Wikipedia

1974–75 Houston Aeros season

The 1974–75 Houston Aeros season was the Aeros' third season of operation in the World Hockey Association (WHA). The Aeros qualified first in their division for the playoffs and successfully defended their Avco World Trophy WHA championship.

1974–75 Houston Aeros
Avco Cup champions
Division1st Western
1974–75 record53–25–0
Home record28–11–0
Road record25–14–0
Goals for369
Goals against247
Team information
CoachBill Dineen
CaptainTed Taylor
Alternate captainsGordie Howe
Gord Labossiere
Poul Popiel
ArenaSam Houston Coliseum
Team leaders
GoalsFrank Hughes
AssistsLarry Lund
PointsLarry Lund

Regular season

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Larry Lund scored 33 goals and had 108 points on the season. Frank Hughes scored a team high 48 goals. Gordie Howe (at the age of 46) scored 34 goals and had 99 points. Mark Howe had 36 goals and 76 points while Marty Howe had 13 goals and 34 points. In total, the Howe family had 83 goals and 209 points combined during the season. The Aeros ranked first in goals scored and goals against en route to 53 wins, a five-game improvement from their Cup winning season the year before.[1]

Final standings

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Western Division GP W L T Pts GF GA PIM
Houston Aeros 78 53 25 0 106 369 247 1257
San Diego Mariners 78 43 31 4 90 326 268 1058
Minnesota Fighting Saints 78 42 33 3 87 308 279 1233
Phoenix Roadrunners 78 39 31 8 86 300 265 1388
Michigan Stags / Baltimore Blades 78 21 53 4 46 205 341 1104

