Ottawa Nationals, Toronto Toros, Birmingham Bulls, World Hockey Association (WHA)
The Complete World Hockey Association
www.surgent.net/wha
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Ottawa Nationals 1972-73
Toronto Toros 1973-74 to 1975-76
Birmingham Bulls 1976-77 to 1978-79
Owners
 Doug Michel
|  Nick Trbovich
|  John Bassett
|
Rinks
 Ottawa Civic Centre 1972-73
|  Maple Leaf Gardens 1974 to 1976
|  Jefferson County Civic Center 1976 to 1979
|
Seasons & Leaders
1972-73
Ottawa
Record
35-39-4, 74 pts
Coach
Bill Harris
Goals
42, Wayne Carleton
28, Gavin Kirk
Assists
49, Wayne Carleton
40, Bob Charlebois
40, Gavin Kirk
Points
91, Wayne Carleton
68, Gavin Kirk
Penalty Min.
121, Rick Cunningham
93, Ken Stephanson
Wins
25, Gilles Gratton
Goals Against
3.71, Gilles Gratton
Shutouts
none
| |
1973-74
Toronto
Record
41-33-4, 86 pts
Coach
Bill Harris
Goals
37, Wayne Carleton
33, Tom Simpson
Assists
55, Wayne Carleton
48, Gavin Kirk
Points
92, Wayne Carleton
68, Gavin Kirk
Penalty Min.
88, Rick Cunningham
84, Brian Gibbons
Wins
26, Gilles Gratton
Goals Against
3.27, Les Binkley
Shutouts
2, Gilles Gratton
| |
1974-75
Toronto
Record
43-33-2, 88 pts
Coach
Bill Harris
Bob Leduc
Goals
52, Tom Simpson
41, Vaclav Nedomansky
Assists
66, Wayne Dillon
58, Gavin Kirk
Points
95, Wayne Dillon
82, Frank Mahovlich
Penalty Min.
117, Rick Cunningham
105, Brian Gibbons
Wins
30, Gilles Gratton
Goals Against
3.59, Les Binkley
Shutouts
2, Gilles Gratton
| |
1975-76
Toronto
Record
24-52-5, 53 pts
Coach
Bob Baun
Gilles Leger
Goals
56, Vaclav Nedomansky
43, Mark Napier
Assists
55, Frank Mahovlich
51, Jim Dorey
Points
98, Vaclav Nedomansky
93, Mark Napier
Penalty Min.
185, Jerry Rollins
134, Jim Dorey
Wins
7, Dave Tataryn
Goals Against
3.59, John Garrett
Shutouts
1, John Garrett
| |
1976-77
Birmingham
Record
31-46-4, 66 pts
Coach
Gilles Leger
Pat Kelly
Goals
60, Mark Napier
36, Vaclav Nedomansky
Assists
48, Dale Hoganson
37, Peter Marrin
Points
96, Mark Napier
69, Vaclav Nedomansky
Penalty Min.
166, Lou Nistico
133, Gilles Bilodeau
Wins
24, John Garrett
Goals Against
3.53, John Garrett
Shutouts
4, John Garrett
| |
1977-78
Birmingham
Record
36-41-3, 75 pts
Coach
Glen Sonmor
Goals
38, Ken Linseman
37, Paul Henderson
Assists
43, Peter Marrin
38, Ken Linseman
Points
76, Ken Linseman
71, Peter Marrin
Penalty Min.
284, Steve Durbano
279, Frank Beaton
Wins
24, John Garrett
Goals Against
3.81, John Garrett
Shutouts
2, John Garrett
| |
1978-79
Birmingham
Record
32-42-6, 70 pts
Coach
John Brophy
Goals
28, Michel Goulet
26, Louis Sleigher
26, Rick Vaive
Assists
40, Craig Hartsburg
36, Rob Ramage
Points
59, Rick Vaive
58, Michel Goulet
Penalty Min.
