Edmonton Oilers: A Financial Success Story - From Rags to Riches

[McPoyle]

Man it's crazy that more teams don't just draft the best players of all time, literally just draft McDavid/Gretzky you idiots.

Gretzky wasn't drafted, he was won during a game of backgammon from the owner of the Indianapolis Racers. He actually scored his first and second pro goals against the Oilers in 1978.

 

[nerevarine]

I think a huge part of the success of the edmonton oilers franchise is the fans, recent polls have found that oilers fans are both the wealthiest and most attractive in the league, which helps propel the franchises worth.

 

[TheTrashMan]

I think a huge part of the success of the edmonton oilers franchise is the fans, recent polls have found that oilers fans are both the wealthiest and most attractive in the league, which helps propel the franchises worth.

It’s truly a blessing and a curse . Never easy being so ridiculously good looking but we just carry on, one day at a time.

 

[jeblers]

Honestly, I do think the NHLPA has quite a bit to do with this increase in revenue.

When the cap was flat due to COVID and all the players were paying a huge escrow due to Hockey Related Revenue being down Friedman mentioned on the 32 thoughts podcast that the NHLPA asked the NHL to step up their efforts on increasing the overall revenue of the sport. Basically asking the NHL are you doing everything you can to maximize revenue.

Basically this is where the sponsorships on the helmets and eventually the jersey came from but that probably is peanuts compared to making fans pay the actual fair market value a ticket is actually worth. All of a sudden playoff tickets were being priced as much as a scalper would pay.

You used to be on a waiting list for 10+ years to get season tickets for the Oilers, now that waitlist is basically gone. It is just too much money to spend year in / year out. They had an insane sellout streak when the Oilers were going through their decade of darkness when it was still expensive but relatively cheap compared to today's price. Now it is not uncommon to find empty seats when you go to the games.

They find the max that someone is willing to pay and they basically sell at that price.

 

[Dust]

It's just too bad that Katz is still the owner. Nice to see the franchise healthy, just wish they had an owner a little easier to like.

 

[Jetcetera]

It helps getting more 1OA picks in a decade than most teams have in their entire history

 

[Mrfenn92]

 

[Elias GOATtersson]

I think a huge part of the success of the edmonton oilers franchise is the fans, recent polls have found that oilers fans are both the wealthiest and most attractive in the league, which helps propel the franchises worth.

 

[La Bamba]

The true Mecca of Hockey

 

[Zerotonine]

Grats to the billionaire owner I guess that swindled the town into paying for his arena....and then right away saw the value of his company sky rocket lmao. Only one winner there and it is the Katz family.

Do you have the same energy towards the flames and there billionaire owner edwards??? They actuality got more tax payers money including provincial funding. Something edmonton did not

 

[Nogatco Rd]

Gretzky wasn't drafted, he was won during a game of backgammon from the owner of the Indianapolis Racers. He actually scored his first and second pro goals against the Oilers in 1978.

I don't believe that story for a second.

IMO Gretzky signed those shady 20 year "personal services" contracts in order to avoid the NHL draft, and the prospect of being stuck on a bottom-feeding "Mickey Mouse" franchise.

I think Walter Gretzky has more in common with Bonnie & Carl Lindros than most people give him credit for... just way more discreet about it.

 

[Dirty Mind]

CoE is paying $1.5 million annually to maintain the old Northlands Coliseum (for heating, security, and general maintenance), but it should be demolished soon.

It could have been repurposed for something else but our city caved so badly when the slimy owner demanded that “Rogers Place” be the only venue in the city.

I know Northlands Coliseum needed to be replaced but there’s nothing about Rogers Place that separates it from any other newer cookie-cutter arena. At least NC was purely for hockey, the atmosphere in the new arena isn’t the same (ie: as deafening come playoff time).

At the same time it’s awesome to see the only more valuable franchises than the Oilers are the Leafs, Rangers, Habs, Blackhawks, and Kings. Really shows how much Edmonton punches above its weight.

 

[MrHeiskanen]

Source for the revenue? Forbes numbers are estimates so who knows the accuracy.

 

[MoneyManny]

CoE is paying $1.5 million annually to maintain the old Northlands Coliseum (for heating, security, and general maintenance), but it should be demolished soon.

It could have been repurposed for something else but our city caved so badly when the slimy owner demanded that “Rogers Place” be the only venue in the city.

I know Northlands Coliseum needed to be replaced but there’s nothing about Rogers Place that separates it from any other newer cookie-cutter arena. At least NC was purely for hockey, the atmosphere in the new arena isn’t the same (ie: as deafening come playoff time).

At the same time it’s awesome to see the only more valuable franchises than the Oilers are the Leafs, Rangers, Habs, Blackhawks, and Kings. Really shows how much Edmonton punches above its weight.

No way! He got the taxpayers to pay for his venue AND also got an exclusivity guarantee?

Viva la democracy?

 

[Mez]

Grats to the billionaire owner I guess that swindled the town into paying for his arena....and then right away saw the value of his company sky rocket lmao. Only one winner there and it is the Katz family.

sure ok, thats a very simplistic way of looking at it....but the arena district spurred a revitalization of Edmonton's downtown. As someone who has worked downtown for a decade...the city has got a lot more back than its put in imo.

 

[Connor McConnor]

Man it's crazy that more teams don't just draft the best players of all time, literally just draft McDavid/Gretzky you idiots.

This is so disingenuous. OP mentioned they sold out their arenas during decade of darkness and that is without massive corporate sponsorships like Toronto and Vancouver. I’ve been to games at all 3 places and it’s hilarious to see the difference between actual fans and people who just got free tickets from their rich friends.