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

Baltimore Civic Center CFG Bank Arena is a multipurpose arena in Baltimore, Maryland. This venue is located about one block away from the Baltimore Convention Center on the corner of Baltimore Street and Hopkins Place in downtown Baltimore. With a seating capacity ...

. The Clippers were members of 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 ...

from 1962 to 1976, and then played one season in the Southern Hockey League. The team was managed by

Terry Reardon Terrance George Reardon (April 6, 1919 – February 14, 1993) was a Canadian ice hockey centre and coach. He played in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens between 1939 and 1947 Reardon played 197 games in ...

for its first fourteen seasons, and won three division titles, but were unable to capture a

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

title. Baltimore began as a farm team for the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

, and helped develop

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

players including,

Eddie Giacomin Edward "Ed" Giacomin (born June 6, 1939) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League between 1965 and 1978. Playing career Giacomin began his pr ...

, Doug Harvey,

Jacques Plante Joseph Jacques Omer Plante (; January 17, 1929 – February 27, 1986) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. During a career lasting from 1947 to 1975, he was considered to be one of the most important innovators in hockey. He played ...

and

Jean Ratelle Joseph Gilbert Yvon Jean Ratelle (born October 3, 1940) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. He featured in three Stanley Cup Finals (1972, 1977, 1978). In twenty-one seasons he averaged alm ...

. The Clippers also featured eight alumni, who are now members of the

AHL Hall of Fame The AHL Hall of Fame is an online ice hockey museum dedicated to honoring members of the American Hockey League. Each year, a new class of inductees is enshrined during the AHL's All-Star Classic. On January 5, 2006, the league announced that Joh ...

. The team name "Clippers", was used by two previous professional hockey teams in Baltimore, and 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 ...

History

The

approved an expansion franchise for Baltimore on June 12, 1962. The approval came with the promise that the

which would be the largest rink in the AHL at that time, would be completed no later than November 1, 1962. The team's

fight song A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand, these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...

, "Win, you Baltimore Clippers", was composed by lyricist Winifred Davis, and music teacher Jack D. Martz Sr., to coincide with the team's founding in 1962. The Clippers were a

affiliate, for five seasons starting in 1962. The new Clippers had no connection to the

Baltimore Clippers (1945–1949) The Baltimore Clippers were a minor league professional ice hockey team from in Baltimore, Maryland, playing in the Eastern Hockey League, Eastern Amateur Hockey League at Carlin's Iceland. The team began play in the 1944–45 season known as th ...

, or the Baltimore Clippers (1954–1956), other than the name, and the same public relations man, Robert Elmer. Since their arena was still under construction, training camp was held at the

Wheat City Arena The Wheat City Arena was an indoor arena located in Brandon, Manitoba at the corner of 10th Street and Victoria Avenue. It was built in 1913 and hosted the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair as well as numerous ice hockey teams, including the Brandon Wh ...

, where general manager

played as a junior.

Red Sullivan George James "Red" Sullivan (December 24, 1929 – January 19, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1949 to 1961. After finishing his playing career Sullivan became a coach, serv ...

was named the player-coach, and the camp included many players with connections to

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

. Baltimore won the first game of the

1962–63 AHL season Year 196 ( CXCVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Dexter and Messalla (or, less frequently, year 949 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 196 for this ye ...

on October 12, defeating the

Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were two separate minor professional ice hockey franchises, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The original Indians were founding members of the American Hockey Leagu ...

, 6–4. On December 29, 1962, Sullivan was promoted to be head coach the

, and was replaced by player-coach

Aldo Guidolin Aldo Reno Guidolin (June 6, 1932 – November 8, 2015) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers between 1952 and 1956. The rest of his career, which lasted from ...

Dave Creighton David Theodore Creighton (June 24, 1930 – August 18, 2017) was a Canadian ice hockey forward. Creighton started his National Hockey League career with the Boston Bruins in 1948. He would also play with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Black H ...

led the team in scoring with 24 goals, and 72 points. The Clippers finished the season in third place in the east division. In the playoffs, they lost two games to one, to the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

. In the

1963–64 AHL season The 1963–64 AHL season was the 28th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The Quebec Aces finished first overall in the regular season. The Cleveland Barons won their ninth Calder Cup champions ...

