Edmonton Oilers Stay Put

The NHL’s Edmonton Oilers announced they had topped the 13,000 mark for 1996-97 season tickets - double what it was in January.

That ensures the Oilers will qualify for up to $2.5 million in league subsidies for last season and as much as $7 million next year.

It also means the Oilers, winners of five Stanley Cups in the 1980s, will stay in Edmonton for the foreseeable future. If they had failed in their season-ticket drive it was almost certain the team would have fled to the United States as both the Winnipeg Jets and Quebec Nordiques did.