The 1979 WHA Expansion Draft and Swindle

There were four teams set to join the NHL in 1979, but the NHL didn't allow them to retain their WHA rosters when they made the move.
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[@hockeyfan1777]

The Oilers were drafting at the bottom and they got Lowe, Messier and Anderson?! Insane.

[@luctoulouse]

yeah!

[@kevaninthe4135]

The scouting department earned their money that year.

[@dougmphilly]

@@kevaninthe4135 barry fraser was the scout for the houston aeros before they folded a year earlier. other than the howe's, that roster was built with youngsters. best mix of grit and skill in the wha

[@robertsprouse9282]

@@dougmphilly, bingo..he drafted/signed TONELLI, M.LUCKOWICH, MARK HOWE, R. GRAHAME, S. CAMPBELL, PRESTON, AND RUSKOWSKI. Only Campbell who had asthma problems in.. WINNIPEG, and could not overcome that malady in the NHL, and GRAHAME because of his injuries, were busts. MARTY HOWE was a journeyman in the NHL and spent a lot of times in the Minors.. Don Larway just never took off after those solid first two seasons, and the rest of the Aeros were minor league(not a JUNIOR LEAGUE) WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE vets, who had played ONLY sparingly, if at all, in the NHL. FRASIER became a scouting superstar IN EDMONTON for a STANLEY CUP full of reasons.. but before that, he made his name in HOUSTON..

[@michaelkeller5927]

@@robertsprouse9282 but how did he draft after like 1983? He didn't draft anyone who played in the NHL fire like 17 years, he was probably the worst scout in the history of sports

[@sarmy3d]

Makes me so sad seeing that Whalers jersey. I remember listening to Hartford lose game 7 to Montreal on my clock radio and freaking out. NHL just isn't the same without them.

[@FischerFan]

Was that '86 or '92?

[@luctoulouse]

@@FischerFan yes cos in 86, it's was a 3 of 5

[@FischerFan]

@@luctoulouse No, the 1986 series was the Stanley Cup quarter-finals. It too was a best-of-7. The 1986 playoffs were the very last to have the best-of-5 in the preliminary round...save for this year's Covid tournament.

[@DK-yy5fc]

Whalers were on a ROLL in 86 playoffs. Would have throttled the Rangers and Flames and won the Cup. Would they still be in Hartford?

[@sarmy3d]

@@DK-yy5fc Yeah I have no idea. The Hartford Civic Center was kinda weird. And the arena is small compared to most. But trading away their futures really got that ball rolling and it's why I HATE Pitt ever since. I'll stick with the Caps.

[@bokchow]

The Oilers first 3 years of NHL drafts was arguably the best 3-year drafting in NHL history.

[@chrismelidoniotis9336]

Great video and great information. I’m a 54-year-old hockey fan from Toronto and consider myself pretty knowledgable when it comes to hockey trivia and hockey in general. But, I have to say you taught me a few things with your video. Keep it up.

[@hanzifaction]

If Edmonton doesn't have Gretzky, they're probably the fourth WHA team moved

[@answeris4217]

I don't know. With those draft picks its really hard to think they wouldn't have won at least one cup if not two or three. Gretzky was one of the best players of all time don't get me wrong but Messier was pretty good on his own,

[@JoeyJordison97]

@@answeris4217 One of the best? Gretzky is the 🐐 tf are you even talking about? Lmao

[@answeris4217]

@@JoeyJordison97 - The Oilers won a cup without Gretzky. How many cups did Gretzky win without the Oilers???

[@vexacon]

A group of investors saved the franchise, as they were about to pack their bags and move!

[@cashtheyen4113]

@@answeris4217 The Oilers also cost themselves 3 or 4 cups by trading Gretzky!

[@u2ooby]

Thanks for clearing up what happened in the 79 draft. Nobody on youtube every had a video to explain it.

[@OriginalGrasshopper]

I never knew how badly the four WHA teams got screwed when they joined the NHL! Thanks for enlightening me. 👍

[@waynejohanson1083]

By the time the NHL screwed them over. They were basically expansion teams.

