Edmonton Oil Kings

The Edmonton Oil Kings are a major junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They play in the Western Hockey League, and as of July 2008, are owned by Daryl Katz's Rexall Sports, who also own the Edmonton Oilers. The 2007–08 season was the newest incarnation of the Oil Kings' inaugural season in the Western Hockey League.
== Franchise history ==
The newest incarnation of the Oil Kings are the fourth WHL team to play in Edmonton, preceded by the first Edmonton Oil Kings (1950–76), the second Oil Kings (1978–79) and the Edmonton Ice (1996–98). The original Oil Kings franchise predated the WHL, winning two Memorial Cups prior to jumping to the new Western Canada Junior Hockey League in 1966. The Oil Kings were also initially successful in the WCHL, capturing two President's Cup titles. However, with the arrival of the World Hockey Association and the Oilers in 1972, the junior club's attendance began to plummet. Approximately 150,000 fans went to Oil Kings games in 1971–72. That number dropped to 90,000 the next year, and 68,000 the following year. The original Oil Kings moved to Portland, Oregon in 1976, becoming the Portland Winter Hawks.
An attempt at reviving the Oil Kings in 1978 lasted only one season, as the juniors were once again unable to compete with the pros. Bill Hunter purchased the Flin Flon Bombers and brought them to Alberta's capital. However, the team only averaged about 500 fans per game, and rumours that the team would again relocate began to swirl before the first season was even complete. The second Oil Kings relocated again to become the Great Falls Americans, where the team would only last 28 more games before folding.
Despite the long held belief that major-junior hockey could not survive against the pros, the WHL returned to Calgary in 1995, and Edmonton in 1996. At the time, the Oilers were struggling on the ice, as well as attendance. The Oilers refused to work with the Edmonton Ice, blocking them from playing in Northlands Coliseum, thus relegating them to the substandard Northlands Agricom. The Ice relocated to Cranbrook, British Columbia, becoming the Kootenay Ice, after two underwhelming seasons.
=== Return of the Kings ===
With the Flames owned Hitmen leading the WHL in attendance the past four seasons, and the Vancouver Giants also proving to be a major success at the gate, the Oilers ownership group had spent the last three years attempting to purchase a WHL team, even going so far as to put out an open offer of $5 million - well over market value - for any WHL franchise in 2004. With no takers, and with the 2004–05 NHL lockout looming, the Oilers chose to relocate their AHL team to Rexall Place as the Edmonton Roadrunners. Despite finishing third in the AHL in attendance, the Oilers suspended the Roadrunners after only one season rather than have their minor league team competing against themselves. The Oilers then resumed their quest for a WHL team.
When the sale of the Tri-City Americans to Chilliwack, British Columbia failed, the WHL placed an expansion team in Chilliwack, and the door for Edmonton was finally reopened. While the league had previously refused to consider further expansion, believing 20 teams was enough, the addition of the Chilliwack Bruins left the league with an odd number of franchises. Preferring an even number of teams, the league announced its return to Edmonton on March 16, 2006 with the granting of a conditional expansion franchise, named the Edmonton Oil Kings in homage to the former franchise.
The team began play in the 2007–08 WHL season and finished with a record of 22–39–11, good for 55 points, but not enough to make the playoffs.
== Season-by-season record ==
Season 	GP	W 	L 	OL	SL	GF 	GA 	Pts	Finish 	Playoffs
2007–08	72	22	39	4 	7 	162	241	55 	5th Central	Out of playoffs
2008–09	72	29	34	4 	5 	191	252	67 	5th Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2009–10	72	16	43	4 	9 	169	285	45 	6th Central	Out of playoffs
2010–11	72	31	34	2 	5 	249	252	69 	4th Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2011–12	72	50	15	3 	4 	310	193	107	1st Central	Won Championship
2012–13	72	51	15	2 	4 	278	155	108	1st Central	Lost final
2013–14	72	50	19	2 	1 	290	179	103	1st Central	Won ChampionshipWon Memorial Cup
2014–15	72	34	31	4 	3 	217	204	75 	5th Central	Lost Eastern conference quarter-final
2015–16	72	29	36	6 	1 	197	238	65 	4th Central	Lost Eastern Conference quarter-final
2016–17	72	23	43	5 	1 	193	292	52 	5th Central	Out of playoffs
2017–18	72	22	42	6 	2 	204	315	52 	6th Central	Out of playoffs
2018–19	68	48	18	4 	4 	259	196	92 	1st Central	Lost Semifinals
2019–20	64	42	12	6 	4 	239	167	94 	1st Central	Playoffs cancelled
2020-21	23	20	2 	0 	1 	104	41 	41 	1st Central	Playoffs cancelled
2021–22	68	50	14	3 	1 	295	182	104	1st Central	Won Championship (Thunderbirds)
2022–23	68	10	54	4 	0 	131	338	24 	6th Central	Out of playoffs
2023–24	68	27	37	3 	1 	227	301	58 	6th Central	Out of playoffs
== Notes ==
== External links ==
;Official
* Official website of the Edmonton Oil Kings
* Official website of the Western Hockey League
* Official website of the Canadian Hockey League
;Non-official
* Article about team's return (TSN)
Category:Canadian ice hockey teams
Category:Western Hockey League (junior) team
Category:Established in 2007