And now the NHL Lockout is over and it'll be a matter of time before the season starts.

just means that we need our other players to step it up... which i believe they can do. the core of the team that won the Western Conference last season is still here. And it's not like we are going to be short on people, we have called up several from the Stockton Thunder who were playing very well in the ECHL, and have had time with this team in the past

Good size crowd at the game last night. Too bad Barons got a reality check by getting thumped 7-0. They really messed up not taking advantage of that talent to put themselves in a good position in the standings before the lockout ended. Might be tough to make the playoffs this year.

Good size crowd at the game last night. Too bad Barons got a reality check by getting thumped 7-0. They really messed up not taking advantage of that talent to put themselves in a good position in the standings before the lockout ended. Might be tough to make the playoffs this year.

Every AHL team had access to NHL talent during the lockout. If anything, the Barons are on a more even footing now, since the Oilers aren't necessarily a cinch for the Stanley Cup.

Yann Danis gets called back to join the Barons.

Also the first episode of the new season of Oil Change (Documentary about the Edmonton Oilers) had some behind the scene OKC Barons footage (about 12 mins worth). Starts around 15:45 if you don't want to watch the beginning. OIL CHANGE: GAME ON - Episode 1 (Full) Video - NHL VideoCenter (http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=197330)

Here is a newsok article about it Oklahoma City Barons: Oil Change provides unprecedented access to Oilers' organization | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-barons-oil-change-provides-unprecedented-access-to-oilers-organization/article/3750422)

just 25 games left in the season... and we are fighting hard for a playoff spot. realistically we need about 30-35 points to make the playoffs over the next 25 games... so be hoping for some wins, and hope that every loss is in OT

Barons had a big win infront of a weekday crowd of 2400... Beating the League Best Texas Stars not only gives the Barons a great moral win that will hopefully push them to play better (as they out skated the best team in the league for a full 60 minutes), but they jumped from 12th to a tie for 9th in the conference, and are solidly in the playoff race to get to a wildcard... only the top 8 teams from each conference make it.

Barons pull off a win in OT against the Texas Stars... we are now in 9th place in the conference, and clearly still in the playoff race. Next home game is
friday, march 8th

wanted to make sure that everyone saw this

Barons building a brand in Oklahoma City | News OK (http://newsok.com/barons-building-a-brand-in-oklahoma-city/article/3786791?custom_click=rss)

and don't forget. last three games are this friday, saturday, and sunday. and they will determine our playoff seeding

Barons make the playoffs! they are the 5 seed. If any of you haven't had a chance to watch a game, they are playing the first two playoff games on Friday and Saturday night. the AHL is best of 5 for the first round, with the lower seed getting the first two games, then 3 at the higher seed

That's cool that they are having some success.

That's cool that they are having some success.

yep. third straight year with 40+ wins and third straight playoff appearance

with no Thunder game on friday, it would be great to see a wonderful attendance night, but not sure that is going to happen. Although it is nice to start to see some Barons gear when i'm around OKC now. it is sparse, but i do see people wearing it

Went to the Game 1 playoff game last night. Barons lost 4-3 in OT. Good game overall though. Im new to OKC and a rabid hockey fan (from Pittsburgh) and its a shame this team doesnt get the attendance it deserves (probably 1500-2000 last night). For 35 bucks last night we parked, got tickets, t-shirts, 4 hot dogs (dollar dog night), and 4 beers (2 dollar beer night). Ridiculously cheap for the entertainment value. Hopefully in the next few years this team starts to gain a larger following. Its tough when the Thunder are as good as they have been.

After being down 2-1 in the Quarterfinals and facing elimination the Barons took the Charlotte Checkers by storm and won the series in Charlotte. First game was a 8-1 win and the second a 6-2 win! They will play Texas in the semifinals. The rest of the playoffs are now a best of 7 series.

