Kansas City Blades

Vintage Ice Hockey Pre-Orders for Blades Jerseys

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Pre-orders for these beautiful replicas are open until June 29, 2023. You can choose to get them customized (heads up: the customization is not authentic to what the Blades used, while it does look nice in the above picture). I don’t have the prices, but if you click on the above image it has a link that takes you directly to the site to order. As they are pre-orders, Vintage Ice Hockey expects them to take two to three months before they are available. So, if you get one, it should be in your hands in time for the upcoming hockey season. Also, as a bonus, you get a free Blades puck with your jersey order. Just wanted to let all the Blades fans know that you could get your hands on brand new jerseys soon.

Unaffiliated

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Surely the Carolina Hurricanes are still stinging from their loss to the Florida Panthers, but I’m guessing they’re also concerned about the lack of an AHL affiliate for next season. After all, the future of their prospects should be on their mind. This all came about in April when the Chicago Wolves announced they wouldn’t be renewing the affiliation. It’s a topic I’ve been thinking about since.

During the 2022-23 season, all 32 teams had their own affiliate to send prospects. That way no team would have to send prospects to a team with another’s prospects. But, as the season neared the end, the Wolves announced they were going independent. The defending Calder Cup champions failed to qualify for the playoffs, and they believe that’s due to the Canes philosophy change. They had initially been focused on winning and developing players, but this season became all about development, according to Wolves GM Wendell Young.

So, with this, questions abound. What are the Canes going to do with prospects? How will the Wolves fare without an NHL affiliate? And will this benefit the Wolves?

First, Canes prospects. Where to? Before the affiliation, the Canes sent players to the Charlotte Checkers. While that makes geographical sense, the Checkers are now the affiliate for the Florida Panthers. In fact, the other 31 AHL teams are spoken for. I’d guess for next season Carolina will try to find a partner to share a team; or spread players through the league. Then, in the future look into purchasing an AHL team so they would be in total control. Many NHL teams own their affiliates and have placed them in geographically convenient places.

Second, I believe the Wolves will fare well as far as on-ice. In the team’s history (including IHL), they have won 5 league championships and 3 of those came during seasons where they were independent. As far as attendance, the team had their best average attendance in the IHL years as an independent (as high as 11,000, low as 8,600), but for the most part in the AHL their attendance has been consistent averaging between 7-8,000 as an affiliated team. As far as fan support, I believe the Wolves will do good, especially since they most likely will be putting every effort to put a good team on ice. But there’s another situation to be looked at. Finances. One reason the IHL had to cease operations was that with teams choosing to or being forced to go independent, the cost of operating rose. The KC Blades had difficulties when they were independent. The main reason for the difficulties was they had to cover all expenses. As the Sharks affiliate, the NHL team paid the coaching staff and most player salaries. As an independent, you have to cover all expenses.

Third, I believe the Wolves will benefit from this as far as the on-ice product goes. This will give them the opportunity to control their fate. They’ll be able to scout for the best players available. My guess is they will probably find a lot of players overseas that’d like to come to North America to play. They’ll also probably look at AHLers who are not currently under NHL contract. If the owners are willing to open the pocketbook to take this risk, I believe they can make it work in the suburbs of a city that’s also home to an NHL team. My only worry is they’ll have hurt their relationship with the AHL and NHL by deciding to go this route. It’s clear the AHL wants to be a feeder league for the NHL, and they want that to be the main purpose-developing future NHL stars.

Now, if I were the owner of a minor league team maybe looking to jump up in leagues, (say…the KC Mavericks) I’d be calling the Canes offering my team as a possible affiliate, if they could help with getting the franchise into the AHL. But that’s just me…

What KC Needs To Do To Get An NHL Team

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(Sorry it took me so long to get around to writing and posting this. Sometimes life gets in the way. I hope to be able to post future blogs with a little more frequency.)

Even though it’s a dream, I think somewhere down the line it’s possible to see another NHL team in KC. The best way for the city to see that dream come true is to set up things up better than the previous foray with the Scouts.

We already have a few things going for us:
1. We have an NHL ready venue. T-Mobile Center is the perfect size for NHL crowds. Having hosted a handful of exhibition games, the league is aware of the facility. While the arena, previously known as Sprint Center, is over a decade old, it’s still newer than 24 of the 32 NHL arenas currently being used.
2. We have a devoted fan base. KC has had numerous pro teams dating back to the 1920s. The area currently supports an ECHL team in the suburbs with the Mavericks in most seasons averaging near capacity attendance at Cable Dahmer Arena. KC also regularly ranks as one of the highest non-NHL markets in ratings for NHL TV games. So, there is support.
3. We have been there, done that, and/or read Troy Treasure’s Icing On The Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City’s NHL Scouts. The best way to learn what to do or not to do is experience. KC’s experience with the NHL from 1974-76 with the Scouts is something the city, potential owners, and even fans can learn from. And, for those of us who weren’t around for that experience, read Treasure’s book—it’s an amazing history lesson.

Now, we still have things to do:
1. Find a potential owner or small ownership group. Or, find a current NHL team that’s looking to move to a new city. The best thing would be if someone akin to Ewing Kauffman or Lamar Hunt emerged with interest in the NHL. But, even if we could get a small group of local corporate leaders together to purchase a team it could work.
2. Need to prove to the NHL and potential owners there’s interest in the NHL. This can be done by hosting exhibition games in our NHL arena and selling out. (Something that’s been done and could be done again. It’d also be helpful to continue to show support for the Mavericks by getting back to the pre-pandemic strong near sell-out average attendance.)
3. Moving up the Mavericks to the AHL also would help in showing the support KC has for hockey, by showing the city has an interest in seeing a higher quality product. (This one isn’t necessary, but if getting the NHL in town is in the distant future, which it most likely would be, it would show determination to move up and might draw in new fans.)

I know this isn’t detailed, but these are the thoughts I’ve had on the subject matter. I believe the hardest part would be finding the ownership group or a team on the move, because it’s a well-known fact that KC is routinely on the list of potential future NHL cities published by many media outlets. Heck, even The Great One included KC on his list of future NHL cities.
Look for my future blogs discussing this subject. Next up: Talking about NHL teams that could possibly move somewhere in the future.