Russ and Diane Parker brought pro hockey back to KC after over a decade long absence from the sports scene. The Parkers owned a sports holding company called Brahen Holdings, Ltd. where they had baseball and hockey teams. The Parkers are from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Russ Parker was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. The Blades had a record of 202-172-34 under the Parker ownership. The Blades average attendance was 6,800 and brought home one Turner Cup.

Dan and Pam DeVos purchased the Blades March 12, 1996. Dan is co-owner of the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. He is also on the board of the Orlando Magic NBA team. Dan is vice president of corporate affairs for Amway Corporation. The DeVos family is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Blades had a record of 196-173-47 under the DeVos ownership. The Blades average attendance was 5,600. During the 1999-2000 season, the DeVos threatened to move the Blades to Oklahoma City. This didn’t happen, in part, due to the efforts of the devoted fans who showed up at a city council meeting with a “Save the Blades” rally. The other part of the equation is Oklahoma City wasn’t interested in the Blades and IHL, they had their Central Hockey League franchise Blazers that suited them just fine. DeVos ended up signing a two-year lease for KC’s Kemper Arena.