1972–73 Los Angeles Sharks season was the Los Angeles Sharks inaugural season in 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 ...

Offseason

The WHA awarded a franchise to Los Angeles and it was originally called the "Los Angeles Aces," while the San Francisco franchise was called the Sharks. However, when funding fell through and the San Francisco franchise was then moved to Quebec to become the Nordiques, the Los Angeles group took the name Sharks and created the stylized menacing shark logo. The team colors of red and black were based on the original nickname "aces", being that the two colors in a deck of cards are red and black.

Regular season

The Sharks hung around the .500 mark for much of the season. The

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...

, led by

Bobby Hull Robert Marvin Hull (January 3, 1939 – January 30, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blond hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot t ...

, were clearly the class of the WHA's Western Division. Four teams (the Houston Aeros,

Minnesota Fighting Saints The Minnesota Fighting Saints was the name of two professional ice hockey teams based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that played in the World Hockey Association. The first team was one of the WHA's original twelve franchises, playing from 1972 to 1976 ...

Alberta Oilers Alberta is a province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, the Northwest Territories to its north, and the U.S. stat ...

, and Sharks staged a season long see-saw battle for 2nd through 5th place, with only the top four making the playoffs (The

Chicago Cougars The Chicago Cougars were a professional ice hockey team in Chicago. They competed in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1975. The Cougars played their home games in the International Amphitheatre. History During the 1974 Avco Cup Finals ...

finished in a distant 6th place). The Sharks strength was their defense, which ranked 3rd in the league. Bart Crashley,

Gerry Odrowski Gerald Bernard Odrowski (born October 4, 1938) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 309 games in the National Hockey League and another 282 in the World Hockey Association. He played for the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, O ...

, and Jim Watson anchored the blue line. George Gardner (GAA 3.30) was a capable #1 goalie for the first half of the season, while 32-year-old rookie Russ Gillow (2.91 GAA) took over the top spot for most of the second half. In fact, Gillow was second in the WHA to

Gerry Cheevers Gerald Michael Cheevers (born December 7, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1961 and 1980. Cheevers is best known for his two s ...

in GAA. The offense had quality but lacked depth. It was led by 43 goal scorer Gary Veneruzzo while Alton White was 2nd on the team in goals with 20. Veneruzzo also led the team in points with 73, followed by playmaking center J.P. LeBlanc (19 goals and 50 assists for 69 points), and defenseman Bart Crashley, who anchored the power play and chipped in 18 goals and 27 assists. Sharks special teams were solid, ranking 4th in the league in power play and 5th in penalty killing. Ultimately, the Sharks went 6–3–1 in their last 10 games, including winning their last two to climb from 5th place to 3rd.

Final standings

Schedule and results

, - , 1, , L, , October 13, 1972, , 2–3 , , style="text-align:left;", Houston Aeros ( 1972–73) , , 0–1–0 , - , 2, , W, , October 15, 1972, , 5–1 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Houston Aeros ( 1972–73) , , 1–1–0 , - , 3, , W, , October 17, 1972, , 5–1 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 2–1–0 , - , 4, , W, , October 19, 1972, , 4–2 , , style="text-align:left;", Philadelphia Blazers ( 1972–73) , , 3–1–0 , - , 5, , L, , October 22, 1972, , 2–4 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 3–2–0 , - , 6, , L, , October 25, 1972, , 5–8 , , style="text-align:left;",

Ottawa Nationals The Ottawa Nationals were a professional men's ice hockey team out of Ottawa that played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) during the 1972–73 WHA season. History The WHA had originally granted a franchise to Doug Michel for "Ontario". ...

( 1972–73) , , 3–3–0 , - , 7, , L, , October 27, 1972, , 4–5 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Philadelphia Blazers ( 1972–73) , , 3–4–0 , - , 8, , W, , October 28, 1972, , 4–3 OT, , style="text-align:left;", @ New York Raiders ( 1972–73) , , 4–4–0 , - , 9, , W, , October 31, 1972, , 4–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) an ...

