Oklahoma City prepares for replacement for the Blazers

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma — Six months after the Oklahoma City Blazers surprised the minor league hockey world by ceasing operations, an announcement that hockey will soon be returning to the Renaissance City may be forthcoming.  
 
One of the original six teams in the modern Central Hockey League, the Blazers were known as one of the most successful minor league hockey franchises of all time, consistently averaging over 8,000 attendees.
 
On the ice, the Blazers won their division nine times, including a run of seven straight from 1996-2003. They won the Governor’s Cup (regular season champions) five times (1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001) and the league championship twice (1996, 2001).
 
But following the 2008-09 season, the Blazers’ ownership made an announcement that shocked the CHL:
 
“Due to the current economic downturn, the OKC Blazers are regrettably closing their doors effective July 1. Despite attempts to re-organize and streamline the operation, the substantial losses from running the team have led to this business decision.”
 
Blazers fans had mixed emotions, but most knew that professional hockey in Oklahoma City would not be gone for long. This week, they received an early Christmas present.
 
On Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Council unanimously agreed to allow the Cox Convention Center management company, SMG, to enter into a lease agreement with Prodigal Hockey LLC to establish a hockey franchise in the city as early as next season. The city council’s approval actually requires that Prodigal confirm an American Hockey League franchise for the city no later than December 31st.
 
Prodigal Hockey President Bob Funk Jr., who also owns Express Sports, LLC (the owners of the Blazers) has reportedly said his company is close to finalizing a deal.
 
It has been well documented that the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers have been looking at the Oklahoma City market as a location for an American Hockey League affiliate.
 
The team’s affiliation agreement with the AHL’s Falcons in Springfield, Massachusetts, ends after the current season. The Falcons have been a sub-par franchise, failing to manage a .500 record since the 1997-98 season. Attendance has steadily dropped as a result and its financial health is in question.
 
Compared to Springfield, Oklahoma City is much closer to Edmonton and to Stockton, California, where its ECHL affiliate (the Stockton Thunder) plays. More importantly, Oklahoma City has a built in fan base that could easily put an AHL team at or near the top of the league’s attendance chart.
 
The Cox Center was chosen as the new hockey venue due in part to expected scheduling conflicts across the street at the Ford Center, the former home of the Blazers which now houses the NBA’s Oklahoma Thunder.
 
The proposed agreement includes a five-year lease with three-year renewal options, and commits the city to approximately $4.5 million in improvements to the venue. Those improvements will include a new ice plant, locker room upgrades, new dasher boards, back-lit signage, construction of loge boxes and a lower level VIP club.
 
Improvements to the facility are expected to help attract more concert, meetings and sporting events.  
 
So will the Blazers name live on? No decision has been made, but the next couple of weeks should bring the anxiety levels up for hockey fans in Oklahoma City as they anticipate the expected announcement of a triple-A hockey franchise for the 2010-11 season.
 
Contact the author/photographer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com