Ottawa Nationals

Former ice hockey team of the World Hockey Association

Ottawa Nationals

City| Ottawa, Ontario
League| World Hockey Association
Operated| 1972–73
Home arena| Ottawa Civic Centre
Media| TVOntario
CKOY
Franchise history
1972–1973| Ottawa Nationals
1973–1976| Toronto Toros
1976–1979| Birmingham Bulls

The Ottawa Nationals were a professional men's ice hockey team out of Ottawa that played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) during the 1972–73 WHA season.

## History

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The WHA had originally granted a franchise to Doug Michel for "Ontario". Original plans called for the team to play at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, but Michel couldn't get a favourable lease. Afterward, it was expected that Hamilton would be the team's home, but it was eventually placed in Ottawa. Nick Trbovich became majority owner before the season began, with Michel running hockey operations.

They were coached by Billy Harris and led on the ice by Wayne Carleton, who scored 42 goals and 92 points during the season. They hosted the first-ever WHA game, on October 11, 1972, losing 7–4 to the Alberta Oilers.

Their home arena was the Ottawa Civic Centre, but they were a flop at the box office, averaging about 3,000 fans per game. Before the season ended, the city of Ottawa demanded a payment of $100,000 to secure dates for the following season.[citation needed] Rather than agree, the Nationals opted to move elsewhere for the next season and play its playoff dates in Toronto. During this playoff series, the team was referred to as the Ontario Nationals. After the season, the team was sold to John F. Bassett and became the Toronto Toros.

The last Ottawa Nationals player active in North American major professional hockey was Mike Amodeo, who played one season in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets in the 1979–80 NHL season, before moving to Sweden, then Italy, before his retirement in 1983.

## Season-by-season record

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Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Season | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs

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1972–73 | 78 | 35 | 39 | 4 | 74 | 279 | 301 | 1067 | 4th, Eastern | Lost quarter-final (Whalers)

## External links

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* 1972-73 Ottawa Nationals Roster & Stats on HockeyDB.com

## See also

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* Ice hockey in Ottawa
* List of ice hockey teams in Ontario

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World Hockey Association

Teams|

* Alberta Oilers
* Baltimore Blades
* Birmingham Bulls
* Calgary Broncos
* Calgary Cowboys
* Chicago Cougars
* Cincinnati Stingers
* Cleveland Crusaders
* Dayton Arrows
* Denver Spurs
* Edmonton Oilers
* Houston Aeros
* Indianapolis Racers
* Los Angeles Sharks
* Miami Screaming Eagles
* Michigan Stags
* Minnesota Fighting Saints
* New England Whalers
* Jersey Knights
* New York Raiders/Golden Blades
* Ottawa Civics
* Ottawa Nationals
* Philadelphia Blazers
* Phoenix Roadrunners
* Quebec Nordiques
* San Diego Mariners
* San Francisco Sharks
* Toronto Toros
* Vancouver Blazers
* Winnipeg Jets

Trophies
and awards|

* Avco World Trophy
* Gary L. Davidson Award / Gordie Howe Trophy
* Bill Hunter Trophy
* Lou Kaplan Trophy
* Ben Hatskin Trophy
* Dennis A. Murphy Trophy
* Paul Deneau Trophy
* Howard Baldwin Trophy / Robert Schmertz Memorial Trophy
* WHA Playoff MVP
* WHA All-Star Team
* WHA All-Star Game
* List of WHA players with 50-goal seasons

Related articles|

* List of WHA seasons
* List of WHA players
* WHA amateur draft
* NHL–WHA merger
* North American Hockey League
* Broadcasters

Seasons|

* 1972–73
* 1973–74
* 1974–75
* 1975–76
* 1976–77
* 1977–78
* 1978–79

Playoffs|

* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979

All-Star Games|

* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979

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