( 1972–73) , , 5–4–0 , - , - , 10, , T, , November 2, 1972, , 1–1 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 5–4–1 , - , 11, , W, , November 4, 1972, , 3–2 OT, , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 6–4–1 , - , 12, , W, , November 5, 1972, , 4–0 , , style="text-align:left;", Houston Aeros ( 1972–73) , , 7–4–1 , - , 13, , W, , November 8, 1972, , 2–1 , , style="text-align:left;", New York Raiders ( 1972–73) , , 8–4–1 , - , 14, , L, , November 9, 1972, , 2–7 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 8–5–1 , - , 15, , L, , November 11, 1972, , 3–5 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 8–6–1 , - , 16, , L, , November 12, 1972, , 2–5 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 8–7–1 , - , 17, , L, , November 14, 1972, , 0–8 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 8–8–1 , - , 18, , W, , November 15, 1972, , 6–4 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Houston Aeros ( 1972–73) , , 9–8–1 , - , 19, , L, , November 17, 1972, , 1–5 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 9–9–1 , - , 20, , L, , November 19, 1972, , 3–4 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 9–10–1 , - , 21, , L, , November 21, 1972, , 2–5 , , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Crusaders The Cleveland Crusaders were a professional ice hockey team from Cleveland. They played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1975–76 WHA season, 1976. Their home ice was the Cleveland Arena from 1972 to 1974, and t ...

( 1972–73) , , 9–11–1 , - , 22, , L, , November 23, 1972, , 3–4 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 9–12–1 , - , 23, , L, , November 24, 1972, , 2–3 OT, , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 9–13–1 , - , 24, , W, , November 26, 1972, , 6–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @ New York Raiders ( 1972–73) , , 10–13–1 , - , 25, , L, , November 28, 1972, , 3–4 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Philadelphia Blazers ( 1972–73) , , 10–14–1 , - , 26, , W, , November 30, 1972, , 6–3 , , style="text-align:left;", Houston Aeros ( 1972–73) , , 11–14–1 , - , - , 27, , W, , December 1, 1972, , 5–3 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 12–14–1 , - , 28, , W, , December 2, 1972, , 4–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 13–14–1 , - , 29, , W, , December 8, 1972, , 4–2 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 14–14–1 , - , 30, , W, , December 10, 1972, , 5–3 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 15–14–1 , - , 31, , T, , December 12, 1972, , 3–3 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 15–14–2 , - , 32, , L, , December 14, 1972, , 2–5 , , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

( 1972–73) , , 15–15–2 , - , 33, , T, , December 17, 1972, , 4–4 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Houston Aeros ( 1972–73) , , 15–15–3 , - , 34, , L, , December 19, 1972, , 5–7 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Houston Aeros ( 1972–73) , , 15–16–3 , - , 35, , T, , December 21, 1972, , 4–4 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 15–16–4 , - , 36, , L, , December 23, 1972, , 1–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 15–17–4 , - , 37, , W, , December 24, 1972, , 5–3 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 16–17–4 , - , 38, , L, , December 28, 1972, , 2–4 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 16–18–4 , - , 39, , W, , December 29, 1972, , 5–2 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 17–18–4 , - , 40, , L, , December 31, 1972, , 1–3 , , style="text-align:left;", Philadelphia Blazers ( 1972–73) , , 17–19–4 , - , - , 41, , W, , January 9, 1973, , 4–3 OT, , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 18–19–4 , - , 42, , W, , January 10, 1973, , 8–5 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 19–19–4 , - , 43, , L, , January 12, 1973, , 1–2 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 19–20–4 , - , 44, , L, , January 13, 1973, , 1–4 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 19–21–4 , - , 45, , W, , January 15, 1973, , 4–3 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 20–21–4 , - , 46, , L, , January 16, 1973, , 5–6 OT, , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 20–22–4 , - , 47, , L, , January 19, 1973, , 1–4 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 20–23–4 , - , 48, , W, , January 21, 1973, , 3–2 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 21–23–4 , - , 49, , L, , January 26, 1973, , 4–5 OT, , style="text-align:left;", New York Raiders ( 1972–73) , , 21–24–4 , - , 50, , W, , January 28, 1973, , 9–2 , , style="text-align:left;", New York Raiders ( 1972–73) , , 22–24–4 , - , 51, , W, , January 30, 1973, , 5–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Houston Aeros ( 1972–73) , , 23–24–4 , - , - , 52, , W, , February 2, 1973, , 3–1 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 24–24–4 , - , 53, , W, , February 4, 1973, , 4–3 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 25–24–4 , - , 54, , W, , February 8, 1973, , 3–1 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 26–24–4 , - , 55, , L, , February 10, 1973, , 5–6 OT, , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 26–25–4 , - , 56, , L, , February 11, 1973, , 0–3 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 26–26–4 , - , 57, , L, , February 13, 1973, , 1–6 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 26–27–4 , - , 58, , L, , February 15, 1973, , 5–6 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 26–28–4 , - , 59, , T, , February 16, 1973, , 2–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 26–28–5 , - , 60, , W, , February 18, 1973, , 4–1 , , style="text-align:left;", @ Philadelphia Blazers ( 1972–73) , , 27–28–5 , - , 61, , W, , February 20, 1973, , 4–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 28–28–5 , - , 62, , L, , February 24, 1973, , 3–5 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 28–29–5 , - , 63, , W, , February 25, 1973, , 4–2 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 29–29–5 , - , - , 64, , W, , March 1, 1973, , 4–1 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 30–29–5 , - , 65, , L, , March 2, 1973, , 1–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 30–30–5 , - , 66, , L, , March 4, 1973, , 1–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 30–31–5 , - , 67, , W, , March 6, 1973, , 3–2 OT, , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 31–31–5 , - , 68, , L, , March 7, 1973, , 1–3 , , style="text-align:left;", Houston Aeros ( 1972–73) , , 31–32–5 , - , 69, , W, , March 9, 1973, , 5–1 , , style="text-align:left;", Houston Aeros ( 1972–73) , , 32–32–5 , - , 70, , W, , March 11, 1973, , 4–2 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 33–32–5 , - , 71, , L, , March 13, 1973, , 1–3 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 33–33–5 , - , 72, , W, , March 15, 1973, , 6–2 , , style="text-align:left;", @ New York Raiders ( 1972–73) , , 34–33–5 , - , 73, , W, , March 17, 1973, , 2–0 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 35–33–5 , - , 74, , T, , March 19, 1973, , 5–5 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 35–33–6 , - , 75, , L, , March 20, 1973, , 1–4 , , style="text-align:left;", @

