Barons Update

[Edgar]

Can't blame this flop on Buckland, or the Thunder. The Blazers drew 6500 their last year in existence. It's Funk Jr's baby. Even the savvy hockey fans fired up about the upgrade jumped off the sinking ship.

[borchard]

Different sports landscape in town, now. Get used to it.

I guess I did. i don't go to hockey games anymore

[Dubya61]

I guess I did. i don't go to hockey games anymore

Maybe we should blame this hockey flop on YOU, then. Maybe you're unknowingly the god of hockey attendance, and if you only went, more would.

[OKCretro]

Borchard wants to be in a league with Allen, texas, St Charles Missouri, Independence Missouri, and Brampton Canada.
those are huge thriving cities on the brink of getting a major league team.

Sorry we are better than A hockey... Last time the blazers were in town they had no affiliation with any nhl team or anything. It was an independent league, just like the independent leagues in baseball. Sorry I don't think the Sugarland skeeters are equivalent of the Tulsa drillers.

Maybe your boy Brad Lund can bring the blazers back at the state fair arena...

[Richard at Remax]

Im still on the ship. Having a great time. If it sinks so be it.

[borchard]

Maybe we should blame this hockey flop on YOU, then. Maybe you're unknowingly the god of hockey attendance, and if you only went, more would.

I know. DAMN YOU, Brad!

[borchard]

Borchard wants to be in a league with Allen, texas, St Charles Missouri, Independence Missouri, and Brampton Canada.
those are huge thriving cities on the brink of getting a major league team.

And right now, we're in a league with;
Abbotsford (Nope, sorry. They're leaving town)
Glens Falls, NY. Have you ever been there? I have. It's smaller than Durant.
Albany, NY. Woo Hoo! Capital city!
Bridgeport, CT
Binghamton, NY (It's the same size as Stillwater)
Manchester, NH (Now this is a BIG city. It's the size of Norman)
Portland (Maine, NOT Oregon. That WOULD be cool! But this one s a little bigger than Moore)

Sorry we are better than A hockey...

Based on what, exactly? And once again, the CHL is AA, NOT A

Last time the blazers were in town they had no affiliation with any nhl team or anything. It was an independent league, just like the independent leagues in baseball.

And your point?

Sorry I don't think the Sugarland skeeters are equivalent of the Tulsa drillers.

Nobody said they were. But you're not actually giving an apples-to-apples comparison.
The Blazers were the equivalent (minus the official affiliation, which you seem to lust after) of the Tulsa Drillers...AA
And btw, the Sugar land Skeeters averaged TWICE the attendance of the Oklahoma City Barons. Probably shouldn't have used them as an example, for a couple of reasons...

Maybe your boy Brad Lund can bring the blazers back at the state fair arena...

That would be fine with me. And I will bet you $10 right now (I'm cheap) that if he DID bring back the Blazers, AND they played at the fairgrounds (which wouldn't be my first choice) they would STILL outdraw the Barons.

[Laramie]

It was great when they revived the CHL in the early 90s--Dallas, Fort Worth, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Tulsa & Wichita. The NHL moved into the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and the whole landscape of the league changed. The CHL started to spread out (Macon, GA). It wasn't the town but the nickname 'Whoopee;' was this about a musical or a play on words (Whoopee) sex or did Whoopi Goldberg own the team?

The league moved a franchise into Rio Grand Valley (Hidalgo, TX) a city the size of Guthrie, OK. We would have been better off having a 3rd Oklahoma CHL franchise in the Edmond-Guthrie area at the Lazy E arena; it would have saved on travel.

The American Hockey League does have some great known cities along with a few non popular ones.

Would Tulsa and/or Wichita have an 'impact' on the resurrection of ice hockey in OKC?

"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

[Dave Cook]

Tulsa draws right at 5K. Wichita still draws just over 5K. Drawing 5K, and driving to games, seems to be more feasible than drawing <3 and flying to Abbottsford, BC

I have a hard time believing some of those attendance figures. The Tulsa games that I've been to in the last few years have been horrendous. Seriously, that last Oilers/Thunder game I saw at the BOK looked like an open practice. How Tulsa still has a hockey team is a mystery.

[Snowman]

Tulsa draws right at 5K. Wichita still draws just over 5K. Drawing 5K, and driving to games, seems to be more feasible than drawing <3 and flying to Abbottsford, BC

I can not remember what sport it was, but I remember a while back that one of the college teams used buses essentially for PR to imply they were cutting back on expenses, though it turned out that it cost more to do that than fly.

[bradh]

We go to about 5 Barons game per season. We once looked at a 11 game mini season package. We may do it next year because our daughter enjoys the games. I think if the Barons went to a flat ticket rate and made the entire place GA and closed off the second level you'd get more folks at games, and maybe it'd feel like more people. I don't know, just a thought.

[borchard]

We go to about 5 Barons game per season. We once looked at a 11 game mini season package. We may do it next year because our daughter enjoys the games. I think if the Barons went to a flat ticket rate and made the entire place GA and closed off the second level you'd get more folks at games, and maybe it'd feel like more people. I don't know, just a thought.

I just think it's sad that, given how popular hockey USED to be, that we've come to this. Seriously, how long before they propose playing games at Arctic Edge?

[bradh]

I just think it's sad that, given how popular hockey USED to be, that we've come to this. Seriously, how long before they propose playing games at Arctic Edge?

