RIP Oklahoma City Blazers

[Sooner_Havok]

this sucks



Blazers run in Oklahoma City over, AHL coming to town

BY ROBERT PRZYBYLO
Published: July 2, 2009

Oklahoma City is set to begin negotiations to bring an American Hockey League franchise to town for the 2010-2011 season. But there won't be pro hockey here next season.

The Oklahoma City Blazers have suspended operations after failing to renew their lease with Oklahoma City to play in the Ford Center or Cox Center, a team official said Thursday.

The decision comes as Oklahoma City officials have filed paperwork clearing the way to start negotiations with "a prospective AHL franchise afflilated with Express Sports," according to city documents.

The city council is scheduled to vote Tuesday to approve a "Letter of Intent" between the city and AHL Hockey Club, LLC.

The Blazers did not renew their lease with the Ford Center after months of negotiations. According to city documents, the city and SMG were going to grant the Blazers a three-year renewal, but the Blazers have retracted the deal.

Blazers assistant general manager Josh Evans said it was purely a business decision and said the city and SMG were very accommodating in the process.

“It is not economically feasible for us to go on at this point,” Evans said. “We will evaluate our business and move on from there.”

The Blazers organization informed the CHL on Wednesday about the decision. All the players from last year’s team will now be free agents and can sign with any team they choose.

The Edmonton Oilers of the NHL own a dormant AHL franchise and there have been discussions in recent month about relocating that team to Oklahoma City.

The decision to suspend operations ends the Blazers' 17-season run in Oklahoma City, a successful tenure that saw them win CHL titles in 1996 and 2001 and frequently lead all North American minor league hockey teams in attendance.


NewsOK.com (http://newsok.com/blazers-run-in-oklahoma-city-over-ahl-coming-to-town/article/3382433?custom_click=lead_story_title)

This makes me a sad panda :(

[JohnnyMack]

Don't be sad. The AHL is a much better league.

[soonervegas]

What are the % chances we have a hockey team in 2010 named the Blazers with young players that actually have a chance to make the NHL?

What's not to like?

[Boomer_Sooner_sax]

Living in Houston, we have an AHL team called the Aeros, which are basically the Triple-A team of the Minnesota Wild. We see NHL players all the time on rehab assignments or future NHL players, such as the Wild goalie, Josh Harding. It is basically moving up a level with much better hockey. I would love for OKC to have an AHL team so they could compete with the likes of Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, all of which have AHL teams, not to mention bigger markets such as Toronto, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Chicago, Winnipeg among others. This is a great step IMHO. It sure beats playing Corpus Christi, Amarillo, Tulsa, etc.

[Sooner_Havok]

I know AHL is better quality, but I grew up with the Blazers. Plus, no hockey next year is going to suck.

[Boomer_Sooner_sax]

Yeah, I hear you there...it will be worth the wait. I feel you about growing up with the Blazers. I was the same way too.

[Sooner_Havok]

What is going to happen to Coach Sauter and his awesome mustache?

[badger]

You could watch the Sooner hockey team instead this coming season :D

[SoonerStormchaser]

Or drive down to Dallas and watch them fall apart this season after firing Dave Tippett and replacing him with a ****ty coach who used to be the HC of the LA freaking Kings!

[Sooner_Havok]

You could watch the Sooner hockey team instead this coming season :D

Yeah, I will probably catch a few Sooner hockey games. I always try to. The thought had crossed my mind to try out for the OU hockey team, since I am going to be a student again.


Or drive down to Dallas and watch them fall apart this season after firing Dave Tippett and replacing him with a ****ty coach who used to be the HC of the LA freaking Kings!

Hell, the only time you will catch me at a Dallas game is if they are playing Jersey. For whatever reason, I wound up being a Devils fan.

[tulsaoilerfan]

Wow, this sucks; the CHL won't be the same without the Blazers around

[bluedogok]

What is going to happen to Coach Sauter and his awesome mustache?
Replaced by a better coach?


