Michigan Stags
Encyclopedia
The Michigan Stags were a professional ice hockey
team based in Detroit
, Michigan
that played a portion of the 1974–75 season in the World Hockey Association
. On January 18, 1975, the franchise was moved to Baltimore where it was known as the Baltimore Blades. The Stags originated as the Los Angeles Sharks
, one of the WHA's original twelve teams. The Stags played at Cobo Arena, and the Blades at the Baltimore Civic Center.
from Dennis Murphy and relocated the club to Detroit as the Michigan Stags.
Coached by former Red Wing player and coach Johnny Wilson
, the Stags began play in the 1974–75 season. The owners believed the Stags could be an alternative to the NHL
's Detroit Red Wings
, who had not been a factor in the NHL for most of the decade.
Unfortunately, the Stags were as much of a disaster on ice as were the Red Wings. The team was composed of journeymen at best, with the exceptions of star left winger Marc Tardif
, veteran Western leaguer Gary Veneruzzo
and beleaguered ex-NHL goaltender Gerry Desjardins
. On a side note Desjardins found his way back to the NHL in mid-season and helped lead the Buffalo Sabres to the Stanley Cup
finals. The Stags also had problems off the ice as well. The team played over .500 at home but only averaged around 3,000 fans a game, not nearly enough to break even. Additionally, the Stags were unable to secure a television deal, rendering them practically invisible. The team was eventually forced to trade Tardif to Quebec for Pierre Guite
, Michel Rouleau
and famed minor league sniper Alain Caron. Scheduling glitches delayed the highly anticipated return of Gordie Howe
to Detroit until early February, before which time the team folded on January 18, 1975.
to be claimed by other WHA teams.
The team's final record was 21-53-4, the second worst in the league that season and far out of a playoff spot. Veneruzzo was the leading scorer for the team with a 33-27-60 mark, nearly twice as much as anyone else save for Jean-Paul LeBlanc
.
. Gary Morrel was play-by-play announcer and local sports radio voice Norm Plummer handled color commentary.
Michigan played just one game on local television: the season opener against the Indianapolis Racers
, broadcast live from Indianapolis
on WXON Channel 20
. Detroit radio icon Vince Doyle called play-by-play and former Red Wing Marty Pavelich
was the color commentator
. The Stags won the game, 4-2, but few saw it; the Stags were up against game five of the 1974 World Series
. Eight other games were scheduled to be televised but money became a problem by mid-November, especially after Michigan lost 11 of their next 12 following their season-opening win.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team based in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
that played a portion of the 1974–75 season in the World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
. On January 18, 1975, the franchise was moved to Baltimore where it was known as the Baltimore Blades. The Stags originated as the Los Angeles Sharks
Los Angeles Sharks
The Los Angeles Sharks were an ice hockey team that played in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1974. Their primary home arena was the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena but they sometimes played at the Long Beach Sports Arena when the Sports Arena had other contractual obligations...
, one of the WHA's original twelve teams. The Stags played at Cobo Arena, and the Blades at the Baltimore Civic Center.
Michigan Stags
Having made their fortunes in industrial chemicals, Detroiters Charles Nolton and Peter Shagena bought the Los Angeles SharksLos Angeles Sharks
The Los Angeles Sharks were an ice hockey team that played in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1974. Their primary home arena was the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena but they sometimes played at the Long Beach Sports Arena when the Sports Arena had other contractual obligations...
from Dennis Murphy and relocated the club to Detroit as the Michigan Stags.
Coached by former Red Wing player and coach Johnny Wilson
Johnny Wilson (ice hockey)
John Edward Wilson was a professional ice hockey forward and head coach. He played with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Rangers, in the National Hockey League, scoring 332 points in 668 games...
, the Stags began play in the 1974–75 season. The owners believed the Stags could be an alternative to the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
's Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, who had not been a factor in the NHL for most of the decade.
Unfortunately, the Stags were as much of a disaster on ice as were the Red Wings. The team was composed of journeymen at best, with the exceptions of star left winger Marc Tardif
Marc Tardif
Marc Tardif is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who is the leading goal scorer in the history of the World Hockey Association, principally for the Quebec Nordiques.-Playing career:...
