Quad City Flames
The Quad City Flames were a Nickname ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 2007 to 2009. They were owned by QC Sports Ventures Inc., an ownership group based out of the Quad Cities. The Flames played at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois, serving as the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames. The move to the Quad Cities was confirmed on May 24, 2007. As a result, the arena's previous hockey tenant, the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League ceased operations. The team  left the Quad Cities after the 2008–09 season and relocated to Abbotsford, British Columbia to play as the Abbotsford Heat in the 2009–10 season. History. The Flames AHL franchise relocated from Omaha, Nebraska, where the team spent two seasons as the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. Following two disappointing seasons at the gate in which the Flames and the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben lost over $4 million, the Flames chose to relocate the franchise. The new franchise joined former UHL rival, the Rockford IceHogs in moving up to the AHL. The Flames made their AHL regular-season debut  in Moline on October 6, 2007 with a 5–1 victory over Rockford. The Flames were the third team to attempt to place an AHL team in the Quad Cities. Both the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers were unable to reach an agreement with the owners of the Mallards and of the arena. While the NHL franchise had signed an affiliation agreement to the end of the 2011–12 season, the Flames and Quad City Sports Ventures agreed to end the agreement after just two seasons and the Flames placed their affiliate in Abbotsford, British Columbia for the 2009–10 AHL season . Local ownership in Quad Cities estimated the team's losses for 2008–09 at $1.3 million. This market was previously served by: The market was subsequently home to: Affiliates