| Toronto Toros | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Toronto,Ontario |
| League | World Hockey Association |
| Operated | 1973–1976 |
| Home arena | Maple Leaf Gardens &Varsity Arena |
| Colors | Red, blue, white |
| Media | CKGN-TV CFRB |
| Franchise history | |
| 1972–1973 | Ottawa Nationals |
| 1973 playoffs | Ontario Nationals |
| 1973–1976 | Toronto Toros |
| 1976–1979 | Birmingham Bulls |
TheToronto Toros were anice hockey team based inToronto that played in theWorld Hockey Association from 1973 to 1976.
The franchise was awarded to Doug Michel in 1971 for $25,000 to play in the WHA's inaugural1972–73 season.[1]Harold Ballard, owner ofMaple Leaf Gardens and theToronto Maple Leafs, offered to rent the arena to the team if it was located in Toronto, but Michel found the rent excessive.[2][3] He then tried to base the team inHamilton, but the city did not have an appropriate venue.[3] Michel settled onOttawa and the team became theOttawa Nationals. Nick Trbovich became majority owner in May 1972.
The team was a flop at the box office, averaging about 3,000 fans a game, and in March 1973 — just before the end of the season — the City of Ottawa demanded payment of $100,000 to guarantee the club dates at theOttawa Civic Centre. The team decided to leave Ottawa and played their home playoff games at Maple Leaf Gardens, attracting crowds of 5,000 and 4,000 in two games before being eliminated by theNew England Whalers. During this playoff series, the team was referred to as the "Ontario Nationals". At the end of the season, the team moved to Toronto permanently, and was sold toJohn F. Bassett, son of media mogul and former Leafs part-ownerJohn W. H. Bassett.[1] Future Leafs ownerSteve Stavro was a minority shareholder.[1] They were renamed the Toronto Toros in June 1973.
Initially, Bassett wanted to move the team into a renovatedCNE Coliseum, whileBill Ballard — Harold's son, who was running the Gardens while his father served a prison sentence — wanted the team at the Gardens and opposed the plan to upgrade the Coliseum. The Toros ended up atVarsity Arena for the1973–74 season. Bassett signed forwardsPat Hickey andWayne Dillon to aid the offensive attack. He also made a strong attempt to sign Leaf centreDarryl Sittler, and thought he had an agreement for a five-year $1 million contract, but Sittler re-signed with the Leafs. The Toros played to a 41-33-4 record in the regular season, bolstered by goaltendersGilles Gratton andLes Binkley and a strong defensive corps backstopped by ex-Maple Leaf starCarl Brewer. The Toros also fared well in the playoffs, making it to the Eastern Conference final, only to lose to theChicago Cougars.
The Toros moved to Maple Leaf Gardens for the1974–75 season, however, by this time Harold Ballard had regained control of the Gardens. Ballard was a virulent opponent of the WHA; he never forgave the upstart league for nearly decimating the Leafs' roster in the early 1970s, and Ballard had a few years earlier been involved with a power struggle withBassett's father for control of the Maple Leafs, one that Ballard ultimately won. Ballard deliberately made the Toros' lease terms at the Gardens as onerous as possible with the Toros' lease with Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. calling for them to pay $15,000 per game. However, much to Bassett's outrage, the arena was dim for the first game. It was then that Ballard demanded $3,500 for use of the lights. Ballard also denied the Toros access to the Leafs' locker room, forcing them to build their own at a cost of $55,000. He also removed the cushions from the home bench for Toros' games (he told an arena worker, "Let 'em buy their own cushions!").[4] It was obvious that Ballard was angered at the WHA being literally in his backyard, and took his frustration on the renegade league out on the Toros.
Despite the financial difficulties, the Toros managed to strengthen themselves in the off-season. They signed two ex-Leafs: former NHL superstarFrank Mahovlich and the hero from the 1972Summit Series,Paul Henderson, as well as Czech starVaclav Nedomansky, who defected to Toronto.Tom Simpson became the first professional hockey player in Toronto to have a 50-goal season, scoring 52 goals (a number he would never come close to matching again). The Toros finished the year with the league's fifth-best record at 43–33–2, but were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by theSan Diego Mariners. The Toros were now averaging 10,000 fans per home game. Notably, the Toros staged an event during the intermission of a Toros game where stunt riderEvel Knievel took four shots (worth $5,000 each) against a Toro goaltender (originally meant to beGilles Gratton but instead it was done byLes Binkley); Knievel went 2-for-4.[5]
In part due to the expenses associated with playing in the Gardens, the Toros bottomed out in the1975–76 season. They finished with a horrible 24-52-5 record—the worst in the league—under their head coachBobby Baun, despite Nedomansky's 56 goals and the signing of 18-year-oldMark Napier, who scored 93 points in his rookie year. The Toros still averaged over 8,000 fans per game, which was a 20 percent drop from the previous year.
In the middle of the1976 WHA playoffs, team president John F. Bassett announced that the team would relocate, stating that they had lost an average of nearly $1.5 million a year, compacted with having just 3,600 season ticket holders for a venue in the Gardens that housed over 16,000 and charged $15,000 rent per game. A ticket drive aimed at getting 7,500 tickets sold less than half the target, which was likely hindered by the looming expansion franchise in baseball for the city. Bassett that the five sites in mind were Ottawa, St. Paul, Birmingham, Miami, and Milwaukee.[6] Bassett moved the club toBirmingham, Alabama, where they were renamed theBirmingham Bulls for the1976–77 season.[7] The last active Toros player in the NHL was Mark Napier, who last played in the NHL in the1988–89 NHL season and retired in 1993 in Italy. As well, Toros draft pickKent Nilsson played his last NHL game in 1995 and retired in Europe in 1998, but never played for Toronto in the WHA.
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Season | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1973–74 | 78 | 41 | 33 | 4 | 86 | 304 | 272 | 871 | 2nd, Eastern | Won Quarterfinals (Crusaders) Lost Semifinals (Cougars) |
| 1974–75 | 78 | 43 | 33 | 2 | 88 | 349 | 304 | 883 | 2nd, Canadian | Lost Quarterfinals (Mariners) |
| 1975–76 | 81 | 24 | 52 | 5 | 53 | 335 | 398 | 1099 | 4th, Canadian | Did not qualify |
| Totals | 237 | 108 | 118 | 11 | 227 | 988 | 974 | 2853 |