OILERS TO HONOR FORMER CAPTAIN JIM WILEY
Oilers will honor Jim Wiley and introduce the Jim Wiley Fund on Jan. 14
TULSA, Okla. – The Tulsa Oilers, proud affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks and the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, announced Wednesday the honoring for former Oilers Captain, NHL player, NHL, AHL and junior coach Jim Wiley at the game on Jan. 14, as well as the introduction of the Jim Wiley fund.
Wiley compiled 252 points with Tulsa (91G, 161A) in 254 games with the Oilers, serving as a captain and winning the 1975-76 CHL Championship, leading the team with 96 points (33G, 63A) in just 76 games. The 1975-76 squad —nicknamed the Jolly Green Giants — is the only Oilers team to win a championship on home ice.
The Sault. Ste. Marie, Ontario, native also won an AHL Calder Cup as a player and was named an All-American with the Lake Superior State Lakers during his collegiate career.
In addition to playing, the NHLer was also a coach, directing the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers, the IHL’s Kansas City Blades, the AHL’s Kentucky Thoroughblades, the ECHL’s Lexington Men O’War, the UHL’s Roanoke Valley Vipers and the CHL’s Memphis RiverKings and Amarillo Gorillas.
Wiley fought a 10-month battle with cancer, passing on Dec. 27, 2021. While he was a life-long contributor to the hockey world, Jim also loved watching his son and grandchildren play baseball. Jim truly was a gentleman, and his generosity will continue through the newly created Jim Wiley Fund.
Wiley always believed in helping others. As part of continuing his work, his wife Chris Wiley and son, Jim Wiley, Jr. are working to continue his mission with the help of his former hockey colleagues. Through that mission, the Jim Wiley Fund aims to raise awareness and funding for families in need in the hockey and baseball communities, including but not limited to players, officials, team staff and facility workers.
The inaugural fundraising efforts will benefit Chip Excell, a cornerstone of the Greater Oklahoma Region hockey community who was hit by an uninsured driver in May 2022 while riding his motorcycle, resulting in the loss of his left leg from below the knee. With this injury, the Oklahoma-hockey figure suffered a lengthy hospital stay, incurring significant hospital bills. Excell was a former CHL and ECHL official, and he continues to help and develop on and off-ice officials in the region even after his retirement as a professional official.
The Oilers kick off 2023 by hosting the Allen Americans on Saturday, Jan. 7 for Autism Awareness Night at 7:05 p.m. at the BOK Center. The Oilers continue the weekend with a 4:05 p.m. Sunday Family Funday against the Wichita Thunder at the BOK.
