$11 tickets and $1 beer again for game one against Toronto

Barons win 5-1! Ties the series at 1 a piece. Also games 4 (May 23 @ 6pm) and 5 (May 25 @ 6pm) in Toronto will be on cox cable channel 3 and 703.

Anybody who wasn't at the game Friday night missed a hell of a game!! Even had a brawl the Blazers would've been proud of in the last two minutes. ;) Was great to see us fight back as hard as we did after Game 1. Game 3 is Monday at 2pm in Toronto (it is Victoria Day there, hence the middle of the day start time) and there's a watch party for it at Buffalo Wild Wings on NW Expy.

See you all in October. Toronto won tonight's game, bringing the series tally to 4-1 in favor of the Marlies, knocking the Barons out of the playoffs run.

Still, it was a damn fine season. They were the regular season Western Conference champions (a long form of saying first seed), and were second in the league. They made it to the Western Conference Finals against the #2 seed, and were outplayed too many times to go any further. All this in their second season of existence in OKC, so I'd say they're on the path to greatness, if we're able to keep them here for a few more seasons.

Now that the Barons are out, and none of my teams are in the NHL playoffs at this point, I suppose I'll be rooting for the Thunder for the rest of the playoffs season.

I went to quite a few Barons games this past season, mostly because of the NBA lockout int he beginning. Sadly the lockout hurt the Barons as the new NBA schedule had many Thunder home games on the same night the Barons were playing across the street at the Myriad. The Barons organization is trying to market the team in OKC but still they can't get any attendance in the old Myriad.

I believe it's a dog that dies.

More importantly, what is a team based in Toronto doing playing in the Western Conference? It defies all logic. LOL

the western open was founded in chicago

It looks like the Barons studied the Thunder schedule this season before releasing their own. Both have 7 nights where they both play at home this upcoming season. I dont know what the number was last year but it seemed like more. Plus the Barons have 11 home Saturday night games while the Thunder have zero. I expect attendance to go up a bit this year. If not then they are in trouble.

I would guess the Sat. games would help them quite a bit. I know that caught my eye.

how does the possibility of an nhl lockout affect the barons this season?

What I have been lead to believe is that Barons and AHL shouldnt be affected at all. If there is a lockout many of the young players and rookies will play in the AHL to get some experience and playing time until the NHL hammers their issues out.

how does the possibility of an nhl lockout affect the barons this season?

Most, if not all, of the Oilers with 2-way contracts will play in OKC. The AHL will play regardless of what happens with the NHL.

See here for a discussion of the Oilers with respect to the last lockout: http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2012/08/19/how-would-an-nhl-lockout-impact-a-young-team-like-the-edmonton-oilers/

thanks for the info. wasn't sure how it would work with our team being officially affiliated with an nhl team this go-around of (possible) lockouts. the last one i remember brenden morrow playing for a short time with the blazers. would be fun to see some of the oilers' recent #1 picks in okc.

The reason for the conflicting schedules between the Thunder/Barons was because of the NBA lockout. The lockout forced the NBA to reschedule all of the games and since the AHL was already in play, many teams had conflicting schedules with their NBA counterparts (Houston, Cleveland-Lake Erie, San Antonio). Fortunately the Barons and Thunder had separate arenas but had many games going head to head. Fortunately this season the Barons will only have 7 head to head games with the Thunder. The Barons biggest problem is marketing as they still can't fill out the old Myriad even on $1 beer night or $1 hot dog night.

I bought tickets for opening night. I decided that I need to support hockey in OKC as well as basketball, and I remember loving hockey live. It's just almost impossible for me to watch it on television as I can't follow the darn puck.

Lots of NHL players will be playing in the KHL (Russian professional league). The KHL is nowhere near the quality of play you find in the NHL, but my god do they have the money! So if possible, most players would prefer to play for a spell in the KHL for the duration of the lockout, than to play in the AHL. That said, there are some ace players in Edmonton, so I wouldn't at all mind seeing them play in OKC for the duration of the lockout. Just imagine if we had Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins!

Do you think there ought to be a limit (for the sake of parity in the AHL) to how many NHLers can be on the AHL payroll? Is that even something that can be policed? I think the Barons did GREAT last season and I'd hate to see, say, the Marlies shelve their AHL talent to keep the Leafs (is that the associated NHL team?) playing and therefore blow out the rest of the AHL.

It would be difficult to figure such a limit out, I think. I think many/most rookie players get signed with two-way agreements that allow for them to be sent up and down at will, and any NHL player recovering from an injury could be sent down to the affiliate to get back in shape.

But yes, I think it would be good to work out some kind of limit, in case one team has a larger percentage of players willing to go to the AHL as opposed to players that would go for the big money in the KHL. I'm just glad that a lockout doesn't affect the AHL schedule at all.

