1972-73 NHL Offseason News and Notes
Here are the skating leaders for last season.
Here are the goalie leaders for last season.
Here are the Playoff leaders.
Marcel Dionne is the surprise winner of the Hart Trophy. The rookie and top pick in this last years draft has a great career ahead of him.
Jean Ratelle is wondering what he has to do to win this award!
Bill White, the
Leafs defenseman and winner of the Pilote Trophy and Conn Smythe Award, has just had his breakout season at age 32!! His 69 points this year is easily a career high!
Glenn Hall, Andy Bathgate and
Jean Beliveau have retired from the NHL. Two of hockey’s greatest players of all time, and one of the best goalies.!! 2 of the first 3 players to hit 1000 career points, and 2 of 5 who have done it today. Here is a look at all their careers. The
Blackhawks will retire
Beliveau’s and
Hall’s numbers, while the
Maple Leafs will retire
Bathgate’s!
(Thumbnails)
Bathgate, Beliveau, Hall
A new league competing with the
NHL has been formed, and will begin this year. The
World Hockey Association has awarded 12 franchises around North America for a fee of 25 grand a piece. While
NHL players are bound to their teams because of the reserve clause, the
WHA announced they would not use the reserve clause. The league also promises much higher salaries then the
NHL. I have no idea how this league will function in the game. The only way to find out is to play it out!! I will follow the league with less detail then the
NHL, but, interesting things are interesting things. Anyway, here are the teams that will make up the WHA!
The
WHA inaugural draft was scheduled for July 1st, here is a look at the results. Just because a player is selected, doesn’t mean they will play. This draft awards each selections league rights to the selecting team.
Despite me saying a year ago that the
NHL had announced expansion for this year, they did not. The formation of the
WHA resulted in the two leagues battling for not only players, but markets too. The original plan to expand after the 72/73 season was scrapped, and teams were awarded to Long Island, and Atlanta. Hence the birth of the
New York Islanders and the
Atlanta Flames! Both begin play immediately.
For the expansion draft, each expansion team will select 21 players from the established clubs, three players from each of the 14 existing teams.: two goaltenders and nineteen skaters. Thus, a total of 42 players will be picked. Existing teams can protect 2 goalies and fifteen skaters. First year pros are exempt!
Chicago can keep both their goalies. Another example of me being an idiot. They should still trade one of them though!
A lot of younger players taken in this draft. There is some talent and experience chosen, but no one who stands out or shocks me. 33 year old
Carl Brewer is the top scorer taken. He being a defensive defenseman with 219 points in 1007 games.
Brewer joins the Atlanta Flames.
The NHL draft has a bunch of pretty good players, without a lot of great potential players. A lot of these guys look like they will help. Hard to think anyone will be that disappointed with these results as long as their players develop.
The
Islanders should have taken
Steve Shutt first overall, but
Bob MacMillan will be good.
Steve Shutt went first overall in the WHA amateur draft.
Bob MacMillan went 5th.
The Hockey Hall of Fame will had
Pierre Pilote and
Bernie Boom Boom Geoffrion this year.
Pilote was name to an all star team 11 times in his career. I named the award for best defenseman after him.
Boom Boom only played 876 games, as his career ended at 34, but his 731 points in that time was fantastic. He was instrumental in all of
Boston’s playoff runs during his time!
Steve Shutt has signed with the
New England Whalers, shunning the NHL!
Shutt will make 52 grand a year, which is about double the average NHL wage.
Johnny Bucyk has also left the
Boston Bruins for the WHA’s
Philadelphia Blazers! The 37 year old will earn 58,000 this year.
Bucyk had 73 points last season. He’s the early favourite for WHA MVP.
Shutt and Bucyk are the two most talented players to join the WHA!
Onto the season!