Minnesota Fighting Saints

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

Gord Gallant in a Saints Uniform (168 K)

And the real life Hanson Brothers of Slap Shot fame, Jack, Jeff, and Steve Carlson.

Fighting Saints-in-brief

The Minnesota Fighting Saints were Minneapolis/St. Paul's entry in the World Hockey Association. The franchise was awarded on August 1, 1971 as a charter franchise. Owned by Wayne Belisle, and assisted by the city of St. Paul, who was eager to have its own hockey team, the Saints started play in 1972 at the St. Paul Auditorium. However, they had to share the Twin Cities market with the the Minnesota North Stars. The Civic Center opened on January 1, 1973 with a game between the Saints and Houston. The WHA's first nationally televised game was on January 7, 1973, when Minnesota played Winnipeg before 13,426 fans.

The Saints were strong for several seasons, making the playoffs in their first year. Glen Sonmor was coach for the first half, before leaving coaching to be the GM. Harry Neale replaced him, and coached the Saints through 1976. The Saints' first season went well. Attendance at the Civic Center was steady, and the team finished at 38-37-3, good enough for a fourth place tie in the Western Division. After beating the (Edmonton) Alberta Oilers 4-2 in a one game playoff, which was held in Calgary, the team lost in the first round to Winnipeg 4-1.

For the second year, Harry Neale was the head coach full time. The team was off to a fast start. Wayne Connely had 40 goals, and Bill Klatt had 36. The season was highlighted by the 1974 All-Star game, at the Civic Center on Jan 4, 1974. The team finished the season in second place in the Western Division. After defeating Edmonton 4-1, the team lost to Houston 4-2, missing a chance to play the arch-rival Chicago Cougars in the finals. For the record, Chicago lost 4-0 to Houston.

In the third season, attendance continued to rise, reaching an average of 8,410 per game, up from 6,584 the season before. This despite a slip in the Western to third place. The team once again made the playoffs, beating New England 4-2, and losing to Quebec 4-2.

For the 1975-76 season, the Saints tried to sign Bobby Orr from the Boston Bruins, similar to how Winnipeg snared Bobby Hull and Houston got Gordie Howe. Unfortunately, Orr remained with Boston. During the season, attendance remained steady at 8,410. However, money mismanagement was a problem. Things came to a head in February 1976, and on the 27th the Saints folded. Their last game was played at the Civic Center on Feb. 25th, when they lost to the San Diego Mariners in overtime 2-1. After the fold on the 27th, all players were declared free agents.

Second Minnesota Fighting Saints

John McKenzie in a New Fighting Saints uniform.

In 1976, the Cleveland Crusaders moved to Minnesota as the new incarnation of the Fighting Saints. St. Paul promised them big season ticket sales and crowds. Neither materialized. Even though much of the original Saint followers still went to games, the team didn't have enough fans. The only logo changes were the replacement of blue with red in the team logo. After fighting their way thru part of the season, the Saints played their final game, at home against the Indianapolis Racers, on January 14th, winning 9-5. They folded three days later, on January 17th 1977.

Fighting Saints year-by-year

Year        W   L   T    pts.    Finish        Playoffs
1972-73    38  37   3    79      4th Western   Lost to Winnipeg 1-4
1973-74    44  32   2    90      2nd Western   Beat Edmonton 4-1
                                               Lost to Houston 2-4
1974-75    42  33   3    87      3rd Western   Beat New England 4-2
                                               Lost to Quebec 2-4
1975-76    30  25   4    65      folded
1976-77    19  18   5    43      folded

DISCLAIMER: This page is in no way affiliated with the Minnesota Fighting Saints, the World Hockey Association, or any teams listed here. I am just a fan who enjoys the sport. The logos are the property of the respective clubs, and I will stop using them as soon as the media does.
Andrew Stiffler. braniff1@hotmail.com
Page URL: http://www.oocities.org/Colosseum/Park/2518/saints.html
Last update 11-9-98
Information on this page is from The Complete Historical and Statistical Reference to the World Hockey Association 1972-1979; by Scott Adam Surgent.

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