Here is the schedule:
Game 1 - Thu May 9 7:30 PM Oklahoma City at Texas
Game 2 - Sat May 11 7:30 PM Oklahoma City at Texas
Game 3 - Mon May 13 7:00 PM Texas at Oklahoma City
Game 4 - Wed May 15 7:00 PM Texas at Oklahoma City
Game 5 - Thu May 16 7:00 PM * Texas at Oklahoma City
Game 6 - Mon May 20 7:30 PM * Oklahoma City at Texas
Game 7 - Tue May 21 7:30 PM * Oklahoma City at Texas

Went to the Game 1 playoff game last night. Barons lost 4-3 in OT. Good game overall though. Im new to OKC and a rabid hockey fan (from Pittsburgh) and its a shame this team doesnt get the attendance it deserves (probably 1500-2000 last night). For 35 bucks last night we parked, got tickets, t-shirts, 4 hot dogs (dollar dog night), and 4 beers (2 dollar beer night). Ridiculously cheap for the entertainment value. Hopefully in the next few years this team starts to gain a larger following. Its tough when the Thunder are as good as they have been.

Serious? That barely buys a corndog and a couple beers @ a Thunder game. And forget paying less than that for ONE ticket.


I feel as if they should advertise the cheap entertainment aspect more. Or maybe the dollar dogs and 2 dollar beer nights is rare and prices are normally terrible. I know Redhawks push their "thirsty thursday" bit pretty decently.


Thanks for the post.

Well, OKC still has one team in the playoffs. chance to close out against Texas tonight and move on to the Western Conference Finals! Come out and support our team. tickets as low as $10

I'll be there. If you hear two guys boo'ing loudly at just about anything, it's my friend and I

I'll be there. If you hear two guys boo'ing loudly at just about anything, it's my friend and I

well i will be there as well. so that means a guaranteed attendance of at least 3! that's a start

Barons have a countdown to an big announcement on their website. The rumors circulating around Edmondton is that the Oilers and the Dallas Stars are going to play a NHL Preseason game here in OKC this fall. I'm pretty excited for this, and hopefully it will be something that will draw out some of the old Blazers fans and get them to start coming back to watch hockey.

Barons have a countdown to an big announcement on their website. The rumors circulating around Edmondton is that the Oilers and the Dallas Stars are going to play a NHL Preseason game here in OKC this fall. I'm pretty excited for this, and hopefully it will be something that will draw out some of the old Blazers fans and get them to start coming back to watch hockey.

It would be tough for me... Edmonton is our parent franchise... BUUUUUUUT... I've been a Stars/North Stars fan since I was a kid (long before they moved to Dallas)... would it be inappropriate to wear a Stars jersey AND and Oilers hat???

It would be tough for me... Edmonton is our parent franchise... BUUUUUUUT... I've been a Stars/North Stars fan since I was a kid (long before they moved to Dallas)... would it be inappropriate to wear a Stars jersey AND and Oilers hat???

not at all... i plan on wearing my custom made 99 Gretzky Stars Jersey. That'll really confuse everyone

Barons will play the Grand Rapids Griffins in Grand Rapids on Friday and Saturday, before returning home on wednesday 5/29 and friday 5/31, and Saturday 6/1 if needed. Lets go into Grand Rapids and get at least one if not both games and have a chance to close out the best of 7 and the Western Conference Finals here at home.

OKC Barons | The Official Site of The Oklahoma City Barons (http://okcbarons.com/index.cfm?fa=pressreleases&ra=showarticle&guid=A4630484-58E6-422A-B39E-524ED08B39A2)

BARONS HOSTING NHL PRESEASON GAME ON SEPTEMBER 27
By Josh Evans, OKC Barons

The Oklahoma City Barons, in partnership with the Edmonton Oilers, have scheduled an NHL Preseason Game in Oklahoma City on Friday, September 27. The NHL Showcase presented by Mercy, features the Dallas Stars against the Barons parent club, the Edmonton Oilers.

The preseason contest against the Dallas Stars is the first of a unique promotions calendar for the Oklahoma City Barons. Shortly after the preseason game, the team’s home opener follows. The Barons also announced that the largest promotion in Oklahoma sports history will continue.