, Ken Schinkel led the team in scoring, with 23 goals, and 56 points. Player-coach, Aldo Guidolin was the third most penalized player in the league, with 165 minutes. Baltimore finished fourth place in the east division, out of the playoffs. Jack Crawford was appointed head coach for the 1964–65 AHL season.

Gord Labossiere Gordon William Labossiere (; born January 2, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 215 games in the National Hockey League between 1963 and 1971 and 301 games in the World Hockey Association between 1972 and 1976. C ...

led the team in scoring, with 38 goals, and 79 points. Baltimore finished third place in the east division. In the playoffs, the Clippers lost three games to two, versus the Hershey Bears. Baltimore struggled early in the

1965–66 AHL season The 1965–66 AHL season was the 30th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The league played a limited interlocking schedule with the Western Hockey League which was repeated two seasons later. T ...

, and head coach Jack Crawford was fired on January 24, 1966. Terry Reardon took over coach duties, despite rumors that Red Sullivan was returning. Ken Schinkel led the team in scoring with 30 goals, and 75 points. The Clippers finished fourth place in the east division, and missed the playoffs. In the

1966–67 AHL season The 1966–67 AHL season was the 31st season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The Pittsburgh Hornets finished first overall in the regular season, and won their first Calder Cup championship since ...

, Reardon acquired Willie Marshall, who led the team in scoring with 33 goals, and 89 points. Marshall was third in the league in points, and

Bob Plager Robert Bryant Plager (March 11, 1943 – March 24, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 14 seasons from 1964 until 1978, primarily for the St. Louis Blues. Plager spent over ha ...

led the league with 169 penalty minutes. Baltimore finished the season second place in the east division. In the playoffs, the Clippers defeated the

Quebec Aces The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. History The Aces were founded in 1928 by Anglo-Canadian Pulp and Paper Mills, the name Aces stan ...

three games to two in the first round, then lost to the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...

three games to one, in the second round. For the

1967–68 AHL season The 1967–68 AHL season was the 32nd season of the American Hockey League. Eight teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The league played a limited interlocking schedule with the Western Hockey League which was a repeat of the experiment ...

, Baltimore started an affiliation with the

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

for three seasons. Tom McCarthy led the team in scoring with 34 goals, and 83 points. Baltimore dropped into fourth place in the east division, and missed the playoffs. Aldo Guidolin returned as head coach for the 1968–69 AHL season, on June 22, 1968. Baltimore picked up secondary affiliations with the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

and

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

for one season. Willie Marshall led the team in scoring with 26 goals, and 78 points. Sandy McGregor scored 44 goals, second most in the league, and Marshall tied for third most assists in the league with 52. Baltimore moved up to second place in the east division. In the playoffs, the Clippers lost to the

Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) between 1926 and 1936 and the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The t ...

, three games to one.

Rudy Migay Rudolph Joseph Migay (November 18, 1928 – January 16, 2016) was a Canadian ice hockey forward. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League between 1949 and 1959. Playing career Migay turned professional in 1948. He spe ...

was appointed head coach for the

1969–70 AHL season The 1969–70 AHL season was the 34th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The Montreal Voyageurs became the second Canada-based team in the league, and finished first overall in the regular se ...

on September 11, 1969. Jim Bartlett led the team in scoring with 30 goals, and 58 points. Baltimore finished third place in the west division. In the playoffs, they lost four games to one, to the Montreal Voyageurs. After the season, Pittsburgh ended its affiliation, and reassigned Migay to coach the Amarillo Wranglers in the next season. In the

1970–71 AHL season The 1970–71 AHL season was the 35th season of the American Hockey League. Eight teams played 72 games each in the schedule. The Baltimore Clippers finished first overall in the regular season. The Springfield Kings won their first Calder Cup ...