Wow, this sucks; the CHL won't be the same without the Blazers around
The CHL has sucked ever since the Odessa, Laredo, Corpus, Amarillo, Rapid City and the like were picked up and the larger markets closed up or left for other leagues.

[Crimson Kid]

I also grew up watching them and the okc stars, remember them?

Bring on the AHL i say.

[Mixer!]

Wow, this sucks; the CHL won't be around much longer without the Blazers
Fixed, and agreed. ;)

[Soonerus]

Hate to see the Blazers leave...reminds me of the 89ers...

[StoopTroup]

Tulsa > OKC :D ;)

Sorry Blazers Fans

[King Crimson]

what, none of ya'll remember the OKC Stars and Dino Cicirelli?

minor league hockey=minor league hockey.\\

[SoonerBorn68]

I remember watching him play for the Wings in the early 90's. Damn that little guy was tough.

[OU_Sooners75]

Why not go after an NHL team instead?

[Mixer!]

Not enough interest or (more importantly) corporate dollars.

Besides, the NHL hosed OKC when they selected Nashville, Atlanta, and Columbus to be their new expansion markets 10+ years ago. All three teams are this ->||<-close to following the Phoenix Coyotes into bankruptcy now. The league shut down for a year, which killed interest; and they still don't have a major TV contract.

[JohnnyMack]

Not enough interest or (more importantly) corporate dollars.

Besides, the NHL hosed OKC when they selected Nashville, Atlanta, and Columbus to be their new expansion markets 10+ years ago. All three teams are this ->||<-close to following the Phoenix Coyotes into bankruptcy now. The league shut down for a year, which killed interest; and they still don't have a major TV contract.

I predict that the NHL goes crawling back to ESPN at a reduced rate. This VS. contract is killing them.

Toronto should get its second team (Phoenix?) and if ATL and Nashville survive I'd be surprised.

[OklaPony]

What is this "hockey" of which you speak?

*yawn*

[Dio]

No hockey this season will suck, but long term I like the idea of moving up to the AAA level. No sense rolling with the Wichitards of the world when you can be at the same level as Houston, San Antonio, etc.

Yeah, those OU hockey games are going to be crowded this year.

[soonervegas]

Why not go after an NHL team instead?


That's 15 years out in my opinion for this city, but a possibility down the road with a significant population increase.

[GrapevineSooner]

Not enough interest or (more importantly) corporate dollars.

Besides, the NHL hosed OKC when they selected Nashville, Atlanta, and Columbus to be their new expansion markets 10+ years ago. All three teams are this ->||<-close to following the Phoenix Coyotes into bankruptcy now. The league shut down for a year, which killed interest; and they still don't have a major TV contract.

Nashville and Atlanta have had their problems. But I wouldn't throw Columbus into that mix. Finally made the playoffs last year and they're on the rise. And they sell out Nationwide Arena every night.

It sucks that OKC won't have any hockey for one year. But unlike when the IHL lifted up her skirt to OKC several years ago and the city said no (which of course was a wise choice since the IHL succumbed to over expansion and folded), this looks like a better proposition for the city.

San Antonio and Houston already have teams. The Stars just bought an AHL team a year ago and will start up operations in Cedar Park near Austin. A new team in OKC will just enhance the regional rivalries already, me thinks.

[John Kochtoston]

I predict that the NHL goes crawling back to ESPN at a reduced rate. This VS. contract is killing them.

Toronto should get its second team (Phoenix?) and if ATL and Nashville survive I'd be surprised.

A second team in the Toronto area, esp. Hamilton where the second team would likely go, would kill the Buffalo Sabres. They get >20% of their revenue from Canadians that are either closer to Buffalo than Toronto, or that can't get/afford Leafs tix. The Sabres are barely getting by as is.

It's not the VS. contract so much as it is the fact that VS. never shows games. They have 2-3 games a week, whereas baseball and NBA games are on nearly every day of the week, on various networks.