[@CountElvis]

I wonder what would have happened if Gretzky ended up a Rockie. One one hand if any player could have lifted them it would be Gretzky, but on the other hand, if any team could have screwed up having Gretzky in his prime, it would be Colorado.

[@answeris4217]

@Al Dunn Don Cherry would have put two goons as his line mates and would have beat up anybody that touched his scrawny star.

[@panthershockey4453]

what a nice jersey, man this logo needs to be back in the NHL

[@stefanconradsson]

As if I wasn't addicted enough to your lectures .. that was very interesting. I knew nothing about that (I live in Sweden after all). That was an unexpected blank spot you just filled in there Professor. I am enlightened. Thanks!

[@Dormitator1]

"It looks vindictive" Ya think??? And then 3 of the 4 teams get moved. Gee, I wonder why.

[@robertsprouse9282]

The teams that moved were struggling financially, did zip for the NHL's US TV CONTRACTS AND SPONSORSHIP ASPIRATIONS, had non-modern buildings, and two of them were victims of the NHL beginning to pay CANADIAN PLAYERS WITH U.S. DOLLARS, AND THE CRATERING OF THE CANADIAN DOLLAR.. AND.. did not move until almost 20 years after the NHL/WHA EXPANSION "MERGER". That is a long time to wait for revenge. Meanwhile, THE NHL had all of the marbles in the '79 EXPANSION. IF THE WHA would not have accepted the terms, the WHA TEAMS that survived were D.O.A.. AND yes, the NHL WANTED THEIR ORIGINAL DRAFTEES, AND THEY WANTED THEIR REVENGE.. NO DOUBT.. THE WHA drove salaries up, and the owners in the NHL did not like it...not one bit. And, they did not want any ABA/NBA MERGER SEASON "DENVER NUGGETS OR SAN ANTONIOS" coming into the NHL FROM THE WHA IN YEAR ONE AND WINNING.. WAYNE is right about that.. EDMONTON, QUEBEC, AND WINNIPEG WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOVE .500/80 POINTS TEAMS..WOULD THEY HAVE WON THE CUP? NO, NOT IN YEAR ONE..

[@robbynicolas]

Came here due to today's (04/15/24) expansion topic and this merger was mentioned. Great history lesson. Holy cow you're channel has come a Long WAY!!! Kings Fan. Only been following for a couple of years. Love the channel!

[@aaronhaupert3015]

I'd forgotten the Jets lost U. Nilsson & Hedberg the year before the merger, my mind had remembered them being lost at the time of the merger. I've always felt bad for those Jets.

[@hijeffinition2042]

Great video. Someone needs to get this man a Hartford Whalers magnet!

[@PancakesAndHammers2426]

From the moment you mentioned this video would happen I got very excited. It's was fantastic!

[@patch8376]

Pancakes and Hammers it's an interesting history, the WHA's. Might I recommend Murray Greig's Big Bucks Blue Pucks. (Or was it Blue Pucks Big Bucks? Either way!) I guess because I made up my own hockey leagues as a kid (some had imaginary friends; I had imaginary leagues) I kind of envied the WHA for actually doing it and making a league to rival the NHL in real life like some of the leagues I made up did in my head and on paper (paper being the looseleaf I used). Conclusion, I never had the knees or talent to be much of a hockey player but this "history series" seems to be a place I'm comfortable outpouring how big of a hockey geek/nerd I was.

[@JayMil365]

Jets were robbed by the NHL, with great vengence and furious anger.

[@patch8376]

jay mill a '78 best of seven showdown between Winnipeg and Montreal would have been a lot of fun, and I say that even at the risk of my team's reputation. It just would have been good for hockey.

[@joereiter4865]

Al Dunn ulf nilsson was a center.

[@FischerFan]

@Al Dunn You need only look at Kent Nilsson's rookie year in 1977-78 for the proof. He scored 107 points while Ulf Nilsson produced 126, and Hedberg with 122. That's over 350 points gone from the roster. Yeah; no wonder the NHL felt it had to strip Winnipeg right down to the bone.

