Stat of the Day - Ron Grahame (Houston Aeros)

Ron Grahame 

Goaltender

Houston Aeros

2 time winner of the Ben Hatskin Trophy as the World Hockey Association's Goaltender of the Year (1975, 1977)

The 1975 WHA Playoff MVP

He led he Houston Aeros to the Avco Cup Championship by winning 12 games and losing 1.  The Aeros lost one game in the quarter finals to Cleveland but then swept the San Diego Mariners in the semi-finals and the Quebec Nordiques in the Avco Cup final. 

Today in Hockey History (1973)

May 6th 1973

The New England Whalers beat the Winnipeg Jets 9-6 in Hartford, Conn. to win the 1st WHA Hockey Championship Avco World Trophy.  

 New England won the Series 4 games to 1.

In the deciding game Larry Pleau scored a hat trick.  After winning the game, the Avco World Trophy had not yet been completed.  As a result of the this the Whalers skated their "victory lap" with their divisional trophy causing an embarrassment for the WHA officials.

1972 Quebec Nordiques: WHA Documentary - Just Another Job

The Quebec Nordiques (in Canadian English, meaning "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972--79) and the National Hockey League (1979--95). The franchise was relocated to Denver, Colorado, in 1995, and renamed the Colorado Avalanche.

The Nordiques hold the distinction of being the only major professional sports team to have been based in Quebec City in the modern era, and one of only two ever; the other, the Quebec Bulldogs, played one season in the NHL in 1919--20.

Hockey Digest Cover of the Week

Hockey Digest 

June 1973

WE LOVE HOCKEY! - Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky signs a twenty one year contract with the Edmonton Oilers, then of the World Hockey Association, at centre ice Jan. 26 1979, before a game against Cincinnati Stingers. Helping Gretzky sign, on his eightteen birthday is Oilers general manager Larry Gordon. Standing on the left is Walter Gretzky, Wayne's father

Indianapolis Racers 1975-76 WHA Audio Highlights

Phoenix Roadrunners WHA 1975 Promotional Film

Today in Hockey History

March 11th 1978

Bobby Hull of the Winnipeg Jets scores pro career goal 1,000 in a game against the Quebec Nordiques.

  He joined Gordie Howe as the second member of the 1,000 goal club.

WE LOVE THE WHA

Bernie Parent as a member of the 

1972-73 WHA Philadelphia Blazers.

1976-77 Birmingham Bulls

The 1976-77 Birmingham Bulls finished 5th in the Eastern Division of the World Hockey Association.
 Led by right winger Mark Napier (top right) with 96 points (60 A, 36 A).
The first round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 1977,  Napier was the reigning WHA Rookie of the year, having won the Lou Kaplan trophy for the 1975-76 season with the Toronto Toros.   He would be part of 2 Stanley Cup champions, 1979 Montreal Canadiens and the 1985 Edmonton Oilers.

We Love the WHA

Indianapolis Racer's goaltender Michel Dion on the cover of the Racers 1976-77 media guide.  This was after Michele joined the team for the last 31 games of 1975-76 season and helped lead them to the Eastern Division title.  Michel would win the Ben Hatskin Trophy as the WHA's top goaltender for the regular season after getting 14 wins in those last 31 games.

The Ben Hatskin Trophy was named in honor of the founder of the Winnipeg Jets...Ben Hatskin

We Love Hockey

Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur stands with future Hall of Famers Mats Sundin and Joe Sakic in 1990

Stat of the NIght

Tonight is really a Stat as much as it is a list.

The Top 10 Draft picks in  the 1977 WHA amateur draft

1 - Scott Campbell   (Houston Aeros)
2 - Barry Beck         (Calgary Cowboys)
3 - Ron Duguay        (Winnipeg Jets
4 - Mike Crombeen  (Edmonton Oilers)
5 - Doug Wilson       (Indianapolis Racers)
6 - Rod Langway     (Birmingham Bulls)
7 - Jere Gillis            (Cincinnati Stingers)
8 - Miles Zaharko    (Winnipeg Jets)
9 - Lucien DeBlois   (Quebec Nordiques)
10 - Dwight Foster   (Houston Aeros)

Bobby Hull

This week in hockey history - 1972 - Bobby Hull signed a 10-year hockey contract for $2,500,000, as he became a player and coach of the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association.

Bobby Hull was fittingly named the World Hockey Association's first Most Valuable Player following the upstart league's first season in 1972-73. The signing of the NHL's most visible superstar by the Winnipeg Jets in June of 1972 ensured the survival of the fledging WHA. Although he had to sit out Winnipeg's first 14 games because of court action, Hull cranked things up once he was cleared and hit the ice, scoring 51 goals and 52 assists. At the conclusion of the WHA's first season, Bobby was awarded the Gary L. Davidson Trophy.
The engraved metal plaque reads "Gary L. Davidson Trophy awarded to Robert M. Hull for being selected Most Valuable Player in the World Hockey Association 1972-73". 

Stat of the Day

The WHA all time leaders in Goals Against Average for a season.

1 - Don McLeod - 1973-74 Houston Aeros (2.656)

2 - Ron Grahame - 1976-77 Houston Aeros (2.738)

3 - Michel Dion - 1975-76 Indianapolis Racers (2.742)

4 - Joe Daly - 1975-76 Winnipeg Jets (2.841)

5 - Gerry Cheevers - 1972-73 Cleveland Crusaders (2.844)

Today in Hockey History

1973 - 1st WHA championship, New England Whalers beat Winnipeg Jets, 4 games to 1 and win the Avco World Trophy.

This was the culmination of the first WHA regular season and playoffs. The 2 best teams in the regular season were the Whalers, who won the Eastern division with 94 points and the Winnipeg Jets who won the Western Division with 90 points.

The playoffs saw the Whalers lose only 2 games on the way to the WHA Finals series and the Jets lost only one. The Whalers disposed of the Ottawa Nationals 4-1 and then the Cleveland Crusaders 4-1 while the Jets whipped Minnesota Fighting Saints 4-1 and romped over the Houston Aeros with a sweep 4-0.

The finals continued a trend as the Whalers took the series and the Avco World Trophy 4 games to 1. The 5th and deciding game was a 9-6 win for the Whalers with Larry Pleau getting a hat trick for the champs.

The Jets had come into the playoffs with 3 of the leagues top 10 scorers in Bobby Hull, Norm Beaudin and Chris Bordeleau. The Whalers had Tom Webster and Terry Caffery in the top ten of the leading point getters.