NHL in Oklahoma

[Jake]

Forgive me if there is already a post about this. While I've been a frequent browser of this site for a while, I've never created a post myself.

Anyway! I'm from Tulsa and I have numerous friends that live in Oklahoma City. I'm a fan of both cities, and not into the whole, "OKC vs. Tulsa" rivalry. I really enjoy visiting my friends in OKC and going to Bricktown and seeing all the exciting changes that the city is experiencing. Along with going to as many OKC Thunder games that I can. I'm also a huge hockey fan. My father is originally from Wisconsin, so his love of the sport rubbed off on me.

One of my friends who played hockey in Tulsa with me when we were little lives in OKC now. We both always discuss about how awesome it would be if Oklahoma were to obtain an NHL team in the future. However, our ideas differ on what city the team would relocate to and the time in which it would occur.

My friend thinks that Oklahoma City could get a team in 5-10 years. While I personally think that Tulsa would be a better place for the team in about 15-20 years or so. I think that OKC could get an NHL teameventually, but I just don't think 5-10 years is a realistic timespan. OKC's population would need to reach close to 2 million in the metro area before they could support an NHL team along with an NBA team. If basketball and hockey season weren't at the same time, it could possibly work. But I believe that the competiton for attendance between the two teams would be too much for it to survive.

However, I'm only 19 years old and not really all that knowledgeable about things such as this. I would appreciate it if someone would give me their thoughts on this matter. CAN Oklahoma land an NHL team in 15-20 years? (if they're willing to expand or relocate a team of course) And what city would be the best fit?

[White Peacock]

Welcome aboard. The below-linked thread is a similar conversation.

No disrespect to Tulsa, but in visiting the city now, I can't see how it could ever support any league above the AA level. The Oilers are about as good as I project them ever having. It's a bit of a dying city from my observation, truth be told, when I compare how it appeared a decade ago to how it appeared the last time I visited. You are a bit more realistic in your 15-20 year estimation, but that's only if Tulsa can catch enough national attention as a relocation destination, because the population now is a bit on the small side to be appealing for a major league franchise.

OKC? I think your 5-10 year estimate might be right on, because I see OKC growing pretty steadily. It's an attractive place to coasters looking for a cheaper place to buy property (AKA: inflate property prices and piss off the locals) and I think the growth trend will continue for quite some time. Getting an NHL team would kill our AHL franchise (which appears to be struggling already), just like NHL would kill the Tulsa Oilers, who have a very long history, in a few incarnations, with the city.

That said, if either city did get an NHL team, I'd be all over it. Until then, Go Stars!




http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=27000

[MDot]

I would like to see Tulsa have an NHL team instead of Oklahoma City since we already have a professional franchise, but for the time being Tulsa's population is to little IMO but hopefully in the not-so-distant future, you guys will have a franchise of some sort.

[Jake]

I know that Tulsa's population is too small now to house an NHL franchise, but I was hoping in close to 20 years or so that the population would grow enough for consideration for a franchise.

White Peacock, I agree to an extent what you're saying about Tulsa, but I won't go as far as saying that Tulsa is a dying city.

Before the BOK Center was built, Tulsa's downtown was abysmal, I'll agree with you on that. And compared to OKC's growing downtown, Tulsa's downtown is still not very great. However, I think that the powers at be in the city are trying to revitalize the downtown area. I think I read somewhere that since the year 2000, Tulsa's population actually dropped by about 1,000 people. People moved out of the immediate city and downtown area for the suburbs. Tulsa's metro area is still growing, especially cities like Broken Arrow and Owasso.

I think that Tulsa noticed this drop and what OKC was doing to grow, and decided that they needed to try and build up the downtown area.

Now, Tulsa will never be as big as Oklahoma City. There isn't the demand for downtown as it is in OKC, but Tulsa is in the process of trying to bring people back to the downtown area. New apartments are almost finished, I believe that an Aloft hotel is being built, the BOK Center is still bringing people downtown, ONEOK Field brings people downtown, and restaurants and retail are popping up all across the city.
Oh, and mixed-use One Place is being built across the BOK Center. That'll add office, retail, restaurants, and apartments in a few years. The growth is slow, but it's there!

Is this enough for Tulsa to get an NHL team? Nope! Definitely not. But hopefully it will start a trend of developing downtown that will eventually be attractive to a professional franchise in 20 years or so.

Of course, as you said, Tulsa will still need to garner national somehow. I don't know how they'll do this. OKC proved that they could support an NBA team when the Hornets came to town via Hurricane Katrina, which helped them land the Thunder. They also have the luxury of saying that they support the pro team that they already have, whereas Tulsa cannot.

Hopefully Tulsa's population will grow enough to one day land a pro franchise. I would absolutely love an NHL team, but any pro team is better than none and I would support them nonetheless. (I DO NOT consider the Tulsa Shock as a pro team!) Perhaps an MLS team or something.

Until then, we can only dream.....

Just for fun, what should the team's mascot be if there was an NHL team in Oklahoma?

[Snowman]

I think that Tulsa noticed this drop and what OKC was doing to grow, and decided that they needed to try and build up the downtown area.

Tulsa around the time was having issues with city government working together, which makes geting anything done much harder, it sounds like things are going somewhat better and are still working on improvements but still having some division.

[Laramie]

Tulsa has as much potential as OKC. OKC has been a can-do city of late. Tulsa needs to get the ball rolling for NHL or MLS.

There are some interesting discussions on the Tulsa Now Forum about the NHL or MLS.

[Bill Robertson]

Tulsa has as much potential as OKC. OKC has been a can-do city of late. Tulsa needs to get the ball rolling for NHL or MLS.

