# 1975–76 Indianapolis Racers season

The 1975–76 Indianapolis Racers season was the Indianapolis Racers' second season of operation in the World Hockey Association (WHA). The Racers made the playoffs this season, losing in the first round to the New England Whalers.

## Regular season
### Final standings

| Eastern Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
| Indianapolis Racers | 80 | 35 | 39 | 6 | 76 | 245 | 247 | 1301 |
| Cleveland Crusaders | 80 | 35 | 40 | 5 | 75 | 273 | 279 | 1356 |
| New England Whalers | 80 | 33 | 40 | 7 | 73 | 255 | 290 | 1012 |
| Cincinnati Stingers | 80 | 35 | 44 | 1 | 71 | 285 | 340 | 1344 |

### Game log

Regular season schedule :
| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | W | October 10, 1975 | 7–1 | @ Denver Spurs/Ottawa Civics (1975–76) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | L | October 12, 1975 | 5–6 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) | 1–1–0 |
| 3 | L | October 14, 1975 | 3–5 | @ Calgary Cowboys (1975–76) | 1–2–0 |
| 4 | L | October 16, 1975 | 0–3 | @ San Diego Mariners (1975–76) | 1–3–0 |
| 5 | L | October 18, 1975 | 4–6 | Denver Spurs/Ottawa Civics (1975–76) | 1–4–0 |
| 6 | L | October 21, 1975 | 1–2 | Minnesota Fighting Saints (1975–76) | 1–5–0 |
| 7 | W | October 23, 1975 | 4–0 | Houston Aeros (1975–76) | 2–5–0 |
| 8 | W | October 26, 1975 | 4–3 | Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) | 3–5–0 |
| 9 | L | October 30, 1975 | 5–7 | Calgary Cowboys (1975–76) | 3–6–0 |
| 10 | L | November 1, 1975 | 2–5 | Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) | 3–7–0 |
| 11 | W | November 4, 1975 | 4–3 | Toronto Toros (1975–76) | 4–7–0 |
| 12 | L | November 8, 1975 | 2–3 OT | @ Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) | 4–8–0 |
| 13 | L | November 15, 1975 | 7–9 | @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1975–76) | 4–9–0 |
| 14 | L | November 16, 1975 | 1–2 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) | 4–10–0 |
| 15 | W | November 17, 1975 | 6–2 | @ Toronto Toros (1975–76) | 5–10–0 |
| 16 | W | November 19, 1975 | 3–1 | New England Whalers (1975–76) | 6–10–0 |
| 17 | L | November 25, 1975 | 1–4 | @ Houston Aeros (1975–76) | 6–11–0 |
| 18 | W | November 27, 1975 | 3–1 | Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) | 7–11–0 |
| 19 | W | November 28, 1975 | 3–1 | @ Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) | 8–11–0 |
| 20 | W | November 29, 1975 | 3–2 | @ New England Whalers (1975–76) | 9–11–0 |
| 21 | L | November 30, 1975 | 2–4 | Denver Spurs/Ottawa Civics (1975–76) | 9–12–0 |
| 22 | W | December 4, 1975 | 7–1 | Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) | 10–12–0 |
| 23 | W | December 6, 1975 | 3–2 | Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) | 11–12–0 |
| 24 | W | December 10, 1975 | 2–1 | @ Phoenix Roadrunners (1975–76) | 12–12–0 |
| 25 | T | December 11, 1975 | 3–3 | @ San Diego Mariners (1975–76) | 12–12–1 |
| 26 | L | December 12, 1975 | 2–4 | @ Houston Aeros (1975–76) | 12–13–1 |
| 27 | T | December 14, 1975 | 2–2 | New England Whalers (1975–76) | 12–13–2 |
| 28 | L | December 16, 1975 | 1–3 | Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) | 12–14–2 |
| 29 | L | December 18, 1975 | 1–7 | @ Phoenix Roadrunners (1975–76) | 12–15–2 |
| 30 | W | December 19, 1975 | 5–4 OT | Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) | 13–15–2 |
| 31 | L | December 20, 1975 | 3–5 | @ Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) | 13–16–2 |
| 32 | W | December 27, 1975 | 2–1 | Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) | 14–16–2 |
| 33 | L | December 28, 1975 | 1–4 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) | 14–17–2 |
| 34 | L | December 30, 1975 | 1–2 OT | @ Denver Spurs/Ottawa Civics (1975–76) | 14–18–2 |
| 35 | L | January 2, 1976 | 0–2 | San Diego Mariners (1975–76) | 14–19–2 |
