Country music legend Garth Brooks has become the majority owner of the Tulsa Oilers, an ECHL minor league hockey team, marking Oklahoma’s first celebrity sports team ownership. The announcement was made at a lively press event at the BOK Center, where Brooks sported a customized Oilers jersey labeled “The Thunder Rolls” and joked about bringing his stage energy to the ice.
Brooks has big plans to energize the franchise, including “Garth Night” games featuring live post-game concerts, introducing a new mascot named “Billy the Puck”—a hockey-playing armadillo—and embedding lyrics from his hit “Friends in Low Places” into the team’s jersey stitching.
The hockey community responded warmly. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman welcomed Brooks into the “hockey family,” while fellow country star Carrie Underwood humorously hinted she might follow suit by buying a team. Oilers players were impressed when Brooks showcased his slapshot skills at practice, with captain Adam Pleskach attributing Brooks’ wrist strength to years of guitar playing.
One of Brooks’ first acts as owner was renaming the arena’s penalty box the “Low Places Lounge,” stocked with his own whiskey. The Oilers are set to begin their season this October, with Brooks promising to lead fans in spirited chants during games, blending the worlds of country music and hockey in a unique new way.