1972–73 Alberta Oilers season

The 1972–73 Alberta Oilers season was the Oilers' first season, as one of twelve inaugural franchises of the now-defunct World Hockey Association (WHA). ^[1][2]

1972–73 Alberta Oilers
Division	5th Western
1972–73 record	38–37–3
Home record	26–13–2
Road record	12–24–1
Goals for	269 (9th)
Goals against	256 (4th)
Team information
General manager	Bill Hunter
Coach	Ray Kinasewich Bill Hunter
Captain	Al Hamilton
Alternate captains	Doug Barrie Val Fonteyne Jim Harrison
Arena	Edmonton Gardens
Average attendance	3,848 (74.0%)
Team leaders
Goals	Jim Harrison (39)
Assists	Al Hamilton (50)
Points	Jim Harrison (86)
Penalty minutes	Al Hamilton (124)
Wins	Jack Norris (28)
Goals against average	Jack Norris (3.06)
1973–74 →

Regular season

The Oilers victory over the Ottawa Nationals on October 11, 1972, was the first game in league history, with Ron Anderson scoring the first goal.

Jim Harrison led the team in scoring, with 39 goals and 86 points. On January 30, 1973, in an 11–3 defeat of the New York Raiders, Harrison set a major professional hockey record with 10 points (3G, 7A) in a single game. That feat was later matched by Darryl Sittler on February 7, 1976, in a National Hockey League game.

The Oilers posted a winning record in the regular season, with 38 wins, 37 losses and 3 ties. The Minnesota Fighting Saints finished with an identical record, so a single game playoff was contested to decide fourth place in the Western Division. The Fighting Saints defeated the Oilers 4–2 on a neutral site rink (in Calgary), ending the Oilers season.

Season standings

Playoffs

The Oilers and the Minnesota Fighting Saints were tied at the end of the season. They had the same number of victories and points, and they had both won four games against each other. Subsequently, it was decided that the two teams would play a one-game playoff to decide the final spot in the playoffs, to be played in Calgary. The Oilers lost the game, and the Fighting Saints went on to play in the Quarterfinals.

1973 Avco Cup Playoffs
1980 Western Division 4th Place Tiebreaker Game Minnesota Fighting Saints won tiebreaker # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 4 Minnesota Fighting Saints 4 – 2 Alberta Oilers Norris 6,392 0–1 [1]

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties In Minutes

Player	Regular season					Playoffs
	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Jim Harrison	66	39	47	86	93	1	0	1	1	2
Al Hamilton	78	11	50	61	124	1	0	0	0	2
Ross Perkins	71	21	37	58	19	1	0	0	0	2
Ed Patenaude	78	29	27	56	59	1	0	1	1	4
Ron Walters	78	28	26	54	37	1	1	0	1	0
Bob Wall	78	16	29	45	20	1	0	1	1	0
Val Fonteyne	77	7	32	39	2	1	0	0	0	0
Eddie Joyal	71	22	16	38	16	1	0	0	0	0
Bill Hicke	73	14	24	38	20	1	0	0	0	0
Brian Carlin	65	12	22	34	6	1	0	0	0	0
Doug Barrie	54	9	22	31	111	1	0	0	0	22
Ron Anderson	73	14	15	29	43	1	0	0	0	0
Ken Baird	75	14	15	29	112	1	1	0	1	6
Bob Falkenberg	77	6	23	29	44	1	0	0	0	0
Steve Carlyle	67	7	10	17	35	1	0	0	0	0
Dennis Kassian	50	6	7	13	14	1	0	1	1	0
Bob McAneeley	51	5	7	12	24	—	—	—	—	—
Bernie Blanchette^†	23	5	4	9	2	—	—	—	—	—
Roger Cote	60	3	5	8	46	1	0	0	0	0
John Fisher	40	0	5	5	0	—	—	—	—	—
Jack Norris	64	0	3	3	2	1	0	0	0	0
Jim Benzelock^‡	26	1	1	2	10	—	—	—	—	—
Derek Harker^‡	1	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—
Ken Brown	20	0	0	0	2	—	—	—	—	—

^†Denotes player traded to the Oilers mid-season.
^‡Denotes player traded away mid-season.
Statistics for all players reflect only games played with the Oilers.

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Player	Regular season									Playoffs
	GP	TOI	W	L	T	GA	SO	SV%	GAA	GP	TOI	W	L	GA	SO	SV%	GAA
Jack Norris	64	3705	28	29	3	189	1	0.903	3.06	1	59	0	1	4	0	0.833	4.07
Ken Brown	20	1034	10	8	0	63	1	0.883	3.65	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Awards and records

Four Oilers were selected to play in the mid-season All-Star Game on January 6:

• Jack Norris (G)
• Al Hamilton (D)
• Bob Wall (D)
• Jim Harrison (C)

Milestones

Regular Season
Player	Milestone	Reached
Ron Anderson	1st WHA Game 1st WHA Goal 1st WHA Point	October 11, 1972
Bill Hicke
Eddie Joyal
Ron Walters
Jim Benzelock	1st WHA Game
Roger Côté
Bob Falkenberg
Dennis Kassian
Ed Patenaude
Ken Brown	1st WHA Game 1st WHA Win
Steve Carlyle	1st WHA Game 1st WHA Assist 1st WHA Point
John Fisher
Val Fonteyne
Al Hamilton
Bob McAneeley
Bob Wall
Jim Harrison	1st WHA Game 1st WHA Goal 1st WHA Assist 1st WHA Point
Jack Norris	1st WHA Game	October 13, 1972
Roger Côté	1st WHA Goal 1st WHA Point	October 15, 1972
Val Fonteyne	1st WHA Goal
Eddie Joyal	1st WHA Assist
Ron Walters
Ron Anderson	1st WHA Assist	October 17, 1972
Jack Norris	1st WHA Win
Brian Carlin	1st WHA Game	October 20, 1972
Bob Falkenberg	1st WHA Assist 1st WHA Point
Ed Patenaude	1st WHA Goal 1st WHA Assist 1st WHA Point
Ron Walters	1st WHA Hat-trick
Brian Carlin	1st WHA Goal 1st WHA Point	October 24, 1972
Bill Hicke	1st WHA Assist
Ross Perkins	1st WHA Game	October 27, 1972
Dennis Kassian	1st WHA Goal 1st WHA Point	October 28, 1972
Ross Perkins	1st WHA Assist 1st WHA Point
Ken Baird	1st WHA Assist 1st WHA Point	October 29, 1972
Doug Barrie	1st WHA Game
Ross Perkins	1st WHA Goal
Doug Barrie	1st WHA Goal 1st WHA Point	November 3, 1972
Brian Carlin	1st WHA Assist
Bob Wall	1st WHA Goal
Dennis Kassian	1st WHA Assist	November 5, 1972
Doug Barrie
Steve Carlyle	1st WHA Goal	November 7, 1972
Al Hamilton
Ken Baird	1st WHA Goal	November 9, 1972
Bob Falkenberg	1st WHA Goal	November 11, 1972
Jim Benzelock	1st WHA Assist 1st WHA Point	November 25, 1972
Bob McAneeley	1st WHA Goal	November 30, 1972
Jim Benzelock	1st WHA Goal	December 12, 1972
Roger Côté	1st WHA Assist	December 21, 1972
Jim Harrison	1st WHA Gordie Howe hat trick
Ross Perkins	1st WHA Hat-Trick	January 1, 1973
Jack Norris	1st WHA Assist	January 16, 1973
Jim Harrison	1st WHA Hat-Trick	January 30, 1973
Jack Norris	1st WHA Shutout	February 9, 1973
Al Hamilton	100th WHA PIM	February 27, 1973
Ken Baird	100th WHA PIM	March 17, 1973
Ken Brown	1st WHA Shutout
Jim Harrison	2nd WHA Gordie Howe hat trick
Doug Barrie	100th WHA PIM	March 28, 1973
Ken Baird	1st WHA Game	TBD
Derek Harker

Playoffs
Player	Milestone	Reached
Ron Anderson	1st WHA Game	April 4, 1973
Doug Barrie
Brian Carlin
Steve Carlyle
Roger Côté
Bob Falkenberg
Val Fonteyne
Al Hamilton
Bill Hicke
Eddie Joyal
Jack Norris
Ross Perkins
Ken Baird	1st WHA Game 1st WHA Goal 1st WHA Point
Ron Walters
Jim Harrison	1st WHA Game 1st WHA Assist 1st WHA Point
Dennis Kassian
Ed Patenaude
Bob Wall

Transactions

Draft picks

The WHA General Player Draft was held on February 12–13, 1972 to stock each new WHA team with their initial rosters. The Oilers selected four NHL players with their "priority" selections:

• Norm Ullman, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Bobby Clarke, C, Philadelphia Flyers
• Bruce MacGregor, RW, New York Rangers
• Phil Myre, G, Montreal Canadiens

Ullman and MacGregor would eventually play for the Oilers, but not for the 1972–73 season. Both were Edmonton-born players who finished their playing careers with the Oilers after long NHL careers.

The Oilers selected an additional 96 players in subsequent rounds of the draft. Of those, 22 players would play for the Oilers, 16 in the 1972–73 season.

