1973–74 Los Angeles Sharks season

1973–74 Los Angeles Sharks
Division 6th Western
1973–74 record 25–53–0
Goals for 239
Goals against 339
Team information
Coach Terry Slater,
Ted McCaskill
Team leaders
<1972–73

1974–75 >

The 1973–74 Los Angeles Sharks season was the Los Angeles Sharks' second and final season in Los Angeles in the World Hockey Association. The club finished last in the WHA Western Division and missed the playoffs. They moved to Detroit, MI after the season and became the Michigan Stags.

Offseason

The Sharks lured promising left wing Marc Tardif from the Montreal Canadiens to jump to the Sharks.

Regular season

The Sharks attempted to build on their first season by signing their first bonafide NHL star in the Montreal Canadiens' Marc Tardif. And while the offense featured five 20 goal scorers (Tardif with 40, Gary Veneruzzo with 39, Brian McDonald with 22, and J.P. LeBlanc and Steve Sutherland with 20 apiece), they still ranked last in the league in scoring. The defense was equally porous, falling from 3rd in the league to 11th (next to last). Last year's #1 goalie George Gardner played only 2 games due to injuries, and Russ Gillow suffered from injuries and the "sophomore jinx" as his GAA went from 2.91 in 1972–73 to 3.98 in 1973–74. The other goalies that were brought in didn't fare much better, with Ian Wilkie sporting an unimpressive 3.91 GAA, Jim McCleod at 4.27, and Paul Hoganson even worse with a 4.68 GAA. The special teams, which were solid the season before, also fell on hard times as the power play ranked 9th and the penalty killing went from 3rd in the league to last. The Sharks ended up with the worst record in the league, and endured losing streaks of 9 and 6 games. The only noteworthy item was that they became the first team ever to have no ties (the WHA 10-minute overtime rule helped, but WHA teams still averaged 4 ties per season).

Final standings

Western Division
GP W L T GF GA PIM Pts
Houston Aeros78 48 25 5 318 219 1038 101
Minnesota Fighting Saints78 44 32 2 332 275 1243 90
Edmonton Oilers78 38 37 3 268 269 1273 79
Winnipeg Jets78 34 395 264 296 673 73
Vancouver Blazers 78 27 50 1 278 345 1047 55
Los Angeles Sharks78 2553 0 239 339 1086 50

