World Hockey Association

E64763

defunct sports league professional ice hockey league

The World Hockey Association was a 1970s professional ice hockey league that rivaled the NHL, lured star players with higher salaries, and ultimately merged several of its teams into the NHL.

Aliases (3)

WHA ×2
WHA–NHL merger ×1
competition from World Hockey Association’s New England Whalers ×1

Statements (51)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	defunct sports league → professional ice hockey league →
abbreviation	WHA →
alsoKnownAs	WHA →
championshipTrophy	Avco World Trophy →
country	Canada → United States →
folded	1979 →
founded	1971 →
foundedBy	Dennis Murphy → Gary Davidson → Howard Baldwin → John Bassett →
impact	accelerated NHL expansion into new markets → helped raise player salaries in professional hockey →
inauguralSeason	1972–73 →
introducedRuleChange	experimentation with shootouts and overtime formats →
lastSeason	1978–79 →
mergerEffectiveDate	1979 →
mergerWith	National Hockey League →
notablePlayer	Anders Hedberg → Bobby Hull → Gordie Howe → Marc Tardif → Mark Howe → Marty Howe → Ulf Nilsson → Wayne Gretzky →
notableTeam	Birmingham Bulls → Cincinnati Stingers → Cleveland Crusaders → Edmonton Oilers → Houston Aeros → Indianapolis Racers → Minnesota Fighting Saints → New England Whalers → Ottawa Nationals → Phoenix Roadrunners → Quebec Nordiques → San Diego Mariners → Toronto Toros → Winnipeg Jets →
numberOfSeasons	7 →
reasonForCreation	to compete with the NHL and offer higher player salaries →
rivalLeague	National Hockey League →
sport	ice hockey →
teamsMergedIntoNHL	Edmonton Oilers → Hartford Whalers → Quebec Nordiques → Winnipeg Jets →
televisionCoverage	various regional and national broadcasters in North America →

Referenced by (15)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
Bernie Parent → Bobby Hull → Gordie Howe → Mark Howe →	league
Exhibition Stadium → Maple Leaf Gardens →	hostedLeague
Barry Melrose → Richard Nurse →	playedInLeague
World Hockey Association ("WHA") →	abbreviation
World Hockey Association ("WHA") →	alsoKnownAs
Richard Nurse →	leagueParticipation
Richard Nurse →	memberOf
Edmonton Oilers ("WHA–NHL merger") →	NHLExpansionOrMerger
Edmonton Oilers →	originLeague
Boston Braves (AHL) ("competition from World Hockey Association’s New England Whalers") →	reasonForSuspension