It's official: OKC will be getting a number of players from Edmonton, including the skilled Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. This is great news!

It's official: OKC will be getting a number of players from Edmonton, including the skilled Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. This is great news!

Very nice

Unfortunately, Linus Omark is no longer with the Edmonton organization. He was always evidently upset that he had to play here in OKC, where he played remarkably well. But whenever he was called up, he played just ok. He wasn't the stellar addition that they'd hoped. Ultimately, he denied Edmonton's offer for this season (which was probably to require him to stay in the AHL), so now he's playing for Switzerland's National League A. Yes, he left the NHL/AHL for a league called National League A. Best of luck to him.

Better news: looks like Taylor Hall is coming down here too, once he's medically cleared.

Hmmm, season tickets are starting to sound attractive...

Better news: looks like Taylor Hall is coming down here too, once he's medically cleared.

Hmmm, season tickets are starting to sound attractive...

Hall and Nugent-Hopkins on a line together...holy sh¡t. They play awesomely at the NHL level, so they could utterly dominate down here.

I really need to get to a game or five this year, I've been a hockey fan since the Blazers days at the Fairgrounds. Wife and I went to a lot of the Stars' games when they were affiliated with the Leafs. Went to a couple of the resurrected Blazers games but it wasn't a very good product on the ice, this was blaringly obvious after seeing the exhibition game that was played at the then Ford Center between the Oilers and Islanders. Haven't been to a game since.

There are some news reports that the Edmonton Oilers Ownership Group are shopping around for a new host city, since their home ice (the Rexall Arena?) contract will expire in 2014. Rumor has it that the OKC Barons parent/affiliate NHL team are looking in Seattle. Awkward. Ironic.

There are some news reports that the Edmonton Oilers Ownership Group are shopping around for a new host city, since their home ice (the Rexall Arena?) contract will expire in 2014. Rumor has it that the OKC Barons parent/affiliate NHL team are looking in Seattle. Awkward. Ironic.

Wow, that really is awkward and ironic. If it comes to fruition it'll be...interesting.


Anyway, I'm planning on going to at least a few Barons games this season. It's been far too long since I've seen a hockey game.

There are some news reports that the Edmonton Oilers Ownership Group are shopping around for a new host city, since their home ice (the Rexall Arena?) contract will expire in 2014. Rumor has it that the OKC Barons parent/affiliate NHL team are looking in Seattle. Awkward. Ironic.

I heard this today...the prospect sickens me! There are proposals for a new convention center in Edmonton, and I really hope they are made a reality. This may be Edmonton pulling a Pittsburgh in order to get stuff done. If you recall, Pittsburgh threatened to move the Penguins to OKC in light of a crumbling arena, and it led to a brand new arena being built for them - it was all a bluff, and they got what they wanted. I'd love if the same happened in Edmonton. Seattle Oilers just doesn't have a nice ring to it, and an Edmonton without NHL hockey would be tragic.

I heard this today...the prospect sickens me! There are proposals for a new convention center in Edmonton, and I really hope they are made a reality. This may be Edmonton pulling a Pittsburgh in order to get stuff done. If you recall, Pittsburgh threatened to move the Penguins to OKC in light of a crumbling arena, and it led to a brand new arena being built for them - it was all a bluff, and they got what they wanted. I'd love if the same happened in Edmonton. Seattle Oilers just doesn't have a nice ring to it, and an Edmonton without NHL hockey would be tragic.

concur. NHL needs to maintain as many Canadian teams as possible. One blogger up there likens the Oilers to a bully and the city of Edmonton to a poor defenseless kid who loses his lunch money. What he fails to realize is the benefits the Oilers bring to Edmonton, and how much value building a new arena would be. Maybe the terms of the arena favor the team overmuch -- I don't know all the details -- but Edmonton needs to work with the Oilers here.

concur. NHL needs to maintain as many Canadian teams as possible. One blogger up there likens the Oilers to a bully and the city of Edmonton to a poor defenseless kid who loses his lunch money. What he fails to realize is the benefits the Oilers bring to Edmonton, and how much value building a new arena would be. Maybe the terms of the arena favor the team overmuch -- I don't know all the details -- but Edmonton needs to work with the Oilers here.

For sure. Even with a losing record as of late, the Oilers are the hottest show in town. I've been up there a couple times, and you're lucky if you find an available ticket on day of game from the box office (we never could), and the ones going on Craistlist are astronomical in price. I say this with only slight hyperbole: there will be riots in Edmonton if they lose the Oilers. The Canadians are a very calm, friendly people, but when it comes to their hockey, they don't f*ck around.