There are some interesting discussions on the Tulsa Now Forum about the NHL or MLS.

Potential yes. Things in place, no. In OKC you can go to numerous places to eat and have a cold one before an game or other event in the Chesapeake Arena/Cox Center. Then go to the same or other numerous places for a couple of cold ones afterward. In the area around BOK, nada. The wife and I aren't the only one's who find this important based on the number of people we follow before and after events here in OKC and the comments we hear in Tulsa about lack of anywhere to go afterward when we go to events there. Tulsa needs to realize that major league anything is about making a day or evening out of it, not just "Do we have a place where the game can be played".

[dankrutka]

Tulsa is waaayyyy more ready to support an NHL team than OKC. I don't even think there is a debate. A city can probably support a professional team with about a million people. To support 2 you need two million people and so on... With 1.3 million in the OKC metro they are not close to having the population/spending power to support a 2nd team. The Tulsa metro with a population could probably (not for sure though) support an NHL team with a population close to 1 million. Besides, being the only professional team in town counts for a lot. The excitement of just having a legit professional franchise can get people very excited (see the Thunder).

So, Tulsa could support a NHL or MLS team. OKC is maxed out at 1 professional team. Neither city could support a MLB or NFL team. That's how I see it...

[dankrutka]

Potential yes. Things in place, no. In OKC you can go to numerous places to eat and have a cold one before an game or other event in the Chesapeake Arena/Cox Center. Then go to the same or other numerous places for a couple of cold ones afterward. In the area around BOK, nada. The wife and I aren't the only one's who find this important based on the number of people we follow before and after events here in OKC and the comments we hear in Tulsa about lack of anywhere to go afterward when we go to events there. Tulsa needs to realize that major league anything is about making a day or evening out of it, not just "Do we have a place where the game can be played".

You are completely wrong. There are plenty of places just down the street from the BOK Center. They are just a couple blocks more of a walk than are the places in Bricktown. Some of the places in the close vicinity include - McNellie's, The Max, Joe Momma's Pizza, Blues BBQ place (forgot the name), the Japanese place Yokishima (?), Fassler Hall... There are places throughout downtown including the Blue Dome District and the Brady District. I actually would prefer aTulsa's options over OKCs overall. If Tulsa got a professional team you would see even more places moving in... Tulsa is as ready at OKC was when they got a team...

[Bill Robertson]

You are completely wrong. There are plenty of places just down the street from the BOK Center. They are just a couple blocks more of a walk than are the places in Bricktown. Some of the places in the close vicinity include - McNellie's, The Max, Joe Momma's Pizza, Blues BBQ place (forgot the name), the Japanese place Yokishima (?), Fassler Hall... There are places throughout downtown including the Blue Dome District and the Brady District. I actually would prefer aTulsa's options over OKCs overall. If Tulsa got a professional team you would see even more places moving in... Tulsa is as ready at OKC was when they got a team...

A farther walk and not near the size. I go to Tulsa often and have been in most, and at least by all of those places. The area does not even begin to compare to Bricktown. And Bricktown was in place long before OKC had the Thunder. The proximity of Bricktown was a major selling point in getting the NBA.

[Richard at Remax]

Neither city is close to getting a NHL team, but I would pick OKC to get a team first. Closer to more entertainment options, more corporate support and options especially with continental and boeing coming to town, OKC has already been upgraded to AAA and is a farm team to the Oilers so already getting NHL attention. Tulsa would be better fit for MLS in my opinion with a stadium next to the river in jenks or off riverside.

[Laramie]

Tulsa is waaayyyy more ready to support an NHL team than OKC. I don't even think there is a debate. A city can probably support a professional team with about a million people. To support 2 you need two million people and so on... With 1.3 million in the OKC metro they are not close to having the population/spending power to support a 2nd team. The Tulsa metro with a population could probably (not for sure though) support an NHL team with a population close to 1 million. Besides, being the only professional team in town counts for a lot. The excitement of just having a legit professional franchise can get people very excited (see the Thunder).

So, Tulsa could support a NHL or MLS team. OKC is maxed out at 1 professional team. Neither city could support a MLB or NFL team. That's how I see it...

Definitely agree that Tulsa is in much better shape to support an NHL franchise than Oklahoma City trying to support both the NBA and NHL. Tulsa is right at 1 million metro population and they definitely would need Wichita & Oklahoma City's markets to pull off marketing the NHL in this region.

If the NHL and NBA both were in OKC, you would have a scheduling matrix concern in addition to the fact that 1.3 million people would not be enough to cover 2 major league franchises--the seasons for the NHL and NBA both interlock. I believe that the closer we get to 2020 we just may have to numbers to support the NBA and NFL; New Orleans is managing to support both as the NBA has one foot on a banana peel and one foot in the grave.

Potential yes. Things in place, no. In OKC you can go to numerous places to eat and have a cold one before an game or other event in the Chesapeake Arena/Cox Center. Then go to the same or other numerous places for a couple of cold ones afterward. In the area around BOK, nada. The wife and I aren't the only one's who find this important based on the number of people we follow before and after events here in OKC and the comments we hear in Tulsa about lack of anywhere to go afterward when we go to events there. Tulsa needs to realize that major league anything is about making a day or evening out of it, not just "Do we have a place where the game can be played".

Tulsa has some really first class eating establishments around the BOK Center. Tulsa would really rally around an NHL franchise in their city. The NHL just may be open to the idea of bringing in more "breakthough markets" like Raleigh (NHL only game in town).

The NBA has a number of breakthrough markets (Portland, San Antonio, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Memphis and Oklahoma City) which the NBA has virtually no competition.