Arkansas Riverblades
Shop retro Arkansas Riverblades tees, hoodies, crewnecks, long sleeves, youth sizes and more. The team was set to be the Razorblades, complete with a hockey-playing hog, until the University of Arkansas objected, so the Riverblades opened the new Alltel Arena in North Little Rock in 1999 and outlasted the cross-river Glaciercats. Celebrate Arkansas hockey by browsing all of our Riverblades gear, then read the team history below. We're an American small business bringing the logos and stories of long-lost hockey teams back.
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Arkansas Riverblades History
The Arkansas Riverblades began play at the (then) brand-new Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas, for the 1999-00 season. The team had originally been named the Arkansas Razorblades, complete with a hockey-playing hog logo, but the University of Arkansas wasn't agreeable to that, and before the Razorblades ever took the ice, the name was changed to the Riverblades.
The Riverblades directly competed against the Arkansas Glaciercats, who played at the older Barton Coliseum across the river about 5 miles away. The Glaciercats were in their second season at the time and would lose the cross-town battle, folding at the end of the year.
In their second season, the Riverblades would hit their stride on the ice, going 34-24 and making it to the second round of the playoffs. The next two years the team would win more than 30 games and make the playoffs once, continuing success on the ice. However, the departure of the Glaciercats didn't end up doubling up the Riverblades' crowds, and after a change in ownership the team would cease operations in 2003.