I heard this today...the prospect sickens me! There are proposals for a new convention center in Edmonton, and I really hope they are made a reality. This may be Edmonton pulling a Pittsburgh in order to get stuff done. If you recall, Pittsburgh threatened to move the Penguins to OKC in light of a crumbling arena, and it led to a brand new arena being built for them - it was all a bluff, and they got what they wanted. I'd love if the same happened in Edmonton. Seattle Oilers just doesn't have a nice ring to it, and an Edmonton without NHL hockey would be tragic.

I assume you mean Kansas City. Cause the Sprint Center had just opened and were in talks with the Penguins. Never heard anything about OKC.

I assume you mean Kansas City. Cause the Sprint Center had just opened and were in talks with the Penguins. Never heard anything about OKC.

Nope, OKC was one of the teaser cities. I only mentioned OKC because this is an OKC forum. We all love feeling relevant.

The possible relocation sites about which there was the greatest speculation and discussion were Houston, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Hamilton, Ontario.

Pittsburgh Penguins - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Penguins)

Business leaders in Oklahoma City pass on Penguins - NHL - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2728741)

Yeah I should have rephrased it, I didn't ever hear of anyone here in OKC trying to lure them here or it would have been more publicized, like when they were trying to get the then Florida Marlins along with San Antonio. I guess it is a good thing. The NHL is in trouble if they let this lockout go on. They are just not recovering from the last one.

Yeah I should have rephrased it, I didn't ever hear of anyone here in OKC trying to lure them here or it would have been more publicized, like when they were trying to get the then Florida Marlins along with San Antonio. I guess it is a good thing. The NHL is in trouble if they let this lockout go on. They are just not recovering from the last one.

Business for the NHL has actually been booming since the last lockout; it's much more profitable. However, two lockouts within a decade might be too much for the public who aren't yet die-hard hockey fans. You don't want to throw your rabid sports emotions into a sport that might not always be there on schedule. On the short term, OKC is deriving benefit from the lockout, since we're getting some excellent NHL draft picks playing at the AHL level, which is very promising for the Barons. But in cities that don't have AHL or other minor league franchises, and depend on the NHL team in whose market they happen to be, it sucks, and some people will lose interest.

Regarding the Penguins, OKC was one of the selected teases because we'd just built the Ford Center, which was originally designed as a hockey arena. I don't think the Pens ever really intended to move the team here, or anywhere else; it was a bluff for the city of Pittsburgh. Sort of a "see, they have a new arena. Why don't we?" thing. I'm glad it never panned out that they come here; I couldn't stand to live in the same city as Sidney Crosby. haha

Damnit! Looks like Hall's a no-go for OKC.

Oilers’ Taylor Hall will have to find hockey overseas during NHL lockout | NHL | Sports | National Post (http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/09/21/when-healthy-oilers-taylor-hall-will-have-to-find-hockey-overseas/)

Time lapse of the ice installation at Cox for the OKC Barons:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGIzbyLftTE

I don't know much about hockey, but that's interesting to see.

Don't forget that the first home game is Friday night, and then there is another one on Saturday

I went to the Saturday game. An unfortunate loss, but it's nice seeing the Eberle / Nugent-Hopkins line on the ice. They're quite skilled in the puck handling department.

Also went. Good hockey. Still like the venue. I was a ardent Blazers fan and despised the idea of needing to go "up" a level (especially with a year off), but there is a clear difference between the level of play in the CHL and that of the AHL. It was a good time.

i hope attendance is better this year... had 6300 on friday, but just under 3000 on saturday. There is another game tonight, but sadly, i won't be able to make it

The game was actually really fun last night. The quality of play, esp with the NHL players sprinkled in, is leading to some entertaining and enjoyable hockey. The attendance last night had to be around ~2500, which is more than I thought would be there for a tuesday night.

The game was actually really fun last night. The quality of play, esp with the NHL players sprinkled in, is leading to some entertaining and enjoyable hockey. The attendance last night had to be around ~2500, which is more than I thought would be there for a tuesday night.

according to the AHL boxscore numbers, the attendance last night was 2143

through 3 games the official numbers have us averaging 3,788 per game (that's 4th from the bottom)

the league as a whole is currently averaging 5,708 per game

If anyone is interested I have been doing a stats sheet for the current and past Barons seasons.
Links to previous seasons are on the MISC sheet.
2012-13 Barons Season Stats (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgElsZOKwYopdG1ZeHJsT3ZzUUFwLTRab3hJY2l1Y UE)

Watching the NHL players is real exciting, hopefully we can watch Taylor Hall soon too :)

If anyone is interested I have been doing a stats sheet for the current and past Barons seasons.
Links to previous seasons are on the MISC sheet.
2012-13 Barons Season Stats (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgElsZOKwYopdG1ZeHJsT3ZzUUFwLTRab3hJY2l1Y UE)

Watching the NHL players is real exciting, hopefully we can watch Taylor Hall soon too :)

Thanks so much!

