In 2005, the AHL franchise of the Calgary Flames (the Saint John Flames, which existed from 1993 to 2003) was reestablished in Omaha. The Ak-Sar-Ben part of the team's name comes from the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, an Omaha civic organization, whose logo was integrated into the insignia of the team and was a partner with the Omaha organization. Ak-Sar-Ben, which is (ironically) "Nebraska" spelled backwards, was also the name of the arena of the original Omaha Knights. The team logo was shown with identical flame marks as the Calgary Flames' logo.
Following two difficult seasons at the gate, rumors swirled around both Omaha and the Quad Cities that the Flames would relocate their affiliate to the latter region, which was at the time served by the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League.[1] The Calgary Flames and Quad City Mallards confirmed the move on May 24, 2007.[2]
