1972–73 Houston Aeros season

1972–73 Houston Aeros (WHA) · NHL
Division	2nd Western
1972–73 record	39–35–4
Home record	24–16–1
Road record	15–19–3
Goals for	284
Goals against	269
General Manager	James S. Smith
Coach	Bill Dineen
Captain	Ted Taylor
Alternate captains	Poul Popiel Gord Labossiere Keke Mortson
Arena	Sam Houston Coliseum
Average attendance	4,616 (49.6%)
Team Leaders
Goals	Gord Labossiere (36)
Assists	Gord Labossiere (60)
Points	Gord Labossiere (96)
Penalties in minutes	John Schella (239)
Wins	Wayne Rutledge (21)
Goals against average	Wayne Rutledge (2.96)
← Seasons →
-	1973–74

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.

Ted Taylor's 1972-73 jersey.

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

Gord Labossiere scores, December 19, 1972.

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.

Final Standings

Western Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PIM	Pts
Winnipeg Jets	78	43	31	4	285	249	757	90
Houston Aeros	78	39	35	4	284	269	1363	82
Los Angeles Sharks	78	37	35	6	259	250	1477	80
Minnesota Fighting Saints	78	38	37	3	250	269	843	79
Alberta Oilers	78	38	37	3	269	256	1134	79
Chicago Cougars	78	26	50	2	245	295	811	54

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PIM = Penalties Minutes, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Game Log

