OKC Barons to cease operations after the 2014-2015 season

[Laramie]

I get a kick out of Okies complaining about the ticket prices.

Jonathan Cheechoo, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle, Justin Schultz....vs......Joe Burton, Tyler Fleck, Marty Standish and Alan Perry.

I wonder if Okies go to KD's restaurant and complain that the food is higher than what they serve at Taco Bell?

Sorry, but who goes to Taco Hell?

Oh, but don't you know? All those seats were given away for free. EVERYBODY knows that!...

Like you, Borchard, I never got any of those free ticket seats. I always paid my family's way, my daughter didn't like hockey; so I drug her along because she was at that boy crazy age...

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City may want to consider the ECHL. It's the league that absorbed many of the Central Hockey League franchises like Tulsa & Wichita. You could rekindle some heated rivalries. ECHL is a reputable AA league that doesn't tolerate 'goon style hockey.'

The ECHL - Premier 'AA' Hockey League | Statistics

There's just too much competition for the professional & college sports' dollars (Thunder, Sooners, Blue, RedHawks, Energy) in OKC right now.

They are planning to put a new roof on the 9,760-seat State Fair Arena, maybe it would be a better option than the Cox Center where parking & popcorn prices are such a turn-off that it makes you want to wait and eat at Taco Hell. They wouldn't have to drape the State Fair Arena with tarps & partitions to hide seats.

The State Fair Arena wouldn't cost as much to lease or maintain; bring back the Blazers logo & brand, IIRC the Barons was one of the names considered when the Supersonics relocated; RedHawks was the marketing-moniker to be used for OKC's potential NHL expansion franchise in '97.

RedHawks & Barons, those second-hand Rose, hand-me-down names just didn't take roots in our market.

[Jersey Boss]

Meh, I just go to the Blazer Arena and watch OU club hockey.

[Jersey Boss]

Just out of curiosity I went to the Tulsa Oilers website on ticket pricing. An individual game ticket had 6 levels of pricing at the BOK center. The price for a ticket was 19.85, 25.00, 30.85, 41.10, 52.05, 62.30. I don't see the people in OKC paying those prices for the ECHL when they would not support the pricing for Barons tickets.

[borchard]

They wouldn't have to drape the State Fair Arena with tarps & partitions to hide seats.

The Blazers never had to do that in the first place! Unlike the Barons and Redhawks. But then again, they DID give away all of their tickets for free...

[bradh]

Tulsa doesn't have NBA

This sucks because I enjoy watching AHL hockey.

Probably wouldn't go with a free ticket to watch some semi-pro league fight fest and passes that rarely hit the tape.

[Paseofreak]

ECHL hockey is a pretty high quality product. Much better than the CHL.

[bradh]

Yeah, I would be okay with that, because at least you're hopefully dealing with some guys trending towards the NHL. I was more referring to the other minor leagues which resemble more beer league hockey (which apparently is what a couple of people here like)

[Mel]

Does echl bus or travel by plane?

Now I want to watch "Slap Shot".

[kwhey]

The Blazers never had to do that in the first place! Unlike the Barons and Redhawks. But then again, they DID give away all of their tickets for free...

Like it or not I got into so many fame free or discounted it wasn't even funny while you paid full price season tickets.

[Jersey Boss]

ECHL hockey is a pretty high quality product. Much better than the CHL.

The AHL is a better product and Barons tickets are cheaper than the Oilers. Why would they get support that the Barons didn't?

[White Peacock]

Like it or not I got into so many fame free or discounted it wasn't even funny while you paid full price season tickets.

Yep. Sure, they sold tickets, but they also gave away gobs of them for free. I don't know why some people refuse to believe that. I didn't pay for a single ticket their final season, but I went to almost every home game.

[Paseofreak]

Yes, the AHL is the next step up. The Cox Center was way too big for the Barons or any other OKC team. Outside of quality hockey, the games taken as a whole were incredibly boring. There was never any sense that you were at a popular event. Walking the concourse during intermission was like being in a high school on a weekend. Just no enthusiasm at all. I suspect that the Oilers are priced as they are is that they're the only game in town and I'll bet they're making a fortune. Hockey in OKC needs a venue of about 5500 max that is easy to get to, with cheap tickets and parking. They could also take huge lessons from the Thunder on creating an event that reaches beyond the dasher boards. Car give always don't fill seats, non-stop excitement and a sense of privilege to be there does.

[Dave Cook]

You really hit on something with the atmosphere. And that is the problem with ice hockey in this part of North America. People here simply weren't raised on the game so you have to sell the entire experience; chuck-a-puck, car giveaways, fights, ice chicks, live bands, whatever.

Those of that just want to watch quality hockey don't need any of this silliness. There have been some excellent hockey players that have passed through Oklahoma City the last few years.

[borchard]

Yes, the AHL is the next step up. The Cox Center was way too big for the Barons or any other OKC team.

It wasn't too big for the Blazers. All this talk of free tickets didnt start until they began playing in the Ford Center. I loved the Blazers but even I thought it was too big for them.

Outside of quality hockey, the games taken as a whole were incredibly boring. There was never any sense that you were at a popular event. Walking the concourse during intermission was like being in a high school on a weekend. Just no enthusiasm at all.

