SEVEN SEASONS: WHA 1975-76
SEASON FOUR: Timeline by Paul
Newberry
Vancouver morphs into the Calgary
Cowboys, while Cincinnati Stingers and Denver Spurs
are added as expansion teams, keeping the league
at 14 teams. It will be 12 by the time the season
concludes. Denver moves to Ottawa in January, plays
three games as the Civics and folds. Minnesota closes
shop a month later. A brawl during the playoffs
in Quebec seriously injures Marc Tardif, the league's
top scorer. Winnipeg wins its first Avco World Trophy.
WHA Regular Season
CANADIAN
DIVISION |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
PTS |
GF |
GA |
PIM |
Winnipeg Jets |
81 |
52 |
27 |
2 |
106 |
345 |
254 |
940 |
Quebec Nordiques |
81 |
50 |
27 |
4 |
104 |
371 |
316 |
1654 |
Calgary Cowboys |
80 |
41 |
35 |
4 |
86 |
307 |
282 |
1064 |
Edmonton Oilers |
81 |
27 |
49 |
5 |
59 |
268 |
345 |
991 |
Toronto Toros |
81 |
24 |
52 |
5 |
53 |
335 |
398 |
1099 |
EASTERN
DIVISION |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
PTS |
GF |
GA |
PIM |
Indianapolis Racers |
80 |
35 |
39 |
6 |
76 |
245 |
247 |
1301 |
Cleveland Crusaders |
80 |
35 |
40 |
5 |
75 |
273 |
279 |
1356 |
New-England Whalers |
80 |
33 |
40 |
7 |
73 |
255 |
290 |
1012 |
Cincinnati Stingers |
80 |
35 |
44 |
1 |
71 |
285 |
340 |
1344 |
WESTERN
DIVISION |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
PTS |
GF |
GA |
PIM |
Houston Aeros |
80 |
53 |
27 |
0 |
106 |
341 |
263 |
1093 |
Phoenix Roadrunners |
80 |
39 |
35 |
6 |
84 |
302 |
287 |
1292 |
San-Diego Mariners |
80 |
36 |
38 |
6 |
78 |
303 |
290 |
716 |
Minnesota Fighting Saints* |
59 |
30 |
25 |
4 |
64 |
211 |
212 |
1354 |
Denver Spurs/Ottawa Civics** |
41 |
14 |
26 |
1 |
29 |
134 |
172 |
536 |
|
Notes:
* Suspended operations after 59 games;
** Suspended operations after 41 games
AVCO World Trophy Playoffs
First
Round (best of 5):
New England 3 Cleveland 0
San Diego 3 Phoenix 2
Second Round:
Winnipeg 4 Edmonton 0
Calgary 4 Quebec 1
New England 4 Indianapolis 3
Houston 4 San Diego 2
Third Round:
Winnipeg 4 Calgary 1
Houston 4 New England 3
AVCO Cup:
Winnipeg over Houston, 4 games to 0
Bill Hunter Trophy Scoring
Leader
Year |
Player |
Gm |
G |
A |
Pts |
1976 |
Marc
Tardif,
Quebec Nordiques |
81 |
71 |
77 |
148 |
|
Ben Hatskin Trophy Best
Goaltender
Year
|
Player |
Record
|
GAA |
1976 |
Michel Dion, Indianapolis
Racers |
14-15-1 |
2.74 |
|
Dennis A. Murphy Trophy
Best Defenseman
Year
|
Player |
1976 |
Paul
Shmyr,
Cleveland Crusaders |
|
Lou Kaplan Trophy Rookie
of the Year
Year |
Player |
G |
A |
Pts |
1976 |
Mark Napier, RW, Toronto
Toros |
43 |
50 |
93 |
|
Paul Deneau Trophy
Most Gentlmenly Player
Year
|
Player |
1976 |
Vaclav Nedomansky,
Toronto Toros |
|
Howard Baldwin Trophy Coach
of the Year
Year |
Coach |
Improvement |
1976 |
Bobby Kromm, Winnipeg
Jets |
38-35-5 |
to |
52-27-2* |
|
Note: *Won Division.
All WHA WHA
All Star Teams
Pos
|
1st
Team |
2nd
Team |
G |
Joe Daley
Winnipeg |
Ron
Grahame
Houston |
D |
JC
Tremblay
Quebec |
Kevin
Morrison
San Diego |
D |
Paul
Shmyr
Cleveland |
Pat
Stapleton
Indianapolis |
C |
Ulf
Nilsson
Winnipeg |
Robbie
Ftorek
Phoenix |
LW |
Anders
Hedberg
Winnipeg |
Real
Cloutier
Quebec |
RW |
Marc
Tardif
Quebec
|
Bobby
Hull
Winnipeg |
|
WHA Annual All-Star Game
1/13/76 Cleveland,
Ohio
Canada 6, USA 1
Attendance: 15,491
MVPs: Real Cloutier, Paul Shmyr
CAN
LINEUP |
US
LINEUP |
G Joe Daley Winnipeg
(Injured-Did Not Play)
G Don McLeod Calgary
G Jim Shaw Toronto
D Lars-Erik Sjoberg Winnipeg
D JC Tremblay Quebec
(Injured-Did Not Play)
D Barry Long Edmonton
D Larry Hornung Winnipeg
D Thommie Bergman Winnipeg
D John Miszuk Calgary
D Paul Terbenche Calgary
F Vaclav Nedomansky Toronto
F Bobby Hull Winnipeg
F Anders Hedberg Winnipeg
F Ulf Nilsson Winnipeg
F Marc Tardif Quebec
F Real Cloutier Quebec
F Serge Bernier Quebec
F Chris Bordeleau Quebec
F Frank Mahovlich Toronto
F Serge Bernier Quebec
F Danny Lawson Calgary
F Rusty Patenaude Edmonton |
G Gerry Cheevers Cleveland
G Christer Abrahamsson New England
D Paul Shmyr Cleveland
D Pat Stapleton Indianapolis
D Kevin Morrison San Diego
D John Schella Houston
D Marty Howe Houston
D Rick Ley New England
F Andre LaCoix San Diego
F Gene Peacosh San Diego
F Gordie Howe Houston
F Dave Keon Minnesota
F Claude Larose Cincinnati
F Mike Walton Minnesota
F Robbie Ftorek Phoenix
F Wayne Carleton New England
F Mark Howe Houston
F Ralph Backstrom Denver
F Tom Webster New England
F Don Borgeson Denver |
Coach: Jean-Guy Gendron Quebec |
Coach: Bill Dineen Houston |
|
|