Kansas City Blades

International Hockey League (1990-2001)

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Kansas City Blades
Logo T-Shirt

No ice hockey team has lasted longer in Kansas City than the Blades of the International Hockey League, who skated 11 seasons at Kemper Arena between 1990 and 2011. The Blades won the IHL’s Turner Cup as the top farm club of the NHL’s newly formed expansion club, the San Jose Sharks, in 1992. 

This Blades design is also available as a Hooded Sweatshirt right now at Old School Shirts!

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Background

The Kansas City Blades were the fourth and longest-lasting pro hockey team to make their home at the Kemper Arena. The Blades followed the NHL’s short-lived Kansas City Scouts (1974-1976) and the minor league Kansas City Blues (1976-1977) and Kansas City Red Wings (1977-1979) of the Central Hockey League.

Original owner Russ Parker of Canada was a consummate sportsman who also owned triple-A baseball’s Calgary Cannons and several junior hockey teams in Canada. In 1990, he purchased the long-mothballed Toledo Goaldiggers of the International Hockey League and re-established the franchise in Kansas City.

San Jose Sharks: The Glory Years

After operating as an independent club in their debut season, the Blades landed an affiliation the NHL’s expansion San Jose Sharks franchise in 1991. For the next five seasons, Kansas City served as San Jose’s top farm club. The deal immediately transformed the Blades. Kansas City had the best record (56-22-4) in the 10-team IHL in 1991-92 and swept the Muskegon Lumberjacks in four games to win the Turner Cup.

During the 1994-95 season, despite finishing last in their division with a 35-40-6 record, the Blades made the playoffs and returned to the Turner Cup finals for a second time. They lost to the Denver Grizzlies in a four-game sweep.

During the Sharks era from 1991 to 1996, the Blades averaged nearly 7,000 fans per night at Kemper Arena.

Sale & Decline

As the 1990’s wore on, the IHL began to antagonize the NHL by expanding into major markets such as Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles. NHL clubs retaliated by shifting affiliates en masse to the American Hockey League, depriving the IHL of top prospects. The San Jose Sharks pulled out of Kansas City in 1996.

Blades owner Russ Parker was a skeptic of the IHL’s growth plans. He sold the Blades in 1996 to the DeVos family of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who also operated the NBA’s Orlando Magic and two other IHL clubs. Just as the Sharks left town and the Blades returned to independent status, new owner Dan DeVos raised ticket prices. Attendance dropped 24% in 1996-97 to 5,166 per game.

By 1999, DeVos was openly negotiating with Oklahoma City officials to move the Blades. The move never came to fruition and the Blades folded along with the rest of the IHL in June 2001.

Kansas City Blades Shop

Blades Beanie

Order at Vintage Ice Hockey

Kansas City Blades Knit Cap

Cozy throwback vibes are in full effect with this classic embroidered beanie!

• 100% acrylic

• 12″ knit

• Pom-pom on top

• One size fits most  

This Blades design is available in several base colors today at Vintage Ice Hockey!

 

When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Kansas City Blades Video

The Blades vs. the Denver Grizzlies. Game 4 of the 1995 Turner Cup finals at Kemper Arena.

In Memoriam

Defenseman Mike Colman (Blades ’91-’94) was killed in an automobile accident on April 5th, 1994. Colman, who played 15 games for the San Jose Sharks during the 1991-92 NHL season, was 25 years old.

Downloads

11-28-1997 Blades vs. Manitoba Moose Game Notes

Links

International Hockey League Media Guides

International Hockey League Programs

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