First, Oklahoma City built a new arena before KC did. While OKC was building a new arena, we here in KC were renovating a dying Kemper Arena. KC played catch-up and built the Sprint Center so that OKC wasn’t a better option for the Big XII tournament (because, with Kemper, OKC was a better option)
Then, OKC got a major league franchise for their new arena when the Seattle SuperSonics moved to OKC and became the Thunder (bad name, but that is beside the point). How did they get the team? Well, they had local ownership. Clay Bennet’s ownership group is Oklahoma-based. We, in KC, as far as we know, have no one interested in purchasing an NHL or NBA team. Heck, the Chiefs are owned by a Dallas-based family and the Royals are owned by an Arkansas guy…
Now, it seems OKC may get a hockey team before we do. Edmonton owns a dormant AHL franchise and has been looking for a good home for their AHL affiliate. According to this recent story, Edmonton has been looking at OKC (and not us).
Oklahoma City Blazers notebook: Edmonton reps visit city again
The AHL is very good hockey. I’ve seen four AHL games in the last year or so and it’s great hockey. The fact that KC and AEG is going with this “all our eggs in the NHL basket” is silly when we could have great AHL hockey in the Sprint Center, well, now or at least next hockey season.
Of course, OKC loves their Blazers, so it may not happen. They love them so much so that even the “unbiased” press overstate the value of the league, like in this article.
“The Blazers have been in the Double-A Central Hockey League since 1992.”
The CHL is Double-A? In what alternate universe? The ECHL is Double-A. Let’s get this straight since the CHL will probably be in Independence next year.
Baseball: AAA=Oklahoma City RedHawks, AA=Springfield Cardinals, A=Cedar Rapids Kernals, Independent League not affiliated with Major League Baseball = Kansas City T-Bones
Hockey: AAA=Peoria Rivermen (or dormant Edmonton franchise), AA=ECHL’s Johnstown Chiefs, A=no equivalent, Independent League not affiliated with the NHL = OKC Blazers and the rest of the CHL
The CHL is minor leauge hockey. It is NOT a developmental league and definitely NOT Double-A.
Thank you!