1975-76 • Franchise

1975-76 Denver Spurs - Ottawa Civics

Record: 14-26-1
Finish: Disbanded, January 17, 1976
Playoffs: -
Coach: Jean-Guy Talbot

Preview, 1975-76 • Pro Hockey 1975-76 WHA • by Dan Proudfoot Jean-Guy Talbot's career as a hockey executive has had its ups and downs, with most of the high points achieved at Denver. That was the reason, perhaps, he was able to remain coolly optimistic through the summer of 1975 as the Denver Spurs prepared for their first season in the World Hockey Association. Talbot's attitude was that all would go well in Denver, even though he had little to offer as evidence except a list of players, most of whom he had nev.er seen. "Look, I can tell you this," he said, looking forward to competition in the tough western division, "we will be competitive. And we'll be young. The only way to build is by starting with a young team. But it won't be as though we're strictly an expansion team. I have a long list of available players who have played in this league, and we'll choose carefully from them." The availability of decent talent, after all, was what steered the Denver franchise owner, Ivan Mullenix, away from the National Hockey League. Mullenix announced his decision to join the WHA the same day he was supposed to be in New York attending an NHL expansion meeting. His bid for an NHL franchise already had been accepted, but difficulties arose when he discovered the $6 million franchise fee would bring him only the usual rag-tag collection of existing teams' rejects. He wanted to move either the California Golden Seals' or the Pittsburgh Penguins' lineup to Denver, but the NHL stalled. The WHA, however, was happy to offer the remains of the Chicago Cougars, which had folded, for the $2.5 million franchise fee. Talbot is only 43, younger than several defensemen still playing in the WHA or NHL, but he swears that no calamity will be sufficient to encourage his return to playing. "I had 16 years," he says, "that's enough." "But I do know we need one good, experienced defenseman to anchor our blueline. That's important with a team as young as ours is going to be. We figure on that youth. Bob McCord and I plan on spending a lot of extra time after practices with individual players, trying to help them with the experience we have behind us." One certainty is that Talbot will lead the young team in colorful dress. He sports the brightest checks he can find and has a huge assortment of sports jackets and suits to choose from. Talbot can only hope he isn't the best, as well as the best-dressed, defenseman with the Spurs. Mullenix must hope for the same thing, or the beautiful, new McNichols Sports Arena is going to be half empty on good nights. Denver fans have shown discriminating taste in the past, averaging only 3,500 turnouts for the minor league Spurs last season. "People didn't want to come out to the old rink," explains Mullenix. "We have to promote and we have to work to sell the new team," says Talbot, "but we know that, and we're going to do it." Along with the nucleus of the Cougars, manager-coach Talbot was able to choose from the leftovers of the Michigan Stags, which also dissolved after the 1974-75 season, and from the excess stock of all other teams. "I'm happy with the WHA deal," said Mullenix, who is a 38-year-old land developer from St. Louis, "otherwise I wouldn't have got involved." Talbot and his assistant, Bob McCord, already were in Denver, coaching and managing the Central Hockey League team that Mullenix bought from Sid Salomon, owner of the NHL St. Louis Blues. It only seemed natural that they should continue. Talbot's credentials, of course, include portions of two seasons coaching the NHL Blues. He kept smiling, as is his nature, even after Blues announced in 1974 that poor health had forced him to relinquish the coaching title. He ended up returning to the minor league Spurs, where he had coached earlier, but that changed from being a demotion — a break when the Spurs announced their association with the WHA. Talbot played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1955 to 1967, when competition for jobs with the Flying Frenchmen was extremely intense, so he has a background of success. After the NHL's major expansion in 1967, he moved on to the Blues where he was a key player as they reached the Stanley Cup finals three years in a row.

