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1979 WHA Playoffs
The 1979 WHA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the World Hockey Association's 1978–79 season. The seventh and final tournament concluded with five of the surviving six teams competing for the Avco World Trophy; the merger between the WHA and the National Hockey League loomed ahead after the announcement of a merger in late March, with the four teams to move to the NHL already selected. The playoffs were threatened to not be played entirely due to a dispute over the playoff pool in which the league wanted to cut the pool to $88,000 less than last year due to less games being played. It was noted at the time that the original WHA playoff pool was at one point $740,000 but now was considerably less than that; the dispute was tabled to after the playoffs. Among the notable events, phenom Wayne Gretzky made his first playoff appearance as a professional player as the Edmonton Oilers raced all the way to the Avco Cup Final. Winnipeg lost the entire "Hot Line" of Bobby Hull (w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rich Preston
Richard John "Rich" Preston (born May 22, 1952) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former forward. He played hockey for the Houston Aeros and Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association and the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League. He won the Avco World Trophy in 1975 with Houston and 1979 with Winnipeg, and his play in the 1979 WHA playoffs awarded him the WHA Playoff MVP, the last to be awarded by the league prior to the NHL-WHA merger. Early life Preston was born in Regina, Saskatchewan. He is the son of Ken Preston, general manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1958–1977 and a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. He studied and played with the Denver Pioneers. Playing career His play with teammate Rob Palmer, who was drafted by the Chicago Black Hawks, had attracted them to put him on a negotiation list to maybe consider him. He mulled it over but when Bill Dineen of the upstart Houston Aeros (which had players such as Gordie Howe) inqu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1978–79 Quebec Nordiques Season
The 1978–79 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques' seventh season in the WHA, were coming off of a 40–37–3 record in the 1977–78 season and a loss in the playoff semi-finals. The Nordiques improved to 41–34–5 to qualify for the playoffs, but lost in the first round to eventual Avco Cup champions Winnipeg Jets. After the season was finished, the WHA announced that four of its teams, the Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers, New England Whalers and Winnipeg Jets would be admitted to the National Hockey League as expansion teams for the 1979–80 NHL season, and that the WHA would cease operations. During their seven seasons in the WHA, Quebec had a record of 295–237–24, while winning the 1977 Avco Cup. Off-season During the off-season, the league would lose the Houston Aeros, as they elected to fold as the club was not part of an NHL-WHA merger, leaving the WHA with seven teams. The league also announced that games against all-star teams from the Soviet Union, Czech ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WHA Playoff MVP
The Playoff MVP award for the World Hockey Association was handed out annually from 1975 to 1979 to the most valuable player of the playoffs. Ron Grahame won the very first award on May 12, 1975. Apparently, the award was originally named after Gordie Howe. Winners *1975 – Ron Grahame, Houston Aeros *1976 – Ulf Nilsson, Winnipeg Jets *1977 – Serge Bernier, Quebec Nordiques *1978 – Robert Guindon, Winnipeg Jets *1979 – Rich Preston, Winnipeg Jets See also *Conn Smythe Trophy The Conn Smythe Trophy () is awarded annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of his team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general manager, and head coach of the ... References {{DEFAULTSORT:Wha Playoff Mvp World Hockey Association trophies and awards ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Semenko
David John Semenko (July 12, 1957 – June 29, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, scout, and colour commentator. During his National Hockey League (NHL) career, Semenko played for the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers and Toronto Maple Leafs as an enforcer. During his tenure with Edmonton, he notably protected Wayne Gretzky as an "on-ice bodyguard" during Gretzky's early career. Semenko won two Stanley Cups with the Oilers in 1984 and 1985. He was also the last player to score a goal in the World Hockey Association (WHA) before it folded and merged with the NHL. Following his retirement as a player, he became a radio commentator of Oilers' games. Semenko died on June 29, 2017, from liver and pancreatic cancer. Career Semenko played junior hockey for the Brandon Wheat Kings. He was originally selected 25th overall in 1977 by the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL and the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association (WHA). The Aeros traded Semenko to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ron Chipperfield
