May 6, 1973: The 1st WHA Championship

May 6, 1973: The World Hockey Association completes its 1st season, with the awarding of the Avco World Trophy, named for its sponsor, a now-defunct defense contractor.

Danny Lawson of the Philadelphia Blazers led the league with 61 goals. The following season, with the Blazers having moved to Vancouver, he scored 50. In the rest of his career, in the NHL and the WHA combined, he scored only 137.

His Blazer teammate, Andre Lacroix, was the leading point-scorer: 50 goals and a league-leading 74 assists made for 124 points. He turned out to be one of the top players in the WHA's history, but did little in the NHL.

The rebel league started with 12 teams, 6 in an Eastern Division and 6 in a Western Division. The top 4 teams in each Division made the Playoffs. In the East, the New York Raiders and the Quebec Nordiques were out; in the West, it was the Chicago Cougars and the Alberta Oilers, who changed their name to the Edmonton Oilers for the following season.

Bobby Hull of the Winnipeg Jets was given the Gary Davidson Award, named for the league's founder, as Most Valuable Player. The next season, another NHL legend joined the WHA, Gordie Howe with the Houston Aeros. Despite being 45 years old, Howe would win the Davidson Award. From then on, it was named the Gordie Howe Award. Gerry Cheevers of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the once and future goaltender of the Boston Bruins, won the Ben Hatskin Trophy, named for the Jets' founder, as the league's top goalie.

In the Quarterfinals, the Boston-based New England Whalers beat the Ottawa Nationals, the Crusaders beat the Blazers, the Jets beat the Minnesota Fighting Saints, and the Aeros beat the Los Angeles Sharks. In the Semifinals, the Whalers beat the Crusaders, and the Jets beat the Aeros.

The Whalers were coached by Jack Kelley, longtime coach at Boston University, and father of TV show creator and producer David E. Kelley, who has set many of his shows in Boston. Their Captain was former Bruin defenseman Ted Green, and their roster also included former Toronto Maple Leaf defenseman Rick Ley, former Montreal Canadien center Larry Pleau, former Detroit Red Wing right wing Tom Webster, and Al Smith, a goalie for the Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

They had to share the Boston Garden with both the Bruins and the NBA's Celtics, making it hard to get favorable playing dates. Many of their games, including all of their Playoff games, were moved to the Boston Arena, now named the Matthews Arena, home ice of Northeastern University.

That's where on May 6, they played Hull's Jets in Game 5 of the Finals on May 6, looking to clinch. With Pleau scoring a hat trick, the Whalers won, 4-1, and also won the series by that margin. Typical of how disorganized the WHA was, the Avco World Trophy wasn't ready. So Green led his team around the ice, holding the trophy they'd won as regular-season champions of the Eastern Conference. Since no fans had yet seen the Avco World Trophy, there was no way for them to know the difference.

The Whalers never got so close to a league title again. They reached the WHA Finals again in 1978, but the Jets got revenge. Along with the Jets, the Oilers and the Nordiques, the renamed Hartford Whalers were the 4 teams that the NHL accepted from the WHA for the 1979-80 season. Except for the 1986 season, they never won a Playoff series in the NHL, before moving in 1997, becoming the Carolina Hurricanes.

The team that had been the Whalers reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002. Finally, in 2006, they won the Stanley Cup. The Oilers have won 5, between 1984 and 1990. The Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995, becoming the Colorado Avalanche, and have won the Cup in 1996 and 2001. The Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996, becoming the Arizona Coyotes. But in 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers became the new Winnipeg Jets. Through the 2020-21 season, neither the Jets/Coyotes nor the Thrashers/Jets have yet reached the Stanley Cup Finals.

(UPDATE: In 2022, the Avalanche won another Cup. In 2024, the Coyotes moved to Salt Lake City, becoming the Utah Hockey Club.)

*

May 6, 1973 was a Sunday. The NHL was running the Stanley Cup Finals at the time, and Game 4 was played at Chicago Stadium that night. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Black Hawks, 4-0. The Canadiens won the series in 6 games.

Game 3 of the NBA Finals was played at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 87-83. The Knicks went on to win the series in 5 games. The American Basketball Association was between Games 4 and 5 of its Finals, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Kentucky Colonels in 7 games.

Football was out of season. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 11-2 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Bobby Murcer, Felipe Alou and Roy White each got 2 hits, to no avail.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Montreal Expos, 6-1 at Jarry Park in Montreal. Pete Rose went 0-for-5. Johnny Bench hit a home run.