( 1972–73) , , 35–34–6 , - , 76, , L, , March 23, 1973, , 3–7 , , style="text-align:left;", Philadelphia Blazers ( 1972–73) , , 35–35–6 , - , 77, , W, , March 25, 1973, , 1–0 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 36–35–6 , - , 78, , W, , March 27, 1973, , 4–1 , , style="text-align:left;",

( 1972–73) , , 37–35–6 , - , - , ''Legend'':

Playoffs

The Sharks' 3rd place finish enabled them to avoid a first round matchup with

's powerful

and earned them a series with the 2nd place Houston Aeros, who finished 2 points ahead of the Sharks in the standings. After opening in Houston with an uninspired 7–2 loss, the Sharks bounced back to win game two by a 4–2 score. Heading back to L.A. with a split, the Sharks won a thrilling game three by a score of 3–2; goalie Russ Gillow made several spectacular saves to preserve the win. The turning point was game four. The clubs battled through regulation tied at 2; if the Sharks scored the next goal, they would have a commanding 3–1 series lead but if Houston scored, the series would be tied going back to Houston. Winger Murray Hall scored for Houston, and the Sharks didn't win another game, losing game five 6–3 and game six, 3–2. After the series, coach Terry Slater was criticized for starting George Gardner in games 1 and 5 despite the fact Gillow played better the second half of the season. Gardner was pulled in game 1 (a 7–2 loss) and did not play well in game 5 (a 6–3 loss). Garnder's GAA for the series was 5.69 while Gillow's was 2.91. Slater stated he wanted the veteran Gardner to start game 1 over the rookie Gillow. , - , 1 , , April 5 , , Los Angeles Sharks , , 2–7 , , Houston Aeros , , 0–1 , - , 2 , , April 7 , , Los Angeles Sharks , , 4–2 , , Houston Aeros , , 1–1 , - , 3 , , April 11 , , Houston Aeros , , 2–3 , , Los Angeles Sharks , , 2–1 , - , 4 , , April 13 , , Houston Aeros , , 3–2 OT , , Los Angeles Sharks , , 2–2 , - , 5 , , April 15 , , Los Angeles Sharks , , 3–6 , , Houston Aeros , , 2–3 , - , 6 , , April 17 , , Houston Aeros , , 3–2 , , Los Angeles Sharks , , 2–4 , - , - , ''Legend'':

Player statistics

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts;

Offseason

Regular season

Final standings

Schedule and results

Playoffs

Player statistics

Awards and records

Transactions

Draft picks

See also

References