Big news from the Central Hockey League late yesterday, where not one, but two teams announced a decision to cease operations for the 2009-2010 seasons. New Mexico's decision to leave was not entirely unexpected, as they were struggling over the past year and efforts to make it happen came up short. The big surprise is the announcement that Oklahoma City would also cease operations. Arguably one of the best franchises in the Central Hockey League over the long haul, the decision comes as efforts are continuing to attract an American Hockey League team into the Sooner State capital. NewsOK.com reports the decision was purely a business move, but the team was also hurt this past season by the presence of the new NBA franchise. The current owners of the franchise, Express Sports, now plan to negotiate with the AHL for a team to come to Oklahoma City.
A story from NewsOK.com on July 7th reported the Oklahoma City city council had voted to extend a letter of intent between the city of what's called AHL Hockey Club, LLC to begin negotiations toward getting an AHL franchise in the Sooner State capital city.