248, Rick Vaive
212, Dave Hanson
Wins
16, Pat Riggin
Goals Against
3.76, Ernie Wakely
Shutouts
1, Pat Riggin
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Complete Roster & Regular Season Scoring Totals
| Player (G: Goaltender)
| Games
| Goals
| Assists
| Points
| Penalty Min.
|
|
Kirk, Gavin | 355 | 102 | 207 | 309 | 249 |
|
Henderson, Paul | 360 | 140 | 143 | 283 | 112 |
|
Napier, Mark | 237 | 136 | 118 | 254 | 53 |
|
Nedomansky, Vaclav | 252 | 135 | 118 | 253 | 43 |
|
Mahovlich, Frank | 237 | 89 | 143 | 232 | 75 |
|
Simpson, Tom | 299 | 122 | 82 | 204 | 145 |
|
Dillon, Wayne | 212 | 71 | 128 | 199 | 78 |
|
Marrin, Peter | 278 | 81 | 112 | 193 | 127 |
|
Carleton, Wayne | 156 | 80 | 104 | 184 | 73 |
|
Turkiewicz, Jim | 392 | 24 | 119 | 143 | 234 |
|
Martin, Tom | 213 | 59 | 76 | 135 | 59 |
|
Stewart, John C. | 170 | 54 | 73 | 130 | 193 |
|
Trottier, Guy | 149 | 55 | 69 | 124 | 85 |
|
Hickey, Pat | 152 | 61 | 63 | 124 | 102 |
|
Farda, Richard | 177 | 34 | 86 | 120 | 12 |
|
Jacques, Jeff | 199 | 50 | 68 | 118 | 231 |
|
Nistico, Lou | 186 | 44 | 72 | 116 | 375 |
|
Leduc, Bob | 158 | 47 | 66 | 113 | 109 |
|
Cunningham, Rick | 323 | 23 | 90 | 113 | 458 |
|
Gibbons, Brian | 224 | 15 | 88 | 103 | 251 |
|
Sentes, Dick | 138 | 48 | 53 | 101 | 124 |
|
Gorman, Dave | 175 | 42 | 58 | 100 | 149 |
|
Dorey, Jim | 117 | 20 | 74 | 94 | 203 |
|
King, Steve | 136 | 32 | 56 | 88 | 54 |
|
Linseman, Ken | 71 | 38 | 38 | 76 | 126 |
|
Featherstone, Tony | 108 | 29 | 45 | 74 | 31 |
|
Hoganson, Dale | 124 | 8 | 60 | 68 | 77 |
|
Charlebois, Bob | 78 | 24 | 40 | 64 | 28 |
|
Cassolato, Tony | 141 | 31 | 32 | 63 | 121 |
|
Alley, Steve | 105 | 25 | 36 | 61 | 37 |
|
Stephenson, Bob | 117 | 30 | 30 | 60 | 105 |
|
Vaive, Rick | 75 | 26 | 33 | 59 | 248 |
|
Gibson, Jack | 122 | 38 | 21 | 59 | 108 |
|
Beaudoin, Serge | 136 | 13 | 46 | 59 | 232 |
|
Goulet, Michel | 78 | 28 | 30 | 58 | 65 |
|
Sheehy, Tim | 63 | 30 | 23 | 53 | 49 |
|
Adduono, Rick | 80 | 20 | 33 | 53 | 67 |
|
Amodeo, Mike | 233 | 6 | 46 | 52 | 244 |
|
Hanson, Dave | 95 | 13 | 38 | 51 | 453 |
|
Hughes, Brent | 128 | 12 | 38 | 50 | 69 |
|
Hartsburg, Craig | 77 | 9 | 40 | 49 | 73 |
|
Ramage, Rob | 80 | 12 | 36 | 48 | 165 |
|
Cuddie, Steve | 144 | 10 | 34 | 44 | 114 |
|
Sleigher, Louis | 62 | 26 | 12 | 38 | 46 |
|
Gingras, Gaston | 60 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 35 |
|
Climie, Ron | 31 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 2 |
|
Selby, Brit | 81 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 21 |
|
Noris, Joe | 45 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 6 |
|
Roberto, Phil | 53 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 91 |
|
Conacher, Brian | 69 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 32 |
|
Lagace, Jean-Guy | 78 | 2 | 25 | 27 | 110 |
|
Brewer, Carl | 77 | 2 | 23 | 25 | 42 |
|
Phaneuf, Jean | 78 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 6 |
|
Westrum, Pat | 111 | 3 | 21 | 24 | 145 |
|
Langway, Rod | 52 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 52 |
|
Stephanson, Ken | 77 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 93 |
|
Gallant, Gord | 34 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 62 |
|
Boland, Mike | 41 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 44 |
|
Beaton, Frank | 56 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 279 |
|
Heaver, Paul | 71 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 83 |
|
D'Alvise, Bob | 59 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 10 |
|
