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1975-76 Regular Season
Racers vs. Denver Spurs |
The Indianapolis Racers were in their second season of operation in the World Hockey Association in 1975-76. They were the first pro hockey franchise to call Indy home since the CHL's Capitols, who were forced to relocate to Cincinnati in 1963 after the Indianapolis Coliseum was seriously damaged by explosion, killing 68 people in the process. The Racers played their home games at 15,993-seat Market Square Arena, also home to the ABA's Indiana Pacers. The team was lead by head coach Gerry Moore and General Manager James Browitt.
The Racers nearly doubled their win total from their inaugural season, finishing with a 35-39-6 record. Despite having a sub-.500 record, their 76 point earned the Racers first place in the mediocre Eastern Division, 1 point ahead of second place Cleveland, and just five ahead of last place Cincinnati. Attendance jumped to 8,778 per game, or 55% capacity.
Not including the two teams that folded mid-season (Minnesota and Ottawa), the Racers scored the fewest goals in the WHA, with just 245. The team's leading scorer that season was former Chicago Blackhawk Pat Stapleton. The 35-year old defenseman played in all 80 Racers games, and scored 5 goals and 45 points. Reg Thomas and Nick Harbaruk were the leading goal-scorers on the team, with 23 each (the lone 20-goal scorers for the Racers).
Oddly enough, the Racers made up for the weak offense by being practically suffocating on defense. Indianapolis allowed the fewest goals in the WHA that season with just 247. The team used four different goaltenders that year. 21-year old Michel Dion played the most games (31) and was 14-15-1 with a 2.74 GAA. Andy Brown was next, playing 24 games with a 9-11-2 record, 3.60 GAA and 1 shutout. Swedish goaltender Leif Holmquist was in net for 19 games, sporting a 6-9-3 mark and 3.00 GAA. Lastly, Jim Park played in 11 games and had the only winning record among the four Racers netminders: 6-4-0 and 2.41 GAA. Park and Dion saw action in the playoffs. Stapleton led defensemen in points (45), but Dick Proceviat and Ted Scharf scored the most goals by a defenseman (7).
The Racers qualified for the Avco Cup Playoffs and earned a bye into the second round. There, they faced the New England Whalers, who finished 33-40-7 in the Eastern Division. The series went the full seven games before the Whalers knocked off Indy with a 6-0 win at Market Square Arena. The Winnipeg Jets would go on to win the Avco Cup, defeating Houston in four straight.
This is a 40-page program, mostly in black and white. It's actually printed vertically, but I display the cover horizontally for the team photo. Right off the bat, WHA Chairman of the Board Ben Hatskin has a letter to "the fans of the World Hockey Association". The team directory is on page 2, including a young Jacques Demers, who would go on to coach numerous teams in the NHL. There are plenty of action pictures throughout this program, including pictures of training camp and the All-Star Game. There's an article titled "New Franchises for 1975-76", including an artist's rendering of Riverfront Coliseum, the new home of the Cincinnati Stingers. And then there's a section called "The Year of the European", as the WHA led the way in signing players from Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Finland.
Here's the roster for the 1975-76 Racers. Andy Brown is a former goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins before joining the WHA in 1974. He is best known for being the last major league goaltender to play without a mask. Andy earned his nickname "Fearless" for that, as well as for racing supermodified cars around the northeast.
Al Karlander was another former Red Wing who made his way to the WHA. He first played for the New England Whalers for two seasons before signing with the Racers in 1975 where he spent the last two years of his career.
Pat Stapleton spent 10 years in the NHL, with Boston and Chicago, before signing with the Chicago Cougars in 1973. When the Cougars folded, he joined the Racers for two seasons before concluding his career with the Cincinnati Stingers.
Nick Harbaruk played several seasons in the NHL with Pittsburgh and St. Louis before joining the Racers in 1974. He was a two-time 20-goal man in Indy before concluding his career in 1976-77.
Head Coach Gerry Moore spent the majority of his playing career in the IHL, with Toledo, Port Huron and Dayton. After leaving Indianapolis in 1976, Moore then coached the Muskegon Mohawks in the IHL for five years.
This program is from the October 18, 1975 game against the Denver Spurs, one of the new expansion clubs for the 1975-76 season. Denver had been rumored to be the future home of the NHL's California Golden Seals, but when those plans fell through, CHL Spurs owner Ivan Mullenix purchased an expansion franchise in the WHA. Fans, disappointed in not joining the NHL, stayed away from the newly completed McNichols Arena, with attendance around 4,321 per game. On the verge of bankruptcy, the Spurs hastily moved to Ottawa, Ontario, on New Years Eve 1975. The new "Ottawa Civics" played briefly in Ottawa (in front of sellout crowds), but after not coming to a deal on either a lease on the Ottawa Civic Center or a sale of the team, Mullenix folded the franchise.
The Spurs did have some notable members, including head coach Jean-Guy Talbot, who won seven Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens in his Hall of Fame playing career. Ralph Backstrom won six Stanley Cups with Montreal in his career before he signed in the WHA in 1973.
According to the scoresheet in this program, the Spurs defeated the Racers, 6-4, outshooting Indy 37-35 in the process.
Local advertisements include WIBC 1070 AM, Indiana National Bank, WNTS 16, St. Moritz Steak House, Jong Mea Chinese or American Food, and the Carmel Ice Skadium.
Aftermath: After reaching a high of 9,295 per game in 1976-77, Racers attendance fell off a cliff in the last two seasons. The team was losing serious money and even a brief appearance in 1978-79 by 17-year old superstar Wayne Gretzky could not boost attendance. After a 5-18-2 start to that year, the Racers folded. They would be replaced by the CHL's Indianapolis Checkers, who were an affiliate of the New York Islanders. Indianapolis is currently home to the ECHL's Indy Fuel.
Reference:
World Hockey Association Regular Season Statistics:
1975-76, from hockeydb.comFunWhileItLasted.com
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