List of WHA broadcasters

After CBS lost the American television rights of the National Hockey League to NBC following the 1971-72 season (CBS was paying less than $2 million a year and NBC jumped to $5.3 million ^[1] ), the network covered ^[2] the inaugural season of the World Hockey Association. ^[3] The WHA's TV deal ^{[4] [5]} permitted it to sell week‐night games to other networks (CBS meanwhile, would show games on Sunday afternoons in addition the all-star game and playoffs ^[6] ). In addition, the WHA also sold a $3‐million package to Canada.

On January 7, 1973, CBS aired its first WHA game between the Minnesota Fighting Saints and Winnipeg Jets live from the new St. Paul Civic Center with Ron Oakes, Gerry Cheevers and Dick Stockton announcing. Don Chevrier would also provide play-by-play for CBS ^[7] come the 1973 playoffs. CBS' contract ^[8] with the WHA overall, called for the network to broadcast a maximum of 10 games during the 1972–73 and 1973–74 seasons and a bigger slate of games for the 1974–75 and 1975–76 seasons. This would not happen, however. CBS televised one other regular season match between Cleveland and New York on February 25, 1973, plus several playoff games (New England at Cleveland on April 22 and Winnipeg at New England on May 6 in what turned out to be the deciding game of the championship) quietly ended the contract.

The CBC would handle the first season of telecasts, with commentary from Tom McKee, Carl Brewer and Don Wittman, starting with the WHA opening match between Alberta and Ottawa on October 11, 1972. There were supposed to be 6 other games, including the 1973 WHA All-Star Game on January 6 from Quebec, but only the All-Stars, November 26 match between Winnipeg and Quebec and the February 4 match between Cleveland and Ottawa went off as scheduled. Two matches in December (on the 1st featuring Ottawa and Winnipeg, and the 3rd with Houston and Ottawa) were not broadcast, most likely in the latter case due to a date conflict with that year's Grey Cup. A March 25 match with Alberta at Quebec was broadcast, but only on TVA in French and not seen outside of Quebec. A match on March 11 with Ottawa traveling to Los Angeles was added. A national contract with Global Television Network did follow starting in 1973, but only covered 3 seasons and focused heavily on the Toronto Toros, which given Global did not expand outside Ontario until 1975, makes some sense. The WHA would have no national coverage from 1976 to 1979.

Local broadcasters

See also: Historical NHL over-the-air television broadcasters

Team	Radio station	Radio announcers	Television station	Television announcers
Baltimore Blades	WBAL-FM WBAL (AM)	Howard Mash [9]
Birmingham Bulls	WAPI	Eli Gold [10]	WAPI-TV [11]	Gary Sanders and Tom Roberts
Calgary Cowboys	CFAC [12]	Eric Bishop [13] [14]	CFAC	Ed Whalen, Terry Jones and Wes Montgomery
Chicago Cougars	WJJD-FM WTAQ WWMM-FM WVFV-FM	Duane Dow Howard Balson, Bud Kelly	WSNS [15]	Brad Palmer (1972–73), [16] Red Rush (1973–75), [17] and Bobby Hull [18]
Cincinnati Stingers	WKRC WLW	Andy MacWilliams [19] [20]	WLWT WXIX	Bill Brown Phil Samp and Jerry Rafter Andy MacWilliams
Cleveland Crusaders	WWWE [21]	Steve Albert (1972-75) [22] [23] and Lee Hamilton (1975-76) [24]	WUAB [25]	Frank Sweeney and Ted Patterson
Denver Spurs	KOA (AM)
Edmonton Oilers	CJCA [26] CFRN (AM)	Bryan Hall [27] and Rod Phillips [28]	CITV/ITV CFRN [29]	Wes Montgomery, Terry Jones and Ed Whalen Al McCann [30] and Bruce MacGregor
Houston Aeros	KLYX-FM KTRH	Jerry Trupiano	KRVL KHTV KPRC-TV	Jerry Trupiano [31] and Jack Stanfield [32]
Indianapolis Racers	WIBC WART-FM WNON-FM	Bob Lamey [33]	WTTV	John Totten and Ron Buchanan
Los Angeles Sharks	KUTE-FM KGBS-FM	Gary Morrell and Bud Tucker [34]
Michigan Stags	WWJ [35]	Gary Morrell [36] and Norm Plummer	WXON	Vince Doyle and Marty Pavelich
Minnesota Fighting Saints	WLOL	Frank Buetel, [37] Roger Buxton, Bill Allard, [38] and Bob Halvorson	WTCN [39]	Frank Buetel and Roger Buxton
New England Whalers	WHDH [40] WTIC [41]	Dave Martin, John Moynihan, [42] Bill Rasmussen, Ron Ryan, Bob Neumeier, Dennis Randall, and John Hewig	WKBG [43] [44] WFSB Connecticut Public Television [45]	John Carlson, [46] Tim Horgan, Stan Fischler, [47] Shirley Fischler, Bob Neumeier, [48] Bill Rasmussen, [49] Dennis Randall, [50] and John Hewig
New York Raiders/Golden Blades	WMCA WRVR	John Sterling [51] and Fritz Peterson [52] [53]
Ottawa Nationals	CKOY [54] CJRC(French) [55]	Professor Jack Daly and Hugh Riopelle Rene Lecavalier(French commentary)
Philadelphia Blazers	WRCP-FM		WHYY-TV WPHL-TV (One playoff match)	Bob MacLean and Dan Baker
Phoenix Roadrunners	KTAR (AM) KXTC KRUX	Al McCoy [56]	KPHO [57]
Quebec Nordiques	CJRP CKCV (French only)	Claude Bédard, Jean Pouliot, Alain Côte, and Guy Lemieux, Paddy Pedneault, Marc Simoneau and Michel Villeneuve	CFCM(French only)	Jacques Moreau, Claude Bédard and Guy Lemieux
San Diego Mariners	KOGO	Roy Storey
Toronto Toros	CFRB	William Stephenson [58]	CKGN(Global TV)	Joe Spence, Peter Gzowski, Andy Bathgate, Jim Coleman and Brian MacFarlane
Vancouver Blazers	CJJC	Ron Oakes Gary Rable
Winnipeg Jets	CJOB [59]	Ken Nicholson [60] [61] and Don Wittman	CKND-TV	Don Wittman [62] [63]

