The second part in my look at American Hockey League teams that cease to exist.

Baltimore Clippers 1962-1976

Based out of Maryland, the Baltimore Clippers won three divisional titles during their tenure in the American League but would not claim a single Calder Cup Championship, losing in six games to Nova Scotia in a single finals appearance.

Affiliated with the New York Rangers for five seasons, Baltimore also shared arrangements with Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, and the now defunct California Golden Seals and Kansas City Scouts.

The city of Balitmore failed in its attempts for a major league team in the 1967 NHL expansion but the Clippers were a well supported team in their early years, often drawing crowds above the AHL average.
Peaking at 6,082 in 1969-70 before dropping off to half that figure prior to the team eventually folding, with competition from the Washington Capitals and newly formed WHA partly to blame.

By the time the 1974-75 season rolled around Baltimore were in financial trouble.
Despite receiving an $80,000 subsidy from city in lieu of lease payments, giving up exclusive ice rights to the Baltimore Civic Center, the Clippers formally folded January 23, 1975, cancelling the remaining thirty games left in their schedule.

That wasn’t quite the end however as on August 15, 1975, the AHL granted a provisional franchise to revive the Baltimore Clippers for the 1975–76 AHL season, as long as a lease could be secured at the Baltimore Civic Center.
It was a fleeting one season reprieve as the team finished last, attendance rose by only 300 compared to the year before and the team would be switched to the Southern Hockey League in a bid to cut costs and keep the team alive. The SHL would be shut down by January of 1977 and the Baltimore Clippers would cease to exist from that point.

Notable players and coaches

Four Hockey Hall of Fame players suited up for the Clippers including Goaltender Eddie Giacomin (New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings), Defenseman Doug Harvey (Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues) and Centreman Jean Ratelle (New York Rangers and Boston Bruins).
Then there is legendary six-time Stanley Cup Winner Jacques Plante. The goaltender featured in 17 games for Baltimore after being traded by Montreal to New York.

A total of eight former Baltimore players have made it into the AHL Hall of Fame with Left-Winger Jim Bartlett most recently inducted in 2018.
Others before him are forwards Billy Dea, Willie Marshall, Ralph Keller, Jim Morrison, Marcel Paille, Harry Pidhirny and Noel Price.

Terry Reardon was the general manager of Baltimore for fourteen seasons, and coached the Clippers during nine of those. The Manitoba native hoisted the Calder Cup as a player-coach in 1948-49 but won just a personal title as a Head Coach, awarded the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award in 1970–71, as the AHL Coach of the Year.

Quebec Aces  1959-1971

The Quebec Aces were founded as an amateur team in 1928 competing in the following leagues before making the transition to the American Hockey League from 1959.
1928–1936 (Quebec City Railway-Paper League)
1936–1941 (Montreal Senior Group, QAHA)
1941–1953 (Quebec Senior Hockey League)
1953–1959 (Quebec Hockey League)

The Aces failed to make the playoffs during their first four campaigns in the AHL but made the final in 1964 in which they were swept 4-0 by Cleveland. Quebec would go on to make a further two appearances in the Calder Cup final but lost to Rochester and Hershey respectively.
The Aces made the playoffs for seven straight seasons before failing to do so in their last campaign of operation.

Attendances peaked at around 8,000 at Quebec Coliseum, and the average flitted between 5-600, only dropping off in the final two years of the Aces existence.

During the team’s final years in the AHL, the Aces were the farm club for the Philadelphia Flyers (1967-71), providing the Flyers with a strong Quebec flavour to their line-up during that time.

The end came for Quebec when Philadelphia opted to relocate their farm team closer to home in Richmond, Virginia for the 1971-72 season.

Notable players and coaches

André Lacroix, Jean-Guy Gendron and Simon Nolet are the best known of the crop who went on to play for Philadelphia and enjoyed long careers in the NHL and WHA respectively between them.

Wayne Hicks is Quebec’s all-time leading goal scorer (141) and points scorer (348) in just 299 games.

Defenseman Jim Morrison played his early professional career with the Toronto Maple Leafs but went on to represent the Aces on 484 occasions and holds the all-time franchise lead for assists with 251.

Former Head Coaches include former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Turk Broda and Bernie “Boom-Boom” Geoffrion, who would go on to coach five seasons in the NHL with New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Atlanta Flames.

Richmond Robins 1971-1976

Despite a promising beginning, Philadelphia’s venture in moving their affiliate from Quebec to Richmond backfired on and off the ice.

Averaging an attendance just shy of 6,000 in their inaugural season, Richmond Robins failed to match that high again and crowds dwindled by a third.
That may have had something to do with that fact that the Robins failed to record a single winning season in their five campaigns, posting 139 victories in 379 games.

In their final season, Richmond made it past the first round of the playoffs for the first time but the writing was on the wall for the future of the team.
Despite a “Save The Robins” campaign with a goal of 3,000 season ticket deposits of $100 each, when the deadline arrived on June 21, 1976, the Robins had secured fewer than 1,000 commitments.
Team founder E. Claiborne Robins pulled the plug, citing more than $1 million in financial losses over the Richmond’s five-year AHL existence.

As well as being Philadelphia’s affiliate for the duration of their time in the AHL, Richmond also partnered with Washington Capitals through 1974-76.

Notable players and coaches

Dave Schultz nicknamed “The Hammer” is renowned as one of hockey’s greatest enforcers and holds the NHL record for most penalty minutes in a single season, at 472. The Saskatchewan native went on to accumulate almost 2300 PIM in a nine year NHL career.

Orest Kindrachuk would spend ten seasons in the NHL, accumulating 379 points in 508 games.

Jimmy Watson graduated from Richmond after one season and spent his entire career in the NHL with the Flyers. He is one of few players to have the fortune of playing on the same team as his brother (Joe), and the duo won the Stanley Cup together in 1974 and 1975.

Bobby Taylor was a member of the Philadelphia Flyers teams that won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975. He is perhaps between known for his roles as colour commentator for Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning.