1979 NHL–WHA merger
E562439
The 1979 NHL–WHA merger was the agreement in which the National Hockey League absorbed four surviving World Hockey Association franchises, effectively dissolving the WHA and reshaping major professional hockey in North America.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| WHA–NHL merger exclusion | 1 |
| World Hockey Association–NHL merger | 1 |
Statements (39)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
historical event
ⓘ
sports league merger ⓘ |
| category |
1979 in ice hockey
ⓘ
National Hockey League expansion ⓘ Sports mergers and acquisitions ⓘ World Hockey Association history ⓘ |
| continent | North America ⓘ |
| country |
Canada
ⓘ
United States of America ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| effectiveDate | 1979-06-22 ⓘ |
| governingBodyNHL | NHL Board of Governors NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| governingBodyWHA | WHA Board of Governors NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| impact |
ended direct major-league competition to the NHL
ⓘ
integrated many WHA players into the NHL ⓘ reshaped major professional hockey in North America ⓘ |
| includedDraftConcessions | true ⓘ |
| includedIndemnityPayments | true ⓘ |
| leagueAbsorbing | National Hockey League NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| leagueDissolved | World Hockey Association NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| NHLTeamCountAfter | 21 ⓘ |
| NHLTeamCountBefore | 17 ⓘ |
| notableFranchiseOutcome |
Hartford Whalers later relocated to become the Carolina Hurricanes
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Quebec Nordiques later relocated to become the Colorado Avalanche NERFINISHED ⓘ Winnipeg Jets later relocated to become the Phoenix Coyotes ⓘ |
| notablePlayerMovement | Wayne Gretzky joined the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| numberOfTeamsAbsorbed | 4 ⓘ |
| reason |
competition for players between NHL and WHA
ⓘ
desire to stabilize major professional hockey ⓘ financial instability of WHA franchises ⓘ |
| result |
dissolution of the World Hockey Association
ⓘ
expansion of the National Hockey League ⓘ |
| seasonEffective | 1979–80 NHL season ⓘ |
| sport | ice hockey ⓘ |
| teamAbsorbed |
Edmonton Oilers
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Hartford Whalers NERFINISHED ⓘ Quebec Nordiques NERFINISHED ⓘ Winnipeg Jets NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| WHAFinalSeason | 1978–79 WHA season ⓘ |
| WHAFoundingYear | 1972 ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
World Hockey Association–NHL merger
this entity surface form:
WHA–NHL merger exclusion