The Baltimore Clippers were a minor league professional ice hockey team from in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, playing in the

Eastern Amateur 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 ...

at Carlin's Iceland. The team began play in the 1944–45 season known as the Baltimore Blades, and were renamed the Clippers from 1946 to 1949. The team name paid homage to local history in the

Baltimore Clipper A Baltimore clipper is a fast sailing ship historically built on the mid-Atlantic seaboard of the United States, especially at the port of Baltimore, Maryland. An early form of clipper, the name is most commonly applied to two-masted schoone ...

, and the

Port of Baltimore The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is a Port, shipping port along the tidal basins of the three branches of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, on the upper northwest shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the nation's la ...

. The Clippers ceased operations during the 1949–50 season.

History

The Baltimore Blades were founded in 1944 by the Jacobs brothers, who owned a military uniform supply company. The Blades replaced the void in the EAHL when the

United States Coast Guard Cutters The United States Coast Guard Cutters were a senior amateur ice hockey team operated by the United States Coast Guard Yard on Curtis Bay, Baltimore. The team played in the Eastern Hockey League, Eastern Amateur Hockey League for parts of two s ...

hockey team disbanded. Baltimore was affiliated with the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

Eddie Shore Edward William Shore (November 25, 1902 – March 16, 1985) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman, principally for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League, and the longtime owner of the Springfield Indians of the American Hocke ...

coached the parent team, and was also the Blades' general manager. Former Bison player Leroy Goldsworthy coached the Blades to a second-place finish in the EAHL. In the 1945–46 season, the team changed names to the Clippers, and the affiliation with Buffalo ended. Baltimore finished the season fourth in the EAHL, and went through three head coaches, including Jim Foley, Herb Mitchell, and player-coach Jack Riley. In the 1946–47 season, Hank Roy was named head coach, but was replaced with the returning Goldsworthy as Baltimore again finished fourth in the EAHL. Frank Beisler was named the new head coach and manager for the 1947–48 season. Beisler led the team to 31 wins and finished first place in the league, winning the Walker Cup. Right winger Charlie Knox led the league with 54 goals, and 86 points; center Dave Maguire led the league with 53 assists, and defender Jack Nixon led the league with 182 penalty minutes in 37 games. The EAHL did not operate for the 1948–49 season, but resumed play for the 1949–50 season. Kilby MacDonald was named the head coach and team manager. After twelve games, the Clippers had four wins, and withdrew from league play on December 4, 1949.

Players

Notable league executive Jack Riley played for the Clippers from 1945 to 1946. Two Blades players, and seven Clippers players also played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

. Notable players include: * Hugh Currie * Norm Dussault * Gordie Haworth * Gordon Henry * Rosario Joannette * Ray Powell * Jack Riley * Stan Smrke * Jack Stoddard * Chick Webster

Results

Season-by-season results.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baltimore Clippers (1945-1949) 1945 establishments in Maryland 1949 disestablishments in Maryland Defunct ice hockey teams in Maryland Eastern Hockey League teams Ice hockey clubs established in 1945 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1949 Sports clubs and teams in Baltimore