The Erie Blades name was used by two professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

teams in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

. Both teams played their home games in the

Erie County Field House The Erie County Field House was a multipurpose arena in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. It was home to the Erie Blades, a North American Hockey League and American Hockey League franchise. According to a 1976 promotional flyer for the facility," ...

. After the second Blades team folded, the void was filled by the

Erie Golden Blades The Erie Golden Blades were a minor league hockey team in Erie, Pennsylvania, which played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League. The team's inaugural season was the Erie County Field House, which closed in 1983. The team relocated to Louis J. Tu ...

, a team in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League from 1982 to 1987. They changed the colors from Orange and Black to Gold and Blue with the name change.

1975–1977

The first team was a member of the North American Hockey League from 1975 to 1977. Nick Polano was the team's coach both seasons, and returned to coach the second Blades team for its first three seasons.

1978–1982

The second team was a member of the

Northeastern Hockey League The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

during the 1978–79 season, then the

Eastern Hockey League The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart ...

from 1979 to 1981. The Blades won three consecutive league championships during these seasons. The Blades were then admitted to the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

for the 1981–82 season. The AHL Blades continued affiliation with the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

and

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

. Lou Angotti replaced Polano as the head coach in 1981. After a poor season on the ice, the team was relocated to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, merging with the

Baltimore Skipjacks The Baltimore Skipjacks were a minor league professional ice hockey team from Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The Skipjacks originated in 1979, and played as the Baltimore Clippers in the Eastern Hockey League for two seasons. The team was ...

of the

Atlantic Coast Hockey League The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded by Bill Coffey. The Bob Payne Trophy was awarded to the team who won the league playoff championship. Acc ...

, for the 1982–83 season. Coach Angotti and sixteen players were transferred to the Skipjacks.

Season-by-season results

* Erie Blades 1975–1977 ( North American Hockey League) * Erie Blades 1978–1979 (

) * Erie Blades 1979–1981 (

) * Erie Blades 1981–1982 (

) ;Regular Season ;Playoffs

References