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Move to AHL on back burner for Oklahoma City Blazers
Moving up to the American Hockey League as an affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers currently is "not an option” for the Oklahoma City Blazers, the president of Express Sports said Wednesday.
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Bob Funk Jr. confirmed that executives for the Edmonton’s NHL franchise visited Oklahoma City last summer but said an affiliation is not an option "right now.”
"We have internal issues we need to address and need to evaluate our own organization,” Funk said.
The Central Hockey League team, owned by Express Sports, is in the process of its own front office moves. Sources confirmed Monday that former Express Sports chief executive officer Brad Lund is no longer with the organization.
Lund has been with the Blazers since the franchise’s re-birth in 1992 as either general manager or CEO.
Oklahoma City has led the CHL in attendance in each of the last 16 seasons and has led all North American minor pro hockey franchises in attendance five times during Lund’s tenure.
No replacement has been named.
Funk said the talks with Edmonton are routine for the Blazers.
"It’s mandated in our lease to always be looking for the highest level of hockey. We go through the process every year,” Funk said. "We want to see what’s out there.”
By Robert Przybylo
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