New York Raiders
Encyclopedia
The New York Raiders were an ice hockey
team and founding member
of the World Hockey Association
based in New York City
. Intended to be the WHA's flagship franchise, its short tenure was a result of being unable to compete with the National Hockey League
's established New York Rangers
, and the expansion New York Islanders
. After its inaugural season, the team was known as the New York Golden Blades and eventually relocated to Cherry Hill, New Jersey
, becoming the New Jersey Knights.
and the very first draft pick - second overall - was Al Sims
. Sims did not, however, play for the Raiders, but he signed with the Boston Bruins
instead.
The team was initially slated to play in the brand-new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
on Long Island
. However, Nassau County
didn't consider the WHA a professional league and wanted nothing to do with the Raiders. Nassau County retained William Shea
to get an NHL team to play in the new building. The NHL responded by hastily awarding a franchise to Long Island—the New York Islanders
. The Islanders' lease with the Coliseum was structured in such a way to effectively lock out non-NHL teams.
The Raiders were forced to play in Madison Square Garden
, where they faced being tenants to their major competitor, the New York Rangers. The situation rapidly became untenable, with an onerous lease and poor attendance. The three original owners defaulted, and the league ended up taking control of the team midway through the season.
, he was essentially all the franchise had going for it.
The situation improved very little from the previous season; at times, the Golden Blades played before "crowds" of only 500 people (in an 18,000-seat arena). Sinking in debt, Brent surrendered the team to the league in late November, 20 games into the season, with a 6-12-2 record. Soon after, the WHA moved the team to Cherry Hill, New Jersey
, a suburb of Philadelphia, and renamed them the Jersey Knights. In a sense, this returned the WHA to Philadelphia; the Blazers had moved to Vancouver
shortly after Lacroix left for the then-Golden Blades.
The newly minted Knights soon discovered their new home, Cherry Hill Arena
, had a slope in the ice surface, which forced visiting teams to skate uphill two out of three periods. (One drawback was that pucks would sometimes shoot upwards unexpectedly; one Knight was knocked cold when a would-be pass jumped up and nailed him between the eyes.) The arena was also closely cramped, with players not having adequate changing and dressing facilities; visiting teams had to dress at their hotel. On the ice, the Knights played over-.500 hockey and were in playoff contention before losing their last six games to finish 32-42-4, last in the Eastern Division.
After 1974, the team moved to San Diego, California
and became known as the San Diego Mariners
.
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 and founding member
Professional sports league organization
Professional sports leagues are organized in numerous ways. The two most significant types are a European model, characterised by a tiered structure using promotion and relegation to determine participation in a hierarchy of leagues or divisions and a North American model characterized by its use...
of 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...
based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Intended to be the WHA's flagship franchise, its short tenure was a result of being unable to compete with the National Hockey League
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 established New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, and the expansion New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. After its inaugural season, the team was known as the New York Golden Blades and eventually relocated to Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...
, becoming the New Jersey Knights.
New York Raiders
The New York Raiders participated in the first WHA draft. Its coach was Camille HenryCamille Henry
Camille Joseph Wilfred "The Eel" Henry was a professional ice hockey left winger who played for the New York Rangers, the Chicago Black Hawks and the St...
and the very first draft pick - second overall - was Al Sims
Al Sims
Allan Eugene Sims is a Canadian former professional hockey player and later a head coach in the NHL.-Career:...
. Sims did not, however, play for the Raiders, but he signed with the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
instead.
The team was initially slated to play in the brand-new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island...
on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. However, Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
didn't consider the WHA a professional league and wanted nothing to do with the Raiders. Nassau County retained William Shea
William Shea
William Alfred "Bill" Shea was an American lawyer and a name partner of the prominent law firm of Shea & Gould...
to get an NHL team to play in the new building. The NHL responded by hastily awarding a franchise to Long Island—the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. The Islanders' lease with the Coliseum was structured in such a way to effectively lock out non-NHL teams.
The Raiders were forced to play in Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, where they faced being tenants to their major competitor, the New York Rangers. The situation rapidly became untenable, with an onerous lease and poor attendance. The three original owners defaulted, and the league ended up taking control of the team midway through the season.
New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights
Following the season, New York real estate mogul Ralph Brent bought the team and renamed it the New York Golden Blades. While they managed to acquire Andre Lacroix from the Philadelphia BlazersPhiladelphia Blazers
The Philadelphia Blazers were an ice hockey franchise in the World Hockey Association for the 1972–73 WHA season that was based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States....
, he was essentially all the franchise had going for it.
The situation improved very little from the previous season; at times, the Golden Blades played before "crowds" of only 500 people (in an 18,000-seat arena). Sinking in debt, Brent surrendered the team to the league in late November, 20 games into the season, with a 6-12-2 record. Soon after, the WHA moved the team to Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...
, a suburb of Philadelphia, and renamed them the Jersey Knights. In a sense, this returned the WHA to Philadelphia; the Blazers had moved to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
shortly after Lacroix left for the then-Golden Blades.
The newly minted Knights soon discovered their new home, Cherry Hill Arena
Cherry Hill Arena
The Cherry Hill Arena was an indoor arena located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, built in 1959.It was originally known as the Ice House and renamed the Delaware Valley Gardens before assuming its most familiar name...
, had a slope in the ice surface, which forced visiting teams to skate uphill two out of three periods. (One drawback was that pucks would sometimes shoot upwards unexpectedly; one Knight was knocked cold when a would-be pass jumped up and nailed him between the eyes.) The arena was also closely cramped, with players not having adequate changing and dressing facilities; visiting teams had to dress at their hotel. On the ice, the Knights played over-.500 hockey and were in playoff contention before losing their last six games to finish 32-42-4, last in the Eastern Division.
After 1974, the team moved to San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
and became known as the San Diego Mariners
San Diego Mariners
The San Diego Mariners were an ice hockey team based in San Diego that played in the World Hockey Association. They played from 1974 to 1977. Their home ice was San Diego Sports Arena...
.
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 Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team name | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1972–73 | Raiders | 78 | 33 | 43 | 2 | 68 | 303 | 334 | 900 | 6th, Eastern | Did not qualify |
| 1973–74 | Golden Blades/Knights | 78 | 32 | 42 | 4 | 68 | 268 | 313 | 933 | 6th, Eastern | Did not qualify |
| Franchise totals | 156 | 65 | 85 | 6 | 136 | 571 | 644 | 1833 |