“Drive Away Every Saturday” gives one lucky fan the opportunity to win a new car just by coming to a Barons game every Saturday night during the regular season. Last season, the Barons gave away over $400,000 worth of automobiles & accessories. The vehicles included a Cadillac CTS Coupe, a Dodge Challenger, a Jeep Wrangler and a Ford F-150.

This is the fourth NHL preseason game to be played in Oklahoma City. The first featured the Dallas Stars against the St. Louis Blues in September 1995. The second pit the St. Louis Blues against the Boston Bruins in September 1997. The most recent was the Los Angeles Kings against the Phoenix Coyotes in October 2002. Oklahoma City did host a regular season NHL game in 1992 when the New York Islanders took on the Oilers in a neutral site contest.

Ticket packages including the NHL Showcase presented by Mercy are on sale immediately by calling the Barons office at 232-GOAL. Barons Season Seat Holders will have a ticket to the NHL Showcase presented by Mercy included their Season Seat packages.

So, game got canceled tonight (well, last night if you want to be specific about it)... Wife and I were all suited up in Oklahoma City Barons gear when we were ushered to the underground parking garage, there we found... THE ENEMY!!! The Grand Rapids Griffins practicing the WRONG sport (soccer)! Well... that explains ALOT!!! LOL

Seriously, though, those guys were alot of fun to be around down there, and they took our CRAZY Oklahoma weather in stride!

Won't get to go to the game tomorrow as I have to work, but will most certainly be redeeming my tickets on Sunday... That reminds me... the game was rescheduled for 4:00pm on Sun!!! If you didn't get your tickets for this one, come chear on the ONLY team in OKC currently in the playoffs... If we win tomorrow, we could close out the series on Sunday...

THINK OUTSIDE THE BALL... JOIN THE FIGHT... and BE THERE!!!!!!!!!

I hope to be there today, if I can get done with work early enough. Hockey is a lot of fun to watch in person. I'm not so much of a tv hockey fan - I have trouble following the puck.

So no more playoff games in OKC...sad stuff

And now we start to see the players leave. Antti Tyrvainen has signed with a team in Finland, Niko Hovenin is signing somewhere, there have been two different places named, And Teemu Hartikainen is going to the KHL in russia

#23 Kristians Pelss may have drowned this week in Latvia. Atleast that is what the media in Latvia is reporting. What has been confirmed is that his family says that he has been missing since monday. A sad time for the Pelss family and the OKC Barons family. I hope that the media reports are not correct and that he is found soon. :(

The American Hockey League needs two cities which could really boast attendance for Oklahoma City and they would be great for travel. Tulsa and Wichita both have arenas seating in excess of 15,000; if the AHL could expand or relocate into those markets, you would see Oklahoma City back to drawing crowds in excess of 10,000 on a regular basis.

Speaking of hockey and proximity of other league teams looks as though the Barons may be or have lost one of their closer rivals. The Houston team is no longer shown on the AHL league maps. They were ranked 7th in attendance last year. This isn't good for OKC to lose one of their closest opponents, especially when they only had three to start with.

Can’t help but think that the powers to be at Prodigal Sports, as well as the two remaining Texas teams, are in the ear of league officials about how that league is become upper Midwest and Northeast eccentric.

If one looks at the league map there are now only three teams in the southwest and none in the western USA. Perhaps this is part of the reason that the Barons were last in the league in attendance.
Can’t help but think that f the league could add teams in Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Houston, Omaha, Tulsa and Wichita. not only would the Barons it would also help the two Texas teams. It would be better exposure for hockey in general.

The Minnesota Wild have moved their AHL affliliate (the Houston Aeros) closer -- to Des Moines, Iowa, and they're calling 'em the Iowa Wild. It should create a nice synergy like the Dallas and the Texas Stars have, through (semi-) collocation.

Houston Aeros Move to Iowa is Official - Hockey Wilderness (http://www.hockeywilderness.com/2013/4/18/4240084/houston-aeros-move-to-iowa-is-official)

I, too, would love to see more local rivals, but I can't see the AHL expanding beyond the current 30 -- one affiliate/farm club for each existing NHL team. Further, I can't see (and certainly don't hope for) the NHL expanding.

