World Hockey Association Hall of Fame

Last updated
WHA Hall of Fame
Established2009
Location801 Hat Trick Avenue, Eveleth, Minnesota
FounderTimothy Gassen
Inductees55 total:
30 players
4 coaches
6 builders
1 on-ice officials
10 legends of the game
4 members of the Howe Family

The World Hockey Association Hall of Fame is an independent organization dedicated to honoring the World Hockey Association (WHA), which operated from 1972 to 1979 as a major professional ice hockey league. [1] [2] Honourees were inducted in 2010 and 2012.

Contents

Officially partnered with the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, the WHA Hall of Fame permanent museum displays are located within the United States Hall of Fame museum in Eveleth, Minnesota, [3] with touring displays made available to be viewed at select locations and for special events. [4]

Ballots and voting

In 2009, the voting ballot, which had been reviewed by members of the Society for International Hockey Research and the president of the International Hockey Hall of Fame, was distributed to former WHA players and personnel, media members, and invited hockey notables. [5] All WHA veterans were eligible for induction.

The inaugural members of the WHA Hall of Fame were announced in 2010, with 41 individual members, plus the Howe Family (Gordie, Marty, Mark, and Colleen Howe were inducted as a family), making up the initial group of inductees. Eight additional individual members were inducted in 2012. The Hall of Fame also includes ten individuals as "Legends of the Game" who are included in recognition of their "significant contributions or career start in the WHA". [6]

List of members of the WHA Hall of Fame

NameCategoryYear elected
Serge Bernier Forward2010
Christian Bordeleau Forward2012
Real Cloutier Forward2010
Robbie Ftorek Forward2010
Anders Hedberg Forward2010
Bobby Hull Forward2010
Andre Lacroix Forward2010
Danny Lawson Forward2010
Rich Leduc Forward2012
Larry Lund Forward2012
Ulf Nilsson Forward2010
Kent Nilsson Forward2010
Terry Ruskowski Forward2010
Marc Tardif Forward2010
Mike Walton Forward2010
Tom Webster Forward2012
Ted Green Defenceman2010
Al Hamilton Defenceman2010
Ron Plumb Defenceman2010
Rick Ley Defenceman2010
Paul Shmyr Defenceman2010
Lars-Erik Sjoberg Defenceman2010
Pat Stapleton Defenceman2010
J. C. Tremblay Defenceman2010
Richard Brodeur Goaltender2010
Gerry Cheevers Goaltender2010
Joe Daley Goaltender2010
Ron Grahame Goaltender2010
Al Smith Goaltender2010
Ernie Wakely Goaltender2010
Jacques Demers Coach2010
Bill Dineen Coach2010
Jack Kelley Coach2010
Harry Neale Coach2010
Howard Baldwin Builder2010
John F. Bassett Builder2010
Gary Davidson Builder2010
Ben Hatskin Builder2010
Bill Hunter Builder2010
Dennis Murphy Builder2010
Bill Friday Referee2012
Mike Gartner Legend2012
Michel Goulet Legend2012
Wayne Gretzky Legend2010
Dave Keon Legend2010
Rod Langway Legend2012
Frank Mahovlich Legend2010
John McKenzie Legend2010
Mark Messier Legend2010
Jacques Plante Legend2010
Glen Sather Legend2010
Gordie Howe The Howe Family2010
Mark Howe The Howe Family2010
Marty Howe The Howe Family2010
Colleen Howe The Howe Family2010

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hockey Hall of Fame</span> Ice hockey museum in Toronto, Canada

The Hockey Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup. Founded in Kingston, Ontario, the Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1943 under the leadership of James T. Sutherland. The first class of honoured members was inducted in 1945, before the Hall of Fame had a permanent location. It moved to Toronto in 1958 after the NHL withdrew its support for the International Hockey Hall of Fame in Kingston, Ontario, due to funding issues. Its first permanent building opened at Exhibition Place in 1961. The hall was relocated in 1993, and is now in Downtown Toronto, inside Brookfield Place, and a historic Bank of Montreal building. The Hockey Hall of Fame has hosted International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) exhibits and the IIHF Hall of Fame since 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Hull</span> Canadian ice hockey player (1939–2023)

