He also knew that the Racers could not hope to be included among those teams, and hoped to keep the Racers alive long enough to collect compensation from the surviving teams when the WHA dissolved, as well as any funds earned from selling the young star.

They also became the second team from the WHA to win the Cup.

A year later, Howe was offered a contract to play with the Houston Aeros of the newly formed World Hockey Association ( WHA ), who had also signed his sons Mark and Marty to contracts.

The WHA hoped to capitalize on the lack of hockey teams in a number of major cities, and it also hoped to attract the best players by paying more than NHL owners would.

Unlike the NHL, the WHA also signed many European players.

The flagship station of the Ideas Network is WHA 970 AM in Madison, one of the oldest existing radio stations in the world, with programming also originating from the Milwaukee studios of Delafield licensed WHAD, an FM station based between Milwaukee and Madison with facilities in downtown Milwaukee.

He also played professionally with the World Hockey Association ( WHA )' s Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers.

Bernard Marcel " Bernie " Parent ( born April 3, 1945 ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 13 National Hockey League ( NHL ) seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs, and also spent one season in the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) with the Philadelphia Blazers.

He also played in the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) for the Quebec Nordiques, New England Whalers and Toronto Toros.

He also played one season in the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) for the Birmingham Bulls.

He was also drafted by the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) in the third round ( 33rd overall ) in the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft.

It is located at 299 Bloor Street West and is primarily home to the ice hockey teams of the University of Toronto, the Varsity Blues, though it also hosted the Toronto Toros of the WHA from 1973 – 74 and the Toronto Planets of the RHI in 1993.

The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena became a companion facility to the adjacent Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and home court to the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA from October 1960 to December 1967, the Los Angeles Clippers also of the NBA from 1984 – 1999, the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL from October to December 1967 during their inaugural 1967-68 season, the USC Trojans basketball team of the NCAA from 1959 – 2006, the UCLA Bruins Basketball team of the NCAA from 1959 – 1965 and again as a temporary home in 2011-2012, the Los Angeles Blades of the Western Hockey League from 1961 to 1967, the Los Angeles Sharks of the WHA from 1972 – 1974, the Los Angeles Cobras of the AFL in 1988, and the original Los Angeles Stars of the ABA from 1968 – 1970.

Market Square Arena was also the home of the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA from 1974 – 1979.

The Amphitheatre was also the primary home of the Chicago Cougars of the WHA from 1972-1975.

Pattison was also hoping that the Cowboys would be one of six WHA teams to join the NHL in 1977 following as part of a proposed merger.

Gillies would also be selected by the World Hockey Association's Edmonton Oilers in the WHA draft, but Gillies signed with the Islanders, making the team right out of training camp.

He has also served as the head coach of the Rangers, as well as General Manager and coach of the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) and later NHL.

He also played two seasons in the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) with the Los Angeles Sharks and Vancouver Blazers.

He also represented Canada at the 1974 Summit Series on an all-star team of Canadian WHA players.

The WHA is also responsible for the endorsement of the WHO Family of International Classifications, a series of internationally standardized medical classifications, including the International Classification of Diseases ( ICD ) and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health ( ICF ).

The Sharks were also a physical team and led the WHA in penalty minutes.

Boucha was drafted in the 2nd Round, 16th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1971 NHL Entry Draft ( he was also drafted first overall by the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the rival World Hockey Association but chose not to defect to the WHA ).

However, the World Trophy had not yet been completed, and the Whalers were forced to " skate " their divisional championship trophy around the ice surface, much to the embarrassment of the WHA office.

When the New England Whalers won the league's inaugural championship in 1973 the trophy had not yet been completed, and the Whalers were forced to " skate " their divisional championship trophy around the ice surface, much to the embarrassment of the WHA office.

The collapse of the WHA also saw the much hyped super-star rookie Wayne Gretzky come to the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers.

The players who stayed could use the threat of joining the WHA to negotiate better contracts, and Ballard always blamed the WHA for inflating players ' salaries.

Many of Vancouver's players left the club that season, defecting to the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) for larger salaries.

Skalbania opted to have Gretzky sign a personal-services contract rather than a standard player contract in part because he knew a deal to take some WHA teams into the NHL was in the works.

