Few people connect the old and new eras of Tulsa hockey like Taylor Hall. He was the top scorer on the 1992-93 team that brought the Oilers back with a championship. Today, he is the club’s general manager. Here is a look at his path from the Canadian prairies to the Oilers’ front office.
Not to be confused with the NHL forward of the same name — the two are not related.
Taylor Hall at a glance
- Born: February 20, 1964, in Regina, Saskatchewan
- Position: Left wing
- NHL draft: 116th overall by Vancouver in 1982
- NHL games: 41 with Vancouver and Boston
- Tulsa playing career: four seasons, 1992-1996, 269 points
- Current role: General manager, Tulsa Oilers
A prairie scorer
Hall grew up in Regina and played his junior hockey for the hometown Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League. The Vancouver Canucks drafted him in 1982. Two years later, he was named to the WHL’s East First All-Star Team.
The NHL years
Like many players of his era, Hall bounced between the NHL and the minors. He made his NHL debut with Vancouver in 1983-84 and scored his first NHL goal that season. A knee injury suffered against the New York Islanders in October 1984 cost him most of the following year. However, he returned in 1985-86 to score five goals in 19 games for the Canucks.
After signing with the Boston Bruins in 1987, he produced 74 points for the AHL’s Maine Mariners and earned a seven-game call-up to Boston. In all, he played 41 NHL games, with seven goals and 16 points. He later played in Italy and the International Hockey League.
Coming to Tulsa
When the Central Hockey League relaunched in 1992 and the Oilers returned, Hall became one of the faces of the new team. In 1992-93 he scored 35 goals and 80 points in just 58 games. Tulsa won the league championship in its first season back. You can read more about that team in our story on the 1992-93 revival.
Hall played four seasons in Tulsa and retired in 1996. His 269 points as an Oiler (124 goals and 145 assists) still rank seventh in team history.
From the bench to the front office
After retiring, Taylor Hall moved into coaching in the CHL and the Western Professional Hockey League before returning to Tulsa in a management role. He became general manager of the Oilers in 2008, the same year the team moved into the BOK Center. Tulsa has been his longest stop in hockey management.
In the ECHL, the general manager works closely with the head coach on player contracts, trades and affiliations. In Tulsa, that partnership is with Rob Murray, who also carries the title of director of hockey operations.
A living link to the franchise’s past
In the Oilers’ 75th season, that history feels fitting. One of the people running the team helped win the championship that started the modern era. For longtime fans, Hall is a reminder that the Oilers’ story has always been carried forward by people who love the game in Tulsa. For more recent seasons, see our ECHL-era history; his playing record is summarized in his Wikipedia biography.