[@jimmcdiarmid7308]

@Al Dunn Ulf was a forward. Lars Erik Sjoberg was all world d man before signing with Jets

[@jeffthewhiff]

Hockey Guy, this was a very interesting video on how the final WHA teams who were added to the NHL fared after having joined the new league. It is easy to see how Edmonton became such a powerhouse with the players they were able to sign and draft. Yes, Quebec had a decent team too in the early-NHL days and it really just kind of boiled down to how well these teams were able to draft the right players. It was also very unfortunate that Winnipeg lost so many of it's good WHA players too.

[@skateordiedev]

these videos talking about expansion are so interesting, its harder as a younger fan to know how all of this stuff happened and why

[@brucemorton7787]

I was 19 when the merger/expansion/screwjob happened. The four WHA teams would have been very competitive if they were accepted intact. The NHL wasn't interested in that at all. They got their pound of flesh and did all they could to make things tougher on those four teams. This guy is right about the management of the four teams, though. As a Winnipeg fan, I was pissed about John Ferguson drafting Jimmy Mann. Still am....

[@hklinker]

Rough treatment perhaps. Lots of NHL teams lost players though when the WHA started up. Ultimately the WHA survivors got a chance for the big prize (being admitted to the NHL) and at that point had no power to dictate terms. In the end, owners in both leagues benefited. And some of the players who went to the WHA were very well paid. Even the fans came out ahead, but maybe not in Winnipeg. .

[@Jon_FM]

The fact that Barry Fraser got those draft picks in 79, 80 and 81 basically made the team a Dynasty and gave Fraser a reputation he could coast on for a decade. One could only imagine what would of happened had they been able to keep their WHA team together. And yeah of course it was complete vindictiveness on the part of a League that never wanted, and were terrified of the WHA. 80 draft added Paul Coffey, Dave Lumley, Andy Moog and Jari Kurri 81 Grant Fuhr and Steve Smith The hall of fame is filled with a number of these players...

[@dougmphilly]

fraser built the aeros as well. ruskowski was the wha's bobby clarke.

[@johnsobery]

It’s so weird how they brought them in the league but refused to recognize any of their records. Sour grapes

[@hklinker]

Do you mean the NHL was taking a ‘sour grapes’ approach by not counting as NHL accomplishments things that happened in the WHA?

[@thomasvarady1210]

It's strange how the NHL treated the 4 new WHA teams. They didn't consider this move a "merger" but an "expansion" instead. That way they could charge each team $6M to enter the league, since the NHL had no rules on mergers. Then stripping their rosters down to bare bones & allowing the players to return to their respective NHL teams, & allowing them to get the last 4 picks in the draft. I heard that the NHL was scared to let the Winnipeg Jets show up & win the Cup their first year in the league, since they won the AVCO Cup 3 times in the last 4 WHA seasons. The NHL wanted Montreal to win their 5th straight Cup that year to keep the dynasty going. That would match the Canadiens of the 1950's. But, 1980 brought on a new dynasty with the Isles.

[@greg13456]

Just to be clear, the Jets didn’t leave Winnipeg due to poor attendance. The owner of the the Jets wanted to sale the team, (because he was losing money) and did not find any local buyers or anyone willing to keep the team in the city. *At that time, ( early nineties ) the valve of the Canadian dollar was low in comparison to the American dollar. He was losing large amounts of money and there was no structure to protect Canadian NHL teams from this imbalance. ...Actually the Winnipeg fans tolerated the WHL to NHL unfair transition.

[@leevanderwaskewitch7858]

You should do a video about son's of past NHL players like Robert Nilsson for example. It be awesome to see who was the most successful while living in their father's shadow

[@SharksAttack]

Brett Hull...

[@Zenkka]

Clicked here so fast there's no 1080p

[@donaldmacgregor2545]

Excellent historical perspective on this important phase of the NHL's development, and as usual for THG, delivered with clarity and cohesion. I'm old enough to remember the WHA and the BS that surrounded it's formation and subsequent collapse so this was very interesting for me. Thank you THG.

