A H L adds Des Moines

[yh]

What about Calgary moving St. John to somewhere near them or atleast Oklahoma City - they deserve AAA hockey.

Oklahoma City doesn't want AAA hockey. They love the Blazers and the relatively lower ticket prices that AA teams can charge. The owner of the KC Blades wanted to move that franchise there several years ago and the city broke off negotiations very shortly after they began because the community did not want to lose the Blazers.

Sure, they'd take the NHL in a heartbeat, however when given the choice between the CHL, where there's very little player promotion and relegation, and AAA hockey where there's a lot of player movement, they decided they preferred roster consistency and family-friendly pricing schemes.

[Notch Novelty]

I think the city of OKC would accept the AAA Blazers after getting use to the team in the new league much like the city of Cincy did with the Ducks. Cyclones are now no more.

And couple of bucks more for tickets won't hurt attendance.

[MilTownMVP]

Probably won't happen...they'll be Calgary's farm team, so look for a name to play off of 'Flames' in some way shape or form.

Actually, Howard Baldwin and Dallas Stars' president Jim Lites are negotiating to make the new Des Moines-based AHL franchise the Stars' top farm club. In fact, Stars' officials have toured the new arena in Des Moines twice this month.

Since refusing to renew their affiliation agreement with the Utah Grizzlies, the Stars have entered into a one-year secondary affiliation with the Houston Aeros. That affiliation is seen as a stop-gap measure, since the Minnesota Wild own a percentage of the Aeros and the team serves as the Wild's primary affiliate. Ironically, at one time, Minnesota Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Wild and operates the Xcel Energy Center, had signed a letter of intent to manage Des Moines' arena and place the Wild's top farm club there.

As for Calgary, while they are currently sharing the Lowell Lock Monsters with the Carolina Hurricanes, they still own the rights to their own dormant AHL franchise - the former Saint John Flames. Calgary management is in the process of trying to decide where they want to locate/operate it.

Brian in Boston

Interesting. All that I gleaned off the AHL site and the old Saint John Flames sites pointed towards Calgary setting up shop in Des Moines, even though, really, Minnesota or Chicago (Or St Louis) would make a LOT more sense.

I stand corrected, BiB.

I'd say Minnesota would make the most sense. I've blocked most of that horrible month I lived in Iowa out of my head, but I remember most everyone there being fans of the Minnesota teams (except for the Cubs). So I think it's safe to assume the Wild are the most popular hockey team in Iowa.

But like you said, even Chicago or St. Louis would make more sense than Calgary.