| 36 | L | January 3, 1976 | 1–3 | @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1975–76) | 14–20–2 |
| 37 | W | January 4, 1976 | 3–2 | New England Whalers (1975–76) | 15–20–2 |
| 38 | L | January 6, 1976 | 0–3 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) | 15–21–2 |
| 39 | L | January 7, 1976 | 1–3 | @ Calgary Cowboys (1975–76) | 15–22–2 |
| 40 | W | January 9, 1976 | 2–1 OT | @ Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) | 16–22–2 |
| 41 | L | January 11, 1976 | 3–4 | @ Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) | 16–23–2 |
| 42 | L | January 15, 1976 | 1–3 | Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) | 16–24–2 |
| 43 | L | January 17, 1976 | 0–4 | Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) | 16–25–2 |
| 44 | L | January 21, 1976 | 2–3 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) | 16–26–2 |
| 45 | W | January 23, 1976 | 4–3 | Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) | 17–26–2 |
| 46 | W | January 25, 1976 | 4–2 | Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) | 18–26–2 |
| 47 | L | January 28, 1976 | 4–6 | @ New England Whalers (1975–76) | 18–27–2 |
| 48 | L | January 29, 1976 | 5–6 OT | Minnesota Fighting Saints (1975–76) | 18–28–2 |
| 49 | W | January 30, 1976 | 2–1 | Houston Aeros (1975–76) | 19–28–2 |
| 50 | L | February 1, 1976 | 1–2 | Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) | 19–29–2 |
| 51 | W | February 5, 1976 | 4–2 | Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) | 20–29–2 |
| 52 | L | February 6, 1976 | 3–4 | @ Houston Aeros (1975–76) | 20–30–2 |
| 53 | W | February 7, 1976 | 5–1 | Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) | 21–30–2 |
| 54 | W | February 11, 1976 | 2–1 | Phoenix Roadrunners (1975–76) | 22–30–2 |
| 55 | L | February 13, 1976 | 3–4 OT | Calgary Cowboys (1975–76) | 22–31–2 |
| 56 | L | February 14, 1976 | 2–3 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) | 22–32–2 |
| 57 | L | February 15, 1976 | 2–3 | San Diego Mariners (1975–76) | 22–33–2 |
| 58 | W | February 19, 1976 | 10–3 | New England Whalers (1975–76) | 23–33–2 |
| 59 | L | February 21, 1976 | 2–3 | @ Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) | 23–34–2 |
| 60 | L | February 22, 1976 | 5–6 | Phoenix Roadrunners (1975–76) | 23–35–2 |
| 61 | T | February 28, 1976 | 4–4 | @ New England Whalers (1975–76) | 23–35–3 |
| 62 | W | February 29, 1976 | 5–2 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) | 24–35–3 |
| 63 | L | March 2, 1976 | 2–5 | @ Phoenix Roadrunners (1975–76) | 24–36–3 |
| 64 | W | March 4, 1976 | 3–1 | Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) | 25–36–3 |
| 65 | W | March 6, 1976 | 3–2 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) | 26–36–3 |
| 66 | L | March 7, 1976 | 1–5 | Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) | 26–37–3 |
| 67 | W | March 11, 1976 | 3–1 | Toronto Toros (1975–76) | 27–37–3 |
| 68 | W | March 12, 1976 | 6–3 | @ Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) | 28–37–3 |
| 69 | W | March 13, 1976 | 6–4 | Phoenix Roadrunners (1975–76) | 29–37–3 |
| 70 | W | March 17, 1976 | 5–2 | @ New England Whalers (1975–76) | 30–37–3 |
| 71 | T | March 18, 1976 | 4–4 | San Diego Mariners (1975–76) | 30–37–4 |
| 72 | T | March 20, 1976 | 1–1 | @ New England Whalers (1975–76) | 30–37–5 |
| 73 | T | March 23, 1976 | 8–8 | @ San Diego Mariners (1975–76) | 30–37–6 |
| 74 | W | March 25, 1976 | 4–3 OT | Houston Aeros (1975–76) | 31–37–6 |
| 75 | W | March 26, 1976 | 3–2 | @ Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) | 32–37–6 |
| 76 | W | March 28, 1976 | 3–1 | @ New England Whalers (1975–76) | 33–37–6 |
| 77 | L | April 1, 1976 | 1–4 | Houston Aeros (1975–76) | 33–38–6 |
| 78 | W | April 2, 1976 | 3–1 | @ Toronto Toros (1975–76) | 34–38–6 |
| 79 | L | April 3, 1976 | 2–5 | New England Whalers (1975–76) | 34–39–6 |
| 80 | W | April 4, 1976 | 4–2 | @ New England Whalers (1975–76) | 35–39–6 |

