| Blazers/Cowboys | |
| League: | World Hockey Association |
|---|---|
| Operated: | 1972-1977 |
| Franchise history | |
| 1972: | Miami Screaming Eagles |
| 1972-73: | Philadelphia Blazers |
| 1973-1975: | Vancouver Blazers |
| 1975-1977: | Calgary Cowboys |
The Blazers/Cowboys were an ice hockey franchise in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972-1977. 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 1976-77 WHA season was the fifth season of the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA The 1972-73 WHA season was the first Regular season of the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA The 1972-73 WHA season was the first Regular season of the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA The 1973-74 WHA season was the second season of the now defunct World Hockey Association. The 1974-75 WHA season was the third season of the now defunct World Hockey Association. The 1975–76 WHA season was the fourth season of the now defunct World Hockey Association. The 1976-77 WHA season was the fifth season of the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. 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 1976-77 WHA season was the fifth season of the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA Originally in 1972, the franchise was to be based out of Miami, Florida, called the Miami Screaming Eagles. The 1972-73 WHA season was the first Regular season of the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA But due to money problems and a lack of a suitable arena, they never played a game in Miami. Instead, they moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and debuted as the Philadelphia Blazers the same year. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern After only one season in Philadelphia, the team relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia and became the Vancouver Blazers in 1973-74, then two years later relocated to Calgary, Alberta as the Calgary Cowboys in 1975-76. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C The 1973-74 WHA season was the second season of the now defunct World Hockey Association. Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 The 1975–76 WHA season was the fourth season of the now defunct World Hockey Association. Two years later, the franchise folded.
Contents |
History
Miami Screaming Eagles
| Miami Screaming Eagles | |
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| City: | Miami, Florida |
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The Miami Screaming Eagles were a charter franchise in the World Hockey Association, and the team was a major part of the WHA's master plan to place teams in areas without a National Hockey League (NHL) team. The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America Herb Martin, the owner of the Eagles, knew that he needed to boost interest in the newly formed WHA and in the Miami area if his team was to successfully compete against the NHL. He believed he could do this by luring major stars away from the NHL with huge contract offers. The Eagles thus became the first WHA team to sign a notable NHL player when they inked Toronto Maple Leaf goaltender Bernie Parent. "Leafs" and "Maple Leafs" redirect here For the former American Hockey League team see St Bernard Marcel Parent (born April 3, 1945 in Montreal, Quebec) better known as Bernie Parent, is a retired Canadian professional The Screaming Eagles also pursued Derek Sanderson of the Boston Bruins, but before they were able to sign him, the team – citing money difficulties and a lack of a suitable arena – withdrew from the league on April 28, 1972. Derek Michael Sanderson, nicknamed "Turk", (born June 16, 1946 in Niagara Falls, Ontario) is a former Canadian professional The Boston Bruins are a professional Ice hockey team based in Boston Massachusetts.
The Screaming Eagles are arguably the most famous major professional sports team never to actually play, and its projected jerseys sell in replica format along with those of actual WHA teams. Some have speculated that their relative notoriety stems from being the first WHA club to sign a major NHL star – Parent – others on the audacity of attempting to establish a major league hockey team so far south, when at the time the NHL had no teams further south than Los Angeles, and none at all, nor any plans to form teams, in the southeastern U. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West S.
Philadelphia Blazers
| Philadelphia Blazers | |
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| City: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Home Arena: | Philadelphia Civic Center |
| Colors: | Yellow & Burnt Orange |
In June of 1972, Bernard Brown and James Cooper were granted the rights to the Miami Screaming Eagles along with the players (namely Parent) that were under contract with the team, from Herb Martin. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The Philadelphia Civic Center was a complex of five or more buildings evolved out of a series of buildings dedicated to expanding trade which began with the National Export Exhibition in James Cooper may refer to James Fenimore Cooper (1789&ndash1851 American writer James Cooper (Pennsylvania (1810&ndash1863 American Brown and Cooper then relocated to Philadelphia and renamed the team the Philadelphia Blazers. Shortly after the relocation to Philadelphia, they came to contract terms with Derek Sanderson, signing him for $2. 6 million over 5 years, at the time the highest salary ever paid to a professional sports player. The signing caused a great deal of publicity, but controversy as well, as many hockey pundits asserted that Sanderson was nowhere near enough of a preeminent star to warrant such a payout.
