WHA Hockey.TV: A Tribute to the Legends of the World Hockey Association by Mark Willand

Video: Paul Shmyr 1977 WHA All Star Game Interview

San Diego Mariner Paul Shmyr interviewed at 1977 WHA All Star Game by Bob Lamey.

Andre Lacroix ("The Magician") Was Hockey's Premier Playmaker and Stickhandler

Posted by Mark Willand, WHA HockeyTV

Andre Lacroix was a deft passer and skilled stickhandler who was one of hockey's finest players in the 1970s.  In fact, Lacroix is considered to be one of the top five players in WHA annals.

The native of Lauzon, Quebec spent the 1963-64 season with the Montreal Junior Canadiens before joining the Peterborough Petes. He led the OHA in assists twice and won the scoring title with 120 points in 1965-66. Lacroix began his pro career with the AHL's Quebec Aces and became the property of the expansion Philadelphia Flyers when the minor pro club was purchased in May 1967.

The talented centre impressed by scoring 14 points in 18 games during the 1967-68 season. The next year he scored 24 goals playing with Dick Sarrazin and Jean-Guy Gendron which began a string of three straight 20-goal performances. Early in the 1971-72 season, Lacroix was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks because the Flyers had Bobby Clarke, Bill Clement Eddie Joyal, Michel Parizeau and young Rick MacLeish waiting in the wings.

Prior to the 1972-73 season, Lacroix jumped to the Philadelphia Blazers of the WHA. He blossomed with a league leading 124 points and was named to the first all-star team, centering a potent line with Danny Lawson and Don Herriman.

However, in the offseason, the franchise was transferred to Vancouver, and Lacroix was traded to an even shakier team, the New York Golden Blades for the 1974 season. Again, despite tumult that caused the team to be moved to New Jersey mid-season and payrolls to be missed, he was a standout, leading the WHA in assists with 80.

1974 proved to be a big year for "The Magician" when he was named to Team Canada and took part in the 1974 Summit Series versus the USSR. He was also named Professional Canadian Athlete of the Year in 1974. He was selected to the WHA first all-star team in 1974 and again in 1975. While playing for the San Diego Mariners he recorded a WHA record 106 assists, a record that was never broken. Lacroix became the all-time leading scorer in the WHA with 251 goals and 547 assists in seven years.

After the Mariners folded in 1977, Lacroix joined the Houston Aeros for an outstanding 117 point 1977-78 campaign.  When the Aeros crashed, he finished his WHA career with the New England Whalers in 1978-79.

Lacroix topped the 100-point mark six times during the league's seven year existence. He retired in 1980 after returning to the NHL for 29 games as a member of the Hartford Whalers following the NHL/WHA merger.

Career records and achievements

• 79 goals and 119 assists for 198 points in 325 games in the NHL.
• 251 goals and 547 assists for 798 points in 551 games in the WHA.
• Named to the WHA's First All-Star Team in 1973, 1974 and 1975.
• Won the Bill Hunter Trophy as the WHA's leading scorer in 1973 and 1975.
• Scored one hundred points or more in six consecutive seasons, a mark achieved by only six other major professional players.
• The WHA's all-time leader in games played, assists (by nearly two hundred) and points (by over a hundred).
• Fourth all-time in WHA history in goals scored.

Bio From Philadelphia Flyers.com

In the early years after the National Hockey League's 1967 expansion, the Philadelphia Flyers' franchise had to search high and low for offensively gifted players. Few such talents were available through the expansion draft and it would take several years to develop a first-rate farm system and scouting staff. As a result, any young player with scoring punch was a welcomed addition to the club.

Andre Lacroix, an undersized center from Quebec, made the most of his chance to play in the NHL and became the Flyers' most dangerous offensive player during the team's first four years of existence. After moving from the NHL to the fledgling World Hockey Association, he went on to become WHA's all-time leading scorer.

"Andy had a lot of finesse on the ice. He was a little guy but he was a great passer and stickhandler," said Flyers Hall of Fame defenseman Joe Watson. "He was also a good guy off the ice."

Kevin Morrison Shows Hockey Fighting Techniques to TV Reporter

San Diego Mariners blueliner Kevin Morrison show his punching strategies to a San Diego TV reporter (sorry, no audio).

Morrison turned pro in 1969 with New Haven of the EHL. After two seasons there he bounced around between the CHL and the AHL before finally getting his chance at playing at an elite level.  Morrison was selected by the Los Angeles Sharks in the 1972 WHA General Draft although he did not play in the league until he was traded to New York. He played one season in the Big Apple and then played three years in San Diego with the Mariners. He also had short stints in Indianapolis and Quebec.

He was the WHA's top-goal scoring backliner while with San Diego and recorded his best year in 1974-75 with a 20-61-81 performance.  He was also one of hockey's most feared fighters.

In 1979-80 Morrison signed a free-agent contract with the NHL's Colorado Rockies, fulfilling a lifelong dream to play in the league. He lasted 41 games with the hapless Rockies, scoring four goals and 15 points.

Morrison last played semi-pro hockey in Newfoundland in 1985-86 with the Stephenville Jets.

Rare WHA Footage: Winnipeg's Hull, Hedberg Score vs. San Diego

Rare 1974-75 WHA film (Winnipeg at San Diego) shows goals by Bobby Hull and Anders Hedberg. Also a Save by Curt Larsson and Ulf Nilsson being attacked by San Diego's Dean Boylan.

Paul Shmyr - Hockey's Second Free Agent *

San Diego Mariner Paul Shmyr is interviewed prior to the 1976-77 season.

He had just signed with the Mariners after leaving the Cleveland Crusaders in a contract dispute.  He would become a free agent again a year later when the Mariners folded.

*The first free agent was teammate Andre Lacroix who was free agent at least five times in his WHA career due to club contract violations and team foldings.

WHA Profile: Wayne "Moon" Rivers San Diego Mariners

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.