WHA/NHL Merger Questions

[Shootmaster_44]

I am curious about a few things regarding the 1979 merger between the WHA and the NHL. First, why was Edmonton allowed to keep Gretzky? I imagine there had to have been a concession made to the existing NHL teams to do this.

Secondly, was there anything given in perpetuity to the Cincinnati Stingers and Birmingham Bulls owners? The reason I wonder is the NBA made a blunder (from their end and a great deal from the Colonels' end) by giving the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA a share of the NBA's TV contract in perpetuity.

Thirdly, why did the NHL refuse the Oilers Priority Selection of Bengt-Ake Gustafsson? He played two playoff games for the Oilers, so he should have been able to have been selected.

Lastly, what happened to the WHA's on-ice officials? Were they a part of the merger? Did they simply lose their jobs? If they did, were they given any sort of compensation by either the WHA teams or the NHL?

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[reckoning]

Teams were allowed to protect two skaters and two goalies. Gretzky was one of the players Edmonton chose to protect.

I've never understood why Gustafsson was awarded to Washington.

According to book The Rebel League, Cincinnati was paid $3.5M Birmingham paid $2.85M by the other four teams to fold.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Most of the WHA off ice officials that stayed in hockey went to junior leagues. I think only a few got to the nhl

The Gretzky the BG thing gets a little more complicated. Each team could protect X amount of players who they had under contract.

Gretz had a personal services contract and the nhl and the oilers agreed the oilers cold protect him--but at a price and that price after a very long and complicated story--the oilers who tried to protect BG could not

 

[mbhhofr]

This should give you information about the merger.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Hockey_Association

I can recall only three Linesmen, who worked in the WHA, that went to the NHL. Ron Asslestine, Wayne Bonney and Ron Foyte.

 

[Shootmaster_44]

This should give you information about the merger.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Hockey_Association

I can recall only three Linesmen, who worked in the WHA, that went to the NHL. Ron Asslestine, Wayne Bonney and Ron Foyte.

I did read it after I posted. Still didn't answer two of my questions. Plus, I'm still entirely unclear on why the NHL allowed the Oilers to keep Gretzky. I didn't think the personal services contract was signed until after they joined the NHL?

At any rate, it does beg the question of who would have had the Number 1 pick if the Oilers had let Gretzky go and be able to pick where they would have normally been slotted? If Gretzky had gone through the draft, I wonder if they still would have ruled him ineligible for the Calder?

 

[Jumptheshark]

I did read it after I posted. Still didn't answer two of my questions. Plus, I'm still entirely unclear on why the NHL allowed the Oilers to keep Gretzky. I didn't think the personal services contract was signed until after they joined the NHL?

At any rate, it does beg the question of who would have had the Number 1 pick if the Oilers had let Gretzky go and be able to pick where they would have normally been slotted? If Gretzky had gone through the draft, I wonder if they still would have ruled him ineligible for the Calder?

personal services contract was signed with Skalbania in 78 before the trade to edmonton

 

[Shootmaster_44]

personal services contract was signed with Skalbania in 78 before the trade to edmonton

When was that big signing ceremony in Edmonton though where he signed the 20 year deal? I thought that was the first personal services deal for him?

 

[Jumptheshark]

When was that big signing ceremony in Edmonton though where he signed the 20 year deal? I thought that was the first personal services deal for him?

that was in 79 to extend the contract and to change a few things in it

that was all a PR stunt by Peter Puck and co

 

[Jumptheshark]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Skalbania

Skalbania tried to revitialize the club in 1978 by signing Sault Greyhounds star Wayne Gretzky to a personal services contract. However, this ploy failed to put enough fans in the stands, and Gretzky was sold to Edmonton for $800,000.

 

[mbhhofr]

I can recall only three Linesmen, who worked in the WHA, that went to the NHL. Ron Asslestine, Wayne Bonney and Ron Foyte.

I forgot Don Koharski. He was a linesman in the WHA who eventually became a referee in the NHL.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Thirdly, why did the NHL refuse the Oilers Priority Selection of Bengt-Ake Gustafsson? He played two playoff games for the Oilers, so he should have been able to have been selected.

I'm pretty sure there was a rule in effect for European players joining the WHA and it was ultimately deemed that Edmonton signed Gustafsson after an established deadline.

When the NHL absorbed the four WHA franchises, the Capitals and Oilers both claimed to have his rights. John Ziegler then issued a ruling saying the Capitals had property because the Oilers violated the WHA deadline as to when European players could join that League.

I can't say for certainty the exact wording of the rule violated but this site highlights the issue:

http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1978/78055.html

Miscellaneous: Claimed by Edmonton as one of three players (plus Wayne Gretzky) it intended to protect from its WHA team upon entering the NHL in 1979. Washington fought the move by taking him back in the NHL Reclaim Draft on June 9, 1979. Gustafsson's NHL rights remained in dispute until NHL President John Ziegler sided with Washington, awarding Gustafsson to the Capitals in September 1979 because Oilers had broken WHA rules to sign him. ...

 

[reckoning]

At any rate, it does beg the question of who would have had the Number 1 pick if the Oilers had let Gretzky go and be able to pick where they would have normally been slotted? If Gretzky had gone through the draft, I wonder if they still would have ruled him ineligible for the Calder?