OKC Thunder – The Team Oilers Want To Be (http://www.edmontonsun.com/2012/10/26/jones-okc-thunder--the-team-oilers-want-to-be)

The Edmonton NHL players recently sent to OKC discover Thunder-mania in town, and join in a bit themselves.

So is live hockey actually still available in OKC? For some reason I thought that it sort of faded into . . . .
But I'd love to go to a game if possible . . . And had to check out a bit of the background . . .
Edmonton Sun (http://www.edmontonsun.com/home)

Do you have to have season tickets to get in?
Or can you buy them at the door?

It is still available, they killed off the blazers either as part of or in preparation for getting a new team in a higher tier league.

You don't have to have season tickets, you can get them at the door but I think it costs a couple more dollars if you buy game day verses ahead of time.

Looks like Taylor Hall may be making his AHL/OKC Barons debut either Friday or Saturday if things go according to plans!

http://newsok.com/another-no.-1-pick-taylor-hall-almost-ready-to-join-barons/article/3723398

It is still available, they killed off the blazers either as part of or in preparation for getting a new team in a higher tier league.

You don't have to have season tickets, you can get them at the door but I think it costs a couple more dollars if you buy game day verses ahead of time.

Yes they charge a few more $ if you buy the day of the game, even on discounted $8 night.

We have home games tonight and tomorrow, then they are on away for like 3 weeks

well... having some exciting talent from the NHL isn't helping attendance. through 10 home games we are averaging 3387 per game. with 3209 on Saturday when they were giving a Car away, and 3447 on friday night

well... having some exciting talent from the NHL isn't helping attendance. through 10 home games we are averaging 3387 per game. with 3209 on Saturday when they were giving a Car away, and 3447 on friday night

Not bad odds for those hoping for the car.

and while those numbers seem low, we aren't giving away a bunch of free tickets and padding those numbers. I'm not sure what the Barons are hoping for when it comes to average attendance, but i think what we have is respectable, i just wish it were up around that 3800 per game. I think that's where we should be

Barons dominated the Charlotte Checkers this weekend, and have now pulled within 2 points of the Division lead. We have also played one fewer game.

next games are away at houston. should be on 96.1 on the radio at 7pm. Next home game isn't until December 11th.

Does anyone know if they still show the online video feed at BWW on Northwest Expressway? i know they did during the playoffs last year

Barons dead last in attendance. Not looking good

TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League | Home Page (http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance)

Barons dead last in attendance. Not looking good

TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League | Home Page (http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance)

not looking good for what? everyone within the organization says that while not quite as high as they would like, our numbers are respectable. I've heard this mentioned several times on the Monday night radio show.

not looking good compared to the rest of the league? well yes possibly, but a bunch of those organizations pad the numbers by giving out ridiculous amounts to tickets, much the same way the Blazers did.

we are averaging around 3300 per game, we should be up around 3500, but for people to think that we should be somewhere in the middle at 6000, i think they were thinking too hard about this. Someone has to be last, and it just happens to be us. the most in the league is as 9000.

Thats why it's good to have a place like the Cox Center that doesn't cost as much in operating costs to play at. over in the Urban development threads they keep talking about wanting to eliminate the Cox Center once the new convention center is finished and that we don't need two arenas in downtown OKC... but we do need to arenas... because if they were playing in the Peake, 3,300 wouldn't cut it, i'm sure. The benifit of having an older arena that's cheaper to use is that it allows for events like the Barons games to keep going. If they tear down the Cox Center, then the Barons will either die after a few years in the Peake, or will have to move to the Fair Grounds Arena, and i don't like that idea one bit.

Most of the teams as new as our's are pretty low on that list and the Oilers seem like they like having a farm team they can use for player development.

6400 at saturdays game

According to the link, the Barons are 5th to last now. Abbotsford, which is in Canada, isn't averaging much more than OKC and they've played 3 more home games. I wouldn't look way too much into it. For being new, being overshadowed by a much more popular professional team, and not being in a traditional hockey state, they aren't doing all that bad.

Besides with Eberle, Schultz, Hall, and other young Oilers players playing as well as they have been, I doubt the powers that be in Edmonton really care all that much.

There are Barons games tonight and tomorrow at 7... we are 2 points in the standing behind the Texas Stars. so we have a chance to pull into second in the division and a potential to pull within 3 points of the division lead

Eberle had a Natural Hat Trick (3 goals in a single period without anyone else scoring in between) all in about 3 minutes and 40 seconds, to close out 2012. and did so infront of 4,976 fans. a wonderful attendance night! we are now up to 3513 for an average. and it just slowly keeps creeping up. i would love for us to be averaging 3700-4000 by the end of the season. If any of you haven't made it out to see a game yet. you really should. Next home game is January 11th at 7pm

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