* The New York Mets lost to the Houston Astros, 12-8 at Shea Stadium. Willie Mays grounded into a double play in the 1st inning. He was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the 3rd inning.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-1 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Hank Aaron struck out as a pinch-hitter.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the California Angels, 5-0 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Jim Plamer pitched a 5-hit shutout, outpitching Nolan Ryan. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-3, but reached base by being hit with a pitch.

* The Oakland Athletics swept a doubleheader from the Cleveland Indians, 12-0 and 7-3 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Ken Holtzman pitched a 5-hit shutout in the opener. Over the 2 games, Reggie Jackson went 3-for-7 with a walk and 2 RBIs.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-2 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Al Kaline went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox, 10-3 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew and Carl Yastrzemski both went 2-for-4 with a walk. Rod Carew went 3-for-5 with an RBI.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-0 at San Diego Stadium (later Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). Mike Caldwell pitched a 2-hit shutout. Willie Stargell did not play.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Al Downing pitched a 2-hit shutout.

* And the San Francisco Giants swept a doubleheader from the Chicago Cubs, 11-9 and 4-3. Bobby Bonds won the 1st game with a home run in the bottom of the 12th inning.

May 5, 1973: The Sunderland Cup

May 5, 1973: "The Magic of the FA Cup" rears its head, as one of the great "Cup shocks" occurs in the Final at Wembley Stadium in West London.

Sunderland Association Football Club, in the North-East of England, won the Football League in 1936, and the Football Association Cup in 1937. But, for much of their history, they have been in the League's 2nd division, and had been relegated to it in 1970. They finished 6th in the 1972-73 season, and showed little sign of getting promoted back to the 1st division.

In contrast, Leeds United, of Yorkshire, were one of the top teams of the era. They won the Football League Division One in 1969; they finished 2nd in 1965, '66, '70, '71 and '72; finished 3rd in this 1972-73 season; were the holders of the FA Cup, and lost the Final in 1965 and '70; won the League Cup in 1968; and won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, now known as the UEFA Europa League, in 1968 and '71.

In their run to successfully defend the FA Cup, Leeds beat Norwich City of Norfolk, Plymouth Argyle of Devon, West Bromwich Albion of the West Midlands, Derby County of the East Midlands in the Quarterfinal, and Wolverhampton Wanderers of the West Midlands in the Semifinal.

Sunderland's path to the Final included beating Notts County of Nottingham, Reading of Berkshire, Manchester City, Luton Town of Bedfordshire in the Quarterfinal, and Arsenal of North London in the Semifinal.

Leeds were known as the most aggressive team in England. But Sunderland weren't intimidated, tackling fiercely and defiantly with an unremitting determination from the kickoff. Leeds looked anxious, lacking their usual composure. The match itself was decided by two crucial moments that would be talked about for years to come.

After 32 minutes, Sunderland took the lead, when Vic Halom chested down a corner from Billy Hughes. Assisted by Dave Watson between two defenders, the deflected high ball was controlled by Ian Porterfield, who shot home from 12 yards. Leeds, shocked, battled back with predictable determination. Sunderland's goalkeeper, Jimmy Montgomery, defied Leeds with a string of fine saves, preserving his team's lead.

The turning point of the match came midway through the 2nd half. Montgomery dived to palm away a close range header from Trevor Cherry. It fell into the path of Peter Lorimer, who blasted goalward from 10 yards, but Montgomery managed to divert the ball on to the underside of the bar, and Dick Malone scrambled to get the ball clear. The save is considered one of the greatest of all time.

The North-East team survived more pressure from Leeds, and the 1-0 score held up, to secure a notable upset for "The Mackems." As a shipbuilding town, the slogan was, "We make them, and you take them" -- or, in their North-East accent, "We mackem an' you tackem."

At the final whistle, Sunderland manager Bob Stokoe -- who, ironically, spent most of his playing career with Sunderland's arch-rivals, Newcastle United -- could be seen running around the sideline. This presaged Jim Valvano of North Carolina State, 10 years later, running around the court of the NCAA Tournament Final, "looking for someone to hug"; and formed the basis of the statue of Stokoe that would be dedicated outside their new home, the Stadium of Light. (From 1898 until 1997, they played at Roker Park.) 

Although I found plenty of pictures of Stokoe, and of his statue,

I couldn't find any of his run.

Bobby Kerr, Sunderland's Captain, received the Cup from Katharine, Duchess of Kent, as a representative of the royal family. It remains the team's last major trophy. Sunderland won Division Two in 1976, and got promoted to Division One. But they finished in 20th and last place in 1977, and were relegated again. 

