For part of one season, the World Hockey Association, a rival of the National Hockey League in the 1970s, had a team play in Cherry Hill.
For the last half century, the Philadelphia region has been known as Flyers Country for hockey fans. This year, the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League are celebrating their 50th season.
With Cherry Hill located less than 10 miles from the City of Brotherly Love, the Flyers are generally considered the team of choice for resident hockey fans. However, more than 40 years ago, Cherry Hill had a major professional hockey team of its own.
In the 1970s, the World Hockey Association was formed as a rival league to the NHL. The WHA began play in 1972 and signed a number of players away from the NHL. Hockey greats Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe both played in the WHA and before winning at Stanley Cup with the Flyers, Hall of Fame goalie Bernie Parent played a season with the Philadelphia Blazers of the WHA.
One issue the WHA had was franchise instability. Many of its teams failed to gain fan interest and make money. Franchises frequently relocated from season-to-season. Sometimes, teams would move to a different location in the middle of the year.
In the fall of 1973, a WHA team named the New York Golden Blades was struggling to stay afloat. Twenty games into the team’s 1973–74 season, the team went broke. The WHA took over operations of the team and moved it to Cherry Hill. The team’s name was changed to the Jersey Knights. The team won its first game on Nov. 25, 1973, 3–1, against the Quebec Nordiques.
The Knights played at Cherry Hill Arena, located at what is now a shopping center at the intersection of Haddonfield-Berlin and Brace roads. For nearly a decade previous, the arena was home to a minor league hockey team, the Jersey Devils of the Eastern Hockey League. The Devils and the EHL folded prior to the 1973–74 season, leaving Cherry Hill Arena open for a new tenant.
A “New York Times” story by Corey Kilgannon in 2012 on the Golden Blades/Knights franchise, talks about the spartan arrangements in Cherry Hill. The arena only seated about 4,000, and only had a locker room for the home team.
“You would see stars like Bobby Hull or Gordie Howe coming off a school bus, all suited-up and carrying their sticks and skates,” said Andre Lacroix, the Jersey Knights’ leading scorer, in the “New York Times” piece.
Lacroix also talked about how the rink was sloped, forcing a team to skate uphill for two of the game’s three periods.
The Knights themselves actually played better when they arrived in Cherry Hill than previously in New York. After going 6–12–2 in New York, the Knights began winning more consistently. Harry Howell, a seven-time NHL all-star and defenseman for more than 20 years, served as the Knights player-coach. The team remained in playoff contention until late in the year. However, a six-game losing streak to end the season buried the Knights as they finished the year with a 32–42–4 record and in last place in the East Division.
The 1973–74 season was the only one for the Jersey Knights. Following the season, Joseph Schwarz, a real estate developer from California, purchased the team and moved it to San Diego in the 1974–75 season.
