AH Timeline: The NHL-WHA merger: A different story

[WB18]

I thought Toronto Maple Leaf was and is against a second NHL team in metro-Toronto. Won't that be very difficult?!

Alternative would be moving to Ottawa or London, Ontario, where it may not have the population base to support a NHL team.

Will you make it possible for Tom Cousins to keep the Flames in Atlanta in this world?

1.) The Maple Leafs and Sabres both get fans from Hamilton so they likely would block a future move by a team there. Ottawa is definitely an option down the road for either the Bulls or Rockies if they still move.

2.) Tom Cousins sold the team to Ted Turner early in the 1978-79 NHL season. I thought about Cousins keeping the team but in the end, Turner had deeper pockets then Cousins and the NHL could sign a TV deal with TNT and TBS instead of the NBA in this timeline with Turner involved.

 

[WB18]

Notable Picks in the 1979 NHL Draft

1st Pick Rob Ramage - Calgary Wranglers (D)

3rd Pick Mike Gartner - St Louis Blues (RW)

8th Pick Ray Bourque - Hartford Whalers (D)

14th Pick Kevin Lowe - Los Angeles Kings (D)

20th Pick Michel Goulet - Boston Bruins (LW)

 

[kinnikuniverse]

No! Goulet and his glorious mustache is the player that made me fall in love with the nordiques! (Yes, i'm a nordiques fan from montreal. Come at me, bro!)

Gartner and gretzky, now That's gonna be good!

Bourque to Hartford? BRASS BONANZA!!

Who did winnipeg, hosuton and quebec picked?

 

[WB18]

Houston picked Guy Carbonneau and Pelle Lindbergh among others.

Winnipeg picked Dale Hunter late in the round 3

Quebec picked up nobody really that special, but they did pick Future NHL coach Lindy Ruff in the second round

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Houston picked Guy Carbonneau and Pelle Lindbergh among others.

Winnipeg picked Dale Hunter late in the round 3

Quebec picked up nobody really that special, but they did pick Future NHL coach Lindy Ruff in the second round

Eesh, the stastny brothers can't come soon enough!

 

[WB18]

1979-80 NHL Regular Season Standings
Playoff teams in BOLD

Whales Conference

Adams Division
Montreal Canadiens 110 points
Boston Bruins 97 points
Buffalo Sabers 89 points
Hartford Whalers 85 points
Toronto Maple Leafs 81 points
Quebec Nordiques 76 points

Patrick Division
New York Islanders 118 points
Philadelphia Flyers 106 points
Atlanta Flames 88 points
New York Rangers 87 points
Washington Capitals 72 points
Pittsburgh Penguins 70 points
Birmingham Bulls 58 points

Campbell Conference

Snythe Division
Winnipeg Jets 103 points
Edmonton Oilers 90 points
Los Angeles Kings 86 points
Vancouver Canucks 69 points
Colorado Rockies 47 points
Calgary Wranglers 43 points

Norris Division
St Louis Blues 77 points
Minnesota North Stars 66 points
Houston Aeros 66 points
Chicago Black Hawks 63 points
Cincinnati Stingers 59 points
Detroit Red Wings 54 points

- In their first year in Cowtown, the Wranglers still finished in the NHL basement, but still drew way more fans then they did in Indianapolis last season.

- The Canadiens, Islanders and Jets were the class of league this season. Just like last year those 3 seem like the favorites to win it all.

- Wayne Gretzky and Rookie Mike Gartner lead the Blues to an unexpected Norris Division title in just Gretzky's second year in the league.

- The Birmingham Bulls are looking at relocation after drawing horrible attendance in Alabama since they came there during their time in WHA. Potential buyers include

• Arthur Imperatore Sr. (54) Wants a team in New Jersey
• Harry Glickman (56) Owner of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers
• Herman Sarkowski (54) Co-founder of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks
• Jerry Colangelo (40) Owner and GM of the NBA's Phoenix Suns.
• Jerry Seltzer (47) Roller Derby Magnate. Failed to buy the now-defunct Oakland Seals franchise in 1970.
• Herb Kohl (45) Founder of Kohl's stores and later U.S. Senator from Wisconsin. Would move the team to Milwaukee.