They were in the top flight again from 1980 to 1985, the 1990-91 season, 1996-97, 1999 to 2003, 2005-06, and 2007 to 2017. In 2002-03, they finished with 19 points, a record low for the top flight since a win was made 3 points instead of 2 in 1982. In 2005-06, they finished with 15 points, a new record low. That record was broken in 2007-08, when Derby County got only 11.

Only once since has a team from outside the 1st division won the FA Cup: West Ham United, of East London, defeating Arsenal in 1980. Bob Stokoe lived until 2004.

*

May 5, 1973 was a Saturday. Hockey goaltender Johan Hedberg was born.

The Kentucky Derby was run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Secretariat won it, with a time of 1 minute, 59 and 2⁄5ths seconds, a new race record. He would go on to win the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, also in record times, to win the Triple Crown. He still holds the records for the Derby and the Belmont.

American-style football was out of season. The NBA Finals were between Games 3 and 4, and the New York Knicks would beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games. Game 4 of the American Basketball Association Finals was played at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum (still standing, now named the Corteva Coliseum) in Indianapolis, and the Indiana Pacers beat their arch-rivals, the Kentucky Colonels, 90-86. The Pacers would win the series in 7 games.

The Stanley Cup Finals were between Games 4 and 5. The Montreal Canadiens would beat the Chicago Black Hawks in 6 games. Game 4 of the World Hockey Association's 1st Finals was held at the Boston Garden. The New England Whalers beat the Winnipeg Jets, 4-2. The Whalers wrapped up the title the next day, 9-6, also at the Boston Garden.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 4-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Eddie Fisher (not the singer) went 5 1/3rd innings, before being relieved by Terry Forster, and they completed an 8-hit shutout, to outpitch Fritz Peterson.

* The New York Mets lost to the Houston Astros, 9-2 at Shea Stadium. Don Wilson outpitched Jim McAndrew. César Cedeño and Johnny Edwards hit home runs for the 'Stros.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Cincinnati Reds, 8-6 at Jarry Park in Montreal. Pete Rose went 1-for-3 with 2 walks. Johnny Bench went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-0 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Carl Morton pitched a 7-hit shutout, beating Steve Carlton. This was not "Win Day" for Carlton and the Phillies. Rookie Mike Schmidt went 1-for-3. Hank Aaron hit his 681st career home run.

* The California Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-1 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-4. Frank Robinson, by this point with the Angels, went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Oakland Athletics, 6-5 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Reggie Jackson went 2-for-4 with a walk.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers, 2-0 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Joe Coleman took a 5-hit shutout into the 8th inning, and it was saved by John Hiller, the 4th of 38 saves he had that season, a new major league record. Al Kaline hit a home run.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-7 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-1 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Boston Red Sox went 2-for-4 with a walk. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-4. So did Rod Carew, who also drew a walk.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-5 at San Diego Stadium (later renamed Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). Willie Stargell went 0-for-4 with a walk.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 11-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants, 7-4 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

April 13, 1997: The Hartford Whalers Play Their Last Game

April 13, 1997: The Hartford Whalers defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1 at the Hartford Civic Center. Since the Whalers did not make the Playoffs, this was their last game, as they were being moved to become the Carolina Hurricanes.

They were founded in 1972 as the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association -- the name reflecting not only New England's maritime tradition, but the league: WHAlers. They won the league's 1st title in 1972, and reached the Final again in 1978.

They entered the NHL in 1979, changing their name to the Hartford Whalers (and adopting the logo where the W for Whalers was easy to see, but the H for Hartford wasn't), but only won 1 Playoff series, in 1986 over fellow WHA graduates the Quebec Nordiques, and only won 1 regular-season Division title, the next season.

They played at the Boston Arena (later the Matthews Arena) in the 1972-73 season, the Boston Garden in 1973-74, and the Big E Coliseum in West Springfield, Massachusetts in 1974-75, before the Hartford Civic Center opened. A 1978 roof collapse forced them to the nearby Springfield Civic Center (now the MassMutual Center) for 2 years.

Ultimately, they left because the Hartford Civic Center -- since renamed the XL Center and now the PeoplesBank Arena -- was too small and didn't have the precious luxury boxes. It also didn't help that Hartford is about halfway between New York, with 3 NHL teams in its metropolitan area (one of which, the Rangers, replaced the Whalers with a farm team, the Hartford Wolf Pack), and Boston, with the established Bruins.

But their attendance in Raleigh has barely been enough to fill their old arena. Maybe they should have stayed put.

