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1978–79 WHA Season
The 1978–79 WHA season was the seventh and final season of the World Hockey Association (WHA). Prior to the start of the season, the Houston Aeros folded leaving seven teams to start the season. Only six would finish however, as the Indianapolis Racers folded after 25 games on December 15, 1978. The remaining six teams each played 80 games, including one game each per team against a Soviet All-Star squad and the Czechoslovak National Team, the second consecutive year for this arrangement. The Soviet team won four of their six games and tied another; the Czechoslovak team only won once and tied once against four losses. In addition, because the Racers had folded after playing an odd number of games, the Edmonton Oilers played the Finnish National Team (with future Oiler Jari Kurri) once at home so as to allow each of the six surviving WHA teams to play 80 regular season games. The Oilers won by a score of 8–4, a result which in itself made no difference by the end of the reg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926. Although the WHA was not the first league since that time to attempt to challenge the NHL's supremacy, it was by far the most successful in the modern era. The WHA tried to capitalize on the lack of hockey teams in a number of major American cities and mid-level Canadian cities, and also hoped to attract the best players by paying more than NHL owners would. The WHA successfully challenged the NHL's reserve clause, which had bound players to their NHL teams even without a valid contract, allowing players in both leagues greater freedom of movement. Sixty-seven players jumped from the NHL to the WHA in the first year, led by star forward Bobby Hull, whose ten-year, $2.75 million contr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1979–80 NHL Season
The 1979–80 NHL season was the 63rd season of the National Hockey League. This season saw the addition of four teams from the disbanded World Hockey Association as expansion franchises. The Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, New England Whalers (later renamed "Hartford Whalers" at the insistence of the Boston Bruins), and Quebec Nordiques joined the NHL, bringing the total to 21 teams. The other two WHA teams ( Birmingham Bulls and Cincinnati Stingers) were paid to disband. The New York Islanders won their first Stanley Cup, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games, in the finals. The season also marked the eighth and final season for the Flames in Atlanta before the franchise relocated to Calgary. The NHL would return to the Georgia capital in 1999 with the Thrashers, but that team would ultimately relocate away from Atlanta as well becoming the second (and current) incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets. The collapse of the WHA also saw the much hyped super-star rookie Wayne G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morris Lukowich
Morris Eugene Lukowich (born June 1, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was a member of the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association (WHA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1976 to 1985, and later played for the Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings of the NHL. A left winger, Lukowich played in a total of 582 games over eight NHL seasons, registering a total of 199 goals and 219 assists for 418 points. Biography Born in Speers, Saskatchewan, Lukowich was an explosive player, both in terms of speed and scoring, though he was considered small for a professional player. Lukowich played junior hockey with the Medicine Hat Tigers for three years. In his final season, he had a career year, scoring 65 times and accumulating 142 points in 72 games. He was selected 47th overall in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, as well as the Houston Aeros in the 1976 World Hockey Association Amateur Draft, and he opted to turn pro in the WH ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kent Nilsson
Kent Åke "Kenta" Nilsson (born 31 August 1956) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey centre. He played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Winnipeg Jets, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta and Calgary Flames, Minnesota North Stars and Edmonton Oilers, as well as teams across various European leagues. During his NHL career he was called "Mr. Magic" and "The Magic Man", referring to his exceptional puck skills. Wayne Gretzky commented on Nilsson's skills saying "Skills-wise he might have been the most skilled hockey player I ever saw in my entire career". In 2006, he was featured on '' HCZ'', a Swedish reality show as coach for a hockey team of non-athletes. He is currently working as a European scout for the Florida Panthers. Playing career Nilsson began his career during the season of 1973–74, playing for Djurgårdens IF during his first of four seasons in Sweden. He then came to North America, and played for the Winnipeg Jets of the World ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Howe
Mark Steven Howe (born 28 May 1955) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and left winger who played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) following six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA). He is currently serving as the director of pro scouting for the Detroit Red Wings. Howe is the son of Gordie and Colleen Howe, younger brother of Marty Howe, and nephew of Vic Howe. Despite the enormous shadow cast by his father and splitting time between two leagues, Howe shone as one of the best two-way NHL defensemen of the 1980s, being a three-time runner-up for the Norris Trophy and making the Stanley Cup finals three times as a player. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. The Howe family received the Wayne Gretzky International Award in 2000, for major contributions to the growth and advancement of hockey in the United States. Amateur career As a youth, Howe played in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robbie Ftorek
