AHL Board OK’s Flames’ move to Quad Cities

cgy_200.jpgSPRINGFIELD, Mass. … American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews announced today that the league’s Board of Governors has unanimously approved the relocation of the AHL franchise owned by the Calgary Flames from Omaha, Neb., to the Quad Cities of eastern Iowa and western Illinois.

The Quad City Flames will hit the ice for the AHL’s 2007-08 season this fall, playing their home games at The Mark of the Quad Cities in Moline, Ill. The Mark is a 9,200-seat multi-purpose arena that opened in 1993 and is considered one of the premier facilities of its size in the Midwest.

“On behalf of our Board, I am thrilled to welcome the Quad Cities to the AHL family,” said Andrews. “The area’s longtime hockey fans can look forward to great rivalries and the excitement of American Hockey League action.”

The Flames are one of 29 AHL teams active for 2007-08. In addition to Quad City, the AHL will also be welcoming the Rockford IceHogs (Rockford, Ill.) and the Lake Erie Monsters (Cleveland, Ohio) to the league next season.

The Spring Meeting of the AHL’s Board of Governors is now concluded. The Board will reconvene for the league’s Annual Meeting, scheduled for June 25-28 at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

In operation since 1936, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 83 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and this season marks the sixth consecutive year in which more than 6 million fans have attended AHL games across North America. Four clubs remain in the hunt for the league’s coveted championship trophy as the 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs continue this weekend.