[@thomasvarady1210]

It's funny how 3 of the 4 teams moved to a new home. And, each of those teams won an AVCO Cup in the WHA: Whalers 1973, Nordiques 1977, Jets 1976, 1978, & 1979. Had Gretzky not been protected as a "priority selection" by the Oilers, he most likely would have been drafted by the Colorado Rockies. That would be like Joe Sakic playing for the lowly Quebec Nordiques. The only gem on a struggling team with no hope.

[@carnakthemagnificent336]

Great history and insights. Thank you.

[@tinyb69]

I think that they should move The Hurricanes back to their rightful home in Hartford. He already went about selling Whalers merchandise that he didn't have license to sell. Bring back The Whalers. Bring back the horn.

[@jimwolfrum4286]

Bring back 'Brass Bonanza' :)

[@claudea.drapeau7869]

Since you touched about the Nordiques and them claiming Anton Stastny, you should do a video on what actually happened with the " Stastny brothers " ( Anton, Marian & Peter ). They all played for the Nordiques but Marcel Aubut ( President & owner ) had them defect from their country ( Czechoslovakia ). Interesting story. Peter Stastny would become one of the key players of the Nordiques...and he's the father of Paul Stastny that's still in the NHL...

[@patch8376]

Claude A. Drapeau and it bugs me that a guy who battled so hard to be able to play for Team Canada would have a son play for the U.S.

[@philly5-014]

3 Cups for Jets very good,Houston was good too

[@Nickleblanc41]

ADONIS LEONIDAS FLYERS/EAGLES/76ers Yotes fans are so proud of that

[@michaelleroy9281]

Houston won the trophy 🏆 in 1974 and 1975 Winnipeg won it in 1976 1978 and 1979 the other WHA winners were the Whalers in 1973 and Nordiques in 1977

[@bjnt92281]

All four teams could have been moved. The Oilers almost moved to Houston in the late 90s. Which would have been ironic because they would have been called Houston Oilers replacing the football Houston Oilers who moved to Tennessee around the same time. 😄

[@email5023]

Coincidental....

[@FischerFan]

Be sure to mention that to a jerk in Edmonton by the name of Mike Gray (a.k.a. NoBounce) who defends money-losing sun belt franchises in Phoenix and Miami, yet doesn't believe Winnipeg should have a team regardless of how profitable they now are. He is CLEARLY biased against cities in Canada that are smaller than his home city. Bloody Benedict Arnold. Lord help him if I ever get my hands on him.

[@rapman5363]

@@FischerFan Woooooo!! What you gonna do? 🤣🤣😂😂

[@FischerFan]

@@rapman5363 A few things...which might include applying a baseball bat to his twisted skull.

[@michaelleroy9281]

They probably would have rebranded with a new name

[@janetracer]

Bobby Hull was coming back home to Chicago, the Blackhawks were getting him back from the WHA. It was written up in all the papers in the city. Hawk fans knew The Golden Jet was at the end of a great career but it was going to properly end in The Windy City. Then, suddenly, it was no more Winnipeg had claimed Bobby back. No proper send off for Hull from the team he began with. I was ticked off at Winnipeg, probably why the Hawks/Jets rivalry began , but over the years I forgave Winnipeg and blamed old "Dollar" Bill Wirtz ( the Blackhawks owner). The NHL really screwed the 4 WHA teams coming into the league and a huge reason for many really bad NHL decisions over the years involved the very influential Wirtz. Hull was at the end of a wonderful career so "Dollar" Bill didn't protect him who would dare disturb his plans... Well after the Jets took such a beating just to enter the league and seeing the an opportunity for a bit of leverage the Jets reclaimed Hull. The Jets plan was not that Bobby would fill their player needs but instead they could get something back in trade with the Hawks. But of course Blackhawk ownership saw this as a great insult, how dare a WHA team attempt to get a low draft pick or bench player for a player they stole from us in the first place and started all this silly paying players increased contract prices. Well it only took almost 30 years and the death of "Dollar" Bill for Bobby Hull to rejoin the Hawks as a goodwill ambassador.