Your assessment of the AHL's gravity being in the Northeast is spot on. though. The worst team in the league for location, IMHO? Abbotsford Heat, up near Vancouver. Des Moines and Oklahoma City are probably their nearest colleagues. I don't think they were ever a real presence west of the Mississippi and certainly NEVER known beyond the Rockies. I don't know why they weren't able to leverage a true coast-to-coast league with the dissolution of the IHL and the WCHL. It's a mystery to me why these leagues don't translate to the west very well.

I agree having Des Moines in the league will create a nice synergy and from a proximity standpoint its not bad for OKC. Could have been worse, like Peoria moving to Utica. It was just surprising considering how well Houston was performing attendance wise.

Speaking of team affiliation and collocation of teams (by the way nice word) there are some long distance ones in the league like; Colorado with Cleveland, Phoenix with Portland Me, L.A. with Manchester, Anaheim with Norfolk and San Jose with Worchester.

Instead of expansion I was thinking more in terms of relocating some of the existing teams. The list of candidates would be Abbotsford, Adirondack, Albany, Binghamton, Hamilton, Springfield, Worchester. Those struggling with attendance.
Of those seven candidates, six are in the Northeast the area in which the AHL is top heavy.

The entire issue with Houston was the inablility for them to resign a lease with the Toyota Center. And they said that the alternative locations were all too high of a price. so the Wild decided that it was time to move them

I agree having Des Moines in the league will create a nice synergy and from a proximity standpoint its not bad for OKC. Could have been worse, like Peoria moving to Utica. It was just surprising considering how well Houston was performing attendance wise.

Speaking of team affiliation and collocation of teams (by the way nice word) there are some long distance ones in the league like; Colorado with Cleveland, Phoenix with Portland Me, L.A. with Manchester, Anaheim with Norfolk and San Jose with Worchester.

Instead of expansion I was thinking more in terms of relocating some of the existing teams. The list of candidates would be Abbotsford, Adirondack, Albany, Binghamton, Hamilton, Springfield, Worchester. Those struggling with attendance.
Of those seven candidates, six are in the Northeast the area in which the AHL is top heavy.

Agree. When I saw the Barons would be the AHL affiliate of Edmonton Oilers, I thought it was a horribly long-distance to maintain a relationship, but its better than some of those you mention. I just had a short time to look at the facts of the Peoria to Utica move, and it's hard to believe that the Canucks would want to move their affiliate that much further away. On the other hand, they looked at collocation options and nothing panned out, so ... Utica, here we come. The Abbotsford team is actually an affiliate of Calgary (IIRC) -- that distance probably works OK, even in the shadow of Vancouver.
The AHL has a history of being in the rust belt, so I guess that's why they are content to put their center of gravity there. On the other hand, they seem to have inherited/stolen/bought the mantle of being the NHL-lite, so they really should look at relocating to match the NHL. I just hope that if they choose to do that, they pick and choose carefully so that they don't fluctuate so wildly like the lesser leagues do. The CHL is almost unrecognizable from year to year, as are the West Coast lesser leagues.

Agree. When I saw the Barons would be the AHL affiliate of Edmonton Oilers, I thought it was a horribly long-distance to maintain a relationship, but its better than some of those you mention. I just had a short time to look at the facts of the Peoria to Utica move, and it's hard to believe that the Canucks would want to move their affiliate that much further away. On the other hand, they looked at collocation options and nothing panned out, so ... Utica, here we come. The Abbotsford team is actually an affiliate of Calgary (IIRC) -- that distance probably works OK, even in the shadow of Vancouver.
The AHL has a history of being in the rust belt, so I guess that's why they are content to put their center of gravity there. On the other hand, they seem to have inherited/stolen/bought the mantle of being the NHL-lite, so they really should look at relocating to match the NHL. I just hope that if they choose to do that, they pick and choose carefully so that they don't fluctuate so wildly like the lesser leagues do. The CHL is almost unrecognizable from year to year, as are the West Coast lesser leagues.

