Phoenix Roadrunners (WHA)

See also Phoenix Roadrunners

The Phoenix Roadrunners were a team in the now defunct World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1977. They played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona. The organization folded for financial reasons before the remaining teams in the WHA merged with the NHL in 1979.

History
The franchise originally competed in the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1967 to 1974 after being moved from Victoria, British Columbia, where they had played for the three previous seasons as the Maple Leafs.

They won the championship trophy, the Lester Patrick Cup, twice during their tenure in the WHL (1972–73 and 1973–74). In 1974 they joined the WHA with their roster mostly intact when the minor pro WHL ceased operations.

Notable players WHA

 * Robbie Ftorek - (WHA MVP 1977)

Notable players WHL 1967-74

 * Jim Murray - played 364 games in 5 seasons on defence, scored 211 points
 * Harry Shaw - played 335 games in 6 seasons on defence
 * Larry Lund - scored 261 points in 203 games over 3 seasons
 * Alex "Sandy" Hucul - played 308 games over 5 seasons, won Hal Laycoe Cup (best defenceman) in 1968 and 1972; coached the WHA team in 1974
 * Andre Hinse - scored 143 goals and 313 points in 277 games over 4 seasons
 * Wayne Hicks - finished career in Phoenix with 218 points in 275 games
 * Bob Charlebois - scored 169 points in 224 games
 * Bob Barlow - scored 199 points in 207 games
 * Howie Young - for 3 of his 23 professional seasons, scored 170 points in 190 games, 1st Team All-Star 1974

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