, Terry Reardon returned to the dual role of head coach and general manager, and the Clippers affiliated with the

for one season. Fred Speck led the team in points with 92, and

Wayne Rivers Wayne Rivers (born February 1, 1942) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 108 games in the National Hockey League and 357 games in the World Hockey Association. During the 1977–78 season, Rivers coached the San Franci ...

had 38 goals. Baltimore had the top three scorers in the league, including Speck with 92 points, Marc Dufour with 82 points, and Rivers with 75 points. Speck also led the league in assists with 61, Rivers was second in goals scored, and Larry Johnston racked up the second most penalty minutes in the league with 198. Speck won the

Les Cunningham Award The Les Cunningham Award is given annually to American Hockey League's "Most Valuable Player" of the regular season, as voted on by AHL media and players. The award was first presented in the 1947–48 season, is named after Les Cunningham, a five ...

as the league's most valuable player, the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the league's top scorer, and the

Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award The Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award is given each year to the player in the American Hockey League (AHL) determined to be the most outstanding rookie. The award is based on voting by the media and the players. It was named after Dudley "Red" G ...

as the AHL Rookie of the Year. The Clippers finished first in the west division, to capture the John D. Chick Trophy. Reardon won the

Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award The Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award is an American Hockey League (AHL) trophy awarded annually to the most outstanding coach during the season, as voted upon by members of the AHL media. The award is named for Louis Pieri, a long-time contributor ...

, as the AHL Coach of the Year. In the playoffs, Baltimore fell in six games to the Providence Reds, ending the best team season to date. Veteran defenseman

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet who was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his charismatic persona, poetic lyrics, distinctive vo ...

was appointed co-coach with Reardon for the

1971–72 AHL season The 1971–72 AHL season was the 36th season of the American Hockey League. Major changes occurred in the off-season. The league welcomed four expansion teams, and lost both Quebec-based teams. Eleven teams played 76 games each in the schedule. ...

, in addition to playing. Baltimore switched NHL affiliations to the

California Golden Seals The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967–68 NHL season, 1967 to 1975–76 NHL season, 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oa ...

for the season. Pete Laframboise led the Clippers in scoring with 37 goals, and 81 points, followed by Joe Szura with 38 goals, and 76 points. Baltimore repeated their first place finish in the west division, winning another John D. Chick Trophy. In the playoffs, Baltimore defeated the Cleveland Barons four games to two in the first round, and then defeated the

Cincinnati Swords The Cincinnati Swords were an American Hockey League team that played at the Cincinnati Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio from 1971 to 1974. They were owned by and the affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. History The Sword ...

in six games in the second round, to reach the league finals. Playing in their only

finals appearance, Baltimore lost in six games to the

Nova Scotia Voyageurs The Nova Scotia Voyageurs were a professional ice hockey team, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the American Hockey League, from 1971 to 1984. Originally chartered as the Omaha Knights of the Central Professional Hockey Leagu ...

, and were outscored 8–21. Baltimore's recent success was short-lived without any NHL affiliation during the

1972–73 AHL season The 1972–73 AHL season was the 37th season of the American Hockey League. Twelve teams played 76 games each in the schedule. The Cincinnati Swords finished first overall in the regular season, and won the Calder Cup championship. Team changes ...

. The Clippers finished sixth place in the west division, and last overall in the league, missing the playoffs.

Bobby Rivard Robert Joseph Hervé Rivard (August 1, 1939 – January 1, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played in 27 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional i ...

was the team's top scorer with 75 points. Baltimore negotiated an affiliation with the

for the 1973–74 AHL season. Marc Dufour led the team in scoring, with 104 points. Dufour and teammate Howie Menard tied for third in the league with 42 goals, and Dufour finished second overall in points. The Clippers returned to first place, winning the south division, and the John D. Chick Trophy. In the playoffs, Baltimore defeated the

Richmond Robins The Richmond Robins were a professional ice hockey team based in Richmond, Virginia. They were a member of the American Hockey League for five seasons from 1971–72 to 1975–76. Their cross-state rivals in the AHL were the Virginia Wings. The ...

four games to one in the first round, but were swept in four games by the Hershey Bears in the second round.

Kent Douglas Kent Gemmell Douglas (February 6, 1936 – April 12, 2009) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. Playing career Early career Douglas started his career with the Kitchener Canucks in the Ontario Hockey Association. He spe ...

was appointed co-coach with Reardon for the

1974–75 AHL season The 1974–75 AHL season was the 39th season of the American Hockey League. Ten teams were scheduled to play 76 games each in the schedule. The Baltimore Clippers suspended operations after 46 games, when displaced by the Baltimore Blades of t ...

