1972–73 Houston Aeros season



The 1972–73 Houston Aeros season was the 1st season of the Aeros franchise in the World Hockey Association (WHA). The Aeros finished 2nd in the Western Division and lost in the Semi-finals to the Winnipeg Jets 4 games to 0.

Off-season
Owned by Ohio architect Paul Deneau, the franchise was originally planned to play in Dayton, Ohio. Unable to find a suitable venue in Dayton caused Deneau to seek a home elsewhere, finally choosing Houston, Texas. The name was changed to Aeros after he spotted an AeroMexico plane while traveling and recognized the city's connection to the aerospace industry.

Bill Dineen used his experience in the Western Hockey League to signed veterans for the Aeros. Forwards Ted Taylor, Larry Lund and Frank Hughes, defensemen Poul Popiel, Larry Hale, John Schella and goaltender Wayne Rutledge were members of the inaugural roster and remained until the franchise folded.

The Aeros jerseys throughout their franchise history were white, dark and light blue with a star on each shoulder and "AEROS" spelt diagonally on the jersey front. Jersey numbers and names were not outlined. However, for the 1972-73 season only, "AEROS" was spelt in a block font with several shades of blue and the sleeves had blue and white colour flows with no stripes.

Regular Season
Through the first three months the Aeros played mediocre hockey with a record of 16-16-4. In January the Aeros took off, winning 10 of 13 games and finished second in the Western Division with a record of 39-35-4. Gord Labossiere led the team in scoring with 36 goals and 60 assists. Goalie Wayne Rutledge had an excellent season and finished with the league's 4th best goals against average and 20 wins.

Player Stats
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals

MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts

Awards and Records

 * The Aeros did not win any awards this season.