1973–74 WHA season
LeagueWorld Hockey Association
SportIce hockey
Regular season
Top scorerMike Walton (Minnesota)
Avco World Trophy
ChampionsHouston Aeros
  Runners-upChicago Cougars

The 1973–74 WHA season was the second season of the World Hockey Association, and lasted from October 1973 until the Avco Cup final game on May 19, 1974, when the Houston Aeros, with Gordie Howe, defeated the Chicago Cougars to sweep the series in four games. Twelve teams each played 78 games. The Philadelphia Blazers relocated to Vancouver, becoming the Vancouver Blazers. They were moved to the Western Division and Chicago moved to the East. The New York Raiders were renamed the New York Golden Blades and then moved to Cherry Hill, New Jersey to become the Jersey Knights after just 24 games. The Ottawa Nationals moved to Toronto and became the Toronto Toros. The Alberta Oilers changed their name to the Edmonton Oilers.

Regular season

Final standings

GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Teams that qualifies for the playoffs are highlighted in bold

Eastern Division
GP W L T GF GA PIM Pts
New England Whalers784331429126087590
Toronto Toros784133430427287186
Cleveland Crusaders7837329266264100783
Chicago Cougars7838355271273104181
Quebec Nordiques783836430628090980
NY Golden Blades / Jersey Knights783242426831393368
Western Division
GP W L T GF GA PIM Pts
Houston Aeros78482553182191038101
Minnesota Fighting Saints7844322332275124390
Edmonton Oilers7838373268269127379
Winnipeg Jets783439526429667373
Vancouver Blazers7827501278345104755
Los Angeles Sharks7825530239339108650

Summary

In June 1973, the Houston Aeros lured 45-year-old Gordie Howe out of retirement by promising him that he could play with his sons Mark and Marty who were also on the team.[1] Howe responded by having a 100-point season, leading the team in scoring and helping them finish with the best record in the league. The Aeros also received excellent goaltending from Don McLeod and Wayne Rutledge.

The defending Western Division champion Winnipeg Jets slipped to 4th place with a sub-.500 record. The other playoff qualifiers in the West were Minnesota and Edmonton. In the East, defending Avco World Trophy champions New England won their second straight division title followed by Toronto, Cleveland, and Chicago.

Player stats

Scoring leaders

Bolded numbers indicate season leaders

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Mike WaltonMinnesota Fighting Saints78576011788
Andre LacroixNY Golden Blades / Jersey Knights78318011154
Gordie HoweHouston Aeros76316910046
Wayne ConnellyMinnesota Fighting Saints7842539516
Bobby HullWinnipeg Jets7553429537
Wayne CarletonToronto Toros7837559231
Bryan CampbellVancouver Blazers7627628950
Danny LawsonVancouver Blazers7850388814
Serge BernierQuebec Nordiques74374986107
Larry LundHouston Aeros75335386109

Leading goaltenders

Bolded numbers indicate season leaders

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties, GA = Goals against; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Player Team GP Min W L T GA SO SV% GAA
Don McLeodHouston Aeros49297133133127391.12.56
Gerry CheeversCleveland Crusaders59356230206180490.63.03
Al SmithNew England Whalers55319430212164289.53.08
Cam NewtonChicago Cougars45273225182143189.43.14
Jack NorrisEdmonton Oilers53295423241158289.83.21

All-Star Game

At St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul, MN, the East defeated the West 8-4.

Avco World Trophy playoffs

The West Division playoffs went according to form, with the top two seeds, Houston and Minnesota, easily disposing of Edmonton and Winnipeg respectively. In the east, Toronto won as expected over Cleveland, but Chicago shocked the WHA by upsetting the defending champion New England Whalers in seven games, winning three of the four games in New England. In the division finals, favored Houston defeated Minnesota in six games, while Chicago pulled its second upset by beating Toronto in seven games, outscoring the Toros 14-4 in winning games six and seven. They ran out of magic in the finals however, as Houston swept them in four straight, outscoring them 22-9.

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
E1 New England Whalers 3
E4 Chicago Cougars 4
E4 Chicago Cougars 4
Eastern Division
E2 Toronto Toros 3
E2 Toronto Toros 4
E3 Cleveland Crusaders 1
E4 Chicago Cougars 0
W1 Houston Aeros 4
W1 Houston Aeros 4
W4 Winnipeg Jets 0
W1 Houston Aeros 4
Western Division
W2 Minnesota Fighting Saints 2
W2 Minnesota Fighting Saints 4
W3 Edmonton Oilers 1

WHA awards

Trophies

Avco World Trophy:Houston Aeros
Gary L. Davidson Award:Gordie Howe, Houston Aeros
Bill Hunter Trophy:Mike Walton, Minnesota Fighting Saints
Lou Kaplan Trophy:Mark Howe, Houston Aeros
Ben Hatskin Trophy:Don McLeod, Houston Aeros
Dennis A. Murphy Trophy:Pat Stapleton, Chicago Cougars
Paul Deneau Trophy:Ralph Backstrom, Chicago Cougars
Howard Baldwin Trophy:Billy Harris, Toronto Toros

All-Star Team

PositionFirst TeamSecond Team
CentreAndre Lacroix, New York/JerseyWayne Carleton, Toronto
Right WingGordie Howe, HoustonMike Walton, Minnesota
Left WingBobby Hull, WinnipegMark Howe, Houston
DefencePat Stapleton, ChicagoJ. C. Tremblay, Quebec
DefencePaul Shmyr, ClevelandAl Hamilton, Edmonton
GoaltenderDon McLeod, HoustonGerry Cheevers, Cleveland

See also

References

  1. ↑ Goldaper, Sam (June 20, 1973). "GORDIE HOWE GETS $1‐MILLION PACT". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
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