Regular Season Results
No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	W	October 12, 1972	3–2	Chicago Cougars (1972–73)	1–0–0
2	W	October 13, 1972	3–2	@ Los Angeles Sharks (1972–73)	2–0–0
3	L	October 15, 1972	1–5	Los Angeles Sharks (1972–73)	2–1–0
4	L	October 18, 1972	1–4	New England Whalers (1972–73)	2–2–0
5	W	October 19, 1972	5–1	Minnesota Fighting Saints (1972–73)	3–2–0
6	L	October 21, 1972	2–3	@ New York Raiders (1972–73)	3–3–0
7	L	October 24, 1972	3–5	@ Quebec Nordiques (1972–73)	3–4–0
8	W	October 26, 1972	7–3	Ottawa Nationals (1972–73)	4–4–0
9	L	October 29, 1972	3–5	@ Winnipeg Jets (1972–73)	4–5–0
10	W	October 31, 1972	4–3	@ Alberta Oilers (1972–73)	5–5–0
11	L	November 3, 1972	3–4	@ Alberta Oilers (1972–73)	5–6–0
12	L	November 5, 1972	0–4	@ Los Angeles Sharks (1972–73)	5–7–0
13	W	November 7, 1972	3–2	@ Chicago Cougars (1972–73)	6–7–0
14	L	November 11, 1972	1–3	@ Quebec Nordiques (1972–73)	6–8–0
15	T	November 13, 1972	4–4	@ New England Whalers (1972–73)	6–8–1
16	L	November 15, 1972	4–6	Los Angeles Sharks (1972–73)	6–9–1
17	W	November 19, 1972	4–2	Cleveland Crusaders (1972–73)	7–9–1
18	L	November 21, 1972	2–4	Winnipeg Jets (1972–73)	7–10–1
19	W	November 23, 1972	6–5 OT	Winnipeg Jets (1972–73)	8–10–1
20	W	November 25, 1972	3–1	@ Cleveland Crusaders (1972–73)	9–10–1
21	W	November 28, 1972	3–1	@ Cleveland Crusaders (1972–73)	10–10–1
22	L	November 30, 1972	3–6	@ Los Angeles Sharks (1972–73)	10–11–1
23	W	December 2, 1972	7–2	@ New York Raiders (1972–73)	11–11–1
24	L	December 3, 1972	4–5	@ Ottawa Nationals (1972–73)	11–12–1
25	L	December 5, 1972	4–6	New York Raiders (1972–73)	11–13–1
26	L	December 7, 1972	0–3	@ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1972–73)	11–14–1
27	L	December 8, 1972	2–6	@ Winnipeg Jets (1972–73)	11–15–1
28	W	December 12, 1972	6–4	Alberta Oilers (1972–73)	12–15–1
29	L	December 13, 1972	2–3	Alberta Oilers (1972–73)	12–16–1
30	W	December 15, 1972	3–2	@ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1972–73)	13–16–1
31	T	December 17, 1972	4–4	Los Angeles Sharks (1972–73)	13–16–2
32	W	December 19, 1972	7–5	Los Angeles Sharks (1972–73)	14–16–2
33	W	December 23, 1972	7–3	Philadelphia Blazers (1972–73)	15–16–2
34	T	December 26, 1972	3–3	@ Ottawa Nationals (1972–73)	15–16–3
35	W	December 29, 1972	4–2	@ New England Whalers (1972–73)	16–16–3
36	L	December 30, 1972	3–4 OT	@ Cleveland Crusaders (1972–73)	16–17–3
37	T	January 1, 1973	4–4	@ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1972–73)	16–17–4
38	W	January 9, 1973	7–5	New England Whalers (1972–73)	17–17–4
39	W	January 11, 1973	5–0	@ Chicago Cougars (1972–73)	18–17–4
40	W	January 13, 1973	6–2	Chicago Cougars (1972–73)	19–17–4
41	W	January 15, 1973	5–4	Chicago Cougars (1972–73)	20–17–4
42	L	January 17, 1973	0–5	Cleveland Crusaders (1972–73)	20–18–4
43	W	January 18, 1973	8–3	@ Chicago Cougars (1972–73)	21–18–4
44	W	January 20, 1973	4–3	@ Philadelphia Blazers (1972–73)	22–18–4
45	W	January 21, 1973	5–2	Ottawa Nationals (1972–73)	23–18–4
46	W	January 23, 1973	11–3	Ottawa Nationals (1972–73)	24–18–4
47	W	January 25, 1973	5–2	@ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1972–73)	25–18–4
48	W	January 28, 1973	4–3	Chicago Cougars (1972–73)	26–18–4
49	L	January 30, 1973	2–5	Los Angeles Sharks (1972–73)	26–19–4
50	L	February 1, 1973	4–5 OT	New England Whalers (1972–73)	26–20–4
51	W	February 3, 1973	7–1	Minnesota Fighting Saints (1972–73)	27–20–4
52	L	February 5, 1973	3–6	Minnesota Fighting Saints (1972–73)	27–21–4
53	W	February 7, 1973	5–2	Winnipeg Jets (1972–73)	28–21–4
54	L	February 8, 1973	1–3	Winnipeg Jets (1972–73)	28–22–4
55	L	February 10, 1973	0–3	@ Chicago Cougars (1972–73)	28–23–4
56	L	February 13, 1973	3–5	@ Alberta Oilers (1972–73)	28–24–4
57	W	February 15, 1973	5–3	@ Alberta Oilers (1972–73)	29–24–4
58	L	February 16, 1973	0–7	@ Winnipeg Jets (1972–73)	29–25–4
59	L	February 18, 1973	2–4	@ Winnipeg Jets (1972–73)	29–26–4
60	W	February 22, 1973	4–1	Quebec Nordiques (1972–73)	30–26–4
61	W	February 25, 1973	4–1	Minnesota Fighting Saints (1972–73)	31–26–4
62	W	February 27, 1973	5–4	Alberta Oilers (1972–73)	32–26–4
63	W	February 28, 1973	3–2 OT	Alberta Oilers (1972–73)	33–26–4
64	L	March 3, 1973	3–4	Quebec Nordiques (1972–73)	33–27–4
65	L	March 4, 1973	3–6	Quebec Nordiques (1972–73)	33–28–4
66	W	March 7, 1973	3–1	@ Los Angeles Sharks (1972–73)	34–28–4
67	L	March 9, 1973	1–5	@ Los Angeles Sharks (1972–73)	34–29–4
68	W	March 11, 1973	4–2	@ Philadelphia Blazers (1972–73)	35–29–4
69	L	March 13, 1973	3–4	@ Philadelphia Blazers (1972–73)	35–30–4
70	L	March 14, 1973	1–5	@ New York Raiders (1972–73)	35–31–4
71	L	March 18, 1973	2–3 OT	New York Raiders (1972–73)	35–32–4
72	W	March 19, 1973	5–1	Philadelphia Blazers (1972–73)	36–32–4
73	L	March 21, 1973	3–7	Philadelphia Blazers (1972–73)	36–33–4
74	L	March 25, 1973	2–4	Cleveland Crusaders (1972–73)	36–34–4
75	W	March 27, 1973	6–1	@ New England Whalers (1972–73)	37–34–4
76	W	March 29, 1973	5–3	New York Raiders (1972–73)	38–34–4
77	L	March 31, 1973	1–5	@ Quebec Nordiques (1972–73)	38–35–4
78	W	April 1, 1973	6–3	@ Ottawa Nationals (1972–73)	39–35–4

Playoffs

Houston Aeros 4, Los Angeles Sharks 2

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Record
1	April 5	Los Angeles Sharks	2–7	Houston Aeros	1–0
2	April 7	Los Angeles Sharks	4–2	Houston Aeros	1–1
3	April 11	Houston Aeros	2–3	Los Angeles Sharks	1–2
4	April 13	Houston Aeros	3–2 OT	Los Angeles Sharks	2–2
5	April 15	Los Angeles Sharks	3–6	Houston Aeros	3–2
6	April 17	Houston Aeros	3–2	Los Angeles Sharks	4–2

