Indianapolis Racers
The Indianapolis Racers were a World Hockey Association expansion team for the 1974-75 season, the league's third season. They were a troubled team that changed hands four times in their five seasons, but they were an entertaining one on the ice with passionate fans and several well-known players.
In their inaugural season, they struggled to get off to a good start, winning only 18 games and finished last in the league. For Year 2, they would hire Jacques Demers, the last head coach of a Canadian Stanley Cup champion. The squad won 71 games in the next two years under Demers, reaching the second round of the playoffs each time. Unfortunately, Demers left after the 1976-77 season, and the squad struggled both on and off the ice.
The Racers won just 24 games in 1977-78, but with the prospect of a WHA merger that would exclude the Racers, they made a stir by signing 17-year-old Wayne Gretzky. But, with the economic side of the enterprise in shambles, Gretzky would be sent to Edmonton after only eight games with the Racers. Mark Messier, his future Edmonton teammate, played five games with the Racers on a trial deal before being released and signed up by the Cincinnati Stingers. However, after having two Hall of Famers in a single season, the Racers folded after only 25 games in 1978-79. The WHA would combine at the end of the season, and the rest is history.
In their inaugural season, they struggled to get off to a good start, winning only 18 games and finished last in the league. For Year 2, they would hire Jacques Demers, the last head coach of a Canadian Stanley Cup champion. The squad won 71 games in the next two years under Demers, reaching the second round of the playoffs each time. Unfortunately, Demers left after the 1976-77 season, and the squad struggled both on and off the ice.
The Racers won just 24 games in 1977-78, but with the prospect of a WHA merger that would exclude the Racers, they made a stir by signing 17-year-old Wayne Gretzky. But, with the economic side of the enterprise in shambles, Gretzky would be sent to Edmonton after only eight games with the Racers. Mark Messier, his future Edmonton teammate, played five games with the Racers on a trial deal before being released and signed up by the Cincinnati Stingers. However, after having two Hall of Famers in a single season, the Racers folded after only 25 games in 1978-79. The WHA would combine at the end of the season, and the rest is history.