[@stoehrcov]

Excellent points. Another factor was Ferguson was GM of the Jets and Hull and him did not like each other from the NHL days. That's why Hull retired from the WHA last season

[@sideephects]

Never forget the Cincinnati Stingers!

[@dougmphilly]

loved their sweaters and such an awesome logo.

[@waynejohanson1083]

Or the Houston Aeros or the Indianapolis Racers.

[@waynejohanson1083]

Mark Messier played for them. Look it up it is true.

[@Rockhound6165]

I believe Mark Messier was the last WHA player to retire.

[@SverigeiSverige]

Yes

[@Improbi]

The last WHA on-ice official to work in the NHL was Don Koharski, who retired in 2009.

[@guerito7571]

Great video!

[@petelamoureux9656]

Yes, the Whalers drafted poorly in 1979. Their biggest mistake came in 1982 when they "gave away" future Hall of Famer, Mark Howe to Philly. If Howe had been on the 1986 Whalers that lost in Game 7 of the Adams Final to Monty or the 87 Whale that won the Adams Regular season, this team would still be in Connecticut. It is curious that Bettman " was advised" by his NHL bosses to deep six the WHA legacy via relocation.

[@mr.waffles7599]

Bengt was favorite player growing up , loved number 16. Let's Go Caps!

[@waynejohanson1083]

He sure would have helped the Oilers.

[@artystaar]

typical clever commentary on a forgotten subject of importance

[@geoffnewman3160]

Great video. Thanks. Quite objective. In my opinion, the second best hockey book ever from an entertainment perspective is The Rebel League, The Story of the WHA. As a child and a fan I wanted the merger because I felt there would be more order and less chaos in pro hockey. I really wanted the best WHA teams in the NHL. Looking back, I want the WHA back because they made hockey unpredictable, chaotic, and entertaining as hell. I suggest a show on the two almost mergers. The second one would have been cool with the 6 best WHA teams in their own division in the NHL. This would have been cool and it would have kept Houston alive but it was not to be even though most NHL teams wanted it to stop the player bidding war. Another cool show would be about how the WHA player contracts vaporized and how the NHL players union completely caved on the merger in 1979. Had the NHLPA done its job during that merger, things would have played out differently. An important study is this. Look at the what the NBAPA had to say about the NBA-ABA merger. The NBA players were smart enough to realize the ABA was key to them having any leverage in player negotiations, so they opposed the deal until the Spencer Heywood court case played out (all the way to the supreme court in the USA - 6 years later) which was effectively an anti trust suit versus the NBA in which the NBA lost. This meant players could be signed before 4 years in college ball but more importantly, it led to the realization by the NBA that they would have to play ball with their players and negotiate for real for fear of court challenge led by players they would likely lose. For the record, the most entertaining hockey book I ever read was Gross Misconduct, The Spinner Spencer Story. A murder mystery and remarkable unbelievable hockey story all in one.

[@aniballopez2719]

I would love to see the Quebec Nordiques and the Hartford Whalers return. I miss those teams.

[@rickyaz8640]

Draft was deeper this year because they allowed 18 yr olds to be drafted. Otherwise Gretzky would have been ineligible to play in the NHL

[@TheHockeyGuy]

Thanks to Ken Linesman.

[@dougmphilly]

@Al Dunn they rocked the stands a few years and then pfft.

[@waynejohanson1083]

That would explain why the draft that year was so deep.

[@JOHN-xi5ce]

Great video The Hockey Guy! But one glaring error. You said at 2:08 that Gretzky did not want to sign with the Colorado Rockies who are now the Colorado Avalanche. I'm sure you meant to say the Colorado Rockies who are now the New Jersey Devils. The same New Jersey Devils that Wayne Gretzky called "a Mickey Mouse franchise." Nonetheless, a great and informative video.

[@stevenfarnesi9126]

So Bettman says the WHA is to blame for 3 of these teams moving, but Arizona and Carolina are consistently in the bottom for attendance numbers every season.