Bilodeau, Gilles | 107 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 429 |
|
Kuzmicz, George | 35 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 22 |
|
Orr, Bill | 46 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 16 |
|
Syvret, Dave | 58 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
|
Rollins, Jerry | 60 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 202 |
|
Warr, Steve | 72 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 79 |
|
Durbano, Steve | 45 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 284 |
|
Mavety, Larry | 17 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 24 |
|
Folco, Peter | 21 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 15 |
|
Gratton, Gilles (G) | 161 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 46 |
|
Atkinson, Steve | 52 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 22 |
|
Ball, Terry | 23 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|
Meloff, Chris | 28 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 40 |
|
Tebbutt, Greg | 38 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 83 |
|
Garrett, John (G) | 132 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 47 |
|
Gibbons, Gerard | 31 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 30 |
|
Zrymiak, Jerry | 17 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 11 |
|
Riley, Ron | 22 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
|
Wood, Wayne (G) | 74 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 28 |
|
Foley, Rick | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
|
Evans, Chris | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|
Wakely, Ernie (G) | 37 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
|
Riggin, Pat (G) | 46 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 22 |
|
Donnelly, John | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 44 |
|
Titcomb, Gord | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
|
Arndt, Danny | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
|
Crowder, Keith | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
|
Haney, Merv | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
|
Terbenche, Paul | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
|
Neeld, Greg | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
|
McKay, Ray | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
|
Holden, Bill (G) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Marsh, Jim | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
O'Neil, Paul | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Stewart, John A. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Dupras, Rich | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Van Horlick, John | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
|
Crowley, Paul | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Hart, Dick | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Schneider, Buzz | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
|
Kokkola, Keith | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
|
Blum, Frank (G) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Tataryn, Dave (G) | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Vien, Mario (G) | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Shaw, Jim (G) | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Binkley, Les (G) | 81 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
|
Complete Playoff Scoring Totals
| Player (G: Goaltender)
| Games
| Goals
| Assists
| Points
| Penalty Min.