VS. in and of itself isn't such a bad thing, especially when you consider that ESPN will stick the NHL on the Ocho every chance it gets.

Their deal with NBC blows, though. No guaranteed $$$, and NBC will stick hockey behind every other blessed event they can think of. They were willing to break away from overtime playoff hockey, to show the Preakness preview show.

OKC just can't support two major-league franchises, especially two that play simultaneously. It's yet to be shown they can support one (though I think they can).

The NHL did blow their chance in OKC, no question about that. NHL would be an even better fit, IMHO, since there are no competing college allegiances to deal with. Folks here have shown, so far at least that 1) they'll pay major-league ticket prices and 2) there's a market for hockey.

[goingoneight]

God reminds us again that football offseason is too long.

[Mixer!]

http://www.americanprohockey.com/


What happened in Oklahoma City? Many folks know I used to live in Oklahoma City and still keep an ear to the rail concerning hockey up there, so I got a fair number of emails and Facebook WTFs yesterday. There’s a lot of factors at play here and I’ll try my best to lay it out in a somewhat organized fashion.

Careful observers could have picked up on a few indicators:
1) The day after the season ended the Blazers moved everything out of the Ford Center, right down to the moose head hanging in head coach Doug Sauter’s office.

2) About a month ago the team sold their $10,000 skate sharpener to the Blazers Ice Center (BIC) for $1,000.

3) The team did not make any equipment or merchandise purchases this summer.

4) We never heard a whole lot of progress on a lease renewal, their last lease expiring with the 2008-09 season.

5) Blazers players, including the married guys, were out of their apartments a week after the season ended. The team typically has let those guys drag out, sometimes all summer. There’s now 17 years worth of accumulated furnishings sitting in a trailer outside the BIC. Perhaps the booster club can find a home for them with the AHL team (more on that in a moment).

So what happened? The city may take the heat from the locals, and based on their press release the CHL is predictably pointing a finger at Express Sports, but I think it was the NBA Thunder that pushed the boulder and started it rolling downhill.

The Thunder had already pushed the AFL2 YardDawgs out of Ford. It was the Thunder who are rumored to be behind the Blazers’ eviction from Ford the day after their lease ended. The Thunder didn’t get a single Saturday game their inaugural season, and understandably think they deserve the building all to themselves.

There’s an elephant in the room, however, in the form of the Funk-Chen lawsuit. Here’s the short version for those of you from out of town: Blazers owner Horn Chen needed to find a local owner in 1999-2000 when Dan DeVos was threatening to move the IHL Kansas City Blades to OKC. Remember Chen still owned Tulsa, Wichita, Memphis, and Indianapolis in the CHL (aka, CHenL) at the time, and the WPHL merger had not taken place yet. So in a rush Bob Funk (CEO of Express Personnel) steps up and buys the AA team for $6M (discounted from $8M) without performing any real due diligence. Funk became involved because he's friends with Blazers head coach Doug Sauter - they both breed and raise Clydesdales. Fast forward to today and Funk tells Chen he's withholding final payment(s) on the team because Chen misled him about the financial strength of the franchise, and because he's lost $5M since buying the team. Hearings in the case have been delayed several times, and I understand the latest hearing planned for mid-July has been rescheduled as well.

Did the lawsuit influence things? I think it might be a contributing factor. The statement on the Blazers’ website cites the “current economic downturn” as the primary factor for their demise. That could also be code for “we got our butts handed to us by the Thunder.” But Horn Chen still technically owns the CHL (actually, there’s about a dozen people involved, including most of Chen’s immediate family), and owns the Wichita Thunder. So part of me wonders if Funk’s revenge is to yank the league’s flagship. If Express Sports does land an AHL team, the suit could be settled by Funk turning back over to Chen the rights to the Blazers franchise, not that they are worth much at this point.

