Tag: John Bassett Jr.

1964 Denver Invaders program from the Western Hockey League

Denver Invaders

The Denver Invaders were an outstanding minor league hockey club that played one season in the Western Hockey League (WHL) during the winter of 1963-64. The Invaders relocated to Denver from Spokane, Washington the previous spring and served as a farm club of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. Under head coach Rudy Pilous, the team was terrific on the ice, dominating the WHL with a 44-23-3 regular season record. But lackluster attendance at the Denver Coliseum and disputes between local investors and the Maple Leafs led the franchise to leave Colorado for British Columbia after only a year.

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Paul Warfield on the cover of a 1975 Memphis Southmen program from the World Football League

Memphis Southmen

World Football League (1974-1975) Born: May 8, 1974 – The Toronto Northmen move to Memphis, TN Folded: October 22, 1975 First Game: July 10, 1974

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Birmingham Bulls WHA

Birmingham Bulls (1976-1981)

The Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association were one of the first major pro hockey teams to make their home in the Deep South, sharing that distinction with the slightly older Atlanta Flames of the National Hockey League. The Bulls never posted a winning record and made the playoffs only once in three WHA seasons. But the team did make news for its controversial “Baby Bulls” youth movement that saw the team sign a parade of teenage stars from the junior ranks who would later go on to NHL stardom, including Ken Linseman, Michel Goulet, Rick Vaive, Pat Riggin and others. Read more…

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Tom Okker on the cover of a 1974 Toronto-Buffalo Royals Brochure from World Team Tennis

Toronto-Buffalo Royals

The Toronto-Buffalo Royals were one 16 original franchises in World Team Tennis (1974-1978) in the summer of 1974. The Royals’ star attraction was player-coach Tom Okker of the Netherlands, the 1968 U.S. Open finalist and a Top Ten-ranked singles player throughout the late Sixties and early Seventies.  Other members of the Royals’ six-person co-ed roster included Mike Estep, Jan O’Neill, Wendy Overton and Laura Rossouw. The Royals, who split their home matches between Buffalo Memorial Auditorium and Toronto’s CNE Coliseum, disbanded after the 1974 season.

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Frank Mahovlich on the cover of a 1975 Toronto Toros program from the World Hockey Association

Toronto Toros

World Hockey Association (1973-1976) Born: 1973 – The Ottawa Nationals relocate to Toronto Moved: June 29, 1976 (Birmingham Bulls) First Game: October 7, 1973 (T

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