Tulsa Oilers now have a real affliation with NHL/AHL team

[Hoss]

In the past, during the old CHL days, 'affiliations' were more like working agreements.  Not much meat to them.

Now, with the Oilers being in the ECHL, which is now the last remaining 'AA' hockey league in North America, many teams were affiliated, and the new teams from the CHL were getting them.

Tulsa just announced their official affiliation agreement this morning with the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL and the Jets' AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.

http://www.echl.com/oilers-sign-affiliation-agreement-with-winnipeg-jets-p198926

A short interview about the agreement with Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff

http://video.jets.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=832858&catid=96

The new coach, Jason Christie was instrumental in making this happen.  He has ties in that organization, as he was coaching Ontario who had been a Jet affiliate since 2013-2014.

This might be the most excited about Oiler hockey in Tulsa I've ever been since I started attending games.  Instead of getting a rookie coach or a former Oiler player, which in the past seemed to be a pattern, Oiler GM Taylor Hall went out and hired a proven winner who is just 9 wins from being the all time winning-est coach in the ECHL.

[davideinstein]

Doesn't hurt!

[puckbag]

Two good moves, IMO. I approve. Now, how about a Jets pre-season game in Tulsa?

[Laramie]

Great move for the AA ECHL Tulsa Oilers.


The BOK Center is just as impressive as the MTS Center where the NHL 'Jet' & AHL Moose play.

BOK Center Tulsa:  Construction Cost:  $196 million - Seating capacity (ih) 17,096 opened: 2008 


MTS Center Winnipeg:   Construction cost:  CA$133.5 million  Seating capacity (ih) 15,294 opened:  2004

Good match with for an NHL affiliate.

Population:
Tulsa, urban  - 399,682  metro - 961,561 & Winnipeg, urban - 663,617   metro 730,018

[Hoss]

Opening night for the 2015-2016 season is tomorrow night.

I've been following training camp as best I could.  The Oilers had one preseason game scheduled but that was cancelled.  They instead had a blue/white scrimmage last Saturday at the Oiler Ice Center.

From what I saw, these kids can skate and are pretty good sized.

Another thing I was told (I didn't attend any camps but I was getting some reports) is that unlike our previous coach, the new coach actually coaches AND he teaches.  He's also big on conditioning.  A strenght/conditioning person has been brought in.  I'm told on practice days, the guys must be in the weight room by 6am.

The coaching change was evident during the scrimmage.  Crisp, tape to tape passes.  This coach stresses defense.  There are three assigned players from Manitoba (the AHL team) of which one is a goaltender.  Several players on the team have AHL experience, unlike seasons past.

If the TM website is to be believed, one half of the lower bowl is sold out (the side the Oilers attack twice) and the other half is about half full.

Opening game is against Wichita, then on Sunday, the Oilers will play Allen at 4:05pm.

One change that many Oiler long timers might notice is the time change for Friday/Saturday games.  In the past, Friday and Saturday games began at 7:35pm.  The organization decided to move those up to 7:05pm, making all non-Sunday games starting at 7:05pm.  Sunday games are all 4:05pm.

[sgrizzle]

Like the WNBA and Arena Football, I think Tulsa is  a great market for a major league "tier 2" sport.

NBA is theoretically a great thing to get, but can also be a huge financial drag on the city (See Last Week Tonight episode on Arenas and Stadiums). It doesn't help that we give tax breaks to the NBA jobs under the quality jobs act.

By bringing in the OKC Thunder, the majority of the income the Chesapeake Arena makes now goes to the Thunder, even for non-thunder events. Major League teams demand a cut of all tickets, suite and concession sales in their home venue. Journey plays at Chesapeake Center? Thunder makes more than OKC does, despite the fact OKC paid for the arena (twice) and infrastructure.

[Breadburner]

Like the WNBA and Arena Football, I think Tulsa is  a great market for a major league "tier 2" sport.

NBA is theoretically a great thing to get, but can also be a huge financial drag on the city (See Last Week Tonight episode on Arenas and Stadiums). It doesn't help that we give tax breaks to the NBA jobs under the quality jobs act.

