Indianapolis Racers

Logo taken from the Minor League Hockey Logo Page, maintained by Ralph Slate.

Kenneth Block in a Racers uniform. (159K)

Francois Rochon in a Racers uniform. (161K)

I couldn't decide, so I put both up.

Eastern Division Champions 1976

Racers-in-brief

Home Ice: Market Square Arena (17,000) 1974-78
Colors: Red, White, and Blue

The Indianapolis Racers, Indianapolis' entry in the World Hockey Association, had their ups and downs. Playing at the brand-new Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis, the Racers, along with the Phoenix Roadrunners, were an expansion club for 1974. Located several stories above the street, Market Square was shared with the NBA's Indiana Pacers. Coached by Gerry Moore, the Racers suffered through a miserable debut season, finishing 18-57-3, in 4th place in the Eastern Division.

For 1975-76, major changes were in order. The Racers hired former Chicago Cougars general manager Jacques Demers to replace Moore. Pat Stapleton also came over from the Cougars, anchoring a new and solid offensive unit. The Racers muddled their was through the season, aided when the Minnesota Fighting Saints folded, and they were able to secure Dave Keon, which helped them secure the Eastern Division title for 1976, ahead of Cleveland. Amazingly, they became the only WHA team to win a division despite a losing record. However, New England proved too tough in the playoffs for the Racers.

Although the Racers record improved in 1976-77, the defense gave up 305 goals, and the club sank to third place. In the playoffs, Indianapolis defeated Cincinnati before losing to Quebec. However consistent low regular season attendance ment the Racers were constantly in the red. So, owner Paul Deneau sold the club to Harold Ducote. The 77-78 season was a disaster for the Racers, as Demers bolted for Cincinnati, along with Stapleton. The Racers crashed to 24-51-5, missing the playoffs. Money problems continued to plague the Racers, and the club avoided folding in late 1977 when Nelson Skalbania bought the club.

Skalbania tried to revitialize the club in 1978 by signing Sault Ste. Marie star WAYNE GRETZKY to a personal services contract. However, this stunt failed to put enough fans in the stands, and Gretzky was sold to Edmonton for $800,000. This helped the Racers for a while but the faithful knew the end was near. Coach Pat Stapleton spent most of his time having a fire sale of the Racer players, as Skalbania conceded defeat, folding the Racers on December 15, 1978. The club's last game was in Indianapolis on December 12th, a 7-4 loss to New England.

Racers year-by-year

Year       W     L    T    pts.     Finish       Playoffs
1974-75   18    57    3    39       4th Eastern  None
1975-76   35    39    6    76       1st Eastern  Lost to New England 3-4
1976-77   36    37    8    80       3rd Eastern  Beat Cincinnati 4-0
                                                 Lost to Quebec 1-4
1977-78   24    51    5    53       8th League   None
1978-79    5    18    2    12       folded

Information on this page is from The Complete Historical and Statistical Reference to the World Hockey Associaltion 1972-1979; by Scott Adam Surgent.