Robert Brian Ftorek (born January 2, 1952) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He was enshrined as member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991. Playing career Ftorek played in the 1962, 1963 and 1964 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with his Boston youth team. He later played on the 1972 United States Olympic Hockey team that surprisingly won the silver medal at the 1972 Winter Olympics. He also played for Team USA at the 1972 "Pool B" Ice Hockey World Championship where he was selected to the tournament all-star team. Originally drafted by the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1972, Ftorek instead signed with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). However, the Red Wings regarded him as too small to make it as a professional and he only appeared in a handful of NHL games. Having spent most of his time in the minors with the Virginia Wings of the American Hockey League (AHL), Fto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Réal Cloutier
Réal Cloutier (born July 30, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Cloutier spent five prolific seasons as a winger in the World Hockey Association (WHA) with the Quebec Nordiques. After the WHA folded, he played an additional five seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), still at a point-a-game scoring pace, with the Quebec Nordiques and the Buffalo Sabres. Playing career As a youth, Cloutier played in four consecutive Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments from 1966 to 1969, with a minor ice hockey team from Orsainville, Quebec City. Touted as one of the most promising prospects in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Cloutier played junior hockey for the Quebec Remparts, leading his team to back to back Memorial Cup finals in 1973 and 1974. His final season with the Remparts saw him score 216 points to lead the team in scoring. In 1974, the National Hockey League (NHL) made a brief exception to allow teenagers to play, but ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
The Birmingham Bulls were a professional ice hockey team based in Birmingham, Alabama. They played in the World Hockey Association from 1976 to 1979 and the Central Hockey League from 1979 to 1981. The Bulls played their home games at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center. Prior to being in Birmingham, the team was known as the Ottawa Nationals and the Toronto Toros. The Birmingham Bulls' name has been used for other hockey teams such as the Birmingham Bulls of the East Coast Hockey League and the Birmingham Bulls of the Southern Professional Hockey League. History The Toros had been modestly successful on the ice since moving to Toronto before the start of the 1973–74 season and had drawn fairly well by WHA standards. However, onerous lease terms at Maple Leaf Gardens led owner John Bassett to move to Birmingham. After the move to Birmingham, general manager, Gilles Leger coached the team for a few games until Pat Kelly was brought in to coach the bulk of that first ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cincinnati Stingers
The Cincinnati Stingers were an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979 and in the Central Hockey League during the 1979–80 season. Their home arena was Riverfront Coliseum. They are the only major league hockey team to have played in Cincinnati. History The Stingers franchise was awarded in 1974 as part of the WHA's ill-conceived attempt at expansion. They entered the league for the 1975–76 WHA season along with the Denver Spurs. Most of the league's existing teams were not financially stable, and franchise relocations were commonplace. The Stingers achieved enough stability that they were the only one of the WHA's five expansion teams that lasted through to the end of the league, but they were left out of the NHL–WHA merger in the summer of 1979. The WHA insisted on including all three of its surviving Canadian teams, though below-average attendance made it unlikely that the Stingers would have made the cut. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lou Kaplan Trophy
The Lou Kaplan Trophy was presented annually to the World Hockey Association's (WHA) rookie of the year. History Lou Kaplan was one of the original owners of the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA. On August 10, 1973, the WHA officially named its trophies after the team officials at the WHA's founding meeting in 1972. The rookie-of-the-year trophy was named after Kaplan. Winners *1973 – Terry Caffery, New England Whalers *1974 – Mark Howe, Houston Aeros *1975 – Anders Hedberg, Winnipeg Jets *1976 – Mark Napier, Toronto Toros *1977 – George Lyle, New England Whalers *1978 – Kent Nilsson, Winnipeg Jets *1979 – Wayne Gretzky, 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 of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ... References {{WHA World Hockey Association ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Driscoll
Peter Driscoll (born October 27, 1954) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left wing who played in the World Hockey Association and National Hockey League between 1974 and 1981. He was born in Powassan, Ontario. Selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1974 NHL amateur draft and the Vancouver Blazers in the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft, Driscoll signed with the Blazers, moving to Calgary with them when they relocated. After the Calgary Cowboys folded, he signed as a free agent with the Quebec Nordiques and was later traded to the Indianapolis Racers. A year later, Driscoll was part of the deal that sent Wayne Gretzky to the Edmonton Oilers on November 2, 1978 with Eddie Mio.The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association, p.219, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, ON, Moving to the NHL with the Oilers, he did not see much action and split time between Edmonton and their CHL affiliates, Houston Apollos and Wichita Wind The Wichita Wind were a m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eddie Mio
Edward Dario Mio (born January 31, 1954) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Indianapolis Racers and Edmonton Oilers between 1977 and 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Oilers, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings between 1979 and 1986. Playing career Mio attended Colorado College from 1972 to 76. During that time, he established himself as a standout, winning first- and second-team all-star awards and making the NCAA West first all-American team two years in a row. In 1974, the National Hockey League's (NHL) Chicago Black Hawks and the World Hockey Association's (WHA) Vancouver Blazers both drafted him. He played for neither club, wending his way instead through the minor leagues with the Tidewater Sharks, Erie Blades, and Hampton Gulls until he surfaced with the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA. With the Racers, Mio's goaltending was rough, but the most meaningful event of his care ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
