| Kentucky Thoroughblades | |
 | |
| City: | Lexington, Kentucky |
|---|---|
| League: | American Hockey League |
| Operated: | 1996 to 2001 |
| Home Arena: | Rupp Arena |
| Colors: | Spruce, plum and white |
| Franchise history | |
| 1996 to 2001: | Kentucky Thoroughblades |
| 2001 to 2006: | Cleveland Barons |
| 2006 to present: | Worcester Sharks |
| Championships | |
| Division Championships: | two (1999–00, 2000–01) |
The Kentucky Thoroughblades were a minor professional team in the American Hockey League, who existed from 1996 to 2001. The Thoroughblades were based in Lexington, Kentucky, playing home games at Rupp Arena. The Thoroughblades were an affiliate of the NHL's San Jose Sharks.
History[]
The Thoroughblades were the first professional ice hockey team to play in Lexington, Kentucky. The award winning Logo was created by Wilton, NY based McKinley Griffen Design and Advertising. Initially, attendance was high. During the 1997–98 season, Kentucky averaged 7,741 fans per game, despite a losing record on ice. Attendance decreased in the next three seasons, even with two consecutive division championships. In their final season, attendance averaged only 4,461 fans per game.
In 2001, the team moved to Cleveland, Ohio, becoming the Cleveland Barons. In 2006, the team then moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, becoming the Worcester Sharks.
The void in Lexington was replaced in 2001, by the another minor league hockey team, the Lexington Men O' War, lasting one season in Lexington.
Season-by-season results[]
Regular season[]
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | OTL | Points | Goals for |
Goals against |
Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 80 | 36 | 35 | 9 | 0 | 81 | 278 | 284 | 3rd, Mid-Atlantic |
| 1997–98 | 80 | 29 | 39 | 9 | 3 | 70 | 241 | 278 | 3rd, Mid-Atlantic |
| 1998–99 | 80 | 44 | 26 | 7 | 3 | 98 | 272 | 220 | 2nd, Mid-Atlantic |
| 1999–00 | 80 | 42 | 25 | 9 | 4 | 97 | 250 | 211 | 1st, Mid-Atlantic |
| 2000–01 | 80 | 42 | 25 | 12 | 1 | 97 | 273 | 212 | 1st, South |
Playoffs[]
| Season | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | L, 1-3, Hershey | — | — | — |
| 1997–98 | L, 0-3, Hershey | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | W, 3-2, Hershey | L, 3-4, Philadelphia | — | — |
| 1999–00 | W, 3-1, Louisville | L, 1-4, Hershey | — | — |
| 2000–01 | L, 0-3,Hershey | — | — | — |
Notable players
Career leaders
Goals: 88 (Steve Guolla, 1996–99)
Assists: 132 (Steve Guolla, 1996–99)
Points: 220 (Steve Guolla, 1996–99)
PIM: 692 (Garrett Burnett, 1998–00)
Role In Youth Hockey[]
Former Thoroughblades player Chris Lipsett (also alumni of Dayton Gems, etc.) has made an impact, helping youth hockey grow in Kentucky by working with a new program at the Lexington Ice and Recreation Center. Many other players have chipped in as well, helping coach and manage the Central Kentucky Thoroughbreds, which has grown in number of players dramatically over the years.
External links[]
| This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Kentucky Thoroughblades. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA). |