Amen! And what I always said about the Blazers was they found some way to make you forget that you weren't watching "World Class" hockey. I didn't care if it wasn't.

Hockey in OKC needs a venue of about 5500 max that is easy to get to, with cheap tickets and parking.

I guess I disagree whit the size of the venue, but the other two, yes.

They could also take huge lessons from the Thunder on creating an event that reaches beyond the dasher boards. Car give always don't fill seats, non-stop excitement and a sense of privilege to be there does.

And once again, that's EXACTLY what the Blazers used to do. You felt like they were YOUR team. With John Brooks doing the play-by-play I LOVED listening to their games on the radio. Back in the day, you would bring your portable radio into the arena just to be able to hear his call. The Booster Club would organize bus trips to away games. The Blazers had the largest travelling group in the league. I would LOVE to have all of that back.

[Laramie]

The AHL is a better product and Barons tickets are cheaper than the Oilers. Why would they get support that the Barons didn't?

Tulsa ECHL entry is playing in the BOK Center. Their lease is probably among the highest in the league. Here are some ECHL attendance figures for the 2014-15 season:

ECHL attendance & capacities for former Blazers' rivals.
Tulsa Oilers 4,442 - BOK Center 17,096
Wichita Thunder 4,440 - Intrust Bank Arena 13,450

No team in the ECHL is averaging better than 7,485 (Ontario Reign).

There appears to be a solid base of 3,000 hockey fans in Oklahoma City. You put them at the State Fair Arena, you might draw those hockey crowds of old since there is no 'paid parking.' The venue at the fairgrounds wouldn't be as expensive or spacious as the Cox Convention Center (13,399). State Fair Arena accommodates 9,760 for ice hockey, you'd probably see a team draw an average of 4,500 to 5,000 plus.

ECHL 2014-15 team attendance at hockeydb.com

[Laramie]

This article was posted on another message board; this doesn't sound anything like the Sam Presti that talks to the media. Is anyone familiar with the 'Land Run News?"

“We’re very excited by the win; it was a struggle we should have won a lot faster, but I’m just glad it’s done,” said Thunder GM Sam Presti, who acknowledged the importance of victories over any competition for the entertainment dollar...

...“It was a lot of work to get people to forget that there are other teams in town, and it’s not getting any easier. The Dodgers will come out strong this spring, and Energy could get that MLS franchise if we aren’t careful. We have a good gameplan to succeed, but we need everyone to execute,” Presti said.

Thunder Management Celebrates Win Over Barons | Land Run News

This is very disturbing; why would Sam Presti say something like this and put it out in the media? That doesn't sound like the professional GM Sam Presti I've come to know...

[hfry]

About Land Run News
Land Run News is a satirical news website based in the Oklahoma City metro area. All content is our own intellectual property, but permission is granted to link to our website and share with accreditation.

Land Run News uses fictional people and institutions in our stories, with the exception of cases where public figures and organizations are being satirized. Any use of real names is purely coincidental.

From their about us section. I couldn't believe he would say something like that either.

[Laramie]

About Land Run News
Land Run News is a satirical news website based in the Oklahoma City metro area. All content is our own intellectual property, but permission is granted to link to our website and share with accreditation.

Land Run News uses fictional people and institutions in our stories, with the exception of cases where public figures and organizations are being satirized. Any use of real names is purely coincidental.

From their about us section. I couldn't believe he would say something like that either.

LMAO! Thanks, hfry. I didn't bother to real anything on that sight; it was totally out-of-character for Sam Presti.

Thanks, Plutonic Panda for drawing this to my attention.

[kwhey]

Double Post

[kwhey]

The funny thing is that there is probably more truth in that article than you think.

The Thunder saw the Barons as competition and basically bribed the city into refusing letting the Barons put up signage on the outside of the Myriad.

Lack of marketing by Prodigal also hurt the team as did lack of media coverage. The media barely covers the team for the 5 seasons they were here but when they fold is when they get the most media coverage. The next game (Saturday) they drew almost 6,000.

I hope we get hockey back in OKC although it won't be as good of a product as the AHL. ECHL is about the only product I would want to watch other than the "N" or the "A". Anything below that is beer league hockey.

[ljbab728]

The Thunder saw the Barons as competition and basically bribed the city into refusing letting the Barons put up signage on the outside of the Myriad.

LOL, you can think that if you want but that's pretty silly.

[kwhey]

LOL, you can think that if you want but that's pretty silly.

You can think not if you want. It's not silly, it's true. The Thunder run this town and will always get what they want.

[jn1780]

You can think not if you want. It's not silly, it's true. The Thunder run this town and will always get what they want.

Funny, because I always see giant Barons banners hanging on the side of the Cox center during playoff season.

I can think of a dozen other bigger competitors to the Thunder than the Barons: Bars, Movie Theaters, Red Box, Parks, Cable TV, Watching paint dry............Ok, that last one was mean I admit. lol

[borchard]

You can think not if you want. It's not silly, it's true. The Thunder run this town and will always get what they want.

While I disagree with you about them seeing the barons as a competitor, i do agree that the owners of the Thunder are the defacto benevolent dictators of OKC sports now. My evidence of that is when the principles of Oklahoma City FC went to the mayor to talk about the possibility of building a stadium they said the FIRST question he asked them was, "Have you talked to Clay and those guys about this, yet?"