In 1993, the voters of Oklahoma City were presented with a visionary plan (called MAPS): approve a 1% increase on sales tax within the Oklahoma City limits to fund a number of projects to redevelop areas of downtown Oklahoma City. Fifty-five percent of voters approved that plan.
One of the nine projects in the original MAPS plan was an arena that could host concerts, events, but also a NHL or NBA franchise. Soon after voter approval of the MAPS project, city leaders began exploring options to lure a professional team to anchor the new arena. But it wasn’t a NBA team that the city sought, rather, a NHL franchise was thought to be the best chance for OKC to be upgraded to a “big-league city.