.

The history of ice hockey in Calgary extends back well over a century to the first recorded ice hockey game in Alberta in 1893. Imported from eastern Canada, the game's popularity rapidly grew in the city, with teams at every level playing for and capturing Canada's national championships. Calgary is known today as one of Canada's best ice hockey cities with the Calgary Flames and Calgary Hitmen receiving immense support from the city. The Calgary Oval X-Treme is one of the most dominant women's ice hockey teams in the country, while Junior A ice hockey is also well supported with two teams in the city. Calgary is home to the Mac's AAA midget hockey tournament, one of the most prestigious midget hockey tournaments in the world which has seen dozens of future National Hockey League players play in this city before their professional careers began.

The Topeka Scarecrows were a professional ice hockey team located in Topeka, Kansas, playing their home games at Landon Arena. The team was a member of the Central Hockey League from their founding in 1998 until 2001 when there franchise was terminated by the league midseason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubuque Fighting Saints (1980–2001)</span> American former ice hockey team

The Dubuque Fighting Saints were a Tier I junior ice hockey team that played in the United States Hockey League (USHL) from 1980 to 2001. The team moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to become the Tulsa Crude in 2001 citing low attendance and rising costs. A new team would use the same name when Dubuque was granted an expansion franchise in the USHL in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Carroll</span> Canadian ice hockey coach (1885–1952)

Richard Leo Carroll was a Canadian ice hockey coach. He led the Toronto team in the National Hockey League to the Stanley Cup championship in 1918 and the Toronto Canoe Club junior hockey team to the Memorial Cup win in 1920.

The American Hockey Association (AHA) was a minor professional hockey league that operated between 1926 and 1942. It had previously operated as the Central Hockey League, and before that as part of the United States Amateur Hockey Association. The AHA was the first professional hockey league to field teams in the Southern United States. The founding president was Alvin Warren, who also owned the St. Paul Saints.

High school hockey in Missouri consists of two leagues centered around the two largest cities in the state, St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri. The majority of the schools are located in the St. Louis metro area, which teams are members of the Mid-States Club Hockey Association (MSCHA), the larger of the two leagues in Missouri. Schools in the northwest, southwest, central, and western portions of Missouri are members of the Mid America High School Hockey League (MAHSHL). High school ice hockey in Missouri is not sanctioned by the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) but instead by USA Hockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubuque Fighting Saints</span> Ice hockey team in Dubuque, Iowa

The Dubuque Fighting Saints are a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and are based in the city of Dubuque, Iowa, on the banks of the Mississippi River at the intersection of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Home games are played at the ImOn Arena.

The Buffalo Majors were a professional ice hockey team in the city of Buffalo, New York. The team played two seasons in the American Hockey Association.

The Kansas City Pla-Mors were a professional ice hockey team. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, they operated within the American Hockey Association (AHA) under various names from 1927 to 1942 and then under the United States Hockey League from 1945 to 1949 as the Kansas City Pla-Mors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulsa Oilers (1964–1984)</span> Ice hockey team in Tulsa, Oklahoma

The Tulsa Oilers were a professional ice hockey team. The Oilers played 20 seasons in the Central Hockey League (CHL), originally called the Central Professional Hockey League (CPHL) until 1968, from 1964 to 1984, capturing the Adams Cup three times. Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the team played their home games at the Tulsa Assembly Center until the 1983–84 season when they moved to Expo Square Pavilion. The team was also locally referred to as the "Ice Oilers" to differentiate from the Tulsa Oilers minor league baseball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice hockey in Oklahoma</span>

Oklahoma has a mixed relationship with ice hockey in the United States. Several professional teams have called the Sooner state home with some having extended stays, however, ice hockey has yet to catch on at the grassroots level.

References

  1. "The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture". Oklahoma History Center. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  2. "Revamping expected at U.S. league meet," Toronto Star, June 16, 1951, p. 16.