|
|
Kirk, Gavin | 23 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 18 |
|
Martin, Tom | 22 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 4 |
|
Carleton, Wayne | 15 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 8 |
|
Dillon, Wayne | 18 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 13 |
|
Sentes, Dick | 17 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 21 |
|
Trottier, Guy | 17 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 4 |
|
Leduc, Bob | 17 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 46 |
|
Gibbons, Brian | 17 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 22 |
|
Cuddie, Steve | 14 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 22 |
|
Dorey, Jim | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 |
|
Marrin, Peter | 14 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
|
Simpson, Tom | 22 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 5 |
|
Nistico, Lou | 6 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 19 |
|
Hickey, Pat | 17 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 16 |
|
Cunningham, Rick | 21 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 33 |
|
Mahovlich, Frank | 9 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
|
Gibson, Jack | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 16 |
|
Linseman, Ken | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 15 |
|
Conacher, Brian | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
|
Nedomansky, Vaclav | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
|
Jacques, Jeff | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
|
Selby, Brit | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
|
Turkiewicz, Jim | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
|
Brewer, Carl | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
|
King, Steve | 17 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 |
|
Amodeo, Mike | 20 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 40 |
|
Featherstone, Tony | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
|
Mavety, Larry | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
|
Gorman, Dave | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
|
Durbano, Steve | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 |
|
Henderson, Paul | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
|
Napier, Mark | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
|
Stewart, John C. | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
|
Charlebois, Bob | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
|
Stephanson, Ken | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
|
Beaton, Frank | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
|
Westrum, Pat | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
|
Climie, Ron | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|
Roberto, Phil | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
|
Alley, Steve | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
|
Beaudoin, Serge | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 46 |
|
Hanson, Dave | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 48 |
|
Orr, Bill | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
|
Boland, Mike | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
|
Gibbons, Gerard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Wood, Wayne (G) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Riley, Ron | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Bilodeau, Gilles | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
|
Cassolato, Tony | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
|
Langway, Rod | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
|
Warr, Steve | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Hoganson, Dale | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
|
Hughes, Brent | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
|
Garrett, John (G) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Shaw, Jim (G) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Binkley, Les (G) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Gratton, Gilles (G) | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
|
Complete Regular Season Goaltending
| Goaltender
| Games
| Minutes
| Goals
| Shutouts
| Record
| Average
|
|
Gratton, Gilles | 161 | 9102 | 560 | 4 | 81-66-7 | 3.69 |
|
Garrett, John | 132 | 7660 | 467 | 7 | 51-71-5 | 3.66 |
|
Binkley, Les | 81 | 4228 | 262 | 1 | 30-36-2 | 3.72 |
|
Wood, Wayne | 74 | 3775 | 260 | 1 | 26-32-2 | 4.13 |
|
Riggin, Pat | 46 | 2511 | 158 | 1 | 16-22-5 | 3.78 |
|
Wakely, Ernie | 37 | 2060 | 129 | 0 | 15-17-1 | 3.76 |
|
Shaw, Jim | 37 | 1832 | 133 | 0 | 11-16-2 | 4.36 |
|
Tataryn, Dave | 23 | 1261 | 100 | 0 | 7-12-1 | 4.76 |
|
Vien, Mario | 26 | 1228 | 105 | 0 | 4-14-3 | 5.13 |
|
Blum, Frank | 7 | 158 | 8 | 0 | 1-0-0 | 3.04 |
|
Holden, Bill | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0.00
|
Complete Playoff Goaltending
| Goaltender
| Games
| Minutes
| Goals
| Shutouts
| Record
| Average
|
|
Gratton, Gilles | 13 | 662 | 37 | 1 | 5-5 | 3.35 |
|
Binkley, Les | 10 | 464 | 39 | 0 | 3-6 | 5.04 |
|
Shaw, Jim | 5 | 262 | 18 | 0 | 2-2 | 4.12 |
|
Garrett, John | 5 | 271 | 26 | 0 | 1-4 | 5.76 |
|
Wood, Wayne | 1 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0-0 | 6.21 |
|
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History
|
The WHA granted a regional franchise on November 21, 1971, to be placed somewhere in Ontario Province. Doug Michel, a businessman with a background in construction, convinced the WHA to grant him the franchise while he would take care of finding a place to play. Michel's partner was Jim McCreath, who would be the primary bankroller for the incipient team. Both had experience managing the Young Nationals amateur hockey organization in the late 1960s, early 1970s. However, McCreath bowed out early, leaving Michel as the sole owner of the franchise.
As for a home, Hamilton was everyone's preferred choice, but the city at the time did not have a sizable arena. Its sole arena, the Barton Street Arena, sat barely 4,000. At best, all the city could offer was a promise of a new arena. There were no plans as of 1971 to build a new modern arena, and none forthcoming. The Copps Coliseum would be Hamilton's first major-league quality arena but it would not be completed until 1985.
