Wayne "Moon" Rivers was a skilled offensive player in the minor leagues who hit the WHA jackpot when he was teamed with the legendary Andre Lacroix in San Diego.
A long-time minor leaugue journyman, Rivers joined the fledgling WHA in 1972, signing with the New York Raiders. In the WHA, Rivers' style of play was well adapted to the wide-open play he encountered. He soon became a prolific scorer, netting 37 and 30 goals in his first two seasons. In his third season, the team moved to San Diego and Rivers with teamed with playmaker Lacroix. Rivers converted Lacroix's deft passes and scored a career-high 54 goals with the Mariners.
After his standout performance in 1974-75, Rivers wanted more money than the Mariners were willing to pay. The Mariners realized that Rivers' production was a direct result of Lacroix's amazing passes. They placed him on waivers along with a handful of other players. He slipped through the waiver net untouched, however, and eventually reconciled with the club.
However, Rivers no longer rode "shotgun" with Lacroix and, his production plummeted to just 19 goals in 1975-76 and 18 tallies in 1976-77.
He skated two more years with the team and then rounded out his career with the San Francisco Shamrocks of the PHL in 1978.
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