Comments Appreciated! Any playoff predictions?

 

[kinnikuniverse]

You know who i pick: J-E-TS!! Let's go, sweden!

As for Birmingham, I'll go with seattle, since they actually have an NHL-Ready arena, unlike most of the options here, as well as having actual history with hockey, unlike phoenix. The imperator can still bring the rockies to new jersey As OTL.

 

[WB18]

As for Birmingham, I'll go with seattle, since they actually have an NHL-Ready arena, unlike most of the options here, as well as having actual history with hockey, unlike phoenix. The imperator can still bring the rockies to new jersey As OTL.

Yeah, Seattle would definitely be the most solid location due to its Hockey History and NHL-ready Arena. As for the Rockies that is still a few years away but i’m actually leaning towards keeping the team in Denver for now. We’ll see what happens down the road.

 

[schai]

8th Pick Ray Bourque - Hartford Whalers (D)

If Ray Bourque went to Whalers, that would improve the team's on ice performance. In a long term, that might help the fortunate of the franchise (instead of relocation).

 

[WB18]

1980 Stanley Cup Playoffs: First and Second Rounds

Montreal Canadiens 3 - Hartford Whalers 0
Boston Bruins 3 - Buffalo Sabres 2
New York Islanders 3 - New York Rangers 1
Philadelphia Flyers 1 - Atlanta Flames 3

Winnipeg Jets 3 - Vancouver Canucks 0
Edmonton Oilers 3 - Los Angeles Kings 1
St Louis Blues 3 - Chicago Black Hawks 0
Minnesota North Stars 2 - Houston Aeros 3

Second Round
Montreal Canadiens 4 - Boston Bruins 2
New York Islanders 4 - Atlanta Flames 1

Winnipeg Jets 4 - Edmonton Oilers 2
St Louis Blues 4 - Houston Aeros 3

Comments appreciated! We’re set up for to great conference finals! In one we have the defending champion Islanders going head to head with a team looking to continue a dynasty in the Canadiens. The other sees last year’s runner-up , the Winnipeg Jets up take on a rising St Louis Blues team. Who will win? Find out next post!

 

[AltSptHst]

Yeah, Seattle would definitely be the most solid location due to its Hockey History and NHL-ready Arena. As for the Rockies that is still a few years away but i’m actually leaning towards keeping the team in Denver for now. We’ll see what happens down the road.

I agree with Seattle. They missed out on a 1976 expansion team because Vince Abbey didn't have the money, and they also missed out on the Pens when they were bankrupt. I would re-name them the Totems or Thunderbirds.

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Oh, and please, have montreal draft denis savard 1st overall. That was where the franchise jumped the shark (The two cups aside). Not just because i'm from montreal, but also because i want doug wickenheiser to have a much better career than OTL. I truly believe he would have been a top center if he was drafted to another, low pressure team.

Or, alternatively, if you plan on keeping the rockies in colorado, then have them not do that stupid trade to the habs, thus they get denis savard.

 

[phil03]

Good stuff!

Two constructive criticisms tough:

In OTL the drafting age was lowered from 20 to 18 specifically to hurt the WHA's teams having came in (which were put at the end of the draft). If you have a more egalitarian merger (which we have here) ods are you wouldn't have such a change. Either way, I must admit I do have a hard time buying Gretzky not being #1 pick. Peoples knew years before he got into the NHL that he was the real deal and it wouldn't change ITTL IMO.

Speaking of a more equalitarian merger, I must admit I feel this one is pushing it a bit IMO. OTL the NHL was very sceptical of several markets of the WHA and simply wouldn't let them in AND those teams who did get accepted had to go through a dispersal draft that was designed to hurt them (it only worked for Winnipeg and Hartford). I can buy one of these being removed from the picture but both seem unlikely.

 

[WB18]

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post! I will take your suggestions and definitely consider them for the future. In the meantime, here are the Conference Finals for 1980!