, and Baltimore affiliated with the

Kansas City Scouts The Kansas City Scouts were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1974 to 1976. In 1976–77 NHL season, 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver and became the Colorado Rockies (NHL), Colorado Rockies. In 1982– ...

for one season. By January 1975, the Clippers were in trouble financially. They had received an $80,000 subsidy from city in lieu of lease payments, giving up exclusive ice rights to the Baltimore Civic Center. The team formally folded on January 23, 1975, and cancelled the remaining 30 games on their schedule, citing poor attendance and debt. On the same day, the

Michigan Stags The Michigan Stags were a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit that played a portion of the 1974–75 season in the World Hockey Association. On January 18, 1975, the team folded, but the league immediately took over operation and moved ...

of the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

relocated to Baltimore. When the Clippers folded after 46 games, they were in last place with 38 points, and Bobby Rivard led the team with 37 points. When the Baltimore Blades did not return for a second season, Reardon led the drive to resurrect the Clippers. On August 15, 1975, the AHL granted a provisional franchise to revive the Baltimore Clippers for the

1975–76 AHL season The 1975–76 AHL season was the 40th season of the American Hockey League. The league begins to give out three James H. Ellery Memorial Awards to the media, one each for outstanding newspaper, radio and television coverage of the AHL. Eight t ...

, as long as a lease could be secured at the Baltimore Civic Center. The Clippers were readmitted to league on August 26, 1975, when team ownership posted a $50,000 performance bond with league, and 1,700 season tickets had been sold. Baltimore affiliated with the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

in the NHL, and the

New England Whalers New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

in the WHA for one season. Fred Speck returned to the Clippers, and led the team with 75 points scored. Don Grierson was fourth in goals scored in the league with 37, and Speck was third with 52 assists. Despite their efforts, the Clippers placed fourth in the south division, and last overall in the league. On August 12, 1976, team owners announced that the Clippers were transferring to the Southern Hockey League, due to the higher costs of operating in the AHL, compared to being geographically closer to teams in the SHL and saving money on travel. The team had lost $250,000 in the previous season, and were also unsuccessful in negotiating an NHL affiliation to help with costs. Reardon was relieved of his general manager duties, and reassigned to other business management, then later released as a cost saving measure. Larry Wilson was named the new coach and general manager on August 31. The Clippers affiliated with the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

in the WHA for the

1976–77 Southern Hockey League season The 1976–77 Southern Hockey League season was the fourth and final season of the Southern Hockey League. The Roanoke Valley Rebels ceased operations, and two new teams were added for the season. The Baltimore Clippers transferred from the Amer ...

. On January 18, 1977, Wilson was appointed interim head coach of Detroit Red Wings, and Baltimore named Don Grierson a player-coach-general manager. The Southern Hockey League soon ceased operations when four of its teams folded due to financial reasons, and the final game was played on January 31, 1977. At that time, Grierson led the team, and tied for the league lead in goals with 30, led the league with 45 assists, and 75 points. Baltimore had accumulated the fourth most points during the season, when the league stopped play. In January 1978, the team's remaining possessions were auctioned off to pay outstanding debt claims.

Major league affiliations

The Baltimore Clippers were affiliated with

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 ...

teams from 1962 to 1976,

teams from 1975 to 1977, and were independent in the 1972–73 season.

Notable players

Fred Speck had possibly the best season for a Clippers' player in 1970–71, winning three league awards, including the

, John B. Sollenberger Trophy, and the

Eight players from the Clippers have been inducted into the

, and four have been inducted in the

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

Coaches

was the general manager of Baltimore for fourteen seasons, and coached the Clippers during nine seasons, winning the

in 1970–71, as the AHL Coach of the Year. In total, nine men were head coaches of the Baltimore Clippers 1962 to 1971, or co-coaches from 1972 to 1976.

Attendance

Baltimore initially received above average fan support, compared to teams in its league. The city failed in its attempts for a major league team in the

1967 NHL expansion The 1967 National Hockey League (NHL) expansion added six new franchises for the 1967–68 NHL season, 1967–68 season, doubling the size of the league to 12 teams. It was the largest expansion undertaken at one time by an established major spor ...

, or the subsequent NHL expansion era. Attendance began to drop in the early 1970s, and then the team faced competition with both the

, and the WHA in the 1974–75 season.

Results

Season-by-season results in the regular season, and playoffs.

References

External links