The Oklahoma City Barons were a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL). The team's first season was 2010–11. They played their home games at the

Cox Convention Center Prairie Surf Studios (originally Myriad Convention Center and later Cox Convention Center) is a film production complex located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was formerly a convention center and the home of several minor league teams. ...

, in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

History

On February 9, 2010, the American Hockey League Board of Governors approved of the relocation of the Oilers' inactive AHL franchise to Oklahoma City, after a five-year dormancy. The franchise had gone through six incarnations, the first of which was the

Nova Scotia Oilers The Nova Scotia Oilers were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1984 to 1988. The Oilers played their home games at the Halifax Metro Centre, and were the AHL affiliate of the Edmo ...

and most recently the

Edmonton Road Runners The Edmonton Road Runners were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada at Rexall Place. History After the 2003–04 season the Edmonton Oilers announced that the Toronto Roadrunners would play th ...

, who ceased play in 2005. The Barons were named through a fan contest. Before the Barons, the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City had also been the home to former

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

franchises, the

Oklahoma City Stars The Oklahoma City Stars are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma City University, located in Oklahoma City, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAI ...

and the Oklahoma City Blazers. Bob Funk Jr., who headed the former Blazers' ownership group, is also at the helm of Prodigal Hockey LLC, the Barons' ownership group. Todd Nelson served as the Barons' first head coach with

Gerry Fleming Gerald Alexander Fleming (born October 16, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played 11 games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens. Fleming also played ice hockey for the University of Prince Edward ...

joining him as his assistant. Bill Scott, a former Director of Hockey Operations for the AHL, served as the Barons' first general manager. In December 2014, Nelson was promoted to the Oilers' coaching staff as head coach and Fleming being promoted to the Barons' head coach position. After the team's inaugural season in 2010–11, the Barons finished in the bottom five in the league for average attendance, including worst in the league in 2012–13. On December 18, 2014, the Oilers and Barons announced that the Barons would cease operations after the current season citing continued financial losses stemming from poor attendance. On January 29, 2015, the AHL announced that the Edmonton Oilers' AHL franchise would be located in

Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

, replacing the Barons beginning with the 2015–16 season. The Oilers' owned-and-operated

Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Bakersfield, California. The team is owned by and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home ...

are part of a new Pacific Division that introduced the league to the state of California.

Team information

Logos and uniforms

The Oklahoma City Barons colors were midnight blue, copper and white (with red used for outlining) later on changed to blue, orange and white. This color palette was also used by the Edmonton Oilers between 1996 and 2011. The Barons' logo prominently features an

oil derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower, and ...

, symbolizing a rich tradition in the production of oil in the state of Oklahoma, and further showcasing the similarities between the cities of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

and Oklahoma City. Like the other 29 teams in the American Hockey League, the Oklahoma City Barons played in the Reebok EDGE style uniforms. The Barons' home uniform was a white jersey with a midnight blue collar and trim the white jersey, while their away uniform is a midnight blue jersey with a copper collar and trim, with the Barons logo placed on the front. These jerseys have been styled from the Edmonton Oilers' now-former away and alternate jerseys, respectively. The Barons' shoulder logos also include the Edmonton Oilers logo and the "OKC" secondary logo.

Mascot

The Oklahoma City Barons' official team

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

was a

mountain lion The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. I ...

, named Derrick. Derrick was officially introduced on July 27, 2010, after a lengthy "Name the Mascot" fan contest, which was held on the Barons' website. Derrick's role within the Barons' organization was to interact with fans; having his photo taken, meeting and greeting, and signing autographs during their home games. He also makes public appearances in and around Oklahoma City. On February 19, 2012, the Barons introduced another mountain lion, named Bit, as a secondary mascot.

Season-by-season results

Records as of May 20, 2015.

Players

Team captains

Ben Ondrus Benjamin Matthew Ondrus (born June 25, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Ondrus was never drafted by a National Hockey League (NHL) team, however he signed as a free agent and worked his way up through the Toronto Maple ...

, 2010–11 * Bryan Helmer, 2011–12 * Josh Green, 2012–13 * Anton Lander, 2013–15 * Ryan Hamilton, 2015

Notable alumni

List of Oklahoma City Barons alumni who played more than 100 games in Oklahoma City and 100 or more games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

Individual award winners

Willie Marshall Award The Willie Marshall Award is given to the American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hocke ...

(Leading Goal Scorer) * Colin McDonald, 2010–11

Eddie Shore Award The Eddie Shore Award is presented annually to the AHL's best defenceman. The award winner is chosen by AHL media and players. The award is named after Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Eddie Shore. Winners NHL-level Eddie Shore Award One of the Bos ...

(Best Defenseman) *

Justin Schultz Justin Schultz (born July 6, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schultz was born in Kelowna, British Columbia, and grew up in the nearby City of West Kelowna. He ha ...

, 2012–13 Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award (Best Goaltender) *

Yann Danis Yann Joseph Richard Danis (born June 21, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, and New Jersey Devils. He playe ...

, 2011–12 Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award * Brandon Davidson, 2012–13 * Bryan Helmer, 2010–11

Team records

Single season

:Goals: Colin McDonald, 42 (2010–11) :Assists: Brad Moran, 52 (2010–11) :Points:

Alexandre Giroux Alexandre Giroux (born June 16, 1981) is a Canadian ice hockey forward currently playing for the Thetford Assurancia of the Quebec-based Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey. He previously played in the National League (NL) with HC Ambrì-Pio ...

, 78 (2010–11) :Penalty minutes: Triston Grant, 163 (2011–12) :Wins:

, 26 (2011–12) &

Richard Bachman Richard Bachman is a pen name (as well as fictional character) of American horror fiction author Stephen King. King portrays Bachman in the third season of the FX television series '' Sons of Anarchy''. Origin At the beginning of King's car ...

, 26 (2013–14) :Shutouts: Yann Danis, 5 (2011-12) :GAA: Yann Danis, 2.07 (2011–12) :SV%: Yann Danis, .924 (2011–12)

Career

:Career games: Curtis Hamilton, 208 (2011–15) :Career goals: Mark Arcobello, 60 (2010–14) :Career assists: Mark Arcobello, 101 (2010–14) :Career points: Mark Arcobello, 161 (2010–14) :Career penalty minutes:

Alex Plante Alexandre Plante (born May 9, 1989) is a Canadian-South Korean professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for Anyang Halla of the Asia League Ice Hockey (AL). He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers 15th overall in the 2007 NHL En ...

, 336 (2010–13) :Career wins: Yann Danis, 52 (2011–13) :Career shutouts: Yann Danis, 7 (2011–13)

References

External links

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