The big things that help OKC were made in Edmonton after the NHLers went back up. the loved it here, and had nothing but great things to say about their time in OKC as a city. Also it is the fact that the flight from OKC to Edmonton is easy, as there apparently is a single layover location and that the timing of the flights works well. I'm not sure if this layover is in Denver or somewhere else, but it has been something mentioned by front office personal in Edmonton that have made the trek down here as well.

On the other hand, they seem to have inherited/stolen/bought the mantle of being the NHL-lite, so they really should look at relocating to match the NHL. I just hope that if they choose to do that, they pick and choose carefully so that they don't fluctuate so wildly like the lesser leagues do. The CHL is almost unrecognizable from year to year, as are the West Coast lesser leagues.

Speaking of that other hand, for grins and giggles I took a peak the other two top minor leagues in hockey. Here is the interesting tidbits gleaned from view.

In the CHL three teams in our neighborhood seemed to be doing quite well:
The Wichita Thunder with average attendance in 2013 of 5599
The Missouri Mavericks (KC) with average attendance in 2013 of 5522
The Tulsa Oilers with average attendance in 2013 of 4166

In the ECHL;
The Colorado Eagles with average attendance in 2013 of 5289

Ave attendance of the bottom five teams in the AHL 3726


Because they would be the western most outlier of the AHL the Colorado team would probably be a tough sell for the AHL.

Granted attendance isn’t everything and it is still a free market country and you have to have willing franchisees and facilities that are affordable.

Hopefully the AHL is having serious discussions with the other three.

Another reason it would be nice to have Wichita in the AHL.

Wichita seeks grant for rail extension to Oklahoma City | News OK (http://newsok.com/wichita-seeks-grant-for-rail-extension-to-oklahoma-city/article/3854936)

full story here: Kansas, Wichita seek federal grant to complete planning for passenger rail extension | Wichita Eagle (http://www.kansas.com/2013/06/20/2856349/kansas-wichita-seek-federal-grant.html)

The same could be said for Tulsa and KC considering discussions for Amtrak service to Tulsa and KC

season opener for the Barons tonight at the COX center. Another game tomorrow night, and they are giving away, i believe a Dodge Ram pickup.

The Houston Aeros could have used The Summit or smaller Sam Houston Coliseum or Houston Fairgrounds arena etc. Aeroes fans who came up from Houston OKC were some of the best people you meet. Rocket fans on the other hand...

Also, it looks like more people will go to Barons games this year as Thunder tickets have gone through the roof and are hard to get now.

Here is the link to my stats sheet I have been doing for all the past and current Barons Season if anyone is interested. I usually have it updated after the games or if not then, by the next morning/afternoon.

Barons 2013/14 Season Stats (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgElsZOKwYopdDZrR0o2NzBNS0FVbmtwNzN6Q3lJQ nc)

Got a bit of a rough start this season, losing the first 3 games. But we won 4 - 2 today against the Iowa Wild (Houston Aeros replacement team). Next 3 games are home vs Texas Stars (Tue, Oct 15 @ 7pm) and Abbotsford Heat (Fri/Sat Oct 18/19 @ 7pm).

The Barons are currently 16-22-1-5, a season that has featured 100 transactions.

The Barons have also alienated many fans with the way they have banned from fans from their Facebook page for comments regarding the team and Edmonton. The staff isn't very helpful at games either, if you have a question, they are quite rude.

Barons have won 5 straight, including completing a 4-0 road trip today .

Next home games are this friday and saturday night!

Solid post but would argue that the myriad is not a "great facility" for AAA hockey.

Why do you say that? What would you do differently?

Why do you say that? What would you do differently?

it was built 42 years ago.

it was built 42 years ago.

and?

Great is another debate; however we have progressed throughout the years...

https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608039177282063792&pid=15.1https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRjsY5uxPRUyqXb_M2V6FjkjgqFakIUb 3MfVbvXlioaFbNwR6OQqAhttps://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ_4Mk3OJtPLO_Zaiex9fDiWg4tWsssf OHKREO_f_urdzohJhyPWw
Stockyards Coliseum, 1930-60s . . . . . . . . Fairgrounds Arena 1963-70s . . . . . Myriad Great Arena 1973 . . . .