Some of you may be asking why the Blazers don’t follow the YardDawgs across the street to the Cox Center. Since the Blazers moved from Cox to Ford the city has neither used nor performed any maintenance on the ice plant. It’s very much a “use it or lose it” type of system. The arena floor is above the parking garage, and reports are that the coolant from the ice system is leaking below. The arena floor is also uneven, and so ice thicknesses were ranging anywhere from two inches sometimes down to just a quarter inch. Combine that with an ice plant with questionable abilities, and I think the Blazers saw the writing on the wall – Cox just wasn’t viable.

“Can they replace it over summer?” you may ask… Well, not if the arena is booked with the YardDawgs and other events. The floor needs to be ripped out and the chilling pipes replaced. The concrete would then need 90 days to cure properly. There’s just not 90 open days on the Cox event calendar.

So what now? Express is exploring the AHL option, but I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion. For 2009-10 the AHL has 29 teams operating with 29 affiliations and only 28 franchise agreements. The *Texas* Stars are staring the 2009-10 season in Cedar Park (Austin) as Dallas’ affiliate, but without owning any AHL franchise rights. They have a year to obtain them. Meanwhile, the only unrealized franchise rights are held by Edmonton, who are keeping their affiliate in Springfield. I could see the Oilers selling their franchise rights and moving their affiliation to OKC after 2009-10.

The best thing that could have happened to the chances of OKC landing an AHL team was the demise this week of the Iowa Chops. Anaheim pulled their affiliation a few weeks ago, and the league is likely to yank the franchise rights from the owners for, among other things, violating league rules pertaining to using franchise as collateral. The league could sell that slot to *Texas* (ironic, since the Stars were affiliated with Iowa until last season) and Edmonton sets up their franchise rights with OKC. After some affiliation shuffling Springfield finds an affiliate (or keeps the Oilers if the Ducks go with OKC) and we’re finally to a 30/30/30 AHL – 30 operating teams with 30 NHL affiliations utilizing 30 AHL franchise rights. AAA baseball would be proud. Certainly there are other scenarios, but this is probably the simplest.

Even getting the franchise situation sorted out, there’s still the problem of the ice. That has to get resolved before a team can go in there.

I’m pretty sure this is probably the end of the CHL in Oklahoma City. If the AHL doesn’t land there, there’s no reason for the city to replace the ice at Cox. The only other league in range to place a team in OKC is the USHL. This is ironic, since the reason the CHL was formed in 1992 was because the USHL rejected Monte Miron’s expansion bid for OKC in 1991.

But until something happens, the only recommendation I can give is to watch the Oklahoma Sooners ACHA D1 team playing at the Blazers err, Sooners Ice Center…

[reevie]

http://www.americanprohockey.com/

I'm pretty sure Express bought the Wichita Thunder a few years ago...

[TUSooner]

minor league hockey >>>>>>>>> NBA

[royalfan5]

28 posts about a minor league hockey team folding and not a single Slapshot reference?

[tulsaoilerfan]

Who own da Blazers? :)

[John Kochtoston]

http://www.americanprohockey.com/

With two AHL franchises floating around, I'd be shocked if one doesn't end up in OKC.

Also, the Thunder didn't force anyone anywhere, though they were pissed about no Saturday dates (which would certainly have been changed). The Yard Dawgz moved across the street because of renovations at the Ford Center during their season (renovations that were, granted, because of the Thunder). There's no reason the Yard Dawgz won't be back across the street in two years. I'm pretty sure the city doesn't want events at the Cox while the Ford Center sits empty.

[John Kochtoston]

Who own da Blazers? :)

Owns! Owns!

[GrapevineSooner]

Owns! Owns!

So they're moving to Florida, then? ;)

[Sooner_Havok]

If I wear the OU hockey jersey I am ordering to the football games, will I look strange?

[John Kochtoston]

So they're moving to Florida, then? ;)

Keep that under your hat. I've promised the exclusive to Dickie Dunn.

