Blazers gone: AHL team a must for OKC

Especially one you enjoyed so much.

The Blazers hockey team was a member of the community for 17 years.

A welcomed member at that, and they brought professional hockey to this southern state and made it interesting for people who would never watch the sport otherwise. 

The Blazer’s Web site gives a message that blames the economic downturn for the choice to lose the franchise.

That is a sad thing for Oklahoma City, because the Blazers were a great part of it. 

This whole thing makes the negotiations to bring an AHL team to Oklahoma even more important.

I grew up on AHL hockey. As some of the readers know, I was born and raised in Rochester, NY. 

I spent my youth attending both NHL and AHL games for both the Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans.

AHL hockey is the real deal.

It is hockey at its lower professional level’s finest. It is a step below NHL and an experience OKC should be clamoring for. 

A lot of things don’t make sense with bringing in an AHL team however.

If OKC supposedly cannot support a CHL team like the blazers, they would surely need to step up the price for the AHL, as the AHL is a more expensive league to play in – considering player and coaching salaries and tickets, uniform and rink prices. 

That being said, we can still not let minor league hockey die in Oklahoma.

The Blazers worked so hard at making OKC into a hockey city.

The fan base of the Blazers was a great selection of local die-hards.

The games were fun, the team was good and the sport was strong. 

I would love to see the day that the Rochester Amerks come to town to play against the Oklahoma City Twisters, or Cowboys or Storm or whatever we may call our new team.

I would love to see the day that hockey becomes a permanent part of Oklahoma sports. 

Bringing hockey back to Oklahoma is a must.

Whether we adopt an AHL team, or drop to a lower than CHL level, we must not let the hockey town part of OKC wither and die.