Indianapolis Racers
Encyclopedia
The Indianapolis Racers were a franchise in the former World Hockey Association
from 1974 to 1978. They competed in five seasons, folding 25 games into the 1978–79 season. They played at Market Square Arena
. They are best known for being the first professional team to secure the services of Wayne Gretzky
and Mark Messier
.
The Racers were known in the major league hockey world for their fanatical fans, and the franchise lead the WHA in attendance for the 1976-1977 season. The Racers won the 1975-1976 WHA Eastern Division championship, and swept the rival Cincinnati Stingers in the 1977 WHA playoffs. Notable players for the Racers included Pat Stapleton
, Dave Keon
, Michel Dion
and Kim Clackson
.
The NHL had stringent rules regarding the age of players they could sign while the WHA regularly signed underage players. Nelson Skalbania
, the owner of the Racers, signed 17-year-old future super-star Wayne Gretzky to a personal contract worth between 1.125 and 1.75 million dollars over 4 to 7 years, which was at the time one of the largest contracts offered a hockey player.
Skalbania, a wealthy real estate businessman, regularly "flipped" real estate property and sports franchises for a profit. Skalbania mismanaged the promising Indianapolis hockey market, however, and just eight games into the 1978-1979 season Skalbania liquidated his greatest asset to his old friend and former (and future) partner, Peter Pocklington
, owner of the Edmonton Oilers
. Pocklington purchased Gretzky and two other Indianapolis players, goaltender Eddie Mio
and forward Peter Driscoll
, paying a reported $700,000 for the contracts of the three players, although the announced price was $850,000. The Racers folded 17 games later on December 15, 1978. and major league hockey has not returned.
The other six WHA teams finished the season, and before the Winnipeg Jets won the 1979 Avco World Trophy
, the league accepted the terms of a merger with the NHL whereby Edmonton, Winnipeg, Quebec
and New England
would enter the NHL as expansion teams the following season, and the WHA itself would cease operations. Cincinnati
and Birmingham
, the other surviving WHA teams, were paid to disband.
Mark Messier
also began his career with the Racers in the 1978–79 season, playing five games but failing to register a point before finishing his tryout contract. He was picked up later by Cincinnati for the remainder of the season, before being selected by the Oilers in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft
. Messier retired in 2005 as the last active player to have played in the WHA, and thus the last active player to have played for the Racers.
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
from 1974 to 1978. They competed in five seasons, folding 25 games into the 1978–79 season. They played at Market Square Arena
Market Square Arena
Market Square Arena was an indoor arena, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Completed in 1974, at a cost of $23 million, it seated 16,530, for basketball and 15,993, for ice hockey.-History:...
. They are best known for being the first professional team to secure the services of Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
and Mark Messier
Mark Messier
Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...
.
The Racers were known in the major league hockey world for their fanatical fans, and the franchise lead the WHA in attendance for the 1976-1977 season. The Racers won the 1975-1976 WHA Eastern Division championship, and swept the rival Cincinnati Stingers in the 1977 WHA playoffs. Notable players for the Racers included Pat Stapleton
Pat Stapleton
Patrick James "Whitey" Stapleton is a Canadian ice hockey former professional ice hockey player. A defenceman, Stapleton played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League and the World Hockey Association , most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks...
, Dave Keon
Dave Keon
David Michael Keon is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He played professionally from 1960–61 to 1981–82, including 15 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986....
, Michel Dion
Michel Dion
Michel J. Dion is a retired Canadian ice hockey goaltender who was active in the World Hockey Association and National Hockey League from 1975 to 1985...
and Kim Clackson
Kim Clackson
Kimbel Gerald Clackson A professional ice hockey player who played 106 games in the National Hockey League and 271 games in the World Hockey Association...
.
The NHL had stringent rules regarding the age of players they could sign while the WHA regularly signed underage players. Nelson Skalbania
Nelson Skalbania
Nelson M. Skalbania is a Canadian businessman from Vancouver, British Columbia best known for signing a 17-year-old Wayne Gretzky to the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association....
