Mark John Douglas Messier is a Canadian former professional ice hockey center of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played a quarter of a century in the NHL (1979–2004) with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks. He also played professionally with the World Hockey Association (WHA)'s Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers. He was the last former WHA player to be active in professional hockey, and the last active player who had played in the NHL in the 1970s. After his playing career he served as special assistant to the president and general manager of the Rangers.
The Indianapolis Racers were a major league hockey team 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 are often best known for being the first major league team to secure the services of Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.
The 1978–79 WHA season was the seventh and final season of the World Hockey Association (WHA). Prior to the start of the season, the Houston Aeros folded leaving seven teams to start the season. Only six would finish however, as the Indianapolis Racers folded after 25 games on December 15, 1978. The remaining six teams each played 80 games, including one game each per team against a Soviet All-Star squad and the Czechoslovakian National Team, the second consecutive year for this arrangement. The Soviet team won four of their six games and tied another; the Czechoslovak team only won once and tied once against four losses. In addition, because the Racers had folded after playing an odd number of games, the Edmonton Oilers played the Finnish National Team once at home so as to allow each of the six surviving WHA teams to play 80 regular season games. The Oilers won by a score of 8-4, a result which in itself made no difference by the end of the regular season which Edmonton won by an eleven point margin over the Quebec Nordiques.
André Joseph Lacroix is a retired professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League and the World Hockey Association, and is the WHA's all-time leading career scorer.
Blair Neil Joseph "B. J." MacDonald is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association between 1973 and 1983. He is best known for his time with the Edmonton Oilers, the club where he spent the majority of his career and where he served as one of Wayne Gretzky's first linemates at the start of Gretzky's NHL career.
Robert William Brown is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League for eleven seasons between 1987 and 2000. Brown was born in Kingston, Ontario, but grew up in St. Albert, Alberta.
Shaun Patrick Price is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Vancouver Blazers and the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Quebec Nordiques, New York Rangers and Minnesota North Stars.
Norman Gerard Ferguson is a Canadian former ice hockey player and coach. Ferguson was a forward who played in either centre or right wing. He is the father of former-NHL player Craig Ferguson. In 1982, Ferguson was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame.
Barry James Wilkins was a professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League and the World Hockey Association during the 1960s and 1970s. He is best known for scoring the first-ever goal for the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL on October 9, 1970. Wilkins was born in Toronto, Ontario and died at the age of 64 from lung cancer.
Alec Mansfield Tidey is a former professional ice hockey right wing. He was drafted in the eighth round, 143rd overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft. He was also drafted by the San Diego Mariners in the 1975 WHA Amateur Draft, and he began his professional career in the World Hockey Association with San Diego. He then moved to the National Hockey League, playing four games in two seasons with the Sabres and five in 1979–80 with the Edmonton Oilers.
Gregg Allan Boddy is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who spent five seasons with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League between 1971 and 1976. He also played briefly in the World Hockey Association for the San Diego Mariners and Edmonton Oilers. Boddy would conclude his hockey career with two seasons in the Japan Ice Hockey League, retiring in 1979.
Gary Raymond Veneruzzo is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played seven games in the National Hockey League (NHL) and 348 games in the World Hockey Association (WHA). Veneruzzo played with the NHL's St. Louis Blues and the WHA's Los Angeles Sharks, Michigan Stags, Baltimore Blades, Cincinnati Stingers, Phoenix Roadrunners, and San Diego Mariners. Veneruzzo was born in Fort William, Ontario.
Kari Makkonen is a Finnish retired professional ice hockey player who played in the SM-liiga for Ässät and in the National Hockey League for the Edmonton Oilers
Gary MacGregor was an ice hockey player who played at forward. He had a spectacular final season of junior hockey with the Cornwall Royals in 1973-74, scoring 100 goals. He was drafted by both the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association in 1974, and chose the WHA. He had a superb rookie season in 1974-75 with the Chicago Cougars, averaging nearly a point per game. But his productivity dropped sharply for the remainder of his pro career. Over his career, he played professionally in the WHA with the Chicago Cougars, Denver Spurs, Ottawa Civics, Cleveland Crusaders, New England Whalers, Indianapolis Racers, and Edmonton Oilers. MacGregor also played in Europe. MacGregor died suddenly at age 40. He was inducted posthumously into the Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame.
Kenneth Richard Block is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 455 games in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and one game in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Douglas Alan Berry is a former professional ice hockey player, a centreman in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and the National Hockey League (NHL). Berry was born in New Westminster, British Columbia, and raised in neighbouring Burnaby.
Edward Wilson "Ted" Scharf is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. He played 238 games in the WHA with the New York Raiders, New York Golden Blades, Jersey Knights, San Diego Mariners, Indianapolis Racers, and Edmonton Oilers.
The 1977–78 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques sixth season in the WHA, as they were coming off of a 47–31–3 record in the 1976–77 season, finishing in first place in the Eastern Division. Quebec defeated the New England Whalers, Indianapolis Racers and Winnipeg Jets to win their first ever Avco Cup.
The 1978–79 Indianapolis Racers season was the Racers' final season in the World Hockey Association (WHA). The team folded after only 25 games.
The Long Island Cougars were a minor league professional ice hockey team that played at the Long Island Arena in Commack, New York, from 1973 to 1975. The Cougars were a member of the North American Hockey League, and were runners up for the Lockhart Trophy to the Syracuse Blazers in the 1973–74 season.