Player	Pos	Team	League	Joined Oilers
Rounds 1-10
Garnet Bailey	LW	Boston Bruins	NHL	1978–79
Doug Barrie	D	Los Angeles Kings	NHL	1972–73
Ross Perkins	C	Fort Worth Wings	CHL	1972–73
Rounds 11-20
Ron Anderson	RW	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	1972–73
Len Lunde	LW	Ilves Tampere	SM-sarja	1973–74
Rounds 21-50
Ken Baird	D	California Golden Seals	NHL	1972–73
Jim Benzelock	RW	Dayton Gems	IHL	1972–73
Brian Carlin	LW	Los Angeles Kings	NHL	1972–73
Bob Falkenberg	D	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	1972–73
Val Fonteyne	LW	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	1972–73
Del Hall	LW	California Golden Seals	NHL	1977–78
Al Hamilton	D	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	1972–73
Eddie Joyal	C	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL	1972–73
Kerry Ketter	D	Nova Scotia Voyageurs	AHL	1975–76
Barry Long	D	Portland Buckaroos	WHL	1974–75
Glen Sather	LW	New York Rangers	NHL	1976–77
Ron Walters	C	Tidewater Wings	AHL	1972–73
Rounds 51-70
Roger Cote	D	Cleveland Barons	AHL	1972–73
Bob McAneeley	LW	University of British Columbia	CWUAA	1972–73
Ed Patenaude	RW	Fort Wayne Komets	IHL	1972–73
Bob Wall	D	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	1972–73
Rounds 71+
John Fisher	C	Fort Worth Wings	CHL	1972–73

Trades

Date	To Alberta Oilers	Traded to	Traded for
May 1972	Jim Harrison	Calgary Broncos	Cash
	Dennis Kassian	Houston Aeros	Cash
June 1972	Future considerations	Quebec Nordiques	François Lacombe
July 1972	Darryl Sittler Steve Carlyle	Cleveland Crusaders	Jocelyn Hardy Doug Brindley Bill Horton Rich Pumple
August 1972	Jack Norris Ken Brown	Cleveland Crusaders	Bob Whidden
	Future considerations	Quebec Nordiques	John Gravel Jean-Yves Cartier
September 1972	Cash	Ottawa Nationals	Gilles Gratton
November 3, 1972 (1972-11-03)	Cash	Philadelphia Blazers	Derek Harker
December 27, 1972 (1972-12-27)	Bernie Blanchette	Chicago Cougars	Jim Benzelock

Free Agents

Date	Player	Former team
September 11, 1972 (1972-09-11)	Bill Hicke	Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)

Signings

Date	Player	Term
1972	Len Lunde	2-year
June 6, 1972 (1972-06-06)	Doug Barrie
	Brian Carlin
	Roger Côté
	Al Hamilton	5-year
	Eddie Joyal	3-year
	Ross Perkins	3-year
	Bob Wall
June 7, 1972 (1972-06-07)	Jim Benzelock	3-year
	Bob Falkenberg
June 20, 1972 (1972-06-20)	Jim Harrison	4-year
July 6, 1972 (1972-07-06)	Ken Baird	3-year
	Derek Harker
	Bob McAneeley
	Ed Patenaude
July 27, 1972 (1972-07-27)	Ron Walters
August 4, 1972 (1972-08-04)	Ken Brown	3-year
	Jack Norris
August 21, 1972 (1972-08-21)	Ron Anderson
	Steve Carlyle	3-year
September 4, 1972 (1972-09-04)	Val Fonteyne	2-year
September 18, 1972 (1972-09-18)	Dennis Kassian	2-year
October 1972	John Fisher

References

1. World Hockey Association (1972). WHA 1972-73 Media Guide. World Hockey Association.
2. World Hockey Association (1973). WHA 1973-74 Media Guide. World Hockey Association.

• Surgent, Scott (September 2004). The Complete Historical and Statistical Reference to the World Hockey Association, 1972–1979 (7th ed.). Xaler Press. pp. 48–69. ISBN 0-9644774-4-0.
• "1972–73 Alberta Oilers [WHA] player statistics". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
• "1972–73 World Hockey Association [WHA] standings". The Internet Hockey Database. from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
• "WHA Oilers Page – 1972-73 Results". The Home of the Oilers. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
• "WHA Oilers Page – 1972 Alberta Oilers". The Home of the Oilers. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
• "WHA Oilers Page – 1972 WHA General Player Draft". The Home of the Oilers. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
• "WHA Oilers Page – All Time Trades". The Home of the Oilers. Retrieved February 20, 2009.