Madison Square Garden IV
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2 Pennsylvania Plaza New York, NY 10121 (212) 465-6000 Hockey Capacity: 17,843 Tenants: New York Rangers (NHL) 1968-Present New York Knicks (NBA) 1968-Present Saint John's University Red Storm (NCAA) Former Tenants: New York Raiders (WHA) 1972-1973 New York Golden Blades (WHA) 1973-1974 |
courtesy Madison Square Garden |
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.
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Madison Square GardenRalf 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.
Information on this page is from The Complete Historical and Statistical Reference to the World Hockey Association 1972-1979; by Scott Adam Surgent as written by Andrew Stiffler
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