Robert Marvin Hull was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blond hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot the puck at very high velocity all earned him the nickname "the Golden Jet". His talents were such that an opposing player was often assigned just to shadow him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordie Howe</span> Canadian ice hockey player (1928–2016)

Gordon Howe was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seasons were spent with the Detroit Red Wings. Nicknamed "Mr. Hockey", Howe is often considered the most complete player to ever play the game and one of the greatest of all time. At his retirement, his 801 goals, 1,049 assists, and 1,850 total points were all NHL records that stood until they were broken by Wayne Gretzky, who himself has been a major champion of Howe's legacy. A 23-time NHL All-Star, he shares the NHL record for seasons played with Chris Chelios, and his all-time NHL games played record of 1,767 was only surpassed in 2021 by Patrick Marleau. In 2017, Howe was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avco World Trophy</span> Championship trophy of the now-defunct World Hockey Association

The Avco World Trophy, also known as the Avco Cup, is the playoff championship trophy of the defunct World Hockey Association (1972–1979). The trophy's naming rights were sold to the former Avco Corporation, a defense contractor who bought the rights to advertise their consumer finance division. The trophy was mocked by some for its corporate sponsorship and never developed anything approaching the significance and sentiment of the Stanley Cup, its National Hockey League rival. Still, the cup's design was often seen as creative in that it involved a freely-floating etched crystal globe embedded in the "stem" of the cup. The cup was designed by Frank Bonnerkopf of Boise, Idaho.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Hockey Hall of Fame</span> Ice hockey hall of fame in the United States

The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams. It is located in Eveleth, Minnesota, an iron mining town in northern Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Howe</span> American ice hockey player

Mark Steven Howe is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and left winger who played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) following six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA). He is currently serving as the director of pro scouting for the Detroit Red Wings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IIHF Hall of Fame</span> International ice hockey hall of fame

The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the International Hockey Hall of Fame in Kingston, Ontario. Inductions are made annually at the medal presentation day of the Ice Hockey World Championships. As of 2023, the IIHF has inducted 245 members.

Thomas Joseph Daley is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Winnipeg Jets between 1968 and 1979.

Cameron Duncan Connor is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward and a Stanley Cup winner.

Marty Gordon Howe is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey defenseman. Howe was drafted in the third round, 51st overall in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. From 2001 to 2006, he was an assistant coach for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. He is the son of Colleen and Gordie Howe, older brother of Mark Howe, and nephew of Vic Howe. Howe now lives with his wife Mary in Glastonbury, Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Bordeleau</span> Canadian retired ice hockey forward

Christian Gerrard "Chris" Bordeleau is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League between 1969 and 1972, and the World Hockey Association between 1972 and 1979.

Larry Lund is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) playing 459 games all with the Houston Aeros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the National Hockey League (1967–1992)</span> History of the Canadian league

The expansion era of the National Hockey League (NHL) began when six new teams were added for the 1967–68 season, ending the Original Six era. The six existing teams were grouped into the newly created East Division, and the expansion teams—the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Oakland Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues—formed the West Division.

Colleen Janet Joffa Howe was a sports agent who founded Power Play International and Power Play Publications to manage the business interests of her husband, Hall of Fame hockey player Gordie Howe, as well as those of their sons Marty and Mark. She was married to Gordie for 55 years, until her death. As a civic leader, she brought the first Junior A hockey team to the United States, built the first indoor rink for public use in Michigan, and ran for Congress. In 2000, as "Mrs. Hockey", Howe received the Wayne Gretzky International Award, presented to individuals "who have made major contributions to the growth and advancement of hockey in the United States"—from the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, along with her husband and their two sons Mark and Marty.

References

47°28′17″N92°31′42″W / 47.47145°N 92.52844°W / 47.47145; -92.52844