The Blazers had high hopes going into the inaugural WHA season with such stars as Parent, Sanderson, and fellow ex-Bruin John McKenzie, who was named the team's player-coach. John Albert ("Johnny" "Pie" McKenzie (born December 12, 1937 in High River, Alberta, Canada) is a retired But their hopes were soon dashed as McKenzie suffered an injury in a pre-season game and Parent and Sanderson also suffered from injuries. The team's first home game was also a disaster. The Zamboni malfunctioned and took a chunk of ice out of the playing surface, forcing the game to be rescheduled. An ice resurfacer is a truck-like vehicle used to clean and smooth the surface of an Ice rink, originally developed by Frank J The team started out with a 1-6 record (after which McKenzie was replaced as coach by Phil Watson). Phillip Henri "Phil" Watson (Born October 24, 1914, in Montreal Quebec, died February 1, 1991) was a professional Philadelphia went on to drop a scarcely better 10 of their next 13 games, by which time Parent and McKenzie returned. By that point Sanderson was long gone. After only eight games (scoring three goals and three assists) in Philadelphia and considerable controversy, the owners paid Sanderson one million dollars to void his contract; he promptly returned to the Bruins to finish out the season.
Despite a rough early season, things actually improved for the Blazers towards the end. Ex-Philadelphia Flyer Andre Lacroix led the league in scoring and ex-Buffalo Sabre Danny Lawson scored 61 goals; they would prove over the years to be two of the WHA's brightest stars, and Lacroix eventually was the league's all-time leading career scorer. The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Buffalo Sabres are a professional Ice hockey team based in Buffalo New York. Danny Lawson (born October 30, 1947 in Toronto, Ontario) is a former professional Ice hockey right winger. Coupled with Bernie Parent's goaltending, the team made the playoffs with a record of 38 wins and 40 losses. However, a discontented Parent left the team during the playoffs and the Blazers were swept in four by the Cleveland Crusaders. The Cleveland Crusaders were a professional Ice hockey team from Cleveland Ohio.
After the season ended, owners Brown and Cooper sold the team to Jim Pattison and he promptly moved the team north of the border to Vancouver, Canada. James (Jimmy Allen Pattison, CM, OBC, (born October 1, 1928 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a Vancouver -based The team was renamed the Vancouver Blazers.
Vancouver Blazers
| Vancouver Blazers | |
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| City: | Vancouver, British Columbia |
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| Home Arena: | Pacific Coliseum |
| Colours: | Yellow & Burnt Orange |
Pattison knew that in order to compete with the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL, who happened to share the same arena, he needed to attract a major super-star to the team as Lacroix, who had lead the league in scoring the previous year, left for the New York Golden Blades of the WHA. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Pacific Coliseum is an indoor arena at Hastings Park, in Vancouver British Columbia. The Vancouver Canucks are a Professional Ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The New York Raiders were an Ice hockey team and founding member of the World Hockey Association based in New York City. Pattison tried, to no avail, to sign NHL star Phil Esposito offering him $2. Philip Anthony "Espo" Esposito, OC (born February 20, 1942 is a retired professional hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National 5 million over 5 years. Esposito decided to stay with the Bruins for less money.
The team performed horribly in their first year with a dismal record of 27-50-1. The next season, 1974-75, brought back some respectability to the team as they finished only two games below . The 1974-75 WHA season was the third season of the now defunct World Hockey Association. 500. But that wasn't enough to keep the team in Vancouver. After only two seasons in Vancouver, the team once again packed up their bags and moved to Calgary, Alberta, and were renamed the Calgary Cowboys. The Cowboys would be the second WHA team to attempt Calgary as the Calgary Broncos were slated to start playing there for the inaugural WHA season. The Calgary Broncos were an original World Hockey Association franchise founded November 1, 1971 by Bob Brownridge. The Broncos, though, never actually played a game before folding.
