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The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League. They played their home games at the Maxwell Center (also known as 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. The Oilers are one of only four teams that have played each season in the CHL since its rebirth in 1992 (the other three being the Memphis RiverKings, the Wichita Thunder, and the Oklahoma City Blazers; however, the Blazers announced in July 2009 that they were ceasing operations.) The Oilers established a winning tradition, making the playoffs in nine of their first 13 seasons. However, their performance in recent years has been less successful: they have not made the playoffs since 2005 nor won a playoff series since 1994. Owner Jeff Lund played an integral part of assembling the 1992-93 team, a scrappy bunch 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. 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. Under Lund's direction, over two million fans have attended an Oilers game at the Tulsa Convention Center. Lund currently sits on the CHL Executive Committee. He has also been active in the af2 arena football league; a member of the af2's Executive Committee, he owned the Tulsa Talons from 2001 to 2004, and then was owner of the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz. |