## Playoffs
### New England Whalers Whalers 4, Indianapolis Racers Racers 3 - Quarter-Finals

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | April 16 | New England Whalers | 4 – 1 | Indianapolis Racers | 0–1 |
| 2 | April 17 | New England Whalers | 0 – 4 | Indianapolis Racers | 1–1 |
| 3 | April 21 | Indianapolis Racers | 0 – 3 | New England Whalers | 1–2 |
| 4 | April 23 | Indianapolis Racers | 1 – 2 | New England Whalers | 1–3 |
| 5 | April 24 | New England Whalers | 0 – 4 | Indianapolis Racers | 2–3 |
| 6 | April 27 | Indianapolis Racers | 5 – 3 | New England Whalers | 3–3 |
| 7 | April 29 | New England Whalers | 6 – 0 | Indianapolis Racers | 3–4 |

## Player stats

Regular season :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Pat Stapleton | D | 80 | 5 | 40 | 45 | 48 | -7 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Al Karlander | C | 79 | 16 | 28 | 44 | 36 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Bob Sicinski | C | 70 | 9 | 34 | 43 | 4 | -2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Nick Harbaruk | RW | 76 | 23 | 19 | 42 | 26 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Reg Thomas | LW | 80 | 23 | 17 | 40 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Hugh Harris | C | 41 | 12 | 28 | 40 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Rene Leclerc | RW | 40 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 52 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| Brian McDonald | C | 62 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 54 | -6 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Bob Fitchner | C | 52 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 112 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| Blair MacDonald | RW | 56 | 19 | 11 | 30 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Michel Parizeau | C | 23 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 20 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| Brian Coates | LW | 59 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 24 | -5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Ken Block | D | 79 | 1 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Randy Wyrozub | C | 55 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 8 | -4 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| Bob Whitlock | C | 30 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Dick Proceviat | D | 73 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ted Scharf | RW | 74 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 56 | -8 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Daryl Maggs | D | 36 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 40 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kim Clackson | D | 77 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 351 | -10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Buchanan | C | 23 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 4 | -5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryon Baltimore | D | 37 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dave Keon | C | 12 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Frank Rochon | LW | 19 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Woytowich | D | 42 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Murray Heatley | RW | 34 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7 | -7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill Prentice | D | 38 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 92 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Michel Dubois | D | 34 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 104 | -11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| John Sheridan | C | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Andy Brown | G | 24 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kerry Bond | LW | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | -7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Wiste | C | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Park | G | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Glen Critch | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michel Dion | G | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leif Holmquist | G | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Jones | LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Lomenda | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Roselle | LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
| Michel Dion | 1860 | 31 | 14 | 15 | 1 | 85 | 2.74 | 0 |
| Andy Brown | 1368 | 24 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 82 | 3.60 | 1 |
| Leif Holmquist | 1079 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 54 | 3.00 | 0 |
| Jim Park | 572 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 2.41 | 0 |
| Team: | 4879 | 80 | 35 | 39 | 6 | 244 | 3.00 | 1 |
Playoffs :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Michel Parizeau | C | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hugh Harris | C | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rene Leclerc | RW | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Keon | C | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Block | D | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Harbaruk | RW | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat Stapleton | D | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kerry Bond | LW | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daryl Maggs | D | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reg Thomas | LW | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryon Baltimore | D | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian McDonald | C | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Park | G | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kim Clackson | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Coates | LW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michel Dion | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Al Karlander | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blair MacDonald | RW | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dick Proceviat | D | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ted Scharf | RW | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Sicinski | C | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
| Jim Park | 293 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 2.46 | 2 |
| Michel Dion | 126 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2.38 | 0 |
| Team: | 419 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 2.43 | 2 |
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals  MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts;

## Draft picks

Indianapolis's draft picks at the 1975 WHA Amateur Draft.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 2 | Bryan Maxwell (D) | Canada | Medicine Hat Tigers (WCHL) |
| 3 | 32 | Clark Hamilton (C) | United States | University of Notre Dame (WCHA) |
| 4 | 47 | Blair MacKasey (D) | Canada | Montreal Red White and Blue (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 62 | Rick Bowness (C) | Canada | Montreal Red White and Blue (QMJHL) |
| 6 | 76 | Eric Sanderson (LW) | Canada | Victoria Cougars (WCHL) |
| 7 | 90 | Doug Young (D) | Canada | Michigan Tech University (WCHA) |
| 8 | 103 | Stan Jonathan (LW) | Canada | Peterborough Petes (OHA) |
| 9 | 115 | Larry Huras (D) | Canada | Kitchener Rangers (OHA) |
| 10 | 127 | Kari Makkonen (F) | Finland | Assat Pori (SM-sarja) |
| 11 | 140 | Michel Blais (D) | Canada | Kingston Canadians (OHA) |
| 12 | 152 | Anders Steen (F) | Sweden | Farjestads BK (Sweden) |
| 13 | 162 | Paul Evans (RW) | Canada | Peterborough Petes (OHA) |