The Oilers shattered numerous NHL records and amassed a Stanley Cup dynasty. Los Angeles and Vancouver feared losing home dates with NHL teams from the East. Hockey … Disastrous attendance in Denver was blamed largely on the city's rejection of the WHA's assertion that it was a major league, and halfway through the season, the team abruptly moved to become the Ottawa Civics; after only seven games as the Civics, and 41 overall, the franchise folded. As part of the NHL-WHA merger, four WHA franchises moved to the National Hockey League for the 1979–80 NHL season: Edmonton, New England (renamed Hartford Whalers), Quebec, and Winnipeg. Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. Winnipeg especially loaded up with Scandinavian players and became the class of the league, with Hedberg and Nilsson combining with Bobby Hull to form one of hockey's most formidable forward lines. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! PC Sports Games from Dave Koch Sports games. The WHA had an acrimonious relationship with the NHL, resulting in numerous legal battles, as well as competition for control of players and markets. The WHA also experimented with blue colored pucks which were supposedly easier for fans to see. The final tally was 12-5, one vote short of passage, as a three-quarters majority was required to permit a merger. The fauxback Winter Classic jersey is used as a third jersey for the team Avco World Trophy The Boston Bruins attempted to restrain Sanderson and Cheevers from joining the WHA, though a United States federal court refused to prohibit the signings. Two of the original twelve teams, the Dayton Arrows and the San Francisco Sharks, relocated, citing arena troubles. Just a hunch, but I would tend to think more WHA seasons could be on the way with 1984-85 coming out soon to complete an NHL run of seasons from 1954-55 to present. A New “Hab”itat: Montréal Canadiens Draft Day 2 Recap, Flames’ 2020 Draft Addressed Franchise Needs Top to Bottom, Penguins Make Goaltending a Priority at 2020 Draft, Devils News & Rumors: Holtz, Duclair, & More, Lightning Go Big in Day 2 of the 2020 NHL Draft, Blue Jackets Offseason Work Far From Over, Edmonton Oilers — > became one of the best clubs the NHL has ever seen, Quebec Nordiques –> became the Colorado Avalanche and won two Stanley Cups, Hartford Whalers –> became the Carolina Hurricanes and won a Stanley Cup, Winnipeg Jets –> became the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes. As a result, the WHA ceased operations, and four teams joined the NHL for the 1979–80 season: the Edmonton Oilers, New England Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and Winnipeg Jets. In the west, Hull and the Jets finished the season with a 43-31-4 record, which was good for 90 points. Hockey Memoir, Phil Esposito and Peter Golenbock. These terms compelled Bassett to move the team to Birmingham.[13]. WHA skates into history, Home, Toronto Sun, Shoebox Legends: WHA Card of the Month, March 2012. The older league treated the new clubs' arrival as an expansion, not a merger. The Jets posted a dismal nine wins in their second season (second-fewest all-time for a season in the NHL), and finished last that season. The former WHA clubs, by the terms of the expansion, could protect only two goalies and two skaters each in the player dispersal draft. The Jets were never able to overcome the Oilers to win a Smythe Division title and advance past the second round of the postseason. The WHA also ended the NHL policy of paying its players only a fraction of the league's profits and, combined with the abolition of the reserve clause, led to much higher player salaries. NHL owners voted down a 1977 plan to merge six WHA teams (the Edmonton Oilers, New England Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, Cincinnati Stingers, Houston Aeros, and Winnipeg Jets) into the NHL before a 1979 merger was approved.[1]. The Whalers had similar rivalries with the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers, attracting many Bruins and Rangers fans to their home games at the Hartford Civic Center, and skating to the 1986–87 Adams Division title. By 1979 the league’s fate was set, but not before one last glimmer of talent. Working with the NHL, Shea swiftly won over the initially reluctant president of the New York Rangers, Bill Jennings, who was persuaded that it would be better to accept competition from an NHL team that would at least be willing to pay his club compensation for sharing the Rangers' territory as opposed to a WHA team that would owe his franchise nothing. With goaltender Gerry Cheevers in net, it was clear the Crusaders were a force to be reckoned with, as the 32-year-old was fresh-off two Stanley Cup championships – not to mention the Ben Hatskin Award as the league’s best goaltender. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926. Renamed the Jersey Knights, they played at the Cherry Hill Arena which had a slope in the ice surface,[12] causing pucks to shoot upward from results of a pass or shot, as well as chain link fencing instead of Plexiglas surrounding the rink. In the 1983-84 season, the NHL then instituted a 5-minute sudden death overtime period to break regular season ties.