The Avco World Trophy was the championship trophy of the original World Hockey Association (1972-1979). The World Hockey Association (French Association Mondiale de Hockey) was a professional Ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 The 1972-73 WHA season was the first Regular season of the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA The 1978-79 WHA season was the seventh and final Regular season of the World Hockey Association (WHA The trophy's naming rights were sold to the former Avco Corporation (a name originally derived from "Aviation Company"), a defence contractor who bought the rights to advertise their consumer finance division. Naming rights are the right to name a piece of Property, either tangible property or an event usually granted in exchange for financial considerations Avco Corporation is a subsidiary of Textron which operates Textron Systems Corporation and Lycoming. The trophy was mocked in many circles and was never to develop anything approaching the significance and sentiment of its National Hockey League comparison, considering the age and prestige of the Stanley Cup. The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America The Stanley Cup (La Coupe Stanley is an Ice hockey club championship Trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL playoffs champion
The trophy was donated to the new league in 1972 along with approximately $500,000 by the AVCO Financial Services Corporation, and became the only major sports championship trophy to bear the name of a private corporation. Three AVCO trophies exist; besides the one that is on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame, the others are in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and in the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame in Halifax. The Hockey Hall of Fame ( Temple de la renommée du hockey in French) is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Winnipeg (ˈwɪnɨpɛg is the capital and largest city in the Canadian province of Manitoba, and 7th largest municipality in Canada with a population Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's Metropolitan Halifax (2006 pop 282924) often referred to as Metro Halifax, or inaccurately Halifax, is the urban part of the Halifax Regional Municipality The trophy was retired after the WHA ceased operations in 1979. The Bobby Hull–led Jets claimed the trophy on three occasions including the final league championship against Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers. Robert Marvin "Bobby" Hull OC (born January 3, 1939 is a retired Canadian Ice hockey player Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC (born January 26 1961 is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey player The Edmonton Oilers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Gordie Howe and the Aeros won it twice. Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC (born March 31 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan) is a former professional Ice hockey player from Canada
The Avco Trophy in fact may have been most famous, or perhaps infamous, in its absence. 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 Hartford Whalers were an American professional Ice hockey team based in Hartford Connecticut. The 1972-73 WHA season was the first Regular season of the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA
The cup was a trophy developed by Frank Bonnerkopf of Boise, Idaho. He won the contract for creating the trophy after he decorated the Avco CEO's home.
Champions and finalists
| Season | Champions | Finalists | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | New England Whalers | Winnipeg Jets | 4–1 |
| 1974 | Houston Aeros | Chicago Cougars | 4–0 |
| 1975 | Houston Aeros | Quebec Nordiques | 4–0 |
| 1976 | Winnipeg Jets | Houston Aeros | 4–0 |
| 1977 | Quebec Nordiques | Winnipeg Jets | 4–2 |
| 1978 | Winnipeg Jets | New England Whalers | 4–0 |
| 1979 | Winnipeg Jets | Edmonton Oilers | 4–2 |
See also
External link
The 1972-73 WHA season was the first Regular season of the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA The Hartford Whalers were an American professional Ice hockey team based in Hartford Connecticut. The Winnipeg Jets were a professional Hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The 1973-74 WHA season was the second season of the now defunct World Hockey Association. The Houston Aeros were a professional Ice hockey team in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1978 The Chicago Cougars were an original franchise in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1975. The 1974-75 WHA season was the third season of the now defunct World Hockey Association. The Houston Aeros were a professional Ice hockey team in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1978 The Quebec Nordiques (Nordiques de Québec pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated into English as "Northerners" were The 1975–76 WHA season was the fourth season of the now defunct World Hockey Association. The Winnipeg Jets were a professional Hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Houston Aeros were a professional Ice hockey team in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1978 The 1976-77 WHA season was the fifth season of the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA The Quebec Nordiques (Nordiques de Québec pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated into English as "Northerners" were The Winnipeg Jets were a professional Hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The 1977-78 WHA season was the sixth season of the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA The Winnipeg Jets were a professional Hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Hartford Whalers were an American professional Ice hockey team based in Hartford Connecticut. The 1978-79 WHA season was the seventh and final Regular season of the World Hockey Association (WHA The Winnipeg Jets were a professional Hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Edmonton Oilers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The World Hockey Association (French Association Mondiale de Hockey) was a professional Ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 The World Hockey Association (WHA operated for seven seasons: 1972-73 1973-74 1974-75Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic