Tulsa Oilers Statistics and History [1964-1984 CHL]

The Tulsa Oilers were a minor professional hockey team based in Tulsa, OK, playing in the Central Professional / Central Hockey League from 1964 to 1984. The team played in the Tulsa Assembly Center until 1983.

In their final season, 1983-84, the Oilers moved to the Expo Square Pavillion in Tulsa. The organization was experiencing ownership trouble and was taken over by Steven Schluneger, the owner of an oil field equipment company, in an attempt to save the franchise. The team sold public stock to bolster their ownership.

In mid-February the Oilers folded their operations in Tulsa; they had been evicted from the Expo Square Pavillion by the Tulsa County Public Facilities Authority and their ownership group, known as Sports Promotions of Tulsa, had lost substantial money. Sports Promotions was also under investigation by the Oklahoma Securities Commission over allegations of securities fraud and was desperately trying to find a buyer for the club. The team had averaged just under 2,000 fans per game in their first 20 games at the Pavillion and they were reportedly between $400,000 and $600,000 in debt.

The Oilers were taken over by the league and their parent club, the New York Rangers, and moved their base of operations to Denver. The team became a road-only team and became known as the CHL Oilers. Amazingly, the CHL Oilers won the Central Hockey League championship that season, the league's last season.