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OKC Blazers cease operations; city to talk with AHL team

ROBERT PRZYBYLO | Modified: July 2, 2009 at 4:16 pm | Published: July 2, 2009 Comment on this article

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“It is not economically feasible for us to go on at this point,” Evans said. “We will evaluate our business and move on from there.”

The Blazers organization informed the CHL on Wednesday about the decision. All the players from last year’s team will now be free agents and can sign with any team they choose.

The Edmonton Oilers of the NHL own a dormant AHL franchise and there have been discussions in recent month about relocating that team to Oklahoma City.

The decision to suspend operations ends the Blazers' 17-season run in Oklahoma City, a successful tenure that saw them win CHL titles in 1996 and 2001 and frequently lead all North American minor league hockey teams in attendance.

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