Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state in the south-central United States.

Its population is about 3,960,000.

The capital and largest city is Oklahoma City.

History of hockey in Oklahoma

Hockey came to Oklahoma in 1928-29, the Tulsa Oilers joining the American Hockey Association. 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 half way through the season they moved back to Tulsa once again becoming the Tulsa Oilers. At the end of the 1941-42 season the AHA 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. The Oklahoma City Warriors made their debut in the AHA in 1933-34, playing at the Stockyards Coliseum. They moved to Minneapolis on March 12, 1936, and folded at the end of the season.

The AHA was reorganized as the United States Hockey League for the 1945-46 season as a seven team league, once again including the Tulsa Oilers. That league folded after the 1950-51 season. Hockey Hall of Famer Clint Smith played the 47-48 season with the Tulsa Oilers after a stellar 11 year career in the NHL with the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks and won the USHL Most Valuable Player award.

The Tulsa Shuperts joined the Wichita Industrial League for 1951-52. The team was renamed the Coca-Cola Bottlers the following year, and became the Keystone Freight Liners in the Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri League for 1953-54. The Tulsa Coliseum was destroyed by a fire apparently caused by a lightning strike on September 20, 1952, so Tulsa played all their games on the road for their last two seasons.

A later incarnation of the Oklahoma City Warriors played exhibition games in the 1958-59 and 1959-60 seasons, notably against the Amarillo Wranglers. They went 3-5 in 8 games versus Amarillo. On November 27, 1959, the Warriors defeated the Salt Lake City Seagulls 8-6.

Newer Tulsa Oilers franchises have played in the Central Hockey League from 1964-1984, the Central Hockey League from 1992-2014, and the ECHL since 2014. The Oklahoma City Blazers competed in the CHL from 1965-1977, before being replaced by the Stars, who played in it from 1978-1982. A second Blazers franchise played in a new CHL from 1992-1999. The Oklahoma City Barons were members of the American Hockey League from 2010-2015.

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