Game Log ... (@ away game, * overtime)

no.	Date	Opponent	Score		w-l-t	pts	gf-ga	no.	Date	Opponent	Score		w-l-t	pts	gf-ga
1.	Oct 10	Indianapolis	1-7	L	0-1-0	0	1-7	22.	Dec 2	Winnipeg	*3-4	L	8-13-1	17	72-92
2.	Oct 16	Winnipeg	3-7	L	0-2-0	0	4-14	23.	Dec 5	@ Minnesota	3-4	L	8-14-1	17	75-96
3.	Oct 17	@ Phoenix	5-4	W	1-2-0	2	9-18	24.	Dec 6	@ Cincinnati	2-3	L	8-15-1	17	77-99
4.	Oct 18	@ Indianapolis	6-4	W	2-2-0	4	15-22	25.	Dec 7	New England	5-1	W	9-15-1	19	82-100
5.	Oct 22	@ Calgary	2-1	W	3-2-0	6	17-23	26.	Dec 9	Cleveland	6-3	W	10-15-1	21	88-103
6.	Oct 24	@ Winnipeg	2-5	L	3-3-0	6	19-28	27.	Dec 13	Phoenix	1-4	L	10-16-1	21	89-107
7.	Oct 30	Phoenix	2-3	L	3-4-0	6	21-31	28.	Dec 16	Cincinnati	*3-2	W	11-16-1	23	92-109
8.	Nov 1	Houston	2-3	L	3-5-0	6	23-34	29.	Dec 19	San Diego	6-3	W	12-16-1	25	98-112
9.	Nov 4	Cleveland	2-2	T	3-5-1	7	25-36	30.	Dec 23	Minnesota	4-5	L	12-17-1	25	102-117
10.	Nov 6	Quebec	3-5	L	3-6-1	7	28-41	31.	Dec 26	@ Houston	4-9	L	12-18-1	25	106-126
11.	Nov 7	San Diego	*2-3	L	3-7-1	7	30-44	32.	Dec 27	@ Phoenix	0-10	L	12-19-1	25	106-136
12.	Nov 9	@ Houston	2-3	L	3-8-1	7	32-47	33.	Dec 28	Phoenix	2-5	L	12-20-1	25	108-141
13.	Nov 13	Toronto	8-11	L	3-9-1	7	40-58	34.	Dec 30	Indianapolis	*2-1	W	13-20-1	27	110-142
14.	Nov 15	Cleveland	*5-4	W	4-9-1	9	45-62	35.	Jan 2	@ Cincinnati	1-2	L	13-21-1	27	111-144
15.	Nov 18	Edmonton	6-3	W	5-9-1	11	51-65	36.	Jan 3	@ Houston	2-4	L	13-22-1	27	113-148
16.	Nov 20	@ San Diego	1-5	L	5-10-1	11	52-70	37.	Jan 4	@ Minnesota	5-2	W	14-22-1	29	118-150
17.	Nov 21	Calgary	2-6	L	5-11-1	11	54-76	38.	Jan 7	New England	2-3	L	14-23-1	29	120-153
18.	Nov 23	Cincinnati	5-3	W	6-11-1	13	59-79	39.	Jan 10	@ Phoenix	5-8	L	14-24-1	29	125-161
19.	Nov 26	@ Cleveland	3-0	W	7-11-1	15	62-79	40.	Jan 11	@ Winnipeg	*5-6	L	14-25-1	29	130-167
20.	Nov 28	@ New England	3-7	L	7-12-1	15	65-86	41.	Jan 15	Houston	*4-5	L	14-26-1	29	134-172
21.	Nov 30	@ Indianapolis	4-2	W	8-12-1	17	69-88

As Denver (October 10, 1975 to December 30, 1975): 13-20-1. 27 points, 110 gf, 142 ga
As Ottawa (January 2, 1975 to January 15, 1975): 1-6-0, 2 points, 24 gf, 30 ga.

Franchise disbanded January 17, 1976.

• Articles regarding the Spurs moving to Ottawa January 2, 1976
• In The Beginning, There Was Darkness For Spurs January 4, 1976
• Articles regarding the Civics and their demise January 9 & 16, 1976