WHA Fact Book, 2nd ed
Complete WHA, 11th ed
|
www.surgent.net/wha |
1978-79 Season
1978 Moscow Dynamo Exhibitions
1978 Dispersal & Other Drafts
1979 Dispersal & Reclamation Drafts
1978-79 Finland & Sweden Exhibitions
Statistical Leaders & Award Winners
All-Star Games
Playoff Results
AVCO Cup Championship Finals
Significant Games
Hat Tricks
1979 NHL Expansion & Entry Drafts
|
WHA Preview, 1978-79 • The Hockey News 1979 Yearbook
Jilted at the altar for the second consecutive year by the National Hockey League, the World Hockey Association finds itself with seven teams, down from the dozen of two years ago, but according to league president Howard Baldwin, the remaining teams find themselves in their healthiest state ever. Attendance rose last year by nearly 500 again, and four of the franchises — Edmonton, Winnipeg, New England, and Quebec — had financial reports in the black. Edmonton, in fact, led the league in attendance, averaging more than 10,000 per game. In late June, a proposal was submitted to the NHL calling for the transfer of three WHA teams — Edmonton, New England and Quebec — to the NHL beginning with the 1978-79 season. Winnipeg was to join a year or two later after completing arena expansion. However, after two days of deliberating in Detroit, the NHL decided to continue with their 17-team setup and for the second year in a row, WHA hopes were dashed. The Houston Aeros, who had announced their intentions of withdrawing from the WHA, were also unsuccessful in gaining entrance to the NHL, and later, sold the contracts of 13 of its players to the Winnipeg Jets. The remaining Houston players became free agents. Forced to compete against the NHL instead of joining forces in a harmonious union, some of the WHA owners stepped up their signings of junior players, including some who are not yet eligible for the NHL draft. Even while the NHL's summer meetings were going on in early June, the Indianapolis Racers, last in the league in 1977-78, pulled a major surprise by announcing that 17-year-old Wayne Gretzky, who had played one year of junior hockey for Sault Sainte Marie in the Ontario Hockey Association, had signed a seven-year personal services contract with Nelson Skalbania, owner of the Racers. The deal called for more than $1.6 million for Gretzky, who finished second in the OHA scoring to Bob Smith of Ottawa, who was the number one choice in the NHL amateur draft. Birmingham Bulls owner John Bassett took things a step or two further, signing six underage juniors — Rob Ramage, Craig Hartsburg, Gaston Gingras, Keith Crowder, Pat Riggin and Rick Vaive — to one year contracts calling for $60,000. Each player still has a year of junior eligibility. Bassett also promises additional signings. Other WHA clubs did well in competition with the NHL clubs, as Winnipeg signed three players drafted by the NHL, Quebec and New England two each, and Edmonton signed one, Dave Hunter, a first-round draft choice of the Montreal Canadiens. Last season, the WHA defeated the NHL in head-to-head exhibition-season play and gained much-needed confidence by showing their fans that they could hold their own against the established league. This year's race for the Avco Trophy should be an interesting one, now that the Winnipeg Jets have lost Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, the Super Swedes. the Jets, who obtained a number of good hockey players from the Aeros, will be faced with the fast-rising Edmonton Oilers and last year's finalists, the New England Whalers in an effort to defend their title. Each year, people predict the collapse of the WHA, but the league steadfastly refuses to buckle under. The quality of play in the league and its facilities are making rapid advancements as the WHA seems on much more solid ground, now that it has reduced the number of teams to a more operable level. The increased schedule against European teams and the number of exciting young players around the league has built a strong base of fan support and bodes well for the future. |
Final Standings
| League | ||||||||
| Team | ||||||||
| Edmonton OILERS | ||||||||
| Quebec NORDIQUES | ||||||||
| Winnipeg JETS | ||||||||
| New England WHALERS | ||||||||
| Cincinnati STINGERS | ||||||||
| Birmingham BULLS | ||||||||
| Indianapolis RACERS | ||||||||
| Soviet All-Stars | ||||||||
| Czechoslovakia | ||||||||
| Finland |
Home Records
| Team | ||||||||
| Edmonton | ||||||||
| Quebec | ||||||||
| Winnipeg | ||||||||
| New England | ||||||||
| Cincinnati | ||||||||
| Birmingham | ||||||||
| Indianapolis |
Away Records
| Team | ||||||||
| Edmonton | ||||||||
| New England | ||||||||
| Winnipeg | ||||||||
| Quebec | ||||||||
| Cincinnati | ||||||||
| Birmingham | ||||||||
| Indianapolis |
1978-79 Calendar Game results and standings for dates shown in boldface.
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |
|
|
_______________________________________
Home • Credits & Legal Stuff
Reviews, Podcasts and Media
• Article: Color of Hockey: Alton White (The Hockey News), by William Douglas — March 8, 2020
• Review: US Sports History, by Rick Macales — Feb 6, 2021
• Podcast: Good Seats Still Available, by Tim Hanlon — Feb 28, 2021
• Podcast: Digital to Dice (Youtube), by Dave Gardner — July 3, 2022
|
WHA Fact Book, 2nd ed |
Complete WHA, 11th ed |
(c) Scott Surgent