[@patch8376]

It's weird to blame a defunct league decades later for a team's present problems.

[@JBTriple8]

cant you leave in the My Avs, The Canes and Yotes are WHA Teams but there History is HISTORY Not Future

[@FischerFan]

@@patch8376 The WHA has been gone for over 40 years now. Bettman, with his banana nose up in the air blamed the WHA, probably in reference to market size. That sounds like a Leafs fan still blaming Harold Ballard for all of the team's annual shortcomings on the ice! Oh, and I'd like to know what Bettman's excuse is for the Atlanta Thrashers. They were one of Bettman's very own sun belt babies.

[@FischerFan]

The WHA had a team in Phoenix, the Roadrunners, who folded in 1977. That's two years before the merger. Yet, Bettman has been perfectly content to keep one of the WHA survivors there losing eight figures a year for 25 years now!

[@JHockeyFan]

When you get to 1984, you should do a video on Tom Glavine (the Baseball Hall of Famer) getting drafted by the Kings ahead of Luc Robitaille & Brett Hull.

[@Narnia61]

Don;'t forget that Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Boston and Los Angeles very originally against the WHA expansion. 3 of the 5 teams originally against the WHA expansion were Canadian teams. Montreal changed their mind when people started boycotting Molson's. In the end only Toronto was against the WHA expansion.

[@danielsteigerwald26]

Wasn't Giroux the goalie for the nordiques? Or was it the wanderers?

[@Nickleblanc41]

Daniel Steigerwald the Maroons*

[@vexacon]

Richard Brodeur was their main goalie, he almost got the Canucks the cup, but fell short! King Richard almost did it!

[@clintscroggs65]

Cleveland Crusaders! I went to lots of their games at the Richfield Coliseum.

[@harryyoung6433]

You did a great job explaining the swindle, but it was a merger NOT a expansion.

[@jimmcdiarmid7308]

That was. O merger, it was larceny !!!!

[@GuyCybershy]

Glen Sather certainly looks like a genius all these year later, especially compared to the Oilers management of today. It's just incredible how many teams passed on Mark Messier in the '79 draft.

[@waynejohanson1083]

Maybe because Messier only scored like 1 goal for the Stingers that year when he played 40 games. Hard to believe. I guess he was just too young at the time.

[@pholland8353]

LETS go WHALers!

[@lotharvonrichthofen4474]

The Whale! Too bad Houston and Cincinnati couldn’t have also been included in the merger...that’s why Houston pulled out of the 78/79 season

[@scrapiron9548]

Thank you for this video

[@gymrat2647]

What was the name of the New England team when they had a team in the WHA?

[@TheHockeyGuy]

New England Whalers

[@johnhorn3344]

Bobby Hull staying with the Jets wasn’t a symbolic gesture. I believe the actual story is that the Jets and Hawks had a deal where Bobby would go back to Chicago and, in return, Terry Ruskowski would be allowed to stay with the Jets. Bob Pulford pulled the rug out from beneath John Ferguson and claimed Ruskowski so Hull simply remained a Jet. I don’t think that there is any other possible reason that John Ferguson would leave Ruskowski unprotected.

[@wizardglick1]

Well Done. I think the Hawks got Rich Preston from Winnipeg as well.

[@bobbyhulll8737]

So many similarities to the ABA for good reason

[@richcerasale8909]

love the old school whalers jersey

[@jeffthewhiff]

You really have to give the Oilers a huge amount of credit to their scouts because they sure knew what they were doing when they drafted three future Hall of Fame players in Lowe, Messier and Anderson.

[@dougmphilly]

barry fraser was their head scout but he was the builder of the houston aeros as well. guy is a hall of fame talent evaluator.

[@Hoovie9596]

The Jets HOT line would’ve been a dynasty in the nhl

[@bluebear1985]

It's interesting on how Danny Geoffrion got his rights reclaimed by the Canadiens, as that was around the time that his dad, none other than Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, became coach of the team. He would only last 30 games before resigning.