Game log

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Regular season schedule
No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 W October 16, 1974 6–0 @ Vancouver Blazers (1974–75) 1–0–0
2 L October 18, 1974 4–6 @ Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75) 1–1–0
3 L October 19, 1974 2–6 @ San Diego Mariners (1974–75) 1–2–0
4 L October 22, 1974 2–7 @ Quebec Nordiques (1974–75) 1–3–0
5 L October 23, 1974 4–5 @ New England Whalers (1974–75) 1–4–0
6 W October 26, 1974 3–2 Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75) 2–4–0
7 W October 29, 1974 4–2 @ Chicago Cougars (1974–75) 3–4–0
8 W October 30, 1974 1–0 Chicago Cougars (1974–75) 4–4–0
9 W November 2, 1974 8–2 Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75) 5–4–0
10 W November 5, 1974 9–3 San Diego Mariners (1974–75) 6–4–0
11 L November 9, 1974 4–5 OT Indianapolis Racers (1974–75) 6–5–0
12 W November 12, 1974 6–1 New England Whalers (1974–75) 7–5–0
13 W November 13, 1974 8–5 @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75) 8–5–0
14 W November 16, 1974 6–2 Chicago Cougars (1974–75) 9–5–0
15 L November 17, 1974 3–4 San Diego Mariners (1974–75) 9–6–0
16 W November 19, 1974 10–0 @ Indianapolis Racers (1974–75) 10–6–0
17 W November 22, 1974 4–1 @ Vancouver Blazers (1974–75) 11–6–0
18 W November 23, 1974 4–2 @ Vancouver Blazers (1974–75) 12–6–0
19 W November 24, 1974 4–3 OT @ Edmonton Oilers (1974–75) 13–6–0
20 L November 26, 1974 4–6 Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75) 13–7–0
21 W November 28, 1974 2–0 Edmonton Oilers (1974–75) 14–7–0
22 L November 30, 1974 4–5 Cleveland Crusaders (1974–75) 14–8–0
23 W December 1, 1974 7–3 @ Indianapolis Racers (1974–75) 15–8–0
24 W December 3, 1974 5–4 @ Toronto Toros (1974–75) 16–8–0
25 W December 4, 1974 3–2 @ Winnipeg Jets (1974–75) 17–8–0
26 L December 8, 1974 1–2 @ Quebec Nordiques (1974–75) 17–9–0
27 W December 11, 1974 5–2 Vancouver Blazers (1974–75) 18–9–0
28 W December 14, 1974 5–3 Winnipeg Jets (1974–75) 19–9–0
29 L December 15, 1974 3–4 San Diego Mariners (1974–75) 19–10–0
30 W December 17, 1974 7–2 Edmonton Oilers (1974–75) 20–10–0
31 L December 19, 1974 1–3 Vancouver Blazers (1974–75) 20–11–0
32 W December 21, 1974 5–3 @ New England Whalers (1974–75) 21–11–0
33 W December 22, 1974 3–0 @ Cleveland Crusaders (1974–75) 22–11–0
34 W December 28, 1974 6–1 New England Whalers (1974–75) 23–11–0
35 W December 29, 1974 6–3 Winnipeg Jets (1974–75) 24–11–0
36 W January 2, 1975 6–3 Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) 25–11–0
37 W January 4, 1975 5–2 Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) 26–11–0
38 W January 11, 1975 6–4 Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75) 27–11–0
39 L January 12, 1975 4–7 Toronto Toros (1974–75) 27–12–0
40 W January 15, 1975 9–2 Edmonton Oilers (1974–75) 28–12–0
41 L January 18, 1975 4–5 OT @ San Diego Mariners (1974–75) 28–13–0
42 L January 24, 1975 5–7 @ Edmonton Oilers (1974–75) 28–14–0
43 W January 26, 1975 3–1 @ Winnipeg Jets (1974–75) 29–14–0
44 L January 28, 1975 5–7 @ Edmonton Oilers (1974–75) 29–15–0
45 L January 31, 1975 1–4 @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75) 29–16–0
46 W February 1, 1975 6–5 @ Chicago Cougars (1974–75) 30–16–0
47 W February 2, 1975 5–2 @ Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) 31–16–0
48 W February 4, 1975 4–3 OT @ Indianapolis Racers (1974–75) 32–16–0
49 W February 5, 1975 5–2 Toronto Toros (1974–75) 33–16–0
50 L February 6, 1975 3–4 Quebec Nordiques (1974–75) 33–17–0
51 L February 8, 1975 4–6 Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) 33–18–0
52 W February 9, 1975 4–1 @ Cleveland Crusaders (1974–75) 34–18–0
53 W February 11, 1975 5–2 @ Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) 35–18–0
54 W February 12, 1975 3–1 @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75) 36–18–0
55 L February 14, 1975 3–5 @ Winnipeg Jets (1974–75) 36–19–0
56 W February 17, 1975 5–3 @ Quebec Nordiques (1974–75) 37–19–0
57 W February 19, 1975 10–4 Quebec Nordiques (1974–75) 38–19–0
58 L February 22, 1975 2–4 Vancouver Blazers (1974–75) 38–20–0
59 W February 23, 1975 5–1 Toronto Toros (1974–75) 39–20–0
60 W February 26, 1975 9–5 Cleveland Crusaders (1974–75) 40–20–0
61 W February 27, 1975 7–2 @ Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75) 41–20–0
62 W March 1, 1975 4–2 Chicago Cougars (1974–75) 42–20–0
63 W March 2, 1975 4–3 OT Indianapolis Racers (1974–75) 43–20–0
64 L March 6, 1975 4–7 @ San Diego Mariners (1974–75) 43–21–0
65 L March 8, 1975 4–5 New England Whalers (1974–75) 43–22–0
66 W March 14, 1975 5–4 @ Chicago Cougars (1974–75) 44–22–0
67 W March 16, 1975 2–1 @ Cleveland Crusaders (1974–75) 45–22–0
68 L March 17, 1975 4–5 @ Toronto Toros (1974–75) 45–23–0
69 W March 19, 1975 6–5 Indianapolis Racers (1974–75) 46–23–0
70 W March 20, 1975 5–3 Quebec Nordiques (1974–75) 47–23–0
71 W March 22, 1975 5–3 @ New England Whalers (1974–75) 48–23–0
72 L March 26, 1975 1–2 @ Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75) 48–24–0
73 W March 27, 1975 8–0 Winnipeg Jets (1974–75) 49–24–0
74 W March 29, 1975 8–2 Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75) 50–24–0
75 W April 2, 1975 7–6 Cleveland Crusaders (1974–75) 51–24–0
76 W April 5, 1975 8–2 Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75) 52–24–0
77 W April 6, 1975 5–2 @ Toronto Toros (1974–75) 53–24–0
78 L April 7, 1975 2–4 @ Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) 53–25–0

Playoffs

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During the playoffs, the Aeros lost only once en route to a second consecutive Avco World Trophy. The Aeros defeated the Cleveland Crusaders 4–1 in the Quarter-finals. The Aeros then defeated the San Diego Mariners 4–0 to advance to the Final. In the Final, the Aeros swept the Quebec Nordiques 4–0.

Houston Aeros 4, Cleveland Crusaders 1 - Quarterfinals

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# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 10 Cleveland Crusaders 5–8 Houston Aeros 1–0
2 April 12 Cleveland Crusaders 3–5 Houston Aeros 2–0
3 April 13 Houston Aeros 1–3 Cleveland Crusaders 2–1
4 April 15 Houston Aeros 7–2 Cleveland Crusaders 3–1
5 April 17 Cleveland Crusaders 1–3 Houston Aeros 4–1

Houston Aeros 4, San Diego Mariners 0 - Semifinals

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# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 25 Houston Aeros 4–0 San Diego Mariners 1–0
2 April 27 Houston Aeros 2–1 San Diego Mariners 2–0
3 April 29 San Diego Mariners 0–6 Houston Aeros 3–0
4 May 1 San Diego Mariners 4–5 OT Houston Aeros 4–0

