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The Blazers Belly-Up
Written by okluschen   
Saturday, 04 July 2009 15:26

R.I.P. Blazers

This article comes a little late, but I've been meaning to write it for awhile, just been busy. I know this is supposed to be a Thunder blog, but every once and awhile we try to give a shout-out to the other teams in town. One team we will never be giving another shout out to is the Oklahoma City Blazers. If you havn't already heard, the Blazers have closed their doors, perhaps permanently. The word "defunct" has been strictly taboo by management and media so far. In reality, the Blazers, at last in the incarnation we know them as today, are dead. Theres no incentive for Bob Funk to restart a business that was losing him money, no matter how ravenous the support was.

It's this ravenous support that has many fans scratching their heads. Not only were the Blazers in the top 10 of attendance among all minor league hockey teams, but beat all the other teams in thier own league (the CHL) by over 1,000 per game. It was no secret that the Blazers had a special place in the hearts of many of Oklahoma City's lesser known hockey-hungry fans.

The ice may go unused for awhile

So just how did the team with the best support in the league crumble? Some people point out the decision to move to the Ford Center. They moved into a bigger arena, but also took on a bigger lease. While this was tolerable while there was no NBA team to compete with, but when the Thunder arrived, the Blazers struggled to bring in the sponserships. Of course, advertising is a major part of team revenue, and despite the attendance, they couldn't make up for the losses.

There is word that an AHL team is on the way. The Oilers are interested in moving their AAA team to Oklahoma City. This is good in that it is a step up in competition and gives the few hockey passionate and heart-broken hockey fans in OKC something to cheer for. Still, these people were Blazer fans, and the love they showed for the sport may be exclusive to that team. Here's my advice: if Oklahoma City gets any sort of new AAA hockey team, they need to be the Blazers. And I don't mean the capital dome/fancy B crimson and gold Blazers. I mean the 90s yellow and black flaming hockey puck Blazers. It was by far the better look and the city needs to get back in touch with the days it was in love with hockey.

Fear the Puck

Alas, whether or not a team lands here soon, it was a god ride. The team was succesful, winning titles in 1996 and 2001. They also had succesful players such as Peter Arvanitis (who later became an assistant coach for the club) and Joe Burton (the CHL's all-time leading scorer). And of course, who could forget the man, the legend, the 'stasche himself, Coach Doug Sauter.

Doug Sauter

The Blazers will be missed, but hopefully one day you will return to the ice...

Comments (2)Add Comment
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written by daddydai, July 06, 2009
"Yes, we have an interest in Oklahoma City as a market," Oilers president Patrick LaForge said in an e-mail exchange on Sunday. "Of course, we wish them luck and hope to do business with them(all terms to be determined) if and when they are legally clear and ready for entering into a negotiation," LaForge added. "I also hope we can get to that point soon because the 2010-11 AHL season is closer than we think."

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Sports/Oilers+keen+Oklahoma+City+team/1762837/story.html
...
written by Narconon Arrowhead, August 10, 2009
I will also be sad to see the blazers leave i used to love going to the games before i went into drug rehab.

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