Again, you and a couple others continue to have your head in the sand about this, but the NBA drastically changed the landscape in OKC.

[shawnw]

I don't have a dog in this fight, but the bring-back-the-Blazers crowd is starting to sound a little like the disgruntled Seattle basketball fans...

[Edgar]

Again, you and a couple others continue to have your head in the sand about this, but the NBA drastically changed the landscape in OKC.

Tha Blazers drew 6500 their lat year. Funk Jr and the secretive plutocrats wanted to change the culture of hockey on OKC and rebrand the team, and it went over as well as the new Coke formula.

[borchard]

Here are other AHL teams that share a city with the NBA:
Lake Erie Monsters - 8144
Chicago Wolves - 7927 (Not only an NBA team, but an NHL team as well)
San Antonio - 7001
Charlotte Checkers - 6360
Toronto Marlies - 6013 (Not only have an NBA team, but an NHL team as well)
Milwaukee Admirals - 5844

Did the NBA not "change the landscape" in these places?

[Jersey Boss]

I think those CHL attendance numbers might be a little skewed. I remember the Blazers giving tickets away. PAID attendance if obtainable would be more telling. I myself would rather pay a few bucks more for a better product. If I want to see cheap club hockey I go see OU play at the Blazers Ice Centre or whatever it is called now.

[Dubya61]

I think those CHL attendance numbers might be a little skewed. I remember the Blazers giving tickets away. PAID attendance if obtainable would be more telling. I myself would rather pay a few bucks more for a better product. If I want to see cheap club hockey I go see OU play at the Blazers Ice Centre or whatever it is called now.

When we lived in Stuttgart, we went to see the Stuttgart Wizards play. The smaller feel was incredible, and the players knew that those who came to see the game were real fans of the sport (or family!). The venue wasn't heated and one side wasn't even seating, but sort of a broad slow stairway where fans were expected to stand. They were sure to pay attention to the fans after each game. It was a wonderful fan experience (and it sure didn't hurt that you could get gluhwein cheaply there). On the other hand, the level of hockey was not near what you could get from the next level up (at the Bietigheim-Bissingen Steelers games further north) or from any higher caliber league.
I fully enjoyed the Blazers when they played here, and the roster continuity from an unaffiliated team was marvelous, but like Jersey Boss says, the AHL is a better product (and not really much more expensive, if you account for inflation).
Further, Jersey Boss is spot on with the attendance record being skewed with the ticket giveaways. I'm sure that if the Blazers were financially successful, they'd still be here, even if the Funk's wanted a higher level league affiliation.

[bradh]

Tha Blazers drew 6500 their lat year. Funk Jr and the secretive plutocrats wanted to change the culture of hockey on OKC and rebrand the team, and it went over as well as the new Coke formula.

rebrand it from what? bad play and fighting? you know who likes to watch that? NOT true hockey fans.

[bradh]

Here are other AHL teams that share a city with the NBA:
Lake Erie Monsters - 8144
Chicago Wolves - 7927 (Not only an NBA team, but an NHL team as well)
San Antonio - 7001
Charlotte Checkers - 6360
Toronto Marlies - 6013 (Not only have an NBA team, but an NHL team as well)
Milwaukee Admirals - 5844

Did the NBA not "change the landscape" in these places?

A few of those places are not really debatable because there is a legit hockey culture (Lake Erie, Chicago, Toronto, Milwaukee) in place, and has been in place for years. We're NEVER going to compare to places where kids can go out and play pond hockey in the winters, that's a fact.

As for San Antonio (and Charlotte), I'm sure it doesn't hurt that they play in the same arena as the Spurs (and Bobcats), and have double the MSA of OKC. The NBA is not the only factor at play here.

Again, I'll ask you like I ask Edgar (who we are used to not answering questions on this site but only answering in vague generalities), what changed? It's still a black rubber round thing pushed around on ice with a carbon fiber stick.

[Edgar]

You had passionate brand loyality with the Blazers, not sure why you'd toss that away except the oilies wanted to name a team after themselves. Thank God it's the Thunder and not the Barons like they dreamed. Not insulting all the old hockey fans in town would have helped. Balzer fans a blue collar beer drinking screaming at the opposition and ponuding on the glass ilk. The faith and family bs didn't help. I'll go to church if feel in need. Not condusive to a rowdy atmosphere. Blazer may have comped some tickets, but at least people actually used them. Sad thing about the Barons, every game their are piles of bought tickets no one cares enough to use. The upgrade could have been successful if you had soemone who knew what they were doing. If Funk eating the operating losses?

[shawnw]

What's done is done. Time to move on.

[Dubya61]

You had passionate brand loyality with the Blazers, not sure why you'd toss that away except the oilies wanted to name a team after themselves. Thank God it's the Thunder and not the Barons like they dreamed. Not insulting all the old hockey fans in town would have helped. Balzer fans a blue collar beer drinking screaming at the opposition and ponuding on the glass ilk. The faith and family bs didn't help. I'll go to church if feel in need. Not condusive to a rowdy atmosphere. Blazer may have comped some tickets, but at least people actually used them. Sad thing about the Barons, every game their are piles of bought tickets no one cares enough to use. The upgrade could have been successful if you had soemone who knew what they were doing. If Funk eating the operating losses?

Is this another plutocracy / chamber junta evil plan? Let me know when you run out of tin foil. I'd love to sell you some.

[Edgar]

thanks Dubya, still have a full roll at home.

[Dubya61]

How?!