New York Raiders Fan Shop

2 products

The New York Raiders Collection — Royal Retros New York Raiders Fan Shop

Authentic 1972–1973 WHA Inaugural-Season Throwbacks. Custom Names & Numbers. Sizes S–5XL. The Madison Square Garden Era.

Royal Retros carries the deepest New York Raiders throwback collection on the open web — authentic 1972–1973 World Hockey Association-era jerseys, T-shirts, and New York hockey fan apparel honoring one of the WHA's twelve inaugural-season franchises. The Raiders played a single season at Madison Square Garden in 1972–73 before being rebranded as the New York Golden Blades for 1973–74, then relocating to Cherry Hill as the Jersey Knights, and finally landing in San Diego as the Mariners. Custom name and number on most jerseys. Sizes S–5XL.

What You Can Shop in the New York Raiders Collection

New York Raiders Jerseys — Throwback hockey jerseys mirroring the 1972–73 WHA inaugural-season look. Twill construction, period-correct sleeve striping, color-matched crests. Custom name and number available on most styles.

New York Raiders T-Shirts — Premium pre-shrunk soft-blend tees featuring the Raiders wordmark and franchise history graphics.

Customization — Most Raiders jerseys can be personalized with your name and number. Free customization on eligible items. Custom items are final sale and made to order.

Sizes — Small through 5XL on virtually every product. We don't upcharge for big & tall sizes.

Why Royal Retros Is the Home of New York Raiders Throwback Gear

  • WHA-era authenticity. Period-correct color values, proportions, and stitching for the 1972–1973 inaugural Raiders.
  • The original New York WHA identity. Before the Golden Blades, before the Jersey Knights, before San Diego — this was the original.
  • Free customization on most jerseys. Name and number at no extra cost.
  • Sizes Small through 5XL. No big & tall upcharge.
  • Cross-shop the broader WHA collection for the full New York → New Jersey → San Diego franchise lineage and the rest of the league.

Quick Buying Questions

What sizes do New York Raiders jerseys come in?

Small through 5XL on virtually every jersey style.

Can I customize my jersey?

Yes — most styles offer free customization. Custom items are final sale and made to order. Allow 7–10 business days for production.

What materials are jerseys made from?

Heavyweight twill on most replica jerseys, sublimated polyester on custom and remix styles.

How accurate is the design?

Color palettes, lettering style, sleeve striping, and crest detail match 1972–1973 game-worn references.

How fast does it ship?

Standard products ship within 3–5 business days. Custom items ship within 7–10 business days.

What Were the New York Raiders?

The New York Raiders (1972–1973) were one of the twelve charter franchises of the World Hockey Association — the upstart major league that launched in fall 1972 as the first serious challenger to the NHL since the WHL of the 1920s. The Raiders were positioned as the WHA's New York entry, going head-to-head with the NHL Rangers and Islanders for the lucrative metropolitan hockey market. The franchise played its home games at Madison Square Garden — the same building as the Rangers — under a shared-tenant arrangement that gave the Raiders late-night and Sunday-afternoon ice times around the Rangers' marquee schedule. The arrangement was financially brutal: rent at MSG was punishing, attendance was thin, and the Raiders never overcame the second-class-tenant problem in their own building.

After the 1972–73 season the original ownership group sold the franchise to a new investor group that rebranded the team as the New York Golden Blades for 1973–74. The Golden Blades fared no better in Manhattan and relocated to Cherry Hill, NJ midseason as the Jersey Knights, then to San Diego the following year as the San Diego Mariners, where the franchise eventually found a stable three-year home before folding in 1977. The Raiders remain a beloved deep-cut WHA chapter — the inaugural-season New York entry that proved Manhattan couldn't sustain a second pro hockey team.

The Greatest New York Raiders Players

Camille Henry — The former Rangers star and Calder Trophy winner who joined the Raiders for their inaugural WHA season as a player-coach signing meant to bring instant credibility to the franchise.

Bobby Sheehan — Forward who provided the Raiders with reliable scoring during the 1972–73 campaign.

Norm Ferguson — Forward who was part of the early Raiders roster and continued with the franchise through the Golden Blades / Jersey Knights / Mariners lineage.

Venue

Madison Square Garden (Manhattan) — the Raiders shared MSG with the NHL Rangers under a tenancy arrangement that gave the WHA franchise the leftover ice slots. The venue was the Raiders' only home for their single season.

How to Identify Authentic New York Raiders Throwback Apparel

  • Verify the WHA-era color values. Authentic Raiders colors (royal blue, white, orange) have specific Pantone-matched values.
  • Check for the WHA-era logo. The 1972–73 Raiders used a specific stylized crest — modern reproductions or generic NY hockey designs are a tell.
  • Era-specific design matters. The throwback should represent the actual 1972–73 inaugural-season look, not a later-era reinterpretation.
  • Royal Retros standard: Every product in this collection is reviewed for period accuracy.

More Frequently Asked Questions

When did the New York Raiders exist?

The Raiders played one season in the WHA: 1972–1973. The franchise was rebranded as the Golden Blades for 1973–74.

What league did the Raiders play in?

The World Hockey Association (WHA) — the upstart major league that ran 1972–1979 before merging four franchises into the NHL.

Where did the Raiders play home games?

Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, sharing the building with the NHL Rangers.

Why didn't the Raiders survive in New York?

Punishing MSG rent, second-tenant scheduling that pushed Raiders games to off-hours, head-to-head competition with the established Rangers, and the WHA's overall first-year financial struggles made New York untenable. The franchise was rebranded the next season and ultimately relocated.

What happened to the franchise?

Raiders → New York Golden Blades (1973–74) → Jersey Knights (1973–74 mid-season) → San Diego Mariners (1974–77) → folded.

Where can I find related Royal Retros collections?

The Raiders connect to multiple Royal Retros collections: the broader WHA collection, the Legacy Hockey collection, and our broader hockey collection.

WHA Cross-Shop

New York Raiders at Royal Retros — Authentic 1972–1973 WHA Inaugural-Season Throwbacks. Custom Names & Numbers. Sizes S–5XL. The Madison Square Garden Era.