Game log

Regular season schedule
No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1LOctober 13, 19733–4 Houston Aeros (1973–74) 0–1–0
2LOctober 16, 19730–3 Toronto Toros (1973–74) 0–2–0
3LOctober 18, 19732–7 Chicago Cougars (1973–74) 0–3–0
4WOctober 21, 19734–1 @ Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) 1–3–0
5WOctober 23, 19734–3 Cleveland Crusaders (1973–74) 2–3–0
6LOctober 24, 19732–6 @ Houston Aeros (1973–74) 2–4–0
7LOctober 26, 19731–3 @ Cleveland Crusaders (1973–74) 2–5–0
8LOctober 27, 19731–3 @ New England Whalers (1973–74) 2–6–0
9WOctober 28, 19732–0 @ New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights (1973–74) 3–6–0
10LOctober 30, 19734–6 Quebec Nordiques (1973–74) 3–7–0
11LNovember 2, 19731–5 Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) 3–8–0
12LNovember 3, 19734–6 @ Houston Aeros (1973–74) 3–9–0
13LNovember 4, 19733–6 @ Toronto Toros (1973–74) 3–10–0
14LNovember 6, 19734–5 OT @ Chicago Cougars (1973–74) 3–11–0
15WNovember 7, 19733–1 @ Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) 4–11–0
16WNovember 9, 19734–2 Toronto Toros (1973–74) 5–11–0
17LNovember 11, 19732–6 @ Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) 5–12–0
18LNovember 13, 19730–4 @ Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) 5–13–0
19LNovember 16, 19733–4 OT Cleveland Crusaders (1973–74) 5–14–0
20LNovember 18, 19732–5 New England Whalers (1973–74) 5–15–0
21WNovember 20, 19736–2 Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) 6–15–0
22LNovember 22, 19733–4 Chicago Cougars (1973–74) 6–16–0
23WNovember 23, 19732–0 Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) 7–16–0
24WNovember 27, 19735–4 OT Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) 8–16–0
25WNovember 30, 19735–2 @ Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) 9–16–0
26WDecember 1, 19735–4 OT @ Chicago Cougars (1973–74) 10–16–0
27LDecember 4, 19732–9 @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) 10–17–0
28WDecember 6, 19734–3 Houston Aeros (1973–74) 11–17–0
29WDecember 12, 19737–2 @ Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) 12–17–0
30LDecember 14, 19730–1 @ Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) 12–18–0
31LDecember 15, 19734–6 @ Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) 12–19–0
32WDecember 16, 19735–3 Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) 13–19–0
33LDecember 18, 19732–5 Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) 13–20–0
34LDecember 21, 19733–4 @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) 13–21–0
35LDecember 22, 19733–8 @ Houston Aeros (1973–74) 13–22–0
36LDecember 27, 19731–5 New England Whalers (1973–74) 13–23–0
37LDecember 30, 19734–6 Houston Aeros (1973–74) 13–24–0
38WJanuary 4, 19744–3 Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) 14–24–0
39WJanuary 8, 19744–1 Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) 15–24–0
40LJanuary 10, 19741–7 @ Quebec Nordiques (1973–74) 15–25–0
41LJanuary 12, 19744–5 @ Cleveland Crusaders (1973–74) 15–26–0
42LJanuary 13, 19746–9 @ New England Whalers (1973–74) 15–27–0
43WJanuary 15, 19746–4 Quebec Nordiques (1973–74) 16–27–0
44WJanuary 18, 19744–1 Toronto Toros (1973–74) 17–27–0
45WJanuary 19, 19743–2 @ Houston Aeros (1973–74) 18–27–0
46LJanuary 20, 19740–3 Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) 18–28–0
47LJanuary 22, 19741–3 @ Houston Aeros (1973–74) 18–29–0
48WJanuary 25, 19742–0 Quebec Nordiques (1973–74) 19–29–0
49WJanuary 27, 19746–3 @ New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights (1973–74) 20–29–0
50LJanuary 29, 19740–5 @ Quebec Nordiques (1973–74) 20–30–0
51LJanuary 31, 19744–5 OT @ Toronto Toros (1973–74) 20–31–0
52LFebruary 1, 19740–4 @ Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) 20–32–0
53LFebruary 3, 19742–5 @ Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) 20–33–0
54LFebruary 7, 19744–7 New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights (1973–74) 20–34–0
55LFebruary 10, 19742–4 Chicago Cougars (1973–74) 20–35–0
56LFebruary 12, 19742–4 Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) 20–36–0
57LFebruary 15, 19744–6 Houston Aeros (1973–74) 20–37–0
58LFebruary 17, 19740–4 Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) 20–38–0
59WFebruary 20, 19744–2 New England Whalers (1973–74) 21–38–0
60LFebruary 24, 19743–5 Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) 21–39–0
61LFebruary 26, 19742–4 @ Chicago Cougars (1973–74) 21–40–0
62LFebruary 27, 19744–5 @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) 21–41–0
63LMarch 2, 19747–8 @ New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights (1973–74) 21–42–0
64LMarch 3, 19743–5 @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) 21–43–0
65LMarch 5, 19743–6 Cleveland Crusaders (1973–74) 21–44–0
66WMarch 8, 19744–1 Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) 22–44–0
67WMarch 10, 19746–5 Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) 23–44–0
68LMarch 12, 19741–8 @ Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) 23–45–0
69LMarch 13, 19742–5 @ Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) 23–46–0
70LMarch 14, 19740–6 Houston Aeros (1973–74) 23–47–0
71LMarch 20, 19745–8 New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights (1973–74) 23–48–0
72LMarch 22, 19742–5 Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) 23–49–0
73WMarch 24, 19746–3 Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) 24–49–0
74LMarch 27, 19741–7 @ New England Whalers (1973–74) 24–50–0
75LMarch 28, 19743–9 @ Quebec Nordiques (1973–74) 24–51–0
76LMarch 30, 19744–5 OT @ Cleveland Crusaders (1973–74) 24–52–0
77LMarch 31, 19744–5 @ Toronto Toros (1973–74) 24–53–0
78WApril 4, 19746–4 New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights (1973–74) 25–53–0

[1]

