Toronto Toros Memories

If you'd like to add a Toros memory or a memory of any other WHA team e-mail me. All help is greatly appreciated.

YOUR WORLD HOCKEY ASSOCIATION WEB PAGE IS SIMPLY GREAT,'''''I JUST LOVE IT...BRINGS BACK SO MANY GREAT MEMORIES OF THE 70'S WHEN I WAS GROWNING UP IN ONTARIO,CANADA..AND I WATCHED AND FOLLOWED THE TORONTO TOROS AND THE QUEBEC NORDIQUES IN THE W.H.A. AND HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA IN THE N.H.L....I FOLLOWED THE SAN DIEGO MARINERS AND THE HOUSTON AEROS VERY CLOSLY AS WELL....I'AM STILL A DIE-HARD HOCKEY FAN TODAY -PROS,MINORS,JUNIORS...BUT I CAN 'T STOP THINKING ABOUT THE 70'S AND WHAT IT DID TO CHANGE THE GREAT GAME OF HOCKEY,AND MAKE IT THE GREAT GAME IT IS TODAY....THE W.H.A. CHANGE THE N.H.L. IN MANY WAYS FOREVER....THANK YOU SO MUCH MY HOCKEY FRIEND...BEST WISHES
Memory by CHRIS .T.CLEMANS

The majority of my WHA memories are of the Toronto Toros, since I grew up in the city (as a Leafs and Marlies fan) and attended many of their games at Varsity Arena and Maple Leaf Gardens.
What do you know about the infamous "lights" incident at Maple Leaf Gardens involving the Toros?
Most members of the Toros had played in the Ontario Hockey Association(OHA) Junior A League (now the OHL) in the late 1960s and early 70s. Many former Marlboros such as Wayne Carleton, Tom Martin and Mark Napier played for the team along with the likes of Jeff Jaques from St.Catharines.
I witnessed two fascinating games in the 1975-76 season. Former Leaf captain Dave Keon had been one of my idols growing up. In late November 1975, Keon, as captain of the Minnesota Fighting Saints, returned to the Gardens after his unceremonial dumping by Ballard the previous season. As Keon stepped on the ice, he received a standing ovation from the 12,000 or so fans present. As I recall, the Saints won that game and Keon was named its first star.
Another came in a February 1976 match between the Toros and Houston Aeros, which featured 49-year old Gordie Howe. A major hockey trivia question is: how many overtime goals did Gordie Howe score in his NHL career? Answer: NONE! As you may recall, the WHA adopted an overtime format many years before the NHL. At the end of the third period, the score was tied 6-6. Into the overtime, the Aeros had gone end-to-end on a Howe rush. One of Gordie's sons (don't recall who), passed the puck in front of the Toros' net, as the old man was waiting, elbowing his way through traffic, knocking it right past Toros' goalie Les Binkley. 7-6 Houston, the final, Gordie Howe scoring his first ever overtime goal. I witnessed history.

I have lived in Saskatchewan since 1991. Not sure where you are, but you may know that this is a hockey hotbed. I have met several former WHA players including a former backup goalie for the Cincinnati Stingers and several members of teams that did not quite make it. Memory by David Imrie, Regina Sk

I grew up in Toronto, a city where NHL tickets have always been very highly prized. When I was very young, my father would take me to see the Toronto Toros play as it was a very reasonable $10 for a ticket. NHL tickets were usually well in excess of $20 - too rich for my dad - especially because he never cared for hockey whatsoever. We would go to Toros games whenever the Indianapolis Racers were in town. Andy Brown was the goaltender for Indy, and he was a family friend of my dad and his brothers growing up in Hamilton. Now Andy was quite a character. He was a stock car racer in summers. As late as 1974, he didn't wear a mask. In his few years in the NHL in the late 1960's (with Pittsburgh and Detroit as I recall), he was reputed to have more penalty minutes than any other goalie, before or since. In one game I remember quite well, the Racers were in town, and Andy got the start between the pipes. Frank Mahovlich was playing out his career for the Toros, and still showed occasional flashes of his former brilliance. The one play that always stood out in my mind has never been verified, but I swear it happened. The Toros were having trouble in their end, and dumped the puck down the ice, right on net. Andy Brown scooped up the puck with his catching glove, as Frank Mahovlich forechecked and tried to force Andy to give up the puck. As Frank glided in towards Andy, Andy reared back and threw the puck right at Frank's head. Frank was so surprised that he didn't move. The puck hit him right on the bridge of the nose and he bled badly. The half-filled Maple Leaf Gardens was in shock. Frank went in for stitches, and Andy got a penalty. I think the referee wasn't sure what to call it, but he decided to call it 'Throwing the puck' and gave Andy 2 minutes. The beauty of the WHA was that the players were so much more accessible than they are today. My mother grew up near Montreal, and was a great hockey fan. She just had to get an autograph from the 'Big M', and I'll always a remember her waiting like a schoolgirl for him to make his exit from the dressing room. When Frank appeared, he had a large bandage over his nose. We never let on that our friend Andy was the cause, and he duly signed an autograph for my grateful mother. I'd love to hear if there's any record of that penalty, or if anyone else remembers that play. Memory by shortname@ca.ibm.com

Return to Main Page Toronto Toros

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page