Whales Conference Final: New York Islanders vs Montreal Canadiens

G1: Montreal Canadiens 2 @ New York Islanders 5 Islanders lead series 1-0

The Habs simply looked old and tired in game 1 against a rising Islander team. Bossy and Trottier just made it a nightmare for Montreal fans, scoring 4 out of 5 New York Goals

G2: Montreal Canadiens 0 @ New York Islanders 9 Islanders lead series 2-0

New York dominated Game 2, putting 9 goals past Montreal goalie Denis Herron at home. The series was headed to Montreal with the series looking like a sweep for the champs.

G3: New York Islanders 1 @ Montreal Canadiens 3 Islanders lead series 2-1

Before game 3, Montreal coach Claude Ruel made a change in net, switching to Michel Larocque over Herron. It seemed to work, as the Islanders struggled on offense in this one. Guy LaFluer would score two Montreal goals in the third to give the Canadiens a win to get back in the series

G4: New York Islanders 2 @ Montreal Canadiens 3 Series tied 2-2

Game 4 would be a repeat of game 3, as the Islander offense struggled to get anything past Larocque while Montreal was shooting the puck at will but could only get 3 past Billy Smith of the Isles. 3 goals were all it took however, as the series was tied heading back to Nassau Coliseum.

G5: Montreal Canadiens 1 @ New York Islanders 0 (2OT) Canadiens lead series 3-2

Game 5 on Long Island would be one for the ages. Smith and Larocque would make a combined 156 saves between the two of them that night. Finally, on the 157th shot of the game, Yvonne Lambert would score a beutiful breakaway goal to give Montreal the win and give them a 3-2 series lead heading home.

G6: New York Islanders 1 @ Montreal Canadiens 4 Canadiens win series 4-2

The Habs would roll in game 6, thanks to 2 goals from LaFluer that help send Montreal back to the Stanley Cup Final.


Campbell Conference Final: Winnipeg Jets vs St Louis Blues

G1: St Louis Blues 1 @ Winnipeg Jets 5 Jets lead series 1-0

Winnipeg would take game one on the strength of a Kent Nilsson hat-trick.

G2: St Louis Blues 5 @ Winnipeg Jets 4 (OT) Series tied 1-1

The Blues played a great game 2, but Winnipeg seemed to be one step ahead all night. That is, until Mike Gartner would score with just 5.6 seconds left in regulation to force overtime where Wayne Gretzky would put one past Gary Smith to win it.

G3: Winnipeg Jets 5 @ St Louis Blues 2 Jets lead series 2-1

In St Louis for game 3, the Jets took flight as all five Winnipeg goals were scored by 5 different players on the Jets

G4: Winnipeg Jets 2 @ St Louis Blues 3 (OT) Series tied 2-2

With the Jets up 2-0 in the third, Peter Sullivan would score an own goal as he tried to pass the puck to a teammate. That seemed to take the wind out of the Jets sails as the Blues came back to win it in overtime on a Brian Sutter goal.

G5: St Louis Blues 4 @ Winnipeg Jets 0 Blues lead series 3-2

The Blues rode their momentum from game 4 into game 5 and would surprisingly crush the Jets. All of a sudden the Jets were down in the series while the Blues were a win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in a decade

G6: Winnipeg Jets 2 @ St Louis Blues 1 Series tied 3-3

Game 6 in St Louis would be a thriller. Bernie Federko would score just 54 seconds into the game. That seemed to the game's only goal until with just 2:25 left in the third, Sullivan would redeem himself scoring the tying goal on a rebound. Then, with just 1 minute and 14 seconds left in regulation, Morris Lukowich would score on a penalty shot to give the Jets the lead. They would survive a Blues onslaught to hang on and force game 7.

G7: St Louis Blues 1 @ Winnipeg Jets 3 Jets win series 4-3

The Blues again would strike first in game 7 and again they would seem to hang on and win. But then disaster stuck for St Louis fans. The Jets would get a power play for hooking against Mike Gartner. Winnipeg would score 9 seconds into the power play to tie it, then they would score two more times to advance to the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row.

Comments appreciated! Who's your pick for the final?

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Let's go jets! Montreal is strong, but they don't have any goalies, so yeah, the jets wins it.

