1973–74 New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights season



The 1973–74 New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights season was the 2nd season of the franchise in the World Hockey Association (WHA). The club was the New York Raiders the previous season. It was the last season of operation in the New York City area, as the franchise became San Diego Mariners the following season. The Blades/Knights finished 6th in the Eastern Division and did not qualify for the playoffs.

Off-season
Following the 1972-73 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 Blazers, he was essentially all the franchise had going for it.

The Golden Blades uniforms are generally regarded as one of the most unique and attractive in professional hockey history. The jersey colours were purple, white and gold with a primarily white home jersey and a primarily purple away jersey. All three colours flowed from the shoulders yolks down the arms with outlined sleeve numbers. The bottom of the body had one colour stripe while the name on the jersey back wasn't outlined. The logo was a double roundel containing a sun within which was a skate with a gold lightning blade. The players wore white skates with gold-colored blades to complete the design.

Pre-season
In order to promote the team, a four team mini-tournament featuring the Houston Aeros, Winnipeg Jets and New England Whalers was held at Madison Square Garden on September 25, 1973.

Regular Season
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, just twenty games into the season, with a 6-12-2 record. Veteran player Harry Howell, who had been recently picked up by the Golden Blades after being released from the Los Angeles Kings, was elevated to player-coach, and ordered the team's white skates painted black.

On November 21, 1973, the WHA moved the team to the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and renamed the team the Jersey Knights. The arena in Cherry Hill was available because the previous pro hockey tenant, the Jersey Devils, had folded when the Eastern Hockey League went out of business at the end of the previous season. Having been locked out of Madison Square Garden just prior to their move, the players were unable to take their Blades jerseys with them, so the team reverted to the previous Raiders uniforms, with the original crest replaced with the new Knights logo.

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. The arena was also closely cramped, with players not having adequate changing and dressing facilities; visiting teams had to dress at their hotel. In addition, there was no plexiglass around the playing surface. The boards in the area from face-off circle to face-off circle at each end of the ice was bordered with chicken-wire as protection. The rest of the arena had no protection above the boards.

Despite the questionable facilities, 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. (They did manage a solid 18-10-1 mark at Cherry Hill, a better record than they ever had in New York.) Within five weeks of the move, though, reports had already begun to state that the franchise would not stay in New Jersey beyond the end of the season, as Cherry Hill Arena was inadequate even for temporary use. Baltimore businessman Joe Schwartz purchased the team in January, fueling speculation the team might move to the Maryland city, or perhaps be re-incarnated as an expansion franchise in Cincinnati or Indianapolis. Instead, at the end of the 1974 season, Schwartz moved the Knights to San Diego, California, and renamed them the San Diego Mariners.

Game Log

 * Last game for the New York Golden Blades.

Playoffs

 * The Golden Blades/Knights did not qualify for the post season.

Player Stats
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals

MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts

Awards and Records

 * Andre Lacroix, Center, WHA First Team All-Star