Ronald James Chipperfield (born March 28, 1954) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who served as the Edmonton Oilers' first National Hockey League (NHL) captain. He played for the Oilers in both the World Hockey Association (WHA) and the NHL, as well as the Vancouver Blazers and the Calgary Cowboys of the WHA, and the Quebec Nordiques of the NHL. Chipperfield was born in Brandon, Manitoba. Playing career Chipperfield started his junior career in 1969–70 with the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), leading the league in scoring. The Kings won the MJHL championship and advanced to the 1970 Memorial Cup western semi-final before bowing out. Next, he spent four years with Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Canadian Hockey League (WCHL), where he set numerous team and league records. His most successful year there was his last, 1973–74, when he scored 90 goals, setting a league record at the time, won the scoring title, and was named league ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willy Lindström
Bo Morgan Willy Lindström (born May 5, 1951) is a Swedish former ice hockey player for the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins. He was a three-time Avco World Trophy winner with the Jets and two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Oilers. Career Willy Lindström was born i Grums, Värmland, Sweden. He began playing ice hockey in Grums IK during the 1960s. Lindström joined Västra Frölunda HC in 1970 and made his debut in the top-level ice hockey league in Sweden. Lindström signed a contract as a free agent with the Winnipeg Jets in the WHA in 1975. He was one of the top scorers in the WHA four years in a row. Lindström was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for Laurie Boschman in March 1983. He won two Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984 and 1985. Lindström is the only player to have had both Bobby Hull and Wayne Gretzky as teammates, as well as Mario Lemieux. Lindström scored five goals in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Spectrum on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cincinnati Stingers
The Cincinnati Stingers were an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979 and in the Central Hockey League during the 1979–80 season. Their home arena was Riverfront Coliseum. They are the only major league hockey team to have played in Cincinnati. History The Stingers franchise was awarded in 1974 as part of the WHA's ill-conceived attempt at expansion. They entered the league for the 1975–76 WHA season along with the Denver Spurs. Most of the league's existing teams were not financially stable, and franchise relocations were commonplace. The Stingers achieved enough stability that they were the only one of the WHA's five expansion teams that lasted through to the end of the league, but they were left out of the NHL–WHA merger in mid-1979. The WHA insisted on including all three of its surviving Canadian teams, though below-average attendance made it unlikely that the Stingers would have made the cut. The Stingers, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Springfield Civic Center
The MassMutual Center (formerly Springfield Civic Center) is a multi-purpose arena and convention center complex located in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, in the city's Metro Center. The arena opened in 1972 and the convention center opened in 2005. It serves as a venue for meetings, conventions, exhibitions, sporting and entertainment events. Previously owned and operated by the City of Springfield and various management groups until 1997, the city transferred ownership of the facility to the Massachusetts Legislature. Shortly after, ownership was given to the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) who in turn began working on plans to renovate and expand the facility. The two-year project, which began in 2003, included renovations to the 8,000-seat arena and the addition of a convention center. Its unique design allows for 3 to 4 concurrent events or one large event. MGM Springfield began operating the venue on behalf of the MCCA in July 2017 in a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hartford Civic Center
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 census. Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region and the core city of the Greater Hartford metropolitan area with 1.17 million residents. Founded in 1635, Hartford is among the oldest cities in the United States. It is home to the country's oldest public art museum (Wadsworth Atheneum), the oldest publicly funded park (Bushnell Park), the oldest continuously published newspaper (the ''Hartford Courant''), the second-oldest secondary school ( Hartford Public High School), and the oldest school for deaf children (American School for the Deaf), founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet in 1817. It is the location of the Mark Twain House, in which the author Mark Twain wrote his most famous works and raised his family. He wrote in 1868, "Of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see this is the chief." Ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indianapolis Racers
The Indianapolis Racers were a major league ice hockey team that played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1974 to 1978. They competed in four full seasons before folding 25 games into the 1978–79 season. They played at Market Square Arena. They were the first professional team to secure Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. History The Racers started as a WHA expansion team for the 1974–75 season alongside the Phoenix Roadrunners. John Weissert and Dick Tinkham, owners of the Indiana Pacers of the American Basketball Association, were the original owners of the team. On February 26, 1974, the team name was announced to be the Racers. The team hired Johnny Wilson as coach in January 1974, but he left the team to coach the Michigan Stags. On June 27, 1974, Gerry Moore became the head coach. In December 1974, the team was sold to former Houston Aeros owner Paul Deneau. Five games into the 1975-76 season, Moore was fired and replaced by Jacques Demers. The Racers wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
