Kansas City Blades
Shop our collection of unique Kansas City Blades apparel, a throw back to the 1990s IHL and old time hockey. Check out our selection of Kansas City Blades jerseys, t-shirts, and other items and read the history of the team below. We are an American small business dedicated to bringing back the history and designs of fondly remembered and long-lost hockey teams from throughout hockey history.ย
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Kansas City Blades History
Who were the Kansas City Blades?
The Kansas City Blades first took the KC ice in 1990 in the International Hockey League (IHL), but the franchise began as the โToledo Goaldiggersโ back in 1974 in Toledo, Ohio. The Goaldiggers were part of the hockey scene in Ohio for 12 years before closing up shop in 1986. After a four year hiatus, the team rebooted in a new city with a new name. They settled in at Kemper Arena and had a pretty uneventful first season.
Playoff Successes
A pro affiliation with the San Jose Sharks allowed the Blades to really take off in their second season, 1991-92. Under the leadership of Head Coach Kevin Constantine, their first year affiliated with the Sharks was the most successful season for the franchise. Out of all 10 teams in the IHL, the Blades had the best record (56-22-4), scored 116 points, and won the Turner Cup by sweeping the Muskegon Lumberjacks in four games. This was the best record in all of pro hockey that season and the largest single season turn around (they only scored 54 points their first season). Teaming up with the San Jose Sharks literally turned the Blades into a powerhouse.
During the five years that the Blades served as a โfarm teamโ for the Sharks, they packed Kemper Arena with an average of 7000 fans per night. They were also a home to many future NHL all stars including famous head coach Claude Julien and players Arturs Irbe, Steve Kariya, Victor Kozlov, Mike Rathje, and Ray Whitney. In the 11 seasons of the Bladesโ existence, they made it to the playoffs seven times.
Their 1994-1995 season, under the guidance of Head Coach Jim Wiley, was also noteable. Though the Blades couldnโt boast much about a record of 35-40-6 and scoring only 76 points for the season, they did return to the playoffs. Because a rule changed that allowed more teams to compete in the playoffs, the Blades squeaked in as the last team to get into the in the IHLโs playoffs (and 16 of the 17 IHL teams made it in). Despite finishing in last place in the Central Division, their saving grace was that they scored only four more points than the last place Indianapolis Ice.
However, the Blades really made the most of their playoff opportunity and pulled off an unbelievable run. They pulled of three of the biggest upsets in all of IHL history to make it to the Finals. In the first round, the Blades (76 regular season points) knocked out the Detroit Vipers, who had notched 102 points. In the second round, they are credited with he biggest upset in league history as they stunned the 113-point Peoria Rivermen in five games. Not to give up just yet, the knocked out the 100-point K-Wings in the third round. Despite all of the record breaking upsets, when the Blades moved to the finals the Denver Grizzlies gave them a taste of their own medicine by beating them out of the Turner Cup in a four game sweep. The Grizzlies had 120 points, the most in the regular season that year and featuerd a host of future NHLers such as Ziggy Palffy, Kip Miller, Niklas Andersson, and Tommy Salo.
The End of an Era
Despite all of this success, the downfall of the Blades began in the late โ90s as the IHL began expanding into major markets (Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, etc). The NHL may have not taken kindly to this move and whether purposeful or not moved many of their affiliations to the IHLโs rival AHL, which caused the IHL to lose many of their top prospects. The Blades essentially became collateral damage amidst the reshuffling. The Sharks pulled out of Kansas City in 1996, and decided to pair up with the AHLโs Thoroughblades out of Lexington, Kentucky instead. With that, the Blades owner sold the team and things unfortunately didnโt change for the better.
1996 proved to be the beginning of the end for the Blades as they reclaimed their status as an independent team and the new ownership came in and changed the teamโs logo and raised ticket prices. Fans were not impressed by all the new changes happening with the Blades, and attendance dropped a whopping 24% throughout the 1996-1997 season. The loss of talent from the Sharks hurt as well, as the Blades werenโt bad but they werenโt able to rekindle the magic of 1991-92 and 1994-95.
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The franchise never really recovered from all the changes that 1996 brought about but they did still play through the 2000-01 season for a total of 11 IHL seasons. However, by 1999, the new ownership was already considering selling the team. Despite open negotiations with Oklahoma City, no plans ever actually solidified. In 2001, the IHLโs expansion plan fell apart and wasnโt able to financially survive. With the league folding, six teams were admitted to the AHL. However, as the Bladesโ ownership already owned the AHLโs Grand Rapids Griffins, they were not allowed to own a second AHL and so the Blades folded in 2001 along with the rest of the IHL that wasnโt absorbed into the AHL.
