Quote Originally Posted by GoThunder View Post
Is there any evidence or first hand knowledge that the Thunder killed the ECHL team, or is this just a rumor? Not saying I have any information either way but it seems like we are talking about unsubstantiated rumors here.
i have had a face to face conversation with someone who works for the Stars ownership group, and was in OKC to discuss the potential of their ECHL team being here. these conversations took place in late 2015, early 2016, with the hope of having had the team play their first season this past year (the 2017-2018 season). but it fell through and the stars re-upped their agreement with the Idaho Steelheads.

The decision for them to take total control of their minor league system came when Tom Gaglardi made the decision in 2014 to purchase the Texas Stars (their AHL affiliate since 2010) so that the team had a total control of not only their brand, but their development prospects. Stars ownership (Tom Gaglardi) has made it abundantly clear that they did not get along with mangement of the Allen Americans (in allen texas) and that is why they ended their development affiliation with them after just two seasons, back in 2011. And the Stars have a long standing dislike for the Stevens Brothers that goes back to the mid 2000's, and they own both the Tulsa and Wichita teams. so OKC became the viable option, because it would be something they would own (much like their AHL team), and have marketing control over, and thought it would be more successful than the Barons, because it would bring back the rivalries with both Tulsa and Wichita which lead to some great Blazers years.

so that's the history lesson. But i was told in my face to face conversation, that the some people were really excited about the possibility, especially with the Stars being so close, and this opening up the door for maybe getting a preseason exhibition of the stars each year, and things like that. and said that for 2 days the conversations where going well, and then on the third day, the OKC group came in and said, that basically everything that had been talked and worked through involving a merch store, any branding of any kind, build out for locker rooms for the hockey team, and whether ice could remain between games, had all come into jeopardy, because the thunder ownership thought it would diminish their product. and that basically the previous two days had been a waste of time.

due to the fact that i still use this source for Dallas Stars information (as we are long-time friends) I will keep who they are and what position they hold out of this... but let me just say that if and when the stars are looking for affiliates, either by contract or owning them, this person would be in the know and would absolutely be involved in those conversations.