Toronto could not be ignored. It was home to the NHL's Maple Leafs, the team owned by Harold Ballard and already an outspoken foe of the WHA. It seemed absurd he would even entertain the idea of having the WHA in Toronto, but he did listen to Michel's pitch to house the team at the Maple Leaf Gardens as a tenant. He did so primarily to cut off a possible bid by another well-connected and established Toronto family, the Bassetts, for a Toronto-based WHA team. Ultimately, negotiations between Ballard and Michel waned, with Ballard's attentions sidetracked by personal and legal troubles that landed him a spell in prison.
Ottawa reluctantly became the team's home, once Michel could wrangle a deal with the city to use the Civic Centre Arena in February 1972. The city (which ran the Lansdowne Park sports complex through a managing board) was not at all eager to house a team with no history, no players, no front-office staff, and run by a couple of out-of-towners. The Junior Ottawa 67's were the prize tenant and the city's hockey pride, and Ottawa wanted to ensure the safety and well-being of the 67's.
By this time, Michel was on his own, and while a capable businessman, he did not have the wealth or access to it that he could lean on to support this venture. In what appeared to be a take-it-or-leave-it offer by the city, he was compelled to post $100,000 in March to secure dates for the 1972-73 season, this not including the per-use rent he would be charged. Michel posted the bond, but this left him with virtually nothing afterwards.
The league stepped in and directed Nick Trbovich, an industrialist based in Buffalo, to join Michel as co-owner of the team, now known as the Nationals. Trbovich would control the money, and Michel would run the operation. But these delays had kept Michel from assembling a front-office team and signing players. A handful had signed contracts, but until Trbovich came aboard and could guarantee these contracts, these signings could not be reported to the public. The Ottawa media and public were naturally skeptical.
By early Summer 1972, A. J. "Buck" Houle signed on as the General Manager, and former player and Swedish Nationals coach Billy Harris came aboard as coach. With Trbovich now in place, the team could formally announce its first batch of players, doing so in early August 1972. Forwards Guy Trottier and Wayne Carleton, and goaltender Les Binkley, were the most recognizable names. The rest were minor leaguers, fringe NHLers and amateurs from the college and junior ranks. One, forward Garry Hull, brother of Bobby and Dennis, tried out, his name-value alone attracting some attention. However, he was cut in training camp.
Michel was aware he needed a marquee player to attract fans and give his team further legitimacy. His man was Dave Keon, long-time forward with the Maple Leafs. Keon already had a long and illustrious career in the NHL by 1972, and it certainly did not hurt that lifting a star player from the Maple Leafs would be a major victory for the Nationals.
Negotiations carried on all summer. Keon and his agent went back and forth with Trbovich and Michel. At times, it seemed there was an agreement and Keon as all but an Ottawa National, and just as fast, the two sides would be back at square one. In August, Keon re-signed with Toronto, nixing any chance he would come to Ottawa.
Finally, October came and the league would begin play. The WHA's inaugural game was held at the Ottawa Civic Centre, the Nationals hosting the Alberta Oilers. The game was to be televised nationally across Canada, but the same luck that had dogged the Nationals appeared again. The arena was just half-filled, and a few minutes into the game, an electrical transformer blew, blacking out the broadcast. And the Nats lost the game. The Ottawa fans remained wary of this team, and the Nationals didn't help their cause by losing consistently, sometimes to home crowds in the hundreds.
By early February 1973, the Nationals were playing down to everyone's expectations, sporting a 19-31-4 record and a hold on last place. Attendance was growing but still low, and in January, the team was nearly sold to Marv Fishman, who would have uprooted the team immediately to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The deal fell through and the team stayed in Ottawa, facing an even more skeptical audience.
At this low point of the season, the team caught fire. The Nats won 16 of their next 22 games to vault into a playoff berth, and for the first time, had developed a devoted following. At season's end, Wayne Carleton led scorers with 42 goals and 91 points, Gavin Kirk was the best of the no-name rookies with 28 goals and 68 points, while Gilles Gratton won 25 games in goal.