By bringing in the OKC Thunder, the majority of the income the Chesapeake Arena makes now goes to the Thunder, even for non-thunder events. Major League teams demand a cut of all tickets, suite and concession sales in their home venue. Journey plays at Chesapeake Center? Thunder makes more than OKC does, despite the fact OKC paid for the arena (twice) and infrastructure.

Thats bucking dumb......

[TeeDub]

By bringing in the OKC Thunder, the majority of the income the Chesapeake Arena makes now goes to the Thunder, even for non-thunder events. Major League teams demand a cut of all tickets, suite and concession sales in their home venue. Journey plays at Chesapeake Center? Thunder makes more than OKC does, despite the fact OKC paid for the arena (twice) and infrastructure.

Not to question your sources, but do you have any way to prove such a statement?

[dbacksfan 2.0]

https://books.google.com/books?id=KcIF8rb7g9MC&pg=PA192&lpg=PA192&dq=who+pays+nba+player+salaries&source=bl&ots=sKlSwofvjd&sig=OuKeTzYbdfPu-fcLU8BwJyEUjNc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBmoVChMIs9X-_9HLyAIVzziICh27owoV#v=onepage&q=who%20pays%20nba%20player%20salaries&f=false

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Arenas and stadiums are usually built buy a tax or bond issue initiative. Upon completion naming rights are sold or leased to major corporations to fund the day to day operations and to work with NBA/NFL/MLB teams work on contracts to keep those teams at that facility. In 1992 a new arena was built in Phoenix for the Phoenix Suns, and was built on a bond issue with backing that America West Airlines would get the naming rights to the arena for an annual payment. When America West was taken over by US Airways the contract for operations continued and it was renamed US Airways Arena. All of the concerts and other events paid fees to them. The Phoenix Suns though sponsorship and contracts with Fox Sports, NBA, SW Gas, Century Link, and a number off other sponsors pay for the use off the arena for their games. Same thing when the tourism tax was passed to build Cardinals Stadium that after the first year, University Of Phoenix started paying the annual costs of operations or naming rights, and the Arizona Cardinals through sponsorship and funding from NFL Network, Fox, NBC, CBS, and ESPN pay for the contracts with the players and the teams, along with Nike, Gatorade, Sprint, Under Armor, and a whole host of others. The arena where the Phoenix Coyotes play, started out as the Glendale Arena, then jobing.com arena, and is now Gila River arena sponsored by the Gila River Indian Tribe.

But back to the original point, the arena or stadium and concessions pay a very small amount of a players salary.

[sgrizzle]

https://youtu.be/xcwJt4bcnXs?t=3m27s

[Hoss]

https://youtu.be/xcwJt4bcnXs?t=3m27s

The difference between major league teams, where players make *millions* as opposed to minor league teams where players make *thousands* (per year on both accounts) is pretty big.  Franchises get greedy the more money a franchise is worth.

I have enough of an inside knowledge of the Oiler organization (I knowat least three front office staff members for over 10 years) to know that the Oilers got a sweetheart deal for the BOK as compared to their last venue at the Convention Center.  They get a guaranteed cut of both the club seating AND concessions.  At the CC they got zero concession money and what the hell were club seating there?.   Although the rent is 10x more than what they were paying at the CC, the club seating income more than makes up for that.  Anything past that (concession revenue) is gravy.  What was their rent at the CC?  About $1500 per game.  It's about $20,000 per game now, but they also get $30,000 in guaranteed club seat revenue every game that they didn't have at the CC.  Much better deal.  SMG/BOK Center has the right to renegotiate every three years during the lease agreement (which has been in force since 2008 and has a term of 10 years).

[Breadburner]

Someone would be a fool not to put a team back in Okc.....In the ECHL......

[Hoss]

Someone would be a fool not to put a team back in Okc.....In the ECHL......

They're working on it.  Problem is, OKC wants none of it if the Funks (Express Personnel) are involved as they were for the last 3 seasons of the Blazers and the entire incarnation of the Barons.  Die-hards feel like Bob Funk ruined it (hockey) in OKC.

[Breadburner]

They're working on it.  Problem is, OKC wants none of it if the Funks (Express Personnel) are involved as they were for the last 3 seasons of the Blazers and the entire incarnation of the Barons.  Die-hards feel like Bob Funk ruined it (hockey) in OKC.

He was probably the only reason it lasted as long as it did there......