I'm not sure the personal services contract was a factor. They were allowed to protect him as one of their priority selections, and chose to. Since he hadn't been drafted yet, no NHL team had a legitimate claim on him.

Even if he went to the draft, I believe he would've still been ineligible for the Calder. The NHL prohibited WHA players from winning the award the year before when Hedberg and Nilsson signed with the Rangers.

 

[King of Arcadia]

it would have been interesting to see how the 4 WHA teams would have fared had they been able to keep their rosters intact rather than being pillaged. I think Quebec was competitive off the bat, but the Winnipeg Jets may have suffered the most. I think there was some worry among NHL teams that maybe these newcomers might come in and win too many games!

 

[paulsonj72]

I am curious about a few things regarding the 1979 merger between the WHA and the NHL. First, why was Edmonton allowed to keep Gretzky? I imagine there had to have been a concession made to the existing NHL teams to do this.

Secondly, was there anything given in perpetuity to the Cincinnati Stingers and Birmingham Bulls owners? The reason I wonder is the NBA made a blunder (from their end and a great deal from the Colonels' end) by giving the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA a share of the NBA's TV contract in perpetuity.

Thirdly, why did the NHL refuse the Oilers Priority Selection of Bengt-Ake Gustafsson? He played two playoff games for the Oilers, so he should have been able to have been selected.

Lastly, what happened to the WHA's on-ice officials? Were they a part of the merger? Did they simply lose their jobs? If they did, were they given any sort of compensation by either the WHA teams or the NHL?

I know it's b-ball but it was actually the Spirits of St Louis who got the phenominal deal(now) of the TV money the Surviving ABA teams got. mBelieve it or not today over 30 years after that merger the owners STILL get something like 1/7 of all the tv money the 4 surviving ABA teams get.

 

[JMACole]

I’m going to revive this thread with a few questions of my own. I’ve been thinking about some of the Canadian cities that had WHA clubs that didn’t survive until the merger (Ottawa and Calgary), but not too many years later ended up getting NHL teams. Why couldn’t those teams make it then, and what changed years later that made them ready to be an NHL city? The poor Calgary Cowboys only went under a few years before Calgary got the Flames. I believe both the Ottawa and Calgary WHA teams even played in the same arenas that their NHL successors would start in. I know the Ottawa Nationals moved to Toronto early on in WHA history and the Civics barely even existed, but I wonder if Calgary had survived a little longer and made it to the time of the merger if they would have entered the NHL?

 

[kaiser matias]

I’m going to revive this thread with a few questions of my own. I’ve been thinking about some of the Canadian cities that had WHA clubs that didn’t survive until the merger (Ottawa and Calgary), but not too many years later ended up getting NHL teams. Why couldn’t those teams make it then, and what changed years later that made them ready to be an NHL city? The poor Calgary Cowboys only went under a few years before Calgary got the Flames. I believe both the Ottawa and Calgary WHA teams even played in the same arenas that their NHL successors would start in. I know the Ottawa Nationals moved to Toronto early on in WHA history and the Civics barely even existed, but I wonder if Calgary had survived a little longer and made it to the time of the merger if they would have entered the NHL?

Both likely were impacted due to lack of arena.

Calgary played in the Stampede Corral, which had a capacity of about 7500 (the Flames also played there for the first few years before the Saddledome was finished, which was only built for the 1988 Olympics).

Ottawa had the Civic Centre, which is located underneath the stands of the football field and has a capacity of around 10,000. The Senators did play there for the first couple years (and the OHL's 67s still do today), but the expansion bid was contingent on a new arena being built (which was completed in 1996).

 

[kaiser matias]

that was in 79 to extend the contract and to change a few things in it

that was all a PR stunt by Peter Puck and co

Gretzky's 21 year contact was signed on his 18th birthday, and replaced the one with Skalbania.

Here's an article from the next day's Edmonton Journal:

Edmonton Oilers history: Wayne Gretzky signs 21-year contract w/ team | Edmonton Journal

I like the mention of Gordie Howe being too old to play in 1999, seeing how he played a shift just two years before that.

 

[JMACole]

Here’s another question:
Is it known if the NHL acquired the rights to the defunct WHA teams names, logos, etc.? I personally think Calgary Cowboys would be a great name for the Flames AHL affiliate if they ever move their farm team close to home.

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

it would have been interesting to see how the 4 WHA teams would have fared had they been able to keep their rosters intact rather than being pillaged. I think Quebec was competitive off the bat, but the Winnipeg Jets may have suffered the most. I think there was some worry among NHL teams that maybe these newcomers might come in and win too many games!

Winnipeg were felt to have been screwed royally as they made the odd in retrospect decision to spend a great deal of cash on picking up contracts from the folded Aeros which made them a better team in the WHA 1978-79 season, but probably threw away enough money to get into the bidding war for Gretzky.

Seems like such a silly choice. Do you want to win the Stanley Cup, or the Avco Cup?

 

[The Panther]

Yeah, I've never understood how the NHL screwed the Oilers out of Bengt-Ake Gustafsson. I've seen Edmonton media people who were still angry about it 35 years later....