Gretzky was having difficulty scoring this season and finished with only nine goals, contributing to this being the only season in which he failed to average at least a point per game, but his last goal brought his scoring total for his combined NHL / WHA career to 1, 072, one more than Howe.

They had a more stable roster than most WHA teams — Ley, Webster, Selwood, Pleau, and Tommy Earl would all play over 350 games with the club — and scored a major coup when they signed legend Gordie Howe and his sons Mark and Marty from the Houston Aeros in 1977.

The Vancouver Canucks had the third overall selection in the NHL draft and were interested in selecting him, but opted against it when McDonald made it clear he would likely go to the WHA rather than play with Vancouver.

He came into the NHL at a time when the battle with the rival WHA for talent led to rookies signing for far more money than the previous generation of players commanded.

The Saints never missed the playoffs nor had a losing record and the team always drew more fans than the WHA average.

Gretzky aside, many players made their debut in the NHL this season, both due to the WHA merger and to a change in the rules for the Entry Draft allowing eighteen and nineteen year olds to be drafted for the first time ; no fewer than six Hall of Famers ( Gretzky, Ray Bourque, Mark Messier, Mike Gartner, Michel Goulet and Joe Mullen ; Mullen was undrafted ) debuted this season along with numerous other perennial stars.

Skalbania, knowing that the WHA's long-term prospects were poor, felt owning the young star was more valuable than owning a WHA team.

He was selected 47th overall in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, as well as the Houston Aeros in the 1976 World Hockey Association Amateur Draft, and he opted to turn pro in the WHA rather than the NHL.

When the WHA folded, the Oilers joined the NHL, where he established many scoring records and led his team to four Stanley Cup championships.

In 1978, the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) league was in competition with the established NHL.

The NHL did not allow the signing of players under the age of 20, but the WHA had no rules regarding such signings.

Gretzky's success in the WHA carried over into the NHL, despite some critics suggesting he would flounder in what was considered the bigger, tougher, and more talented league.

The Oilers, like the other surviving WHA teams, were allowed to protect two goaltenders and two skaters from being reclaimed by the established NHL teams.

Gretzky became the youngest player to score 50 goals but was not eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given to the top NHL rookie, because of his previous year of WHA experience.

While the Islanders secured veteran forward Ed Westfall from the Boston Bruins in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft, junior league star Billy Harris in the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft, and a few other players, several other draftees jumped to the WHA.

The Hurricanes were formed in 1971 as the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association ( WHA ), and joined the NHL in 1979 as part of the NHL-WHA merger, renaming themselves the Hartford Whalers.

As one of the most stable WHA teams, the Whalers, along with the Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques, and Winnipeg Jets, were admitted to the NHL when the rival leagues merged in 1979.

Because the NHL already had a team in the New England area, the Boston Bruins, the former WHA team was renamed the Hartford Whalers.

The Whalers were never as successful in the NHL as they had been in the WHA, recording only three winning seasons.

They finished the regular season with a 52 – 22 – 8 record and 112 points, shattering the previous franchise records of 94 points ( in the WHA ) set by the 1972-73 Whalers and 93 points ( in the NHL ) set in 1986 – 87.

The Cup finals were against the Edmonton Oilers, the first time in NHL history that two former WHA franchises had played against one another in the finals.

The Nordiques became members of the NHL in 1979 with the NHL – WHA merger.

The Oilers subsequently joined the NHL in 1979, as one of four franchises introduced through the NHL merger with the WHA.

The team's performance would improve in 1978, when new owner Peter Pocklington acquired Wayne Gretzky as an under-age player ( consequentially, his first year of WHA experience prevented him from being an official 1979 – 80 NHL rookie ), as well as goaltender Eddie Mio and forward Peter Driscoll, from the recently-folded Indianapolis Racers for cash.

A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flames and 5 in the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) for the Toronto Toros and Birmingham Bulls.

Prior to the 1973 – 74 NHL season, Henderson spoke to the John Bassett, owner of the World Hockey Association ( WHA )' s Toronto Toros.

While the original series was restricted to players from the NHL, the 1974 Summit Series featured a Canadian team made up of WHA players.

The WHA merged with the NHL following the 1978 – 79 season, though Birmingham was not invited to join the NHL.