From 1874 to 1877, Hartford was home to the Hartford Dark Blues, of the National Association and then the National league, but the couldn't compete in the NL, and folded. The Hartford Blues played in the NFL in the 1926 season, but only in that season. The Connecticut Bicentennials played in New Haven in the North American Soccer League in the 1975, 1976 and 1977 seasons.

But with the demise of the Whalers, the only sports team in Connecticut that could even remotely be called "major league" are the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA, who have played at Mohegan Sun Arena, at the Mohegan Sun casino resort in Montville, Connecticut since 2003.

UPDATE: In 2025, the XL Center was renamed the PeoplesBank Arena.

The Whalers retired 3 uniform numbers: 2, for defenseman Rick Ley; 9, for right wing Gordie Howe; and 19, for right wing John McKenzie. In 2006, arena management also hung banners for 5, defenseman Ulf Samuelsson; 10, center Ron Francis; and 11, right wing Kevin Dineen. The Whalers did not retire that number.

The Hurricanes have retired 4 numbers: Francis' 10; 2, for defenseman Glen Wesley; 12, for center Eric Staal; and 17, for center Rod Brind'Amour. They have also removed from circulation, without officially retiring them, Howe's 9; 3, for defenseman Steve Chiasson; and 63, for center Josef Vašíček. Francis and Brind'Amour have also been elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

*

April 13, 1997 was a Sunday. There were 6 other games in the NHL:

* The New Jersey Devils lost to the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-4 at the CoreStates Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 7-3 at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston.

* The Washington Capitals beat the Buffalo Sabres, 8-3 at the Marine Midland Arena (now the KeyBank Center) in Buffalo.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Detroit Red Wings, 3-1 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

* The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Dallas Stars, 5-2 at the Reunion Arena in Dallas.

* And the Los Angeles Kings beat the Colorado Avalanche, 4-2 at the McNichols Arena in Denver.

Football was out of season. There were 5 games played in the NBA:

* The New Jersey Nets lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, 132-123 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Despite the defeat, Kerry Kittles scored 40 points for the Nets.

* The Detroit Pistons beat the Chicago Bulls, 108-91 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan.

* The Houston Rockets beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 113-73 at The Summit in Houston. (It's now the Central Campus of televangelist Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church.)

* The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz, 100-98 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California. Shaquille O'Neal scored 39 points.

* And the Phoenix Suns beat the Golden State Warriors, 105-97 at the San Jose Arena. The Warriors played that season there, now known as the SAP Center, while the Oakland Coliseum complex's arena was under renovation.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees split a doubleheader with the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium, after a rainout the day before. The Yanks won the opener, 3-2. Andy Pettitte was the winning pitcher. Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams hit home runs. The A's won the nightcap, 7-4. Ariel Prieto outpitched Ramiro Mendoza. Mark Whiten hit a home run for the Yankees. Gerónimo Berroa went 4-for-5 for the A's.

* The New York Mets were swept by the San Francisco Giants in a doubleheader at Shea Stadium, 5-1 and 7-6. As with the Yankees, the Mets had been rained out the day before. Mark Gardner outpitched Mark Clark in the 1st game. Jeff Kent hit a home run for the Giants, and John Olerud hit one for the Mets.

Shawn Estes outpitched Bobby Jones in the 2nd game. Mark Lewis hit 2 home runs, and José Vizcaíno hit 1. Bernard Gilkey hit 1 for the Mets. Over the 2 games, Barry Bonds went 2-for-7 with 2 walks and an RBI.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 7-1 at Fenway Park in Boston. Ken Griffey Jr. went 1-for-4.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-1 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Tony Gwynn went 2-for-4.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Texas Rangers, 9-0 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Jimmy Key pitched a 6-hit shutout. Jeffrey Hammonds hit 2 home runs, and Cal Ripken and Chris Hoiles also homered.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 14-5 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Anaheim Angels beat the Cleveland Indians, 8-3 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland. Eddie Murray hit a home run, but Rickey Henderson, in his only season with the Angels, did not play.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Florida Marlins, 6-4 at Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium) in Cincinnati.

* A doubleheader was split at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The Chicago White Sox won the 1st game, 11-8. The Detroit Tigers led 7-0 after 5 innings, but the South Siders came back, and scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th to send the game to extra innings. Each team scored a run in the 11th. The White Sox scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the top of the 12th, and added 2 more runs. The Tigers won the 2nd game, 4-2.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs, 6-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros, 6-2 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-1 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* And the Montreal Expos beat the Colorado Rockies, 8-3 at Coors Field in Denver.

This was also the day that Tiger Woods won his 1st major golf tournament, running away with the Masters. I have a separate entry for that event.