 

[WB18]

Struggling Hockey Club Arrives In Pacific Northwest

When John F. Bassett was forced to put the bankrupt Birmingham Bulls, Herman Sarkowski, co-Owner and co-founder of our Seattle Seahawks maid a bid to buy the franchise which just this day was approved by the NHL owners. The team will be moved to Seattle after the conclusion of this year’s Stanley Cup Final between Winnipeg and Montreal. Not much else is known expect the team will play at the Seattle Center Coliseum, home to the NBA SuperSonics.

- Seattle Post-Intelliger
May 13th, 1980

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Struggling Hockey Club Arrives In Pacific Northwest

When John F. Bassett was forced to put the bankrupt Birmingham Bulls, Herman Sarkowski, co-Owner and co-founder of our Seattle Seahawks maid a bid to buy the franchise which just this day was approved by the NHL owners. The team will be moved to Seattle after the conclusion of this year’s Stanley Cup Final between Winnipeg and Montreal. Not much else is known expect the team will play at the Seattle Center Coliseum, home to the NBA SuperSonics.

- Seattle Post-Intelliger
May 13th, 1980

awesome! as for the name, I would go with what @AltSptHst suggested and call them the thunderbirds, because:

1) It's a cool-ass name

2) While totems was the historic name of seattle hockey teams, it's native related...and we know how polemic native-related names in sports are...

3) When they do the pre-game introductions, they can play the thunderbirds theme:

 

[OldNavy1988]

awesome! as for the name, I would go with what @AltSptHst suggested and call them the thunderbirds, because:

1) It's a cool-ass name

2) While totems was the historic name of seattle hockey teams, it's native related...and we know how polemic native-related names in sports are...

3) When they do the pre-game introductions, they can play the thunderbirds theme:

You could have the Ford Thunderbird be the official team car.

 

[WB18]

Glad y’all like the Seattle move for the Bulls! As for the team name, Thunderbirds is an option for sure. Some other names i’m considering are Orcas, Emeralds, Pioneers and Chinooks. I could also just keep the Bulls name if nothing seems to stick for me. I’m still thinking about weather to move the Rockies or not, since I have no time table for that and that is still a few years away both IRL and IOTL.

 

[WB18]

1980 Stanley Cup Finals: Winnipeg Jets vs Montreal Canadiens

Going into this series, everything was about even between these two teams except for goaltending. Winnipeg's Markus Mattsson was given the advantage over Montreal's Michel "Bunny" Larocque. The ladder had been on a roll though, as he had won his last 4 starts.

G1: Winnipeg Jets 3 @ Montreal Canadiens 2 Jets lead series 1-0

Game 1 would 2-2 for most of the game, until late in the 3rd. That's when Jet defensemen Bill Davis would score on shot from about center ice that went over the pad of Larocque to stun the Forum in Montreal and give Winnipeg the win in game 1.

G2: Winnipeg Jets 1 @ Montreal Canadiens 3 Series tied 1-1

Game 2 would see the Habs at their best, having millions of scoring opportunities. Only the great goaltending of Mattsson would keep the game close as the series was tied heading to Winnipeg.

G3: Montreal Canadiens 0 @ Winnipeg Jets 5 Jets lead series 2-1

Game 3 was all Jets as Kent Nilsson picked up a natural hat-trick, scoring the Jets last 3 goals which included 2 empty-netters. Montreal meanwhile seemingly forgot to show up to a boisterous Winnipeg Arena crowd that was as loud as they ever had been.

G4: Montreal Canadiens 4 @ Winnipeg Jets 5 (OT) Jets lead series 3-1

If the Winnipeg fans were loud in game 3, they were like an Jet plane before takeoff in game 4. Their team did exactly that, jumping out to an early lead. The Canadiens would finally get some offense after that and even force overtime. Willy Lindstrom, who had been quiet for most of the playoffs, would get the goal at 12:06 of the extra period to give the Jets a 3-1 series lead going back to Montreal.

G5: Winnipeg Jets 6 @ Montreal Canadiens 3 Jets win series 4-1

The Habs tried their best, but could not hold off the Swedish Express in game 5. Lindstrom would be a nightmare again for Montreal fans, as he scored twice and had 3 assists. In just their second NHL season, the Winnipeg Jets were Stanley Cup Champions.

Comments appreciated! Congrats to the Jets and their fans!