Edmonton Roadrunners - Definition and Overview

The Edmonton Roadrunners are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers that began play in the 2003-04 season. They play out of Rexall Place on the Northlands Park grounds in Edmonton, Alberta.

They featured players such as Jani Rita, Jamie Wright and Steve Valiquette that helped them advance to the AHL playoffs in their first season where they lost the first round to the Cleveland Barons.

On the July 23, 2004, the Edmonton Oilers announced that the Roadrunners would play the 2004-05 season in Edmonton. They will be based in the Oilers' own home arena, Rexall Place. They were formerly known as the Toronto Roadrunners, and played the 2003-04 season out of Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. The NHL team's decision to re-locate its affiliate to Edmonton is an unusual one for a North American professional sports organization, and was likely influenced by the expectation that the 2004 NHL lockout will wipe out the 2004-05 NHL season.