Raiders/ Golden Blades/ Knights/ Mariners-in-brief
Home Ice: Madison Square Garden (17,500) 1972-73,Cherry Hill
Arena (4,000) 1973-74, San Diego Sports Arena (13,039) 1974-77
Colors: Red, White, and Blue 1972-73, Purple, Gold, and White 1973,
Red, White, Blue, and Yellow 1973-74, Orange, Blue and White 1974-77
The New York Raiders, the attempted flagship franchise in the World Hockey Association, seemed to have problems
from day one. The WHA wanted a team in New York to bolster its media
presence. As well, the Nassau Coliseum was just being completed in 1972,
and its only known tenant was the ABA's New York Nets. So, the WHA
thought it would fit in fine. The NHL had just placed teams in Vancouver
and Buffalo, and its next expansion would be Kansas City and Washington
in 1974. So, the new Raiders started talking to Nassau Coliseum about
moving in for the 1972-73 season. However, William Shea was brought in
by the Coliseum to help secure a "pro" (NHL) team for the arena, and the
Raiders were left out. Almost immediately, the NHL granted two
"hurry-up" franchises for 1972, both to combat the WHA; the Atlanta Flames
and the New York Islanders, who would inhabit Nassau Coliseum. The
Raiders ended up having to settle for Madison Square Garden, which was
shared with
the Knickerbockers (NBA) and the Rangers (NHL). Problems developed at
the start, from financing, to rent, to attendance. The Garden charged an
enormous rental fee, and the team played to sparse crowds in the 17,500
seat Garden. Attendance averaged 5,868 for the season, but the owners
had defaulted on the team early on, and the team was league run for the
last half of the season, finishing last in the Eastern Division.
Ralf Brent purchased the club off the league in 1973 and renamed it
the Golden Blades, with colors of purple, white, and yellow. He soon
found out why the team had ended up in receivership, as attendance was
still low. Both the Rangers and Islanders outsold the Blades
consistently. On November 18, 1973, the WHA intervened, dissolving the
team and placing a new league run team in Cherry Hill, New Jersey for the
remainder of the season. The WHA's last New York game was a 5-3 victory
by the Blades over the Chicago Cougars.
Jersey Knights
The Jersey Knights played at tiny (4,000 cap.) Cherry Hill Arena to
even smaller crowds. They didn't see much, as the team finished in last
place again. Attendance for the combined 1973-74 season averaged 2,585.
The lone bright spot was the acquisition of Andre Lacroix, who's 111
points led the club.
Once again the vagabond franchise was purchased off the league, this
time by Joseph Schwartz, who moved the club to San Diego. This finally
did the trick, as the Mariners finished in second place in the Western
Division, defeating Toronto before losing
to Houston. Attendance was steady, as the city
embraced its new club, averaging 6,080 for the 1974-75 season at the
Sports Arena. Lacroix led the club with 147 points. In 1975-76 however,
defense collapsed, and the team fell to 36-38-6, and third in the
Western. The Mariners made the playoffs, defeating Phoenix before losing
to nemesis Houston. Schwartz however had
defaulted on the team in January 1976. The Mariner players decided to
continue playing nonetheless, for the good of the team, even though they
were now volunteers. This paid off, as Ray Kroc purchased the club, and
has his San Diego Padres management run it. The team had a winning
season, but crowds were not as expected. The team lost to Winnipeg in
the first round. Kroc sold the club to a Florida group planning to move
it to Melbourne (Florida), but the team folded in summer 1977, as did Calgary and Phoenix. Had Kroc been
patient, the team might have made the NHL in 1979.
Year W L T pts. Finish Playoffs
1972-73 33 43 2 68 6th Eastern None
1973-74 32 42 4 68 6th Eastern None
1974-75 43 31 4 90 2nd Western Beat Toronto 4-2
Lost to Houston 0-4
1975-76 36 38 6 78 3rd Western Beat Phoenix 3-2
Lost to Houston 2-4
1976-77 40 37 4 84 3rd Western Lost to Winnipeg 3-4