Winnipeg Jets 4, Houston Aeros 0

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Record
1	April 22	Houston Aeros	1–5	Winnipeg Jets	0–1
2	April 24	Houston Aeros	0–2	Winnipeg Jets	0–2
3	April 26	Winnipeg Jets	2–4	Houston Aeros	0–3
4	April 29	Winnipeg Jets	0–3	Houston Aeros	0–4

Player Stats

Regular Season
Scoring
# Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG 10 Labossiere, GordGord Labossiere C 78 36 60 96 56 0 10 0 1 14 Taylor, TedTed Taylor LW 73 34 42 76 103 0 5 1 4 11 Hall, MurrayMurray Hall RW 76 28 42 70 84 0 7 2 7 13 Lund, LarryLarry Lund C 77 21 45 66 120 0 4 0 2 6 Popiel, PoulPoul Popiel D 73 16 48 64 158 0 5 0 2 21 Grierson, DonDon Grierson RW 78 22 22 44 83 0 5 0 0 15 Harris, DukeDuke Harris RW 75 30 12 42 14 0 4 5 0 7 Hughes, FrankFrank Hughes LW 77 22 19 41 41 0 4 0 0 8 McDonald, BrianBrian McDonald C 71 20 20 40 78 0 0 0 0 12 Hoekstra, EdEd Hoekstra C 78 11 28 39 12 0 0 1 0 17 Hale, LarryLarry Hale D 68 4 26 30 65 0 0 0 0 9 Mortson, ClelandCleland Mortson RW 67 13 16 29 95 0 2 0 0 4 McCallum, DuncDunc McCallum D 69 9 20 29 112 0 2 0 0 2 Schella, JohnJohn Schella D 77 2 24 26 239 0 0 1 0 18 Stanfield, JackJack Stanfield LW 71 8 12 20 8 0 0 0 0 Smith, BrianBrian Smith LW 48 7 6 13 19 0 2 0 0 3 Larose, RayRay Larose D 68 1 10 11 25 0 0 0 0 5 Kannegiesser, GordGord Kannegiesser D 45 0 10 10 32 0 0 0 0 Prentice, BillBill Prentice D 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 29 Hughes, BillBill Hughes G 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 30 Rutledge, WayneWayne Rutledge G 36 0 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 1 McLeod, DonDon McLeod G 41 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO Rutledge, WayneWayne Rutledge 2163 36 20 14 2 110 3.05 0 McLeod, DonDon McLeod 2410 41 19 20 1 143 3.56 1 Hughes, BillBill Hughes 170 3 0 1 1 11 3.88 0 Team: 4743 78 39 35 4 264 3.34 1

Playoffs
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG Popiel, PoulPoul Popiel D 10 2 9 11 23 1 0 0 Lund, LarryLarry Lund C 10 3 7 10 24 0 0 1 Hall, MurrayMurray Hall RW 10 4 4 8 18 2 0 2 Hughes, FrankFrank Hughes LW 10 4 4 8 2 3 0 0 McCallum, DuncDunc McCallum D 10 2 3 5 6 1 0 0 Labossiere, GordGord Labossiere C 6 1 4 5 8 1 0 0 Taylor, TedTed Taylor LW 10 3 1 4 10 1 0 1 McDonald, BrianBrian McDonald C 10 3 0 3 16 0 0 0 Hale, LarryLarry Hale D 10 1 2 3 2 0 0 0 Hoekstra, EdEd Hoekstra C 9 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 Mortson, ClelandCleland Mortson RW 10 0 3 3 16 0 0 0 Harris, DukeDuke Harris RW 10 1 1 2 4 0 1 0 Schella, JohnJohn Schella D 10 0 2 2 12 0 0 0 Smith, BrianBrian Smith LW 10 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 Stanfield, JackJack Stanfield LW 9 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 Kannegiesser, GordGord Kannegiesser D 9 0 1 1 11 0 0 0 Grierson, DonDon Grierson RW 3 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 McLeod, DonDon McLeod G 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Rutledge, WayneWayne Rutledge G 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO Rutledge, WayneWayne Rutledge 423 7 4 3 20 2.84 0 McLeod, DonDon McLeod 178 3 0 3 8 2.70 0 Team: 601 10 4 6 28 2.80 0

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.

Gallery

The Jets and Aeros in 1972-73 season action.

Brian Bradley, Frank Hughes, Bill Speer and Pete Donnelly in 1972-73 season action.

Add a photo to this gallery

See Also

• 1972–73 WHA season