<P> On November 1 , 1971 , the Edmonton Oilers became one of the 12 founding WHA franchises . The original team owner was Bill Hunter . Hunter owned the Edmonton Oil Kings , a junior hockey franchise . He also founded the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League ( now known as the Western Hockey League ( WHL ) ) . Hunter 's efforts to bring major professional hockey to Edmonton via an expansion NHL franchise had been rebuffed by the NHL . So , he looked to the upstart WHA instead . It was Hunter who chose the `` Oilers '' name for the new WHA franchise . This was a name that had previously been used as a nickname for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 1950s and 1960s . </P>
<P> On November 1 , 1971 , the Edmonton Oilers became one of the 12 founding WHA franchises . The original team owner was Bill Hunter . Hunter owned the Edmonton Oil Kings , a junior hockey franchise . He also founded the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League ( now known as the Western Hockey League ( WHL ) ) . Hunter 's efforts to bring major professional hockey to Edmonton via an expansion NHL franchise had been rebuffed by the NHL . So , he looked to the upstart WHA instead . It was Hunter who chose the `` Oilers '' name for the new WHA franchise . This was a name that had previously been used as a nickname for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 1950s and 1960s . </P>
where did the edmonton oilers get their name
where did the edmonton oilers get their name
November 1 , 1971
November 1 , 1971