Minor league hockey thrives in KC

While Kansas City’s first experiment with NHL did not succeed, it was a different story with minor league hockey.

Professional hockey in Kansas City dates back to 1927 and the KC Pla-Mors in the American Hockey Association. The franchise was an affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks and won championships in 1930 and 1933 under head coach Billy Grant. After changing the name to the Greyhounds, the franchise won its final championship in 1934.

After multiple NHL-affiliated clubs in the Central Hockey League came and went from Kansas City, a team finally came and had a lengthy stay at Kemper Arena.

That team was the Kansas City Blades of the International Hockey League.

The franchise came to Kansas City when the Toledo Goaldiggers was relocated in 1990. Over the course of 11 years, the franchise had stints of affiliation with NHL franchises Hartford Whalers, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks.

It was a tough start in Kansas City as the Blades finished last in the West Division with a 25-53-4 record.

The Blades went from last to first in 1991-92. KC embarked on a remarkable championship-winning season in their second year in KC led by the coach of the year Kevin Constantine and Gary Emmons, who led the team with 83 points from 29 goals and 54 assists.

The Blades were crowned regular season champions with a league-best record of 56-22-4. The Blades strolled through the playoffs, sweeping the Muskegon Lumberjacks 4-0 in the championship series to win the Turner Cup.

After that championship, the Blades weren’t quite as dominant but still made the playoffs in 1993, losing to the San Diego Gulls in the semifinals. The Blades missed the playoffs in 1993-94 but kept average attendance over 7,000 for the third straight season.

Despite finishing last in the division, the Blades caused havoc in the 1995 playoffs. The Blades upset the Detroit Vipers in the first round. Their run continued, defeating the Peoria Riverman and Kalamazoo Wings before finally falling to the Denver Grizzlies in the championship series.

After losing in the opening round twice in a row, the Blades made it to the quarterfinals in 1998 before losing to the Long Beach Ice Dogs in seven games. The Blades’ late ‘90s mediocrity continued as they lost in the opening round of
the playoffs in 1999 before missing the playoffs in 2000 and 2001, eventually folding alongside the league.