I don't see why the Barons can't look at using the Fairgrounds Arena when (/ if) the Myriad closes down. I know we (somebody) just sank some money into upgrading the Myriad, but it's demise isn't a year out, yet, either. When it's time to shut down the Myriad, the Barons and city ought to look to making better use out of the Fairgrounds Arena (again) for minor league hockey.

It sounds like the Abbotsford Heat (who are in our division) are moving, not sure where but it would hard to get any farther away

Wow, SO many thing wrong with that situation!
Apparently the city spent something like $66 million in taxpayer money to build an arena, in a city with a population of about 125,000.
Then, they gave the team a pretty sweet deal, but they have had to pay over $5 million just to cover the teams losses in the last 5 years, (which apparently doesn't include THIS year's losses which are looking to be around $2.1 million!).
They have only averaged ~ 2,500 per game.
PLUS, it looks like the city will ALSO pay $5.5 million to terminate their contract with the AHL!
And Abbotsford is a suburb of Vancouver, and the team was a Calgary Flames affiliate?!?!
And I LOVE the reaction for their fan:

Beth Dudka, who has been a season ticket holder since the team’s arrival in Abbotsford, said the community is responsible for the dismal attendance.
“This team was here for five years and nobody would come out and support it,” she said. “We didn't get support from the people in the community. They were too busy being upset about having to pay more taxes.”

Holy crap!

At least they're not still upset about losing the Grizzlies in 2001, some 13 years later. I feel like in 2021 we'll still be hearing about it from Seattle if they don't have an NBA team yet by then.

I don't see why the Barons can't look at using the Fairgrounds Arena when (/ if) the Myriad closes down. I know we (somebody) just sank some money into upgrading the Myriad, but it's demise isn't a year out, yet, either. When it's time to shut down the Myriad, the Barons and city ought to look to making better use out of the Fairgrounds Arena (again) for minor league hockey.

While everyone is on the "Tear-Down-The-Old-Myriad-Now-Called-The-Cox-Convention-Center" bandwagon... I've got some bad news for you... I foresee this building persisting for some time. Once the new CC is built, expect the convention space at the Cox to remain until at least the first expansion of the new CC, then I would expect the original MAPS convention space to be torn down leaving the arena itself intact until the Peak is replaced... at THAT point we can talk about the Cox being torn down... and even then, if we still have hockey, I would imagine the Barons to move to the Peake until the new arena is ready to be replaced.

Now, I recognize the fact that the post I am quoting was from Feb, and there hasn't been much talk about my beloved Barons since then... (because for some reason no one here seems to care about hockey, nevermind the fact that it has the second longest running tradition in OKC behind baseball) but I would like to point out that the team has been here for FOUR years and made the playoffs FOUR times!!! And this year they did it with Arcobello, Pitlick, and Ford injured.

Attendance for tonight's playoff game: 1,278

Attendance for tonight's playoff game: 1,278

Beyond sad... But, while low on the AHL's attendance list, the Barons have one of the highest season ticket renewal rates and high merch sales. As long as Edmonton is happy with the player development and Prodigal is willing to absorb the financial losses, I'm not worried.

Beyond sad... But, while low on the AHL's attendance list, the Barons have one of the highest season ticket renewal rates and high merch sales. As long as Edmonton is happy with the player development and Prodigal is willing to absorb the financial losses, I'm not worried.


If the Barons are going to be around long term, Prodigal won't be involved, they have turned their focus to soccer, most of us fans realize this. Heck, this Saturday the Barons game is at 8:00 and the doors aren't opening until 7:30, 30 minutes before (ALWAYS an hour before). I haven't gotten an explanation, but my guess is all the staff will be at the Energy game and then SOME will come work the Barons game.

Also, the Energy haven't played a single game and have THEIR OWN STORE. Only way to get Barons gear is at games and online.

