Baltimore Blades (1975)
April 8, 2026
The Michigan Stags were a brief and doomed attempt by the rebel World Hockey Association (1972-1979) to challenge the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings head-to-head during the winter of 1974-75. The NHL club was ripe for a challenge, as they were mired in the depths of the “Dead Wings” era. But the Stags’ local owners did not possess the financial fortitude to take on the Red Wings, even in their weakened state. The Stags, who played at 10,000-seat Cobo Arena, threw in the towel after only 43 games and absconded to Baltimore in the middle of the 1974-75 WHA season. The combined Stags/Baltimore Blades team finished the year with a dreadful 21-53-4 last place finish and promptly went out of business.