, veteran Western leaguer Gary Veneruzzo
Gary Veneruzzo
Gary Raymond Veneruzzo is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 7 games in the National Hockey League and 348 games in the World Hockey Association. He would with the St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Sharks, Michigan Stags, Baltimore Blades, Cincinnati Stingers, Phoenix Roadrunners, and...
and beleaguered ex-NHL goaltender Gerry Desjardins
Gerry Desjardins
Gerard Ferdinand Desjardins is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League for the Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Black Hawks, New York Islanders, and Buffalo Sabres, and also played one season in the World Hockey Association.- References :...
. On a side note Desjardins found his way back to the NHL in mid-season and helped lead the Buffalo Sabres to the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
finals. The Stags also had problems off the ice as well. The team played over .500 at home but only averaged around 3,000 fans a game, not nearly enough to break even. Additionally, the Stags were unable to secure a television deal, rendering them practically invisible. The team was eventually forced to trade Tardif to Quebec for Pierre Guite
Pierre Guite
Pierre Guite is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 377 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the Michigan Stags, Cincinnati Stingers, Baltimore Blades, Quebec Nordiques, and Edmonton Oilers. He is the father of Nashville Predators forward Ben Guite.-References:...
, Michel Rouleau
Michel Rouleau
Michel Rouleau is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He played 115 games in the World Hockey Association with the Quebec Nordiques, Philadelphia Blazers, San Diego Mariners, Michigan Stags, and Baltimore Blades.-External links:...
and famed minor league sniper Alain Caron. Scheduling glitches delayed the highly anticipated return of Gordie Howe
Gordie Howe
Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League , and the Houston Aeros and New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association . Howe is often referred to as Mr...
to Detroit until early February, before which time the team folded on January 18, 1975.
Baltimore Blades
The Baltimore Blades were created a week after the demise of the Stags and were operated by the league. The Blades played out of the Baltimore Civic Center, but attendance did not improve, and was not helped by the team finishing out the season with a 3-13-1 record. At season's end, the league contemplated moving the franchise to Seattle, but the move never materialized and the franchise was terminated. Players from the Michigan/Baltimore team, along with those of the defunct Chicago Cougars, were put into a dispersal draftDispersal draft
A dispersal draft is a process in professional sports for assigning players to a new team when their current team goes out of business, consolidates with another team, or for some other reason ceases to exist. Since most sports drafts are held in North America, this is where most dispersal drafts...
to be claimed by other WHA teams.
The team's final record was 21-53-4, the second worst in the league that season and far out of a playoff spot. Veneruzzo was the leading scorer for the team with a 33-27-60 mark, nearly twice as much as anyone else save for Jean-Paul LeBlanc
Jean-Paul LeBlanc
Jean-Paul LeBlanc is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 153 games in the National Hockey League and 248 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Los Angeles Sharks, Michigan Stags, Baltimore Blades, Denver Spurs, Ottawa Civics, and Detroit Red...
.
Media coverage
The Stags' radio station was WWJ 950WWJ (AM)
WWJ is Detroit, Michigan's only 24-hour all-news radio station. Broadcasting at 950 kHz, the station is owned and operated by CBS Corporation subsidiary CBS Radio. The station first went on the air on August 20, 1920 with the call sign 8MK...
. Gary Morrel was play-by-play announcer and local sports radio voice Norm Plummer handled color commentary.
Michigan played just one game on local television: the season opener against the Indianapolis Racers
Indianapolis Racers
The Indianapolis Racers were a franchise in the former World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1978. They competed in five seasons, folding 25 games into the 1978–79 season. They played at Market Square Arena...
, broadcast live from Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
on WXON Channel 20
WMYD
WMYD is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southeast Michigan licensed to Detroit. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park along the Oakland and Wayne County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
. Detroit radio icon Vince Doyle called play-by-play and former Red Wing Marty Pavelich
Marty Pavelich
Martin Nicholas Pavelich is a Canadian former ice hockey left winger. He played ten seasons for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League from 1947 until 1957.-Early career:...
was the color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
. The Stags won the game, 4-2, but few saw it; the Stags were up against game five of the 1974 World Series
1974 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 12, 1974 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaReggie Jackson put the A's on the board first with a solo homer in the top of the second off 20-game winner Andy Messersmith...
. Eight other games were scheduled to be televised but money became a problem by mid-November, especially after Michigan lost 11 of their next 12 following their season-opening win.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes| Season | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1974–75 | 78 | 21 | 53 | 4 | 46 | 205 | 341 | 1104 | 5th, Western | Did not qualify |