1978-79 WHA season
The
1978-79 WHA season was the seventh and final
regular season of the now defunct
World Hockey Association (WHA). Prior to the start of the season, the
Houston Aeros folded leaving seven teams to start the season, but only six finished. The
Indianapolis Racers folded after 25 games on the
15th of December,
1978. The remaining six teams each played 80 games.
After the end of the season, an agreement was reached whereby four of the teams, the
Edmonton Oilers,
Quebec Nordiques,
Winnipeg Jets and
New England Whalers would be admitted to the
National Hockey League (NHL) as expansion teams for the
1979-80 NHL season, and the WHA would cease operations. The Cincinnati and Birmingham franchises were paid to disband.
The dying WHA would go to almost any length to try and stay afloat. The NHL had rules regarding the age of players that could play while the WHA didn't.
Nelson Skalbania, the owner of
Indianapolis Racers, signed the 17 year old future super-star,
Wayne Gretzky to, at that time, a whopping personal contract worth between 1.125 and 1.75 million dollars over 4 to 7 years. Skalbania, knowing that the WHA was fading, felt owning the young star was more valuable than owning a WHA team. Eight games into the season, though, Skalbania needed cash and liquidated his greatest asset to his old friend and former partner,
Peter Pocklington, owner of the
Edmonton Oilers. Pocklington purchased Gretzky and two other Indianapolis players, goaltender
Eddie Mio and forward
Peter Driscoll paying $700,000 for the contracts of the three players, although the announced price was actually $850,000. On Gretzky's 18th birthday, the
26th of January,
1979, Pocklington signed him to a 21 year personal services contract worth between 4 and 5 million dollars, the longest in hockey history. Gretzky would go on to capture the
Lou Kaplan Trophy for rookie of the year, finish third in league scoring, and help the Oilers to first overall in the league. Unfortunately Gretzky couldn't help the Oilers win the Avco World Trophy as the
Winnipeg Jets won their third overall and second in a row.
Final standings
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Scoring leaders
All-Star game
Avco World Trophy finals
The Winnipeg Jets defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4 games to 2, to win the last Avco Cup. The final game was played at the
Winnipeg Arena, a 7 to 3 final score in favour of the Jets. The Oilers'
Dave Semenko scored late in the third period of the deciding game, to record the last goal in the history of the WHA.
*
List of NHL seasons*
List of pre-NHL seasons*
1979 NHL Expansion Draft*
1978 in sports*
1979 in sports*
HockeyDB1 Four of the WHA teams were admitted to the NHL as expansion franchises.
