1984 CHL Oilers knew all about playing with no fans

Team lost home in Tulsa, went on to win league title playing out of a hotel in Denver

The only professional championship George Mcphee won as a player came in a broken down arena, from a team without a full name, a team without a home. That was 36 years ago.

It was the only championship Robbie Ftorek won in his 14-year playing career — one he’ll never forget.

It came in the year Wayne Gretzky won his first Stanley

Cup with the soon-to-be dynastic Edmonton Oilers.

“It was different,” said Dave Barr, who played and coached in the NHL. “We were on shaky ground all year with our ownership in Tulsa, then we show up at the rink one day and the rink was boarded up. And the owner was gone.”

And that was it for the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League.

Why does this story matter now? Because the Toronto Blue Jays are playing a season outside of their own country, away from their home. Because all NBA teams and almost all NHL teams begin play shortly, all tied up in a bubble full of rules, playing games in empty arenas that aren’t their homes. Because if anyone understands what it is to be a horse with no name, it’s these hockey vagabonds who were part of the crazy season of the CHL Oilers.

“We used to practise sometimes in a mall in downtown Tulsa,” said Barr. “It was about half the size of a regular ice surface. We were allowed to skate, but weren’t allowed to use sticks or pucks. We’d take our gloves off, skate around and throw a Nerf ball at each other. It was kind of crazy, but it kept us together.”

They were together. The Tulsa Oilers did not cease operations in the winter of 1984. They continued on and, for a lack of anything more original, became known as the CHL Oilers.

They moved from Tulsa to Denver, about a 10-hour drive away, and spent the rest of the season living at the Marriott Residence Inn.

“What do I remember from that season?” says Mcphee, now president of the Vegas Golden Knights. “My salary was $27,500. You remember things like that. And I remember the great job (coach) Tommy Webster did in keeping everybody together.”

The No. 1 goalie on the New York Rangers affiliate was John Vanbiesbrouck, who went on to a substantial NHL career. So did Barr and Grant Ledyard and Chris Kontos. Ftorek was a pro’s pro, and at least 10 of the Oilers played regularly in the NHL, either before 1984 or after.

“We played in a lot of empty arenas,” Mcphee said. “Outside our group, nobody cared if we won or lost. I think that pulled us closer together, too.”

The CHL Oilers played their entire playoffs on the road, the final series in Indianapolis against the Checkers, who had lost their home arena to repair. Instead, they played at the County Fairgrounds.

“Everybody talks about playing without fans. And how fans help you in your own building. But really, players aren’t playing for fans. You’re playing for your team, you’re playing for each other,” Ftorek said. “I’ve never seen a fan score a goal or defend a goal. I’ve never seen a fan block a shot ... That’s what it’s always about — the team.”

Estimates are there were maybe 500 people in the stands at the Fairgrounds when the Oilers swept the CHL final.

Webster died in April at the age of 71. The CHL Oilers will never forget him.