The Kentucky Thoroughblades were a minor professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

team in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

, who existed from

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

. The Thoroughblades were based in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

, playing home games at

Rupp Arena Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Central Bank Center (formerly Lexington Center), a convention and shopping facility o ...

. The Thoroughblades were an affiliate of the NHL's

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertain ...

History

The Thoroughblades were the first professional ice hockey team to play in Lexington, Kentucky. Initially, attendance was high. During the 1997–98 season, Kentucky averaged 7,847 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 Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

, becoming the

Cleveland Barons The name Cleveland Barons has been used by three professional hockey teams and one junior team. *Cleveland Barons (NHL), the National Hockey League team that played between 1976 and 1978 *Cleveland Barons (1937–1973), the original American Hockey ...

. In 2006, the team then moved to

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...

, becoming the

Worcester Sharks The Worcester Sharks were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2006 to 2015. Affiliated with the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks and located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the Sharks played t ...

. In 2015, the team moved to

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

to become the

San Jose Barracuda The San Jose Barracuda are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2015–16 season. The team will play at Tech CU Arena beginning in the 2022-23 season. The Barracuda is a relocation of the ...

. The void in Lexington was replaced in 2001, by another minor league hockey team, the

Lexington Men O' War The Lexington Men O' War were a minor league professional ice hockey team and member of the ECHL. The name Man o' War is from a thoroughbred race horse that was bred in Lexington, and also the name of a highly traveled road in Lexington. The ...

of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

, lasting one season in Lexington.

Season-by-season results

Regular season

Playoffs

;Notables * Miikka Kiprusoff *

Johan Hedberg Johan "Moose" Hedberg (born 5 May 1973) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender. During a career that lasted from 1993 to 2014 he played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, Atlanta Thrashers, and New Jer ...

Evgeni Nabokov Yevgeni Viktorovich Nabokov (russian: Евге́ний Ви́кторович Набо́ков; born July 25, 1975) is a Kazakhstani-Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, and Ta ...

* Vesa Toskala * Jonathan Cheechoo * Dan Boyle * Zdeno Chara * Andy Lundbohm * Matt Bradley *

Garrett Burnett Garrett "Rocky" Burnett (September 23, 1975 – April 11, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim of the National Hockey League in the 2003–04 season. Playing career Undrafted, Burnett ...

;Career leaders * Goals: 88 (

Steve Guolla Stephen K. Guolla (born March 15, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlanta Thrashers and the New Jersey Devils. Guolla is a 2016 Michi ...

, 1996–99) * Assists: 132 (Steve Guolla, 1996–99) * Points: 220 (Steve Guolla, 1996–99) * PIM: 692 (

, 1998–00)

References

External links

Stats from hockeydb.com
Ice hockey clubs established in 1996 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2001 Ice hockey teams in Kentucky Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States 1996 establishments in Kentucky 2001 disestablishments in Kentucky San Jose Sharks minor league affiliates New York Islanders minor league affiliates Florida Panthers minor league affiliates {{Kentucky-sport-team-stub