Minnesota Blades
Encyclopedia
Minnesota Blades is an American bandy
club from Minnesota
who play in the United States
Premier Division
.
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. His off-the-ice antics in the local discothèques solidified his nickname.
Thom Wynn has played for both USA and Canada
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.
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
club from Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
who play in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Premier Division
Premier Division
The Premier Division is the top league competition for bandy clubs in the United States. The winners of the play-off at the end of the season are awarded the Gunnar Cup....
.
History
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
Premier Division
The Premier Division is the top league competition for bandy clubs in the United States. The winners of the play-off at the end of the season are awarded the Gunnar Cup....
titles, taking the Gunnar Cup
Gunnar Cup
The Gunnar Cup is the championship trophy of the Premier Division, the top league for bandy in the United States.Gunnar Cup Results...
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. His off-the-ice antics in the local discothèques solidified his nickname.
Results
| 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
As of March 6, 2011. http://usabandy.com/home.php?pg=team&d=D1&tid=3Thom Wynn has played for both USA and Canada
Notable players
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 gew 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 2010External links
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.
- http://www.usabandy.com/home.php usabandy.com
- http://www.usabandy.com/home.php?pg=gallery&galleryId=1 Steve Nelson Edina, Andy Fronek photo Budapest Hungary