[Rifleman]

I was wondering, does any NHL team have both their farm team and NHL team in the same city? I know the Chicago Wolves play in the same city as the Blackhawks, and they've been the farm team of various NHL teams for years. Beyond that, I can't think of any other cities that have both an NHL and AHL team.

I was also wondering if it's a good idea to have the Flames farm team in the same city as them.

Personally, I'd be willing to shell out ca$h for tickets to watch the baby Flames play. I know ice conditions could be an issue with the Hitmen also playing in the 'Dome, but with a new arena in the works for the city of Calgary, maybe the old 'Dome could be used to host the Hitmen where the new arena could be used to host the Flames and the Heat? Do the Hitmen regularly get 15,000+ fans, or could they even move to a smaller venue?

Even from a purely scouting standpoint, it would be much easier and much more convenient to be able to see the prospects play and determine which ones are ready at any given time to step up and contribute to the big club. And though the cost might be just a drop in the bucket for a multi-million dollar enterprise, saving on travel expenses with recalls/demotions and having to just pay the expenses for one rink vs. two makes it seem to make sense to have your AHL affiliate in the same city, especially in a city that is mad about hockey.

What say you? Would you pay to see the baby Flames play in Calgary? I know I would, especially when you get to see the future stars of the Flames for a fraction of the cost of a ticket to an NHL game. I'd definitely go to more Calgary Heat games than Calgary Hitmen games.