Kansas City Scouts

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I attendended the Scouts very first road game at the LA forum against the Kings in October 1974. The Kings won 3-0 I think but the Scouts played us hard.

Kansas City had played in Atlanta against the Flames the previous evening and flew all night across the country. After the game at the Forum, the Scouts' bus failed to show up and the team was stranded on a street corner for quite some time.

 

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Wow, there isn't a single Scouts ANYTHING on youtube. I find that pretty amazing, considering how many hockey clips from years back that are on there.

Unless you guys can find anything...?

There's actually separate YouTube videos of both Denis Herron and the late Michel Plasse playing in goal for Kansas City with both videos of games against Montreal at the Forum. IIRC, the Minnesota North Stars video has been mentioned previously. There's also some from the Scouts' first-ever home game. IIRC, it is from a WGN-TV telecast.

 

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So why exactly did the Scouts relocate to Colorado after only two years? I'm guessing money was a key factor, but did the NHL just not do their due diligence on checking out the owner(s) before awarding a franchise? Two years seems pretty quick to give up. I guess the NHL didn't care as much in the 70's about franchise's relocating or folding (Cleveland Barons) as they do now.

Ownership was a big part of it. The largest shareholder in the franchise at the beginning held only at 20-percent stake. Three other gentlemen, including Chiefs coach Hank Stram, purchased 10-percent shares. "Icing On The Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts" published by Balboa Press.

 

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I'm wondering if they just hurried in there because of the perceived WHA threat. That they may get to the market first

Kansas City civic leaders had been told by the NHL prior to the WHA's creation that if a new building was constructed there, the city stood in good position for the expansion franchise. Thus, what eventually became Kemper Arena in the stockyard district. The Scouts wanted the arena constructed in the affluent suburb in Overland Park, Kansas. The building would have been called The Metron. I personally feel the Scouts and NBA Kings would have been much better off if the building in Overland Park had become a reality.

 

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Are there any books in circulation about the Scouts? I recently bought an excellent book about the history of the California/Oakland Seals called "Shorthanded", great read and a ton of info on ex-Seals.

In case you are still interested, I researched and wrote a book about the Scouts ... "Icing On The Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts" published by Balboa Press. There are reviews on Amazon.

 

[voyageur]

The problem with (D. HERRON, G. MELOCHE, D. BOUCHARD) is they were on some WEAK *ss Teams for Most their Career!!!
I mean not all of their career was bad they had some great moments but expansion teams and crappy teams they played on hurt their “STAT’S/NUMBERS”

When I met PATRICK ROY I asked him who is IDOL was growing up for Goalie’s and he said “DAN BOUCHARD”.

Dan Bouchard finished his career on some good Nordiques teams. Patrick Roy must have been impressed as a young kid from Quebec City, watching the Nordiques knock off the Canadiens in 1982, with him in net. Wilf Paiement was a prominent member of that team, that's how I remember him.

I remember seeing elsewhere that Roy's idol was Rogie Vachon.

The NHL sure didn't have the plan to make their expansion teams competitive in the 70s. Other than the Flyers (1967) and Isles, and to a lesser extent the Kings, Blues (both 67 as well) and Sabres, they didn't fare well at all.

 

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I attendended the Scouts very first road game at the LA forum against the Kings in October 1974. The Kings won 3-0 I think but the Scouts played us hard.

Curious if you remember Kansas City's Randy Rota playing for the Kings the previous season (1973-74)? Randy had just signed a multi-year contract with Los Angeles, then the Kings exposed him in the expansion draft and Sid Abel snared him for the Scouts. Randy was a big help for my book. Spent three decades in the financial planning industry in British Columbia. Lives in Kamloops, usually spends time every winter in California.

 

[voyageur]

I found this which provides some history of the Scouts. They really came into the NHL at the wrong time.

Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia: 1974 NHL Expansion Draft

 

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I found this which provides some history of the Scouts. They really came into the NHL at the wrong time.

Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia: 1974 NHL Expansion Draft

This story is wrong regarding Kansas City. The new building WAS NOT built for the NBA team. It was built after the NHL told civic leaders if they were to construct it, K.C. could get an expansion franchise. The NBA team was considered a potential tenant. The NBA K.C. Kings were just along for the ride insofar as a new building. Otherwise, the Kings would have had kept playing at the old Municipal Auditorium ... and in Omaha.