Minnesota Blades
Minnesota Blades is an American bandy club from Minnesota who play in the United States Premier Division.
History[edit]
The Blades were formed at the beginning of the 2002-2003 bandy season as the successor club to the Stabaek (MN) Bandy Club, which, after enjoying success in the 1980s and 1990s, had fallen on hard times. After Stabaek finished last in the Premier League table in 2001-2002, the Blades were founded and led by Steve Nelson of Edina MN(see notable players below) and exceeded expectations in their inaugural season by finishing the season in third place, before losing in the semifinals of the league playoffs to the Amur Tigers.
The Blades have won four US Premier League titles, taking the Gunnar Cup in 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2011. In 2005, the Gunnar Cup, which is traditionally awarded to the playoff champions, was awarded to the Blades by virtue of their first place regular season finish, as inclement weather in Minnesota caused the cancellation of that year's post-season tournament. In the 2005-2006 season, the Blades finished 4th in the regular season, and were eliminated from the league playoffs by expansion side OBS.
In both 2005 and 2006, the Blades were the runners-up in the North American Cup competition. The Blades are captained by Steve "Jazz Hands" Nelson; he earned the nickname due to his indelible stick handling prowess in the 2006 Federation cup.
Many of the best players of the team makes it to the United States national bandy team.[1]
Results[edit]
| Year | N.A. Cup | Premier Division |
|---|---|---|
| 2010-2011 | 3rd | 1st |
| 2009-2010 | 2nd | 2nd |
| 2008-2009 | 1st | 2nd |
| 2007–2008 | 1st | 1st |
| 2006–2007 | 2nd | 2nd |
| 2005–2006 | 2nd | 4th |
| 2004–2005 | 2nd | 1st |
| 2003–2004 | n/a | 1st |
| 2002–2003 | n/a | 3rd |
Current roster[edit]
As of March 6, 2011. [1]
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Thom Wynn has played for both USA and Canada
Notable players[edit]
Steve Nelson of Edina Minnesota has played in 12 Bandy World Championships and has over 130 USA National Team matches. Steve Nelson is the 5th leading scorer in History of the Bandy World Championships with over 85 goals in VM games. Nelson grew up in Edina Minnesota where he played hockey and then at Miami University in Oxford OH with fellow MN Blades Team member and co-captain Andy Fronek. Fronek has over 70 US National team games as well. Current information as of January 2010 from Viktor Kostikinov Moscow VM 2010.
Steve Nelson of Edina MN interview Kemerova RU 2007 http://www.usabandy.com/gallery/1322443509/DSC_0294_5.jpg
References[edit]
- ↑ "USA:s VM-trupp 2014" (in Swedish). Bandyworld. Retrieved 18 April 2014.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
External links[edit]
- [2] ibdb.bandysidan
Thom Wynn is a U.S. Citizen, and plays in the United States. He played for the Canadian National Team on special loan at the 2004 World Bandy Championships after the U.S. and Canada received approval from the International Bandy Federation.
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