| WHA Hall of Fame | |
|---|---|
| Established | 2009 |
| Location | 801 Hat Trick Avenue, Eveleth, Minnesota |
| Founder | Timothy Gassen |
| Inductees | 55 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.
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]
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]
| Name | Category | Year elected |
|---|---|---|
| Serge Bernier | Forward | 2010 |
| Christian Bordeleau | Forward | 2012 |
| Real Cloutier | Forward | 2010 |
| Robbie Ftorek | Forward | 2010 |
| Anders Hedberg | Forward | 2010 |
| Bobby Hull | Forward | 2010 |
| Andre Lacroix | Forward | 2010 |
| Danny Lawson | Forward | 2010 |
| Rich Leduc | Forward | 2012 |
| Larry Lund | Forward | 2012 |
| Ulf Nilsson | Forward | 2010 |
| Kent Nilsson | Forward | 2010 |
| Terry Ruskowski | Forward | 2010 |
| Marc Tardif | Forward | 2010 |
| Mike Walton | Forward | 2010 |
| Tom Webster | Forward | 2012 |
| Ted Green | Defenceman | 2010 |
| Al Hamilton | Defenceman | 2010 |
| Ron Plumb | Defenceman | 2010 |
| Rick Ley | Defenceman | 2010 |
| Paul Shmyr | Defenceman | 2010 |
| Lars-Erik Sjoberg | Defenceman | 2010 |
| Pat Stapleton | Defenceman | 2010 |
| J. C. Tremblay | Defenceman | 2010 |
| Richard Brodeur | Goaltender | 2010 |
| Gerry Cheevers | Goaltender | 2010 |
| Joe Daley | Goaltender | 2010 |
| Ron Grahame | Goaltender | 2010 |
| Al Smith | Goaltender | 2010 |
| Ernie Wakely | Goaltender | 2010 |
| Jacques Demers | Coach | 2010 |
| Bill Dineen | Coach | 2010 |
| Jack Kelley | Coach | 2010 |
| Harry Neale | Coach | 2010 |
| Howard Baldwin | Builder | 2010 |
| John F. Bassett | Builder | 2010 |
| Gary Davidson | Builder | 2010 |
| Ben Hatskin | Builder | 2010 |
| Bill Hunter | Builder | 2010 |
| Dennis Murphy | Builder | 2010 |
| Bill Friday | Referee | 2012 |
| Mike Gartner | Legend | 2012 |
| Michel Goulet | Legend | 2012 |
| Wayne Gretzky | Legend | 2010 |
| Dave Keon | Legend | 2010 |
| Rod Langway | Legend | 2012 |
| Frank Mahovlich | Legend | 2010 |
| John McKenzie | Legend | 2010 |
| Mark Messier | Legend | 2010 |
| Jacques Plante | Legend | 2010 |
| Glen Sather | Legend | 2010 |
| Gordie Howe | The Howe Family | 2010 |
| Mark Howe | The Howe Family | 2010 |
| Marty Howe | The Howe Family | 2010 |
| Colleen Howe | The Howe Family | 2010 |