Chicago Cougars Memories

Chicago Cougars



1972-75

Founded: On November 1,1971 the World Hockey Association granted a WHA charter franchise to the town of Chicago.
The Chicago Cougars were an original charter franchise of the World Hockey Association. The team encountered problems from the start, including ownership shuffling which prevented the team to raid NHL rosters. After all the problems were settled the teams owners the Kaisers brothers started signing players. At the time the team had only one player under contract, which was Bob Kelly, but he later returned to the NHL. With the season approaching quickly the team couldn't sign many players, because they have either signed with another WHA club or have been re-signed with their NHL club. The Cougars on the bright side did get to sign Canuck winger Rosaire Paiement and Hawks enforcer Reg Fleming. The team also made a bid to sign Blackhawks superstar Stan Mikita by offering him $300,000 per season, but with the lose of the Golden Jet to Winnipeg the Hawks knew to keep Chicago hockey interests on the NHL they would have to re-sign Mikita, which they did.

The hockey critics were right about the Cougars first season by calling it a disaster. The team ended up last in the league with a terrible 26-50-2 record. The team had great performances out of Fleming and Paiement, but a lack of defense and goaltending hurt the team.

Knowing the team needed to improve the Kaisers picked up former Blackhawks Pat Stapleton and Ralph Backstrom. The two brought leadership, scoring and som very much needed defense to the sophmore squad. The team improved to a 38-35-5 record and made the playoffs. The team entered the playoffs as a long shot to win the championship, but quickly became the league's cinderalla story. The team dispanded of the defending Avco World Trophy champions the New England Whalers, and beet the Toronto Toros in the Eastern Division final in 7 games. As good as it was the team ran into a well rested Houston Aeros team which beet the Cougars in 4 games.

During the 1974-75 season the focus wasn't really on the ice, though the team was stronger welcoming new-comers Dave Dryden and Gary MacGregor, but the focus was on the ownership. The Kaisers were losing money and wanted no more of the WHA Cougars. After no serious offers came through 3 Cougar players which included Stapleton, Dryden and Backstrom purchased the team. The team ended the year with a 30-47-1 record, but unfourtunately the team was continuing to lose money and the 3 new owners lost heavily. In April of 1975 the franchise folded which was a great lose to the league.

Th team always bidded for a new arena to host the team, unfourtunately their wasn't such a facility built till 1980. The arena which should of held the team is called the Rosemont Horizon and if it was built sooner I believe the Cougars and maybe even the WHA would have been around longer. 


Chicago Cougars Year-by-Year
Year      W     L    T     pts.    Finish       Playoffs
1972-73   78    26    50     2     54      6th Western  None
1973-74   78    38    35     5     81      4th Eastern  Beat New England 4-3
                                                        Beat Toronto 4-3
                                                        Lost to Houston 0-4
1974-75   78    30    47     1     61      3rd Eastern  None

Other Team Facts

Jerseys: Colors:Dark Green,Gold,White
  • Bob Sicinski in a Cougars Uniform.
  • Cougar forward Rick Morris races for the puck.
  • Star Defenseman Pat Stapleton wearing jersey number 12.
  • 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Card of Pat Stapleton.
  • Darryl Maggs battles for the puck against the Jets.
    Arena Home Rink-International Ampitheater(9,000)
    Attendance Figures (Avg-Total)
  • 1972-73......4,589.......178,960
  • 1973-74......4,924.......192,048
  • 1974-75......3,168.......123,543
    Coaches
  • 1972-73...Marcel Pronovost
  • 1973-74...Pat Stapleton
  • 1974-75...Pat Stapleton
    All-Star Representatives
  • 1973...Ron Anderson,Jan Popiel
  • 1974...Pat Stapleton,Ralph Backstrom,Rosaire Paiement
  • 1975...Pat Stapleton,Ralph Backstrom
    Affiliations
  • 1972-73...Rhode Island Eagles (EHL)
  • 1973-74...Long Island Cougars (NAHL)
  • 1974-75...Long Island Cougars (NAHL)
    Player Stats
  • Chicago Cougars 1972-73
  • Chicago Cougars 1973-74
  • Chicago Cougars 1974-75

    Chicago Cougars Jacket worn by members of the front office.

  • Riley v. Chicago Cougars WHA Hockey Club (1981). The appellant (Riley) took the Chicago Cougars Hockey Club to court, because he wanted compensation for being hit with a puck during a game. The case was dismissed.

    The appellate court in Riley v. Chicago Cougars Hockey Club, Inc., 100 Ill.App.3d 664, 427 N.E.2d 290 (1981), while acknowledging that no Illinois court had previously contemplated the question of what, if any, duty a hockey club owes to a spectator, declined to follow its 1967 decision defining the duty owed by the Chicago Cubs to a spectator. The Court stated, "we do not believe that the general rule of non-liability that is usually applied in baseball cases is necessarily applicable in hockey cases because there are fundamental differences in the way baseball and hockey are played and the dangers incident to the games." Id. at 666, 427 N.E.2d at 292.


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