Calgary Cowboys
| Calgary Cowboys | |
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| City: | Calgary, Alberta |
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| Home Arena: | Stampede Corral |
| Colours: | Red & White |
The first season in Calgary netted them a 41-35-4 record. Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 Stampede Corral (also known as the Calgary Corral) is an Ice hockey and Rodeo Arena in Calgary Alberta, Canada. The Calgary Cowboys were an Ice hockey team that played two seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA from 1975 – 1977. During a match in the playoffs, between the Cowboys and the Quebec Nordiques, Cowboy forward Rick Jodzio attacked Nordiques superstar Marc Tardif. A playoff or final in Sports is a game or series of games played after the regular season is over with the goal of determining a league champion or a similar accolade The Quebec Nordiques (Nordiques de Québec pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated into English as "Northerners" were Rick Jodzio (born June 3, 1954 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a former professional Ice hockey left winger. Marc Tardif (born June 12 1949 in Granby Quebec) is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey left winger who is the leading goal scorer This attack provoked a bench clearing brawl and proved one of the more infamous attacks in professional hockey history; Tardif suffered major head injuries and missed the remainder of the playoffs. In one of the first cases of its kind in hockey history, Jodzio later pled guilty to the attack in a court of law, and was fined and suspended. Without Tardif to lead Quebec, Calgary was able to beat the Nordiques in five games, but were themselves stopped in the second round by the Winnipeg Jets. The Winnipeg Jets were a professional Hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Attendance was poor in the second season, leading to rumors of a move to Ottawa, but because of past problems with WHA teams in Ottawa, the Cowboys decided to stay in Calgary. Ottawa (ˈɒtəwə or sometimes /ˈɒtəwɑː/ is the Capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality. This second season in Calgary would be the last season and it was a tumultuous one as well. In one infamous game, as a protest against a disputed call, Calgary's coach, Joe Crozier, dumped the team's spare hockey sticks onto the ice. Joe Crozier (b February 19, 1929, in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a former professional Ice hockey defenceman and The team also missed the playoffs with a dismal 31-43-7 record. Because a satisfactory number of season tickets weren't sold by May 31, 1977, management elected to abandon the franchise.
It wouldn't take long for Calgary to be granted its next professional hockey team. For the 1980-81 NHL season, the Atlanta Flames of the NHL moved to Calgary and became the Calgary Flames. The 1980–81 NHL season was the 64th season of the National Hockey League. The Atlanta Flames were a professional Ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980. The Calgary Flames are a Professional Ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It was the only time in NHL history that an American team has moved north of the border.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Season | Team Name | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1972-73 | Philadelphia Blazers | 78 | 38 | 40 | 0 | 76 | 288 | 305 | 1260 | 3rd, Eastern | Lost Quarterfinals (Cleveland) |
| 1973-74 | Vancouver Blazers | 78 | 27 | 50 | 1 | 55 | 278 | 345 | 1047 | 5th, Western | Did not qualify |
| 1974-75 | Vancouver Blazers | 78 | 37 | 39 | 2 | 76 | 256 | 270 | 1075 | 4th, Canadian | Did not qualify |
| 1975-76 | Calgary Cowboys | 80 | 41 | 35 | 4 | 86 | 307 | 282 | 1064 | 3rd, Canadian | Won Quarterfinals (Quebec) Lost Semifinals (Winnipeg) |
| 1976-77 | Calgary Cowboys | 81 | 31 | 43 | 7 | 69 | 252 | 296 | 832 | 5th, Western | Did not qualify |
| Franchise totals | 395 | 174 | 207 | 14 | 362 | 1381 | 1498 | 5278 |
See also
- Ice hockey in Calgary
- List of Blazers/Cowboys (WHA) players
- List of ice hockey teams in Alberta
- List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia
- List of WHA seasons
References
External links
- Unofficial Home of the Philadelphia Blazers
- Philadelphia Blazers History
- NHL.com article about the Philadelphia Blazers
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