The Vancouver Blazers were a professional
ice hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team that played in the
World Hockey AssociationThe World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
from 1973-75. The Blazers played at the
Pacific ColiseumPacific Coliseum is an indoor arena, at Hastings Park, in Vancouver, British Columbia.Completed in 1968, at the former site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281, for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713....
in Vancouver, British Columbia, sharing the facility with the
Vancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
of the
National Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. The Blazers were owned by local businessman
Jim PattisonJames Allen "Jim" Pattison, OC, OBC is a Vancouver-based Canadian entrepreneur who is the president, managing director, chief executive officer, chairman and sole owner of the Jim Pattison Group, the third largest privately held company in Canada...
. The franchise moved to Vancouver after a single season in
PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. Unable to establish a strong fan base in Vancouver, the team was moved again in 1975 to become the
Calgary CowboysThe Calgary Cowboys were an ice hockey team that played two seasons in the World Hockey Association from 1975–1977. The Cowboys played at the Stampede Corral in Calgary. The franchise was founded in 1972 as the Miami Screaming Eagles, though it never played a game in Miami...
.
History
The Blazers were one of the founding members of the
World Hockey AssociationThe World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
. Originally the franchise was to be based out of
Miami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, called the
Miami Screaming EaglesThe Miami Screaming Eagles were Miami's first attempt at a professional ice hockey team.Businessman Herb Martin bought a franchise in the World Hockey Association in 1972. The Eagles were the first to sign players from NHL clubs, such as Bernie Parent from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins...
. But due to financial problems and a lack of a suitable arena, the franchise was moved to Philadelphia,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and debuted as the
Philadelphia BlazersThe Philadelphia Blazers were an ice hockey franchise in the World Hockey Association for the 1972–73 WHA season that was based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States....
. After only one season in Philadelphia, the team relocated to
VancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and became the Vancouver Blazers in 1973–74. After two seasons, the team was again relocated to
CalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
,
AlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
as the
Calgary CowboysThe Calgary Cowboys were an ice hockey team that played two seasons in the World Hockey Association from 1975–1977. The Cowboys played at the Stampede Corral in Calgary. The franchise was founded in 1972 as the Miami Screaming Eagles, though it never played a game in Miami...
for 1975–76. Two years later, the franchise folded.
Vancouver Blazers
After the 1972–73 WHA season ended, the Philadelphia Blazers' owners sold the team to
Jim PattisonJames Allen "Jim" Pattison, OC, OBC is a Vancouver-based Canadian entrepreneur who is the president, managing director, chief executive officer, chairman and sole owner of the Jim Pattison Group, the third largest privately held company in Canada...
who moved the team north of the border to
VancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
where it was named Vancouver Blazers.
Pattison knew that in order to compete with the
Vancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
of the NHL, who shared the same arena, he needed to attract a major star to the team, as
Andre LacroixAndré Lacroix is the name of:*André Lacroix , French businessman, former president of Burger King International and Euro Disney, Paris, current CEO of Inchcape plc...
, who had led the league in scoring the previous year, left to join the New York Golden Blades. Pattison tried to sign Boston star
Phil EspositoPhilip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
, offering him $2.5 million over five years. Esposito decided to stay with the Bruins for less money.
The team performed poorly in their first year, finishing with a record of 27-50-1. The next season, 1974–75, brought back some respectability as they finished only two games below .500. But that wasn't enough to keep the team in Vancouver. After only two seasons in Vancouver, the team once again packed up and was moved to Calgary, Alberta, where they were renamed Calgary Cowboys. The Cowboys would be the WHA's second attempt at Calgary, as the
Calgary BroncosThe Calgary Broncos were an original World Hockey Association franchise founded November 1, 1971. In the first WHA draft, the Broncos chose: Barry Gibbs, Jim Harrison, Dale Hoganson and Jack Norris. The team folded prior to the start of the first WHA season when team owner Bob Brownridge died...
were slated to start playing there for the inaugural WHA season. After the Broncos' owner died, the franchise was instead placed in
ClevelandThe Cleveland Crusaders were a professional ice hockey team from Cleveland, Ohio. The Crusaders were founded by Nick Mileti, and played in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1976...
.
Season-by-season record
- See 1973–74 Vancouver Blazers season
The 1973–74 Vancouver Blazers season was the first year of operation of the Vancouver Blazers of the World Hockey Association . It was the second season of the franchise, which had operated in Philadelphia the season before...
- See 1974–75 Vancouver Blazers season
The 1974–75 Vancouver Blazers season was the Vancouver Blazers' second season of operation in the World Hockey Association . The Blazers failed to make the playoffs-Game log:-Player stats:...
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Season In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
|
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 The Cleveland Crusaders were a professional ice hockey team from Cleveland, Ohio. The Crusaders were founded by Nick Mileti, and played in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1976...
) |
| 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 (QuebecThe Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
)
Lost Semifinals (WinnipegThe Winnipeg Jets were a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They began play in the World Hockey Association in 1972, moving to the National Hockey League in 1979 following the collapse of the WHA...
) |
| 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
- Calgary Cowboys
The Calgary Cowboys were an ice hockey team that played two seasons in the World Hockey Association from 1975–1977. The Cowboys played at the Stampede Corral in Calgary. The franchise was founded in 1972 as the Miami Screaming Eagles, though it never played a game in Miami...
- List of Blazers/Cowboys (WHA) players
- List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia
- List of WHA seasons
- Miami Screaming Eagles
The Miami Screaming Eagles were Miami's first attempt at a professional ice hockey team.Businessman Herb Martin bought a franchise in the World Hockey Association in 1972. The Eagles were the first to sign players from NHL clubs, such as Bernie Parent from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins...
- Philadelphia Blazers
The Philadelphia Blazers were an ice hockey franchise in the World Hockey Association for the 1972–73 WHA season that was based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States....
External links