Player stats

Regular season
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Tardif, 9-Marc9-Marc Tardif LW 75 40 30 70 4701003
Veneruzzo, 18-Gary18-Gary Veneruzzo W 78 39 29 68 680504
LeBlanc, 10-J.P.10-J.P. LeBlanc C 78 20 46 66 580700
McDonald, 17-Brian17-Brian McDonald C 56 22 30 52 540403
Odrowski, 6-Gerry6-Gerry Odrowski D 77 4 32 36 480200
Thomas, 21-Reg21-Reg Thomas LW 72 14 21 35 220103
Ward, 12-Ron12-Ron Ward C 40 14 19 33 160302
Sutherland, 19-Steve19-Steve Sutherland LW 72 20 12 32 1820404
Crashley, 7-Bart7-Bart Crashley D 78 4 26 30 160201
Walters, 15-Ron15-Ron Walters C 71 14 14 28 280103
White, 23-Alton23-Alton White RW 48 8 13 21 130000
Serviss, 24-Tom24-Tom Serviss C 74 6 15 21 370021
Niekamp, 3-Jim3-Jim Niekamp D 76 2 19 21 950000
Garwasiuk, 22-Ron22-Ron Garwasiuk LW 51 6 13 19 1000010
Gordon, 20-Don20-Don Gordon RW 29 8 6 14 240100
Whitlock, 20-Bob20-Bob Whitlock C 14 4 10 14 40100
Hodgson, 16-Ted16-Ted Hodgson RW 23 3 9 12 220200
Zrymiak, 8/2/4-Jerry8/2/4-Jerry Zrymiak D 27 2 8 10 80001
Horton, 5-Bill5-Bill Horton D 60 0 9 9 460000
Heiskala, 16-Earl16-Earl Heiskala LW 24 2 6 8 450000
Speck, 8-Fred8-Fred Speck C 18 2 5 7 40000
Watson, 2-Jim2-Jim Watson D 48 0 6 6 280000
McCaskill, 11-Ted11-Ted McCaskill C 18 2 2 4 630010
Young, BillBill Young LW 16 1 3 4 40000
Willis, 4-Hal4-Hal Willis D 18 1 2 3 240000
MacSweyn, 4-Ralph4-Ralph MacSweyn D 13 0 3 3 60000
Slater, 13-Peter13-Peter Slater RW 19 1 1 2 20000
Bowman, 16-Kirk16-Kirk Bowman LW 10 0 2 2 00000
Hyndman, 4-Mike4-Mike Hyndman RW 8 0 1 1 00000
Derksen, 4-Brian4-Brian Derksen D 1 0 0 0 20000
Gardner, 30-George30-George Gardner G 2 0 0 0 00000
Gillow, 1-Russ1-Russ Gillow G 18 0 0 0 20000
Hoganson, 25-Paul25-Paul Hoganson G 27 0 0 0 00000
McLeod, 1-Jim1-Jim McLeod G 17 0 0 0 00000
Wilkie, 30-Ian30-Ian Wilkie G 23 0 0 0 20000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO
Wilkie, 30-Ian30-Ian Wilkie 1257 23 11 9 0 82 3.91 1
Hoganson, 25-Paul25-Paul Hoganson 1308 27 6 16 0 102 4.68 0
Gillow, 1-Russ1-Russ Gillow 1041 18 4 13 0 69 3.98 1
McLeod, 1-Jim1-Jim McLeod 969 17 4 13 0 69 4.27 1
Gardner, 30-George30-George Gardner 120 2 0 2 0 13 6.50 0
Team: 4695 78 25 53 0 335 4.28 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;

Transactions

The Sharks' decline in the standings and quality of play was poorly timed in that the NHL's Los Angeles Kings across town were beginning a resurgence that would see them make the playoffs for the next decade. The novelty of the WHA wore off, and attendance dropped measurably. After the 1973-74 season, the Sharks moved to Detroit, MI and became the Michigan Stags. After 43 games in Detroit MI, the Stags moved to Baltimore and finished out the season as the Baltimore Blades.

Tom Gilmore traded to Edmonton Oilers for Ron Walters, October, 1973.

George Gardner & Ralph MacSweyn traded to Vancouver Blazers for Ron Ward, October, 1973.

Ian Wilkie purchased from Edmonton Oilers, November, 1973.

Mike Hyndman sold to Phoenix Roadrunners(WHL), December, 1973.

Peter Slater sold to Denver Spurs (WHL), December, 1973.

Russ Gillow & Earl Heiskala traded to Jersey Knights for Jim McLeod, January, 1974.

Don Gordon & Jim Watson traded to Chicago Cougars for Bobby Whitlock, February, 1974.

Ron Ward traded to Cleveland Crusaders for Ted Hodgson & Bill Young, February, 1974.

Ian Wilkie traded to Edmonton Oilers for Wayne Zuk, March, 1974.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "1973–74 Los Angeles Sharks Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  2. ↑ "1973-74 Los Angeles Sharks Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-07-02.

External links

Eastern:
Western:
See also
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