Ottawa Nationals

The Ottawa Nationals were an ice hockey team from Ottawa, Ontario, the 1972-1973 was active in the North American World Hockey Association (WHA ). Then the team moved to Toronto, where he played as Toronto Toros.

History

Three weeks after the WHA had officially named their first team still decided to include two more teams. One of the two franchises are awarded to Doug Michel, who should build a team in the Canadian province of Ontario. First plan was to give the team a home in Toronto, but the rent receivables that had been in the Maple Leaf Gardens, forced to rethink. Also, Hamilton was one of the possible locations, but you then decided in February 1972 but for Ottawa. Nick Trbovich, an industrialist from Buffalo, became the co-owner.

As a coach Billy Harris was committed and on the ice, Wayne Carleton was the leading player. With 42 goals and 91 points Carleton was the best scorer of the Nationals in the 1972 season / 73rd The young Gavin Kirk played with 68 points a strong rookie season and helped that the Nationals were able to qualify for the playoffs. But only 3,226 spectators in the average, the 10,500 -seat Ottawa Civic Centre a disappointing backdrop. The battle for the favor of the public against the popular junior team, the Ottawa 67 's was hard for the Nationals. After you got from the City of Ottawa the decision that you should spend $ 100,000 for the use of the Civic Centre in the coming year, a decision was made to move to the start of the playoffs to Toronto.

In Toronto, the Maple Leafs had not reached the finals of the National Hockey League and so came to the team with the rental for the Maple Leaf Gardens now opposed. The two games against the eventual winner of the Avco World Trophy, the New England Whalers of which you could win one, were the last Games of the Nationals. Nearly 4,500 spectators in each of the two games forced the decision to next season to Toronto to move. They played from the 1973/74 season as Toronto Toros.