[20]. Discussion group for Action! The final two seasons of the WHA saw the debut of many superstars, some of whom became hockey legends in the NHL, including Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Mike Liut, and Mike Gartner. Second, the NHL allowed all of the WHA's Canadian teams to be part of the deal. [10], In November 1972, Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. of the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia placed an injunction against the NHL, preventing it from enforcing the reserve clause and freeing all players who had restraining orders against them, including Hull, to play with their WHA clubs. [18] The Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks voted against the deal. The first-ever WHA Final series was set and the two teams would battle for a prize that could never reach the mythical status of Lord Stanley’s Cup – the Avco World Trophy (later renamed Avco Cup). The Canadian Division is created, as Edmonton, Vancouver, and Winnipeg moved in from the Western Division while Quebec and Toronto moved in from the Eastern Division. 1972 73 Opc Wha Team Logos New York Raiders Psa 9 Mint. Gordie Howe and his two sons, Marty and Mark, were purchased by the NHL and added to the league, NHL Rumors: Canucks, Capitals, Oilers, Plus Hall, Duclair, More. NHL scouts took notice of the European talent that the young league had found and groomed and it too began sending over scouts. How Well Do You Really Know NFL Team Logos? They had initially been placed in the Norris Division when the league realigned its divisions and adopted a playoff format that mandated intra-divisional matchups for the first two rounds in 1981. The Red Army won the series 6-2. Thanks for the logos! Many believed placing teams in cities where NHL franchises already called home would be potentially fatal but the WHA stuck with the plan and on Oct. 11, … At LogoLynx.com find thousands of logos categorized into thousands of categories. With smaller markets craving professional hockey, it was clear that there was a legitimate possibility in creating a rival to the NHL, both in attendance and television ratings and thus the World Hockey Association was created in 1972. Hull had not been thought to be seriously considering signing with the WHA even though he was in contentious salary negotiations with the Chicago Black Hawks, and when he told reporters that he would only move to the WHA "for a million dollars", it was both intended by Hull and taken by his audience to be a joke since a million dollars at that time was considered to be a ridiculous amount of money for a hockey player. Final champion in WHA history! The Bruins were not pleased with having to share New England with the Whalers. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix. 1972-73, OPC Hockey, Inserts, Team Canada, Player Crests, Team Logos, UPick List. Hull's move to the upstart league attracted a few other top stars such as Cheevers, Sanderson, and Tremblay. Thunder and Lightning: a No-B.S. World Hockey Association Teams of the Past Logos. They included teams from cities without NHL teams such as the Miami Screaming Eagles, as well as teams in cities where the league's promoters believed there was room for more than one team, such as the Los Angeles Aces, Chicago Cougars, and New York Raiders. In the 1990s, the former WHA clubs suffered from escalating player salaries (ironically, the same trend that was instigated by the WHA), which were difficult to meet with the restricted revenue streams in their smaller markets. Here, you can explore all the uniforms from the entire seven-year history of the World Hockey Association. You can either search by season; or you can check out the franchise timeline … Defunct NHL Teams: Current NHL Teams: Stanley Cup: NHL All Star Game: NHL Team Events & Commemoratives: NHL League & Conference: 1992-94 NHL Action Player Patches: Vintage AHL Team Logos: Vintage CHL Team Logos: Vintage IHL Hockey Teams: Vintage NAHL Team Logos: Vintage WHA Team Logos: Other Minors (1980-present) Team Canada As a result, the NHL evolved into a truly cosmopolitan league during the 1980s. In 1977, merger discussions with the National Hockey League were first initiated, with Houston, Cincinnati, Winnipeg, New England, Quebec, and Edmonton applying for entry to the NHL. The two were turning heads and prepping for legendary careers but it was too little too late for the WHA. See also. The WHA had many lasting effects on NHL hockey. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! I'd be buying any WHA seasons the moment they're up for pre-order! We've messed with each of the 32 teams' primary logos a little bit, but can you pick out the real from the fake? With most of the teams having already folded, there were only six franchises left – the Cincinnati Stingers, Birmingham Bulls, Oilers, Whalers, Nordiques and Jets – that still had their proverbial heads above water, and after months of negotiations, the WHA and NHL reached an agreement and four of the WHA’s remaining six teams were purchased by the NHL and added to the league. This, however, was not enough to save the team, and the league was forced to take over the franchise again 24 games into the season. Teams such as the Whalers and Fighting Saints also offered excellent opportunities for young American players, and several U.S.-born or -raised NHL stars of the early 1980s (such as Mark Howe, Rod Langway, Dave Langevin, Robbie Ftorek, and Paul Holmgren) began their pro careers in the WHA. Merger discussions resumed in 1978, but Houston was not part of the proposal this time, and as a result the Aeros elected to fold on July 6, 1978. Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. The WHA ceased operations after the 1978–79 season.