[@quiricomazarin476]

Made sure 4 generations played for Habs

[@quiricomazarin476]

Made sure 4 generations played for Habs

[@kellycollison3611]

Well done.

[@ZeoKappa]

Hey Shannon, do you have a take as to why the Oilers are the only WHA team to join the NHL that has not relocated?

[@acanadianineurope814]

4 Stanley Cups in the 80's might have had something to do with it.

[@FischerFan]

The Oilers held on long enough for the Canadian Assistance Plan to be introduced.

[@DARK24-7]

The NHL knew that they could sabotage these teams and move them where they wanted!Now in EDM they probably didnt see Gretzgy coming,and he saved the Oilers.

[@4yules]

what it says really is the wha teams as they were were as good as any nhl teams...and yes i agree...to this day the nhl doesnt mention or give credit to the wha for its impact on the game of hockey...bu t for those of us who saw and lived the wha know better

[@stoehrcov]

Blackhawks also got Rich Preston who was MVP in the WHA playoffs

[@michaelleroy9281]

And Terry Ruskowski

[@bobbyhulll8737]

The draft was deep as well didn’t they reduce the draft age as well

[@dnasty312]

Upsets me they don't count these players' WHA stats 😠 Comparatively, AFL player stats are counted just as much as NFL ones

[@tomgorman748]

I’m sure the NHL owners forced that whole “they need to give up any players we had the rights to” crap as a stipulation of the merger. Which I can see to a point. But making them draft last was completely unfair. Though, within a few years Edmonton, because of 99 and their excellent draft, is going towards winning a cup anyway.

[@DirtyPaddy00]

Hey Gary hows Arizona doing?

[@jimmcdiarmid7308]

That’s the WHA fault, lol

[@michaelleroy9281]

They no longer exist in 2024

[@FischerFan]

Winnipeg also lost Rich Preston to Chicago and Kim Clackson to Pittsburgh; but not protecting Kent Nilsson was the most blatant blunder and more so than drafting Jimmy Mann. Poor Morris Lukowich.

[@Actionronnie]

I wonder if Ferguson knew what other teams soon found out. Kent was a hell of a gifted player offensively. But lacked the intensity when it counted most. He was kinda his own guy. Fergie once said something like "Kent will drive opponent's crazy,but he will drive your own team crazier". For a guy who was gifted and played in the 80's with decent teams,his career was a plus/minus -16.

[@garnetradford6980]

Jets couldn't put Nilsson on the protected list as Atlanta had his NHL rights. You really think they would have let him go?

[@michaelleroy9281]

It's been said Wayne Gretzky stays with the Oilers if not there would have been no NHL WHA merger

[@gillesjacques1022]

Odd, since Sather built the Oilers, using the WHA Jets as a template to build a franchise. Too bad the Jets could not do the same thing, but they were bad at getting good players on draft day, or even worse trading their better players for. crap. Messier was an Indianapolis Racer/Cincinnati Stinger, Goulet was a Birmingham Bull, both former WHA teams. Denver also got a WHA franchise, in the 1975/76 season, the Denver Spurs, after the NHL told the ownership group to take a hike. It lasted a short time, the WHA took over and shifted them to Ottawa and became the Civics. It lasted even shorter there and the league folded it up.

[@bossfan49]

I'm gonna steal that jersey. You can keep the hat, but before I leave I'm going to put a proper curve in the bill. =)

[@adamscott2801]

Gretzky and messier coming soon boys

[@sethcollens3729]

Jimmy Mann was a converted Goon. Good scorer in Junior though.

[@petercasnocha5340]

why did nordiques had number one draft pick ?

[@philly5-014]

Houston Shouldve joined in 79

[@Rockhound6165]

I'm wondering if the Jets getting hosed was revenge for signing away Bobby Hull.

[@FischerFan]

It could well have been a case of 'Live by the sword, die by the sword' vindictiveness by the NHL. Bobby Hull was the start of the exodus of raids by the WHA. Rival sports leagues (like the WHA, WFL, USFL) try to buy credibility for themselves; but it ends up burying them.