Notes

• Chicago Bulls basketball began airing on channel 44 in 1973; WSNS-TV broadcast the Bulls' full 41-game road schedule, making the Bulls the only NBA team at the time with every road game broadcast on television. ^{[64] [65]} That same year, channel 44 began airing World Hockey Association hockey with the Chicago Cougars ^[66] . ^[67] The Cougars and Bulls were called by Lorn Brown. ^[68]
• The Michigan Stags' radio station was WWJ 950. Gary Morrel was play-by-play announcer while Norm Plummer handled color commentary. (At least one broadcast had only two sponsors mentioned: Nolwood Chemical, a company owned by the Stags' owners, and the Stags themselves.) Michigan played just one game on local television: the season opener against the Indianapolis Racers, broadcast live from Indianapolis on WXON Channel 20. Detroit radio icon Vince Doyle called play-by-play and former Red Wing Marty Pavelich was the color commentator. The Stags won the game, 4-2, but few saw it; the Stags were up against game five of the 1974 World Series. Eight other games were scheduled to be televised but money became a problem by mid-November, especially after Michigan lost 11 of their next 12 following their season-opening win. After the relocation to Baltimore, the Baltimore Clippers' former station WBAL-FM covered the Blades.
• Games of the original Minnesota Fighting Saints were heard on WLOL Radio (1330 AM) from 1972 to 1976, with Frank Buetel as play-by-play announcer. Buetel was the original TV voice of the NHL's Minnesota North Stars from 1967 to 1970 on WTCN-TV (now KARE-TV). Buetel's color commentators included Roger Buxton and Bob Halvorson, the Saints' first-season public relations director (1972–73), and Bill Allard (1973–76). Al Hirt's version of "When the Saints Go Marching In" was used as the theme song for WLOL's Fighting Saints broadcasts. No local radio station carried games of the New Fighting Saints (1976–77). Fighting Saints games were televised sporadically on WTCN from 1973 to 1975. The first WTCN game was a home contest versus Cleveland on December 23, 1973, with Buetel and Allard simulcasting. Buxton called subsequent games on WTCN. In the 1973–74 season, one Saints home game was carried on KTCA-TV (PBS) (February 15, 1974 vs Winnipeg). No local TV station aired games of the New Fighting Saints.
  • WLOL carried University of Minnesota sports for many years. Ray Christensen announced Gopher football until the mid-1960s, when he moved to WCCO and continued as the Gophers' announcer. Frank Buetel announced Gopher football, hockey and basketball games in the 1970s. From 1972 to 1976, WLOL aired games of the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association, with Buetel announcing.
• In 1974, Bill Rasmussen moved south to Hartford, Connecticut, to join the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association as their communications director. At the conclusion of the 1977–78 season, Rasmussen was fired by the Whalers. Thus began the pursuit of ESPN, incorporating the fledgling network on July 14, 1978. ^[69]
  • Bob Neumeier's first job in broadcasting began in 1975 on WTIC in Hartford, Connecticut, where he called play-by-play of the Whalers, working with Bill Rasmussen and Larry Pleau; among their calls was the famous "Brawl at the Mall" in April 1975 during a playoff series with the Minnesota Fighting Saints. ^[70] In 1979, Neumeier left the Whalers to become the sports anchor at WFSB in Hartford.

See also

• List of Edmonton Oilers broadcasters
• List of Hartford Whalers broadcasters
• Quebec Nordiques#Broadcasters
• List of Winnipeg Jets broadcasters

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