, the owner of the Racers, signed 17-year-old future super-star Wayne Gretzky to a personal contract worth between 1.125 and 1.75 million dollars over 4 to 7 years, which was at the time one of the largest contracts offered a hockey player.
Skalbania, a wealthy real estate businessman, regularly "flipped" real estate property and sports franchises for a profit. Skalbania mismanaged the promising Indianapolis hockey market, however, and just eight games into the 1978-1979 season Skalbania liquidated his greatest asset to his old friend and former (and future) partner, Peter Pocklington
Peter Pocklington
Peter Hugh Pocklington is a Canadian entrepreneur.He made his initial fortune as the owner of one of the largest auto dealerships in Canada, and later took over a meat packing company involved in a high-profile labour strike....
, owner of the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
. Pocklington purchased Gretzky and two other Indianapolis players, goaltender Eddie Mio
Eddie Mio
Edward Dario Mio was a professional ice hockey goaltender in the WHA and NHL. During his career, he played for the Indianapolis Racers, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Detroit Red Wings...
and forward Peter Driscoll
Peter Driscoll
Peter Driscoll is a former professional ice hockey left wing in the WHA and NHL.Selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft and the Vancouver Blazers in the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft, Driscoll signed with the Blazers, moving to Calgary with them when they relocated.After the...
, paying a reported $700,000 for the contracts of the three players, although the announced price was $850,000. The Racers folded 17 games later on December 15, 1978. and major league hockey has not returned.
The other six WHA teams finished the season, and before the Winnipeg Jets won the 1979 Avco World Trophy
Avco World Trophy
The Avco World Trophy, also known as the Avco Cup, was the championship trophy of the original World Hockey Association . The trophy's naming rights were sold to the former Avco Corporation , a defense contractor who bought the rights to advertise their consumer finance division...
, the league accepted the terms of a merger with the NHL whereby Edmonton, Winnipeg, Quebec
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
and New England
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...
would enter the NHL as expansion teams the following season, and the WHA itself would cease operations. Cincinnati
Cincinnati Stingers
The Cincinnati Stingers was an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979. Its home arena was Riverfront Coliseum and it was the only major-league hockey team ever to play in Cincinnati.-History:The Stingers franchise was awarded in...
and Birmingham
Birmingham Bulls
The Birmingham Bulls were a professional ice hockey team based in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. They played in the World Hockey Association from 1976 to 1979 and the Central Hockey League from 1979 to 1981. The Bulls played their home games at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center.Prior to being...
, the other surviving WHA teams, were paid to disband.
Mark Messier
Mark Messier
Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...
also began his career with the Racers in the 1978–79 season, playing five games but failing to register a point before finishing his tryout contract. He was picked up later by Cincinnati for the remainder of the season, before being selected by the Oilers in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft
1979 NHL Entry Draft
The 1979 NHL Entry Draft took place on August 9, 1979, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 126 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1978–79 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the list of those...
. Messier retired in 2005 as the last active player to have played in the WHA, and thus the last active player to have played for the Racers.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1974–75 | 78 | 18 | 57 | 3 | 39 | 216 | 338 | 970 | 4th, Eastern | Did not qualify |
| 1975–76 | 80 | 35 | 39 | 6 | 76 | 245 | 247 | 1301 | 1st, Eastern | Lost Quarter-final (New England Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97... ) |
| 1976–77 | 81 | 36 | 37 | 8 | 80 | 276 | 305 | 880 | 3rd, Eastern | Won Quarter-final (Cincinnati Cincinnati Stingers The Cincinnati Stingers was an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979. Its home arena was Riverfront Coliseum and it was the only major-league hockey team ever to play in Cincinnati.-History:The Stingers franchise was awarded in... ) Lost Semi-final (Quebec Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League... ) |
| 1977–78 | 80 | 24 | 51 | 5 | 53 | 267 | 353 | 1189 | 8th, WHA | Did not qualify |
| 1978–79 | 25 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 12 | 78 | 130 | 557 | DNF | Folded December 15, 1978 |
| Totals | 344 | 118 | 202 | 24 | 260 | 1082 | 1373 | 4897 |