[@Rockhound6165]

@@FischerFan not the USFL. They didn't pillage many from the NFL. The only players of note were Doug Williams, Brian Sipe, Archie Griffin. Where the USFL nailed the NFL was in college players. Craig James, Reggie White, Kelvin Bryant, Doug Flutie, Herschel Walker, Steve Young, Jim Kelly to name several.

[@matttilley8620]

The Colorado Rockies? Did Gretzky not wish to sign with an MLB team? Why not? p.s. I wonder what happened to his kid who was drafted by the Chicago Cubs.

[@michaelleroy9281]

The baseball team did not exist until 1993 don't be stupid

[@matttilley8620]

@@michaelleroy9281 I'll try my best not to be stupid. It will be a hard mountain to climb, but you inspire me not to be stupid.

[@Nickleblanc41]

I call bullshit on that no way Gary Bettman knows what the WHA was

[@michaelleroy9281]

Gary Bettman was not commissioner in 1979 it was John Ziegler and his position was president

[@crayray6460]

Messier was in the WHA how did that work?

[@SverigeiSverige]

52-1-10-11 only one goal.

[@answeris4217]

How did Dale Hunter and Mark Messier not get drafted in the first round???

[@MrKruger88]

Scouting back then was NOTHING compared to what it is today.

[@FischerFan]

Well, in the second round of the 1975 NHL draft, that's when the Islanders drafted Brian Trottier(!). It's all about having the right people in management.

[@ronmailloux9370]

quebec deserves a team....hamilton too......but the leafs say no way

[@Hollywoodin2001b]

The Jets also lost Rich Preston.

[@dougmphilly]

hawks added preston and ruskowski - old school horses.

[@garnetradford6980]

Gretzky was always going to be protected

[@gillygil8747]

Bettman always was and always will be an ....

[@karilentz5000]

The reality is more complex. Those four teams were lucky to survive at all as the whole WHA was always on shaky ground, so they really were in no position to make demands. Don't forget, the WHA messed up a lot of NHL teams by stealing their players, just ask Harold Ballard. Also, this was nowhere near the swindle it was made out to be. Winnipeg only two years later was a .500 hockey team with a fantastic young nucleus and it was their own fault for not getting a supporting cast.

[@TheHockeyGuy]

The NHL took that team and destroyed it. Their first and second years in the NHL were pretty lousy. The NHL took their money and made sure they lost players as well. The only reason Edmonton emerged almost unscathed is Pocklington being just as scheming

[@jimmcdiarmid7308]

The Jets did not STEAL any players from the NHL. The players’ contracts had expired and they signed them. WHA did not recognize the NHL reserve clause which tied players to teams forever.

[@ronmailloux9370]

the nhl would bite its nose to spite its face... re the wha

[@stevelamonica2297]

Nice Whalers gear! As a Connecticut native, when they left Hartford in 1997 it was like a close member of my family had died. Gary Bettman, Peter Karmanos and John Rowland should share a prison cell in hell.

[@Nickleblanc41]

I bet fans in Arizona were really happy to win that last Avco cup

[@FischerFan]

That was only two years after the Roadrunners folded!

[@vexacon]

The Jets were the worst team their first go in the NHL, they had a habit of making so many bad trades it made your head spin, hope their second go round will be better!

[@not2tees]

A mess, but history.

[@StevexOwnz]

You’re telling me that the great one could have been... 😈😈😈😈???

[@christopherg6774]

The Colorado Rockies are not the Colorado Avalanche

[@TheHockeyGuy]

I never said that they were. The Rockies are the Devils.

[@christopherg6774]

You actually did say that at 2:04

[@JoeyJordison97]

☺

[@Swoop187OG187]

What's wrong with you? you don't have any cards older than 1992-93? lol... Shame on you for displaying that 92-93 crap like it's worthy of representing NHL franchises.

[@vexacon]

The Jets really made such bad moves, continued into their NHL seasons with bad trades, which always left them short of the key player/players that could have gotten them over the top!

[@jamesmiller6217]

Great video!