While the public may have shown some belated affection for the Nationals, the city's government, and the group that controlled the lease on the Civic Centre and the arena, did not. The city demanded another full payment of $100,000 on March 15, 1973 to secure dates for the following season, a steep sum that Michel and Trbovich weren't willing to pay.
Particularly troubling was that while the Nationals could play out their 1972-73 home schedule at the Civic Centre, there was no guarantee they could play their home playoff games there unless they paid the money for the next season. Viewing this as a strong-arm tactic, Trbovich sent Michel to Toronto to work a deal with the Maple Leaf Gardens, at the very least for its possible 1973 playoff dates.
A deal was struck (helped by the fact the Maple Leafs missed the 1973 playoffs), and the team, now referred to as the Ontario Nationals, played its two home playoff games in Toronto. The Nationals were bumped in the first round of the payoffs. Almost immediately afterwards, the team was sold to John F. Bassett Jr, heading a group of over 20 investors. The team was relocated to Toronto in May 1973 and renamed the Toros.
Bassett housed the Toros at the University of Toronto's Varsity Arena during 1973-74, with selected games in Ottawa. More significantly, Bassett sought underage Junior players (younger than 20 years of age), signing them to small but attractive contracts and circumventing the league's self-imposed age restrictions. Bassett was unapologetic, reasoning that if an 18-year old man can vote and fight in wars, he can play hockey professionally. In 1973, he signed Wayne Dillon, who scored 30 goals for the 1973-74 Toros. Vet Wayne Carleton led with 37 goals, and seven other Toros scored at least 20 goals. The Toros finished second in the Eastern Division, lasting two rounds in the 1974 Playoffs.
The 1974-75 Toros added Frank Mahovlich and his 500 NHL career goals, 1972 Summit Series hero Paul Henderson, Czech defector Vaclav "Big Ned" Nedomansky, and youngster Pat Hickey to the attack, and the Toros finished second again, winning 43 games. Tom Simpson, an original National from 1972, broke through with 52 goals. Unfortunately, the Toros lasted just a single round in the 1975 Playoffs, cast aside by San Diego. Toronto fans had "embraced" the team on a conditional basis, certainly not ready to abandon the Maple Leafs quite yet. Attendance for the Toros, now playing at the Maple Leaf Gardens, was above 10,000 per game, but the per-game rental fee demanded by Ballard was one of the highest in the league.
The bottom fell out from beneath the team in 1975-76. Despite the addition of rookie Mark Napier and former Leaf hero Bobby Baun as coach, the Toros lost 52 games and endured a league-record 17-game winless streak, which cost Baun his job. The offense was healthy, scoring 335 goals, but a team-wide lack of interest to back-check or play actual defense meant that 398 opponent pucks found the back of the Toronto net. Whatever support Toronto fans had for the Toros had evaporated. Bassett already sensed this, and seeking to get out from under Ballard's control, had already started looking for a new home for his team.
Bassett had his eye on the southeast United States. He previously had business interests in Florida and had briefly owned the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League (Ironically, relocated from Toronto where they were dubbed the Northmen). He saw potential in this region where others did not. In June 1976, he moved his team to Birmingham, Alabama, rebranding the team as the Bulls. The Jefferson County Civic Center would be the new team's home.
The 1976-77 Bulls were essentially the same team that had left Toronto a few months earlier. The Bulls gave up lots of goals and won about a third of their games. Vaclav Nedomansky scored 36 goals, and Mark Napier put in 60. A mid-season coaching change (Gilles Leger went back to the general manager role, replaced by Pat Kelly) gave the Bulls some life, but at season's end, the Bulls were still in last place in the Eastern Division, out of the playoffs again.
Suddenly, Bassett and the Bulls became spectators to the on-going NHL-WHA merger negotiations, the team's fate at the mercy of the outcome of the vote. Should the leagues merge, Birmingham would fold. The vote took place in August 1977, and was close, but not sufficient for merger. The Bulls remained alive in a shrunken WHA, now pulling itself together for a sixth season with three fewer teams than it had a few months earlier.
