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.
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.
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."Revamping expected at U.S. league meet," Toronto Star, June 16, 1951, p. 16.
Season-by-season results AHA SeasonGPWLTPtsFinishCoach(es)Postseason1928–29402398541stDick CarrollWon Championship1929–3048181416523rdDick CarrollLost in Finals1930–314830153601stDick CarrollWon Championship1931–324816284325thShorty Greenmissed1932–334521231423rdKay Iverson / Gerry Lowrey / Helge Bostrom / Yip FosterLost in Semifinal1933–344823250463rdRalph Taylor / Vic DesjardinsLost in Semifinal1934–35482321446T–2ndVic DesjardinsLost in Finals1935–36482127042T–3rd?Lost in Semifinal1936–374817247346thHenry Maracle / Fred Gordonmissed1937–384822215444thFred GordonLost in Semifinal1938–395025232503rdFred GordonLost in Final1939–404616300326thFred Gordonmissed1940–414814340286thPete Palangio / Connie King / Andy Bellemermissed1941–425013343293rd in SouthGuy PatrickLost in QuarterfinalTotal663282328532 Championships
USHL SeasonGPWLTPtsFinishCoach(es)Postseason1945–465627254583rdGus MarkerLost in Final1946–4760173112463rd in SouthernGus MarkerLost in Quarterfinal1947–486623349553rd in SouthernClint SmithLost in Quarterfinal1948–4966332310761st in SouthernJack RileyLost in Final1949–5070253312625th?missed1950–516430313634thBud PoileLost in FinalTotal38215517750
References
External links Oklahoma City/Minneapolis Warriors Statistics and History