Beyond sad... But, while low on the AHL's attendance list, the Barons have one of the highest season ticket renewal rates and high merch sales. As long as Edmonton is happy with the player development and Prodigal is willing to absorb the financial losses, I'm not worried.

I really think Prodigal is giving up on the Barons and focusing on the energy. I have nothing to base my contentions on, but I think they have seen this coming for awhile, and soccer is a fall back position for them. When I think of how important hockey used to be in Oklahoma City, it makes me sad to see what has happened. I do think some of it can be attributed to the popularity of the Thunder, but not all of it.
Sometimes it's just the shiny penny phenomenon. Before the Blazers came to town, we had the Cavalry. They weren't a huge success story, but they did OK. As soon as the Blazers came in, their attendance almost literally dried up. They even played a Championship series at UCO, in front of a couple hundred people, if I remember right?

Here are the 2013-14 attendance figures for the AHL. The only teams below OKC are Abbotsford (a team that is moving at the end of the year due to non-support), and Portland, ME.

Hershey 9,664
Grand Rapids 8,220
Lake Erie 8,144
Providence 8,135
Chicago 7,927
San Antonio 7,001
Charlotte 6,360
St. John's 6,287
Toronto 6,013
Iowa 5,883
Milwaukee 5,844
W-B/Scranton 5,804
Manchester 5,608
Syracuse 5,574
Rochester 5,412
Texas 5,294
Norfolk 5,004
Hamilton 4,946
Bridgeport 4,860
Rockford 4,804
Adirondack 4,192
Hartford 4,071
Worcester 3,958
Binghamton 3,936
Springfield 3,787
Utica 3,435
Albany 3,360
Oklahoma City 3,348
Abbotsford 3,007
Portland 2,185

the Energy haven't played a single game and have THEIR OWN STORE. Only way to get Barons gear is at games and online.

Haven't been in the store yet, might go today, but was hoping the Barons would get a corner. Cross marketing just a little couldn't hurt.

Haven't been in the store yet, might go today, but was hoping the Barons would get a corner. Cross marketing just a little couldn't hurt.

I would hope so, but the Barons haven't mentioned anything about it.

Ticket prices are being dropped for next season in the Upper Bowl, they are taking out the corners and all Upper Bowl Seats will be $7.50 per game for season tickets (I think that is the cent total, know it is $7) and $10 for single game.

I really think Prodigal is giving up on the Barons and focusing on the energy. I have nothing to base my contentions on, but I think they have seen this coming for awhile, and soccer is a fall back position for them. When I think of how important hockey used to be in Oklahoma City, it makes me sad to see what has happened. I do think some of it can be attributed to the popularity of the Thunder, but not all of it.
Sometimes it's just the shiny penny phenomenon. Before the Blazers came to town, we had the Cavalry. They weren't a huge success story, but they did OK. As soon as the Blazers came in, their attendance almost literally dried up. They even played a Championship series at UCO, in front of a couple hundred people, if I remember right?

It's beyond disappointing, the attendance isn't what it used to be, but it's still hockey and there are many lifelong fans. We already lost the Blazers and will more than likely lose the Barons for SOCCER?!!????? I know soccer is popular and played more by kids around here but COME ON MAN!!!!

I know many want MLS, but I hope the Energy flop. Prodigal should have been putting more resources into marketing the Barons and better promotional items (a car giveaway is great, but what if you can't afford the taxes) to get people to the games.

I would hope so, but the Barons haven't mentioned anything about it.

It would be a good move, but the Barons do not have any merch at the Energy store... however, the Red Dirt Emporium has a large Barons section and I have seen Barons stuff at the House of Bedlam in Lower Bricktown from time to time (not something they regularly stock, but a few items here and there)

It would be a good move, but the Barons do not have any merch at the Energy store... however, the Red Dirt Emporium has a large Barons section and I have seen Barons stuff at the House of Bedlam in Lower Bricktown from time to time (not something they regularly stock, but a few items here and there)

Oh yeah, I have seen it in the Red Dirt.