Houston Aeros 4, Quebec Nordiques 0 - Avco Cup Finals

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# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 May 3 Quebec Nordiques 2–6 Houston Aeros 1–0
2 May 6 Quebec Nordiques 3–5 Houston Aeros 2–0
3 May 10 Houston Aeros 2–0 Quebec Nordiques 3–0
4 May 12 Houston Aeros 7–2 Quebec Nordiques 4–0

Player stats

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Regular season
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Larry Lund C 78 33 75 108 68 28 13 0 0
Gordie Howe RW 75 34 65 99 84 40 8 3 0
Andre Hinse LW 75 39 47 86 12 34 13 0 0
Frank Hughes LW 76 48 35 83 35 32 15 0 0
Mark Howe D 74 36 40 76 30 40 7 4 0
Poul Popiel D 78 11 53 64 123 41 4 2 0
Gord Labossiere C 76 23 34 57 40 5 4 0 0
Ted Taylor LW 73 26 27 53 130 7 2 3 0
John Schella D 78 10 42 52 176 43 0 0 0
Jim Sherrit C 77 22 25 47 25 36 1 0 0
Murray Hall RW 78 18 29 47 28 2 0 5 0
Terry Ruskowski C 71 10 36 46 134 30 3 0 0
Rich Preston RW 78 20 21 41 10 25 1 0 0
Don Larway RW 76 22 14 36 59 26 0 0 0
Marty Howe D 75 13 21 34 89 46 0 1 0
Larry Hale D 76 2 18 20 40 35 0 0 0
Glen Irwin D 70 2 11 13 153 38 0 0 0
Bill Prentice D 17 0 3 3 19 3 0 0 0
Ron Grahame G 43 0 1 1 6 0 0 0 0
Wayne Rutledge G 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Ron Grahame 2590 43 33 10 0 131 3.03 4
Wayne Rutledge 2092 35 20 15 0 113 3.24 2
Team: 4682 78 53 25 0 244 3.13 6
Playoffs
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
Mark Howe D 13 10 12 22 0 0 0 3
Gordie Howe RW 13 8 12 20 20 0 0 1
Larry Lund C 13 5 13 18 13 0 0 1
Gord Labossiere C 13 6 7 13 4 0 0 0
Frank Hughes LW 13 6 6 12 2 0 0 1
Poul Popiel D 13 1 10 11 34 0 0 1
Murray Hall RW 13 7 3 10 8 0 0 2
Andre Hinse LW 11 5 4 9 8 0 0 0
John Schella D 13 0 8 8 12 0 0 0
Ted Taylor LW 11 2 5 7 22 0 0 0
Rich Preston RW 13 1 6 7 6 0 0 0
Terry Ruskowski C 13 4 2 6 15 0 0 1
Jim Sherrit C 13 3 3 6 6 0 0 2
Don Larway RW 13 3 1 4 8 0 0 0
Larry Hale D 13 0 4 4 0 0 0 0
Marty Howe D 11 0 2 2 11 0 0 0
Glen Irwin D 13 0 2 2 8 0 0 0
Ron Grahame G 13 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Bill Prentice D 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO
Ron Grahame 780 13 12 1 26 2.00 3
Team: 780 13 12 1 26 2.00 3

[2]

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

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Transactions

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Draft picks

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Houston's draft picks at the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft.[3][4]

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
WHA Secret Amateur Draft
1 9 John Hughes (D)   Canada Toronto Marlboros (OHA)
1 15 Rich Nantais (LW)   Canada Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
2 30 Terry Ruskowski (C)   Canada Swift Current Broncos (WCHL)
WHA Amateur Draft
1 15 Dick Spannbauer (D)   United States University of Minnesota (WCHA)
2 30 Pierre Larouche (F)   Canada Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL)
3 45 Pete LoPresti (G)   United States University of Denver (WCHA)
4 60 Derek Smith (F)   Canada Ottawa 67's (OHA)
5 74 Bob Sirois (RW)   Canada Montreal Red White and Blue (QMJHL)
6 89 Ken Gassoff (C)   Canada Medicine Hat Tigers (WCHL)
7 104 Murray Beck (C)   Canada New Westminster Bruins (WCHL)
8 119 Jerry Badiuk (D)   Canada Kitchener Rangers (OHA)
9 134 Jan Kascak (D)   Canada St. Louis University (CCHA)
10 147 Ron Wilson (D)   United States Providence College (ECAC)
11 160 Bob Ferriter (LW)   United States Boston College (ECAC)
12 173 John McMorrow (F)   United States Providence College (ECAC)
13 184 Craig Norwich (D)   United States University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
14 192 Kevin MacDonald (D)   Canada Bowling Green State University (CCHA)
15 197 Ian MacPhee (RW)   Canada Swift Current Broncos (WCHL)
16 201 Don Hay (RW)   Canada New Westminster Bruins (WCHL)

Farm teams

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "1974–75 Houston Aeros Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  2. ^ "1974-75 Houston Aeros Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  3. ^ "1974 WHA Amateur Draft". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  4. ^ "1974 WHA Secret Amateur Draft". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
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