1974–75 WHA season

{{Short description|Professional ice hockey league season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox sports season

| title = 1974–75 WHA season

| league = World Hockey Association

| sport = Ice hockey

| duration = October 15, 1974 – May 12, 1975

| attendance =

| season = Regular season

| season_champ_name=

| season_champs =

| draft = Draft

| draft_link = 1974 WHA amateur draft

| top_pick_link =

| top_pick = Pat Price

| picked_by = Vancouver Blazers

| MVP = Bobby Hull (Winnipeg)

| MVP_link = Gordie Howe Trophy

| top_scorer = Andre Lacroix (San Diego)

| top_scorer_link = Bill Hunter Trophy

| playoffs =

| playoffs_link =

| conf1 =

| conf1_link =

| conf1_champ =

| conf1_runner-up =

| conf2 =

| conf2_link =

| conf2_champ =

| conf2_runner-up =

| finals = Avco Cup Final

| finals_link =

| finals_champ = Houston Aeros

| finals_runner-up = Quebec Nordiques

| playoffs_MVP =

| playoffs_MVP_link=

|nextseason_year = 1975–76

|prevseason_year = 1973–74

| seasonslistnames =WHA

}}

The 1974–75 WHA season was the third season of the World Hockey Association. Fourteen teams each played 78 games. The Houston Aeros won the Avco World Trophy for the second straight year in dominating fashion, losing only one time in the playoffs.

Regular season

The WHA expanded by adding the Indianapolis Racers and Phoenix Roadrunners, and splitting into three divisions: Western, Eastern, and Canadian. The top two teams in each division qualified for the playoffs along with the two next best teams overall. Prior to the season, Southern California welcomed the Jersey Knights, who moved to San Diego and became the Mariners, and said goodbye to the Los Angeles Sharks, who moved to Detroit and became the Michigan Stags. Midway through the season, the Stags moved to Baltimore and became the Blades; they folded for good after the season. Chicago also folded at season's end. Also, the New England Whalers left Boston for Hartford, but played the first half of the season in Springfield, Massachusetts until construction on the Hartford Civic Center was finished.

The NHL also expanded this season, to 18 teams, making a total of 32 clubs playing major professional hockey in North America. This number has not been surpassed, though the NHL expanded to 32 teams in 2021.

=Final standings=

{{1974–75 WHA Canadian Division standings}}

{{1974–75 WHA Eastern Division standings}}

{{1974–75 WHA Western Division standings}}

Player stats

=Scoring leaders=

Bolded numbers indicate season leaders

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

class="wikitable sortable"
bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="18%" | Player

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="14%" | Team

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="5%" | GP

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="5%" | G

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="5%" | A

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="5%" | Pts

! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="5%" | PIM

align="left" | Andre LacroixSan Diego Mariners784110614763
align="left" | Bobby HullWinnipeg Jets78776514241
align="left" | Serge BernierQuebec Nordiques76546812275
align="left" | Ulf NilssonWinnipeg Jets78269412079
align="left" | Larry LundHouston Aeros78337510868
align="left" | Wayne RiversSan Diego Mariners78545310752
align="left" | Anders HedbergWinnipeg Jets65534710045
align="left" | Gordie HoweHouston Aeros7534659984
align="left" | Wayne DillonToronto Toros7729669522
align="left" | Mike WaltonMinnesota Fighting Saints7548459333

= Leading goaltenders =

Bolded numbers indicate season leaders

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties, GA = Goals against; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

class="wikitable sortable" width="100%"

! bgcolor="#e0e0e0" width="20%" align="left" | Player

! bgcolor="#e0e0e0" width="15%" | Team

! bgcolor="#e0e0e0" width="8.1%" | GP

! bgcolor="#e0e0e0" width="8.1%" | Min

! bgcolor="#e0e0e0" width="8.1%" | W

! bgcolor="#e0e0e0" width="8.1%" | L

! bgcolor="#e0e0e0" width="8.1%" | T

! bgcolor="#e0e0e0" width="8.1%" | GA

! bgcolor="#e0e0e0" width="8.1%" | SO

! bgcolor="#e0e0e0" width="8.1%" | SV%

! bgcolor="#e0e0e0" width="8.1%" | GAA

align="left"

| align="left" | Ron Grahame

Houston Aeros43259033100131490.03.03
align="left"

| align="left" | Bob Whidden

Cleveland Crusaders291654916189091.23.23
align="left"

| align="left" | Wayne Rutledge

Houston Aeros35209220150113289.23.24
align="left"

| align="left" | Ernie Wakely

Winnipeg - San Diego41241823152131390.03.25
align="left"

| align="left" | Gerry Cheevers

Cleveland Crusaders52307626242167490.53.26
align="left"

| align="left" | Jack Norris

Phoenix Roadrunners33196214154107189.13.27
align="left"

| align="left" | John Garrett

Minnesota Fighting Saints58329430232180290.53.28
align="left"

| align="left" | Gary Kurt

Phoenix Roadrunners47284125164156288.53.27
align="left"

| align="left" | Jacques Plante

Edmonton Oilers4015921514188189.03.32
align="left"

| align="left" | Don McLeod

Vancouver Blazers71412432352230189.13.35
align="left"

All-Star game

At Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, the West defeated the East 6–4.

Avco World Trophy playoffs

{{Main article|1975 WHA playoffs}}

Eight teams qualified for the playoffs; the top two teams in each division and the next two teams with the highest point totals. The teams were then pooled together, according to point totals, to determine quarter-final match-ups. The three division winners were guaranteed the top three seeds, according to their point totals. Teams were not "reseeded" after the quarter-final round.

{{8TeamBracket

| team-width = 175

| RD1-seed1=W1

| RD1-team1=Houston Aeros

| RD1-score1=4

| RD1-seed2=E2

| RD1-team2=Cleveland Crusaders

| RD1-score2=1

| RD1-seed3=W2

| RD1-team3=San Diego Mariners

| RD1-score3=4

| RD1-seed4=C2

| RD1-team4=Toronto Toros

| RD1-score4=2

| RD1-seed5=E1

| RD1-team5=New England Whalers

| RD1-score5=2

| RD1-seed6=W3

| RD1-team6=Minnesota Fighting Saints

| RD1-score6=4

| RD1-seed7=C1

| RD1-team7=Quebec Nordiques

| RD1-score7=4

| RD1-seed8=W4

| RD1-team8=Phoenix Roadrunners

| RD1-score8=1

| RD2-seed1=W1

| RD2-team1=Houston Aeros

| RD2-score1=4

| RD2-seed2=W2

| RD2-team2=San Diego Mariners

| RD2-score2=0

| RD2-seed3=W3

| RD2-team3=Minnesota Fighting Saints

| RD2-score3=2

| RD2-seed4=C1

| RD2-team4=Quebec Nordiques

| RD2-score4=4

| RD3-seed1=W1

| RD3-team1=Houston Aeros

| RD3-score1=4

| RD3-seed2=C1

| RD3-team2=Quebec Nordiques

| RD3-score2=0

}}

WHA awards

=Trophies=

=All-Star Team=

See also

References

  • {{cite web|title=Year by Year Standings |url=http://www.geocities.com/Pipeline/5206/standings.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021003334/http://geocities.com/Pipeline/5206/standings.html |archivedate=2009-10-21 |url-status=dead }}

{{WHA seasons}}

{{1974–75 WHA season by team}}

{{WHA}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1974-75 WHA season}}

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Category:World Hockey Association seasons