Returning to the Bulls was the core of the 1976-77 team, minus Mark Napier, but now featuring two promising under-age players, Ken Linseman and Rod Langway. Glen Sonmor, late of the defunct Minnesota franchises, now coached the team. Unfortunately, the Bulls played more of the same hockey they had since 1975, in which the forwards lingered at center ice and the defense gave up its five goals a game. A month into the 1977-78 season, the Bulls had won just 2 of 14 games. The team needed a shaking-up.
Over a period of a few days in November 1977, the Bulls unloaded their top scorers in return for players with more colorful backgrounds. Vaclav Nedomansky and Tim Sheehy were sent to Detroit of the NHL in return for the rights to Dave "Killer" Hanson and Steve "Mental Case" Durbano. Frank "Seldom" Beaton signed as a free agent, joining carry-over Gilles "Bad News" Bilodeau.
The Bulls had a new identity: a team willing to hit, fight and brawl. The top four penalty-minute totals were occupied by Bulls players, and bench-clearing brawls were not uncommon. The Bulls were now the villains of the league ... but they were also winning more often too. In one of their first games together, the new-look Bulls destroyed Cincinnati by a 12-2 score, a game in which coach Sonmor started his tough guys to take the opening face-off. Predictably, a line brawl broke out at the 24-second mark, but the message was clear: these are the new Bulls, and beware.
Led by Linseman's 76 points, Paul Henderson's 37 goals and John Garrett's 24 wins in nets, the Bulls were able to fight and intimidate their way to 36 wins and a playoff spot. They were quickly bumped by Winnipeg in the first round of the 1978 Playoffs, featuring a famous "fight" in the first game in which Dave Hanson inadvertently yanked off Bobby Hull's hairpiece during the scuffle. Hull would play the rest of the game wearing a helmet, with Hanson seeking his forgiveness.
Merger negotiations failed to produce results in 1978, and the Bulls again convened for the 1978-79 season. Linseman and Langway had now graduated to the NHL, and goaltender John Garrett had signed with New England. To augment the roster, Bassett unabashedly raided the Juniors for six top-level players, collectively known as the Baby Bulls.
Led by teenagers Rick Vaive, Michel Goulet, Louis Sleigher, Rob Ramage, Gaston Gingras and Pat Riggin, and their dependable veterans including Paul Henderson and goaltender Ernie Wakely, the 1978-79 Bulls played well, but not well enough to secure a playoff berth. Coached by legendary minor-league fighter John Brophy, the Bulls played hard but with restraint, not engaging in all-out brawls as in the previous season. Still, Vaive led the league in penalty minutes with 248, and Dave Hanson was fourth with 212. However, the fate of the Bulls was sealed in March 1979, when the NHL agreed to absorb four of the WHA teams the following season. The Bulls were not part of the merger, and were folded at the season's close, one of just five teams to endure for the entire seven-year run of the WHA.
Although the Bulls never had a winning record, their legacy lived on for many years, as many of the teenagers who once skated for Birmingham went on to illustrious careers in the NHL. Ken Linseman played many seasons in Philadelphia and later with Edmonton, winning the Stanley Cup in 1984. Rob Ramage would play for many teams, retiring in 1994 and the only former WHA player to play with a 1990s-era expansion team. Rick Vaive would score 50 goals in three successive seasons for Toronto in the 1980s, and a total of 441 goals in his NHL career. Gaston Gingras, Pat Riggin and Craig Hartsburg would all have lengthy and productive careers in the NHL.
However, two Bulls in particular deserve mention: Rod Langway (a member of the 1977-78 team) and Michel Goulet (a Baby Bull of 1978-79). Both had long and productive careers in the NHL, and both were rewarded with induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, a lasting legacy of the short-lived Birmingham Bulls.
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Home Book 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 Rich 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
 
(c) Scott Surgent