Vancouver Blazers
The Vancouver Blazers were a professional ice hockey team that played in the World Hockey Association from 1973–1975. The Blazers played at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, sharing the facility with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. The Blazers were owned by local businessman Jim Pattison. The franchise moved to Vancouver after a single season in Philadelphia. Unable to establish a strong fan base in Vancouver, the team was moved again in 1975 to become the Calgary Cowboys.
| Vancouver Blazers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Home arena | Pacific Coliseum |
| Colours | Yellow and burnt orange |
| Franchise history | |
| 1972 (did not play) | Miami Screaming Eagles |
| 1972–1973 | Philadelphia Blazers |
| 1973–1975 | Vancouver Blazers |
| 1975–1976 | Calgary Cowboys |
History
The Blazers were one of the founding members of the World Hockey Association. Originally the team, called the Miami Screaming Eagles, was to be based in Miami, Florida, but due to financial problems and a lack of a suitable arena, the franchise was moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and debuted as the Philadelphia Blazers. After only one season in Philadelphia, the team relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia and became the Vancouver Blazers in 1973–74. After two seasons, the team was again relocated to Calgary, Alberta as the Calgary Cowboys for 1975–76. Two years later, the franchise folded.
Vancouver Blazers
After the 1972–73 WHA season ended, the Philadelphia Blazers' owners sold the team to Jim Pattison who moved the team north of the border to Vancouver, British Columbia where it was named Vancouver Blazers.
Pattison knew that in order to compete with the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL, who shared the same arena, he needed to attract a major star to the team, as Andre Lacroix, who had led the league in scoring the previous year, left to join the New York Golden Blades, while the team's (and league's) highest-paid player, Derek Sanderson, had been forced out at the end of the season in a major embarrassment to the team and league. Pattison tried to sign Boston star Phil Esposito, offering him $2.5 million over five years. Esposito decided to stay with the Bruins for less money.
The team performed poorly in their first year, finishing with a record of 27-50-1. The next season, 1974–75, brought back some respectability as they finished only two games below .500. But that wasn't enough to keep the team in Vancouver. After only two seasons in Vancouver, the team once again packed up and was moved to Calgary, Alberta, where they were renamed Calgary Cowboys. The Cowboys would be the WHA's second attempt at Calgary, as the Calgary Broncos were slated to start playing there for the inaugural WHA season. However, after Broncos' owner Bob Brownridge died, the franchise was instead placed in Cleveland, and the Broncos never played a single game in Calgary.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Season | Team Name | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1973–74 | Vancouver Blazers | 78 | 27 | 50 | 1 | 55 | 278 | 345 | 1047 | 5th, Western | Did not qualify |
| 1974–75 | Vancouver Blazers | 78 | 37 | 39 | 2 | 76 | 256 | 270 | 1075 | 4th, Canadian | Did not qualify |
| Franchise totals | 395 | 174 | 207 | 14 | 362 | 1381 | 1498 | 5278 |