[Williesan]

http://www.americanprohockey.com/

"Marc Foster wrote it - it HAS to be true!!!!" :D

One bad side effect of the Blazers closing shop is that it will hurt ticket sales in Wichita and Tulsa.

Here's hoping the new "rivalries" with Allen and Independence, MO will flourish... :pop:

I think the CHL is about two seasons away from imploding again. When you have teams in Prescott Valley, AZ, Laredo, Rapid City and Memphis, there's too much travel and that eats into the bottom line, and makes for some unpleasant all-night hauls on sleeper buses.

Remember - the old CHL ended with teams in Denver, Billings, MT, Indianapolis and Tulsa (who was being run by the league in the end.)

Williesan

[Dio]

Here's the Springfield MA (current Edmonton AHL franchise) party line:

http://www.falconsahl.com/index.php?id=1128

BRUCE LANDON ISSUES OFFICIAL STATEMENT

Springfield Falcons President and General Manager Bruce Landon released the following statement today in regards to an article printed in the July 8 edition of the Springfield Republican newspaper:


“The article that appeared today (July 8) in the Springfield Republican newspaper was very premature and incorrect. The headline insinuated that Oklahoma City has landed an AHL franchise. Oklahoma City, like other cities in the United States and Canada, has expressed interest in the AHL. There is or was no formal presentation by Oklahoma City for an AHL franchise. The Edmonton Oilers have expressed an interest in Oklahoma City. This is old news and was reported last year. Edmonton has the right to discuss opportunities beyond the 09-10 season of which they have kept myself up to speed on all these developments.

“Springfield also has the opportunity to explore options beyond the 09-10 season as well. I have been approached by several NHL teams as to what our plans are beyond the 09-10 season. However, these NHL teams are currently under contract with other AHL teams and it wouldn’t be fair to my fellow AHL partners to openly discuss this matter at this time.

“The statement in today’s paper that said I wasn’t available for comment is 100% inaccurate. I have always made myself available to the media 24/7. Nobody from the Springfield Republican newspaper took the time or effort to contact me. Furthermore, even though we only have one year remaining on our affiliation agreement with Edmonton, I can assure everyone that every effort is being made by the Oilers to make us competitive this season. In addition, as everyone knows, we have one year remaining on our lease agreement at the MassMutual Center. However, I have had positive preliminary discussions with the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and plan on meeting with them over the next few weeks.”

[Mixer!]

Translation: the Oilers aren't renewing with us.

[Dio]

From the front page of today's Oklahoman:


AHL ALMOST HERE???

An announcement regarding the future of pro hockey in Oklahoma City is set for 4 pm Tuesday at the Cox Convention Center.


Prodigal Hockey LLC has said it hoped to bring the sport back to OKC and it has long been rumored it would be a franchise in the Triple-A American Hockey League.

The NHL'S Edmondton Oilers have visited OKC several times in the past year sparking rumors they would place their top farm team here. And renovations to downtown Cox Convention Center were recently passed by the city, a facelift that would favor a high-level pro hockey team.

The city was without hockey for the first time in 17 years this winter after the Blazers pulled out of the Double-A Central Hockey League. The Blazers were among the attendance leaders in minor pro hockey since the 1992-93 season.


Mortimer...we're back!

[King Barry's Back]

I missed the news about the Blazers folding. Their first season in OKC was my last in Norman, and I spend the following season (my last in OK) living near Tulsa -- where I continued to support the awesome Blazers. [Remember when "CHL" stood for "Choke Hold League"?]

Haven't followed the Blazers much since those days other than to catch some highlights on the news when visiting my folks, but it's a little see to see that they ceased operations.

Those were good times and I have some great memories from those early days of the "new" CHL.

Good luck to OKC in bringing in the AHL.

[badger]

The latest here at NewsOK:
Link! (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-lands-american-hockey-league-team/article/3438183?custom_click=lead_story_title)

So... will they go with the OKC Blazers again, or come up with a clever name like Lightning? :D