Prior to the Blades arrival in KC they were the former franchise of Toledo, Ohio (Goaldiggers, 1974-1986). In a poll Jazz was the most popular entry for a nickname, but owners (Russ and Diane Parker) chose another entry, Blades. “First of all, we wanted a name with strong hockey connotations. This clearly identifies us as a hockey club,” Russ Parker said about the Blades moniker. Olathe resident Kyle Horn was the winner of the “Name the Team” contest.

The same year the Blades began play in the IHL, the San Diego Gulls and Albany Choppers started. The Choppers didn’t finish the season. The Gulls now play in the American Hockey League.

One main-stay in the franchise was Vice President and General Manager Doug Soetaert. He served as head coach and director of hockey operations in the team’s first season. The next season he was named General Manager. In 1991-1992, the league chose him as Executive of the Year. In 1999, he was runner-up for GM of the Year. In eleven seasons, the team qualified for the playoffs in seven, with a 38-32 record in the post season, winning 8 of 14 playoff series. The all-time regular season record is 437-378-85.

In 1991, the Blades started a five-year affiliation with the NHL San Jose Sharks. Many top prospects of the Sharks played for the Blades. Names such as Arturs Irbe and Sandis Ozolinsh were just a few of the future NHLers sent the Blades way. The affiliation with San Jose was fruitful, as it allowed the Blades to be a powerhouse. Under the leadership of Head Coach Kevin Constantine, the Blades blew through the regular season with a franchise best 56-22-4 record, 116 points. This was the best record in pro hockey and the largest regular season turn around. They showed a 62-point improvement over the 1990-1991 season. They went through the playoffs with a 12-3 record and won the Turner Cup by sweeping the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

In the 1992-1993 season, the Blades had the league’s winningest goalie for the season. Wade Flaherty won 34 games. They weren’t able to repeat as champions, but they did go far in the playoffs.

The Blades were given another shot at the Cup, although no one thought the 1994-1995 team could do it. Under the leadership of Head Coach Jim Wiley, the Blades limped to a 35-40-6 record, 76 points. The team managed to make the playoffs despite having missed the year before with 40-31-10 record, 90 points. The league had expanded the number of teams in the playoffs, so the Blades were fortunate to benefit from a rule that would allow them to play in the Eastern Conference playoffs, because they finished with a higher point total than the last place Eastern team. In the 1995 playoffs, they pulled off 3 of the top ten upsets in IHL history to become Eastern Conference Champs. The biggest upset in league history belonged to the Blades after beating the Peoria Riverman in 5 games. The Blades went on to the finals to lose to the Denver Grizzlies 4 games to none.

In March 1996, the Blades were purchased by Dan and Pam DeVos of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mr. DeVos was co-owner of the Grand Rapids Griffins (IHL) with David Van Andel. That off-season, the Sharks cut ties with the Blades. They moved their affiliation to a new AHL team, Kentucky Thoroughblades. The Blades set up shop as an independent from 1996-2000. In that time, they received many prospects from other NHL teams on-loan. Some of those include former Ottawa Senator goalie Patrick Lalime and former Washington Capital forward Michal Pivonka.

In July 1997, KC saw long-time captain Gary Emmons retire. Soon after, he was named Director of Player Personnel. On August 21, 1998, Emmons was named Assistant Coach, a position he held for two seasons. On February 21, 1998, the Blades raised his number 15 to the rafters of Kemper Arena in a ceremony that featured video footage of his career and messages from old pals, including former Blades coach Kevin Constantine.

The 1998 season would be heralded as the season that would “change the face of Kansas City hockey”. On July 9th, the Blades introduced a new logo that reminded many of the New York Rangers. That season also saw the return of KC fave Dody Wood.

During the 1999-2000 season, the Tenth Anniversary was celebrated by naming a Tenth-Anniversary Team. Forwards Pat Ferschweiler, Dody Wood, and Gary Emmons, Defensemen Mike Colman, Claudio Scremin, Goalie Wade Flaherty, and Coach Kevin Constantine were voted to the team by fans. The celebrating was marred, though as DeVos threatened to move the team to Oklahoma City. After a show of solidarity by fans at a city council meeting and Oklahoma City’s distaste for the IHL and Blades (OKC wanted to keep their Central Hockey League team), DeVos signed a two-year lease for Kemper and the team stayed.

For the 2000-2001 season, the Blades signed a two-year affiliation agreement deal with the NHL Vancouver Canucks. Many players saw time with the NHL parent club. Players such as Steve Kariya, Bryan Allen, and Jarkko Ruutu played for both the Blades and Canucks.

On June 4, 2001, after several weeks of speculation, the International Hockey League folded. The last chance for the Blades was the San Jose Sharks relocating their newly purchased AHL franchise in KC. This time, the Blades couldn’t be saved. The team folded on June 4th after 11 years.