# 1974–75 Cleveland Crusaders season

The 1974–75 Cleveland Crusaders season was the Cleveland Crusaders third season of operation in the World Hockey Association. It was the Crusaders' first season in the new Coliseum at Richfield. The Crusaders made the playoffs, losing in the quarter-finals to the Houston Aeros.

## Regular season
### Final standings

| Eastern Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM |
| New England Whalers | 78 | 43 | 30 | 5 | 91 | 274 | 279 | 867 |
| Cleveland Crusaders | 78 | 35 | 40 | 3 | 73 | 236 | 258 | 1273 |
| Chicago Cougars | 78 | 30 | 47 | 1 | 61 | 261 | 312 | 1086 |
| Indianapolis Racers | 78 | 18 | 57 | 3 | 39 | 216 | 338 | 970 |

### Game log

Regular season schedule :
| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | W | October 19, 1974 | 3–1 | @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | T | October 20, 1974 | 4–4 | @ Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75) | 1–0–1 |
| 3 | L | October 22, 1974 | 2–5 | @ San Diego Mariners (1974–75) | 1–1–1 |
| 4 | L | October 23, 1974 | 1–4 | @ Vancouver Blazers (1974–75) | 1–2–1 |
| 5 | W | October 31, 1974 | 4–2 | @ Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) | 2–2–1 |
| 6 | L | November 2, 1974 | 2–4 | Edmonton Oilers (1974–75) | 2–3–1 |
| 7 | W | November 8, 1974 | 2–1 | @ Vancouver Blazers (1974–75) | 3–3–1 |
| 8 | L | November 10, 1974 | 1–4 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1974–75) | 3–4–1 |
| 9 | W | November 14, 1974 | 2–1 OT | @ Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75) | 4–4–1 |
| 10 | W | November 15, 1974 | 5–3 | @ San Diego Mariners (1974–75) | 5–4–1 |
| 11 | L | November 19, 1974 | 5–6 | Toronto Toros (1974–75) | 5–5–1 |
| 12 | L | November 22, 1974 | 2–3 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1974–75) | 5–6–1 |
| 13 | W | November 24, 1974 | 3–1 | Quebec Nordiques (1974–75) | 6–6–1 |
| 14 | W | November 27, 1974 | 5–4 OT | Winnipeg Jets (1974–75) | 7–6–1 |
| 15 | W | November 29, 1974 | 4–2 | Indianapolis Racers (1974–75) | 8–6–1 |
| 16 | W | November 30, 1974 | 5–4 | @ Houston Aeros (1974–75) | 9–6–1 |
| 17 | L | December 4, 1974 | 2–3 | New England Whalers (1974–75) | 9–7–1 |
| 18 | W | December 7, 1974 | 3–1 | San Diego Mariners (1974–75) | 10–7–1 |
| 19 | L | December 10, 1974 | 3–4 | Vancouver Blazers (1974–75) | 10–8–1 |
| 20 | L | December 12, 1974 | 2–5 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1974–75) | 10–9–1 |
| 21 | L | December 13, 1974 | 6–7 OT | @ Toronto Toros (1974–75) | 10–10–1 |
| 22 | L | December 15, 1974 | 1–2 | @ Vancouver Blazers (1974–75) | 10–11–1 |
| 23 | L | December 17, 1974 | 3–8 | @ San Diego Mariners (1974–75) | 10–12–1 |
| 24 | L | December 19, 1974 | 0–1 | @ Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) | 10–13–1 |
| 25 | W | December 20, 1974 | 3–0 | New England Whalers (1974–75) | 11–13–1 |
| 26 | L | December 22, 1974 | 0–3 | Houston Aeros (1974–75) | 11–14–1 |
| 27 | W | December 23, 1974 | 4–1 | @ Toronto Toros (1974–75) | 12–14–1 |
| 28 | W | December 27, 1974 | 4–3 | Quebec Nordiques (1974–75) | 13–14–1 |
| 29 | L | December 28, 1974 | 2–3 OT | @ Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75) | 13–15–1 |
| 30 | L | December 29, 1974 | 0–6 | @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75) | 13–16–1 |
| 31 | L | December 31, 1974 | 3–4 | Chicago Cougars (1974–75) | 13–17–1 |
| 32 | L | January 1, 1975 | 2–6 | @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75) | 13–18–1 |
| 33 | W | January 2, 1975 | 4–1 | Indianapolis Racers (1974–75) | 14–18–1 |
| 34 | L | January 4, 1975 | 0–2 | San Diego Mariners (1974–75) | 14–19–1 |
| 35 | L | January 5, 1975 | 3–4 | Toronto Toros (1974–75) | 14–20–1 |
| 36 | T | January 7, 1975 | 4–4 | Winnipeg Jets (1974–75) | 14–20–2 |
| 37 | W | January 10, 1975 | 6–4 | Vancouver Blazers (1974–75) | 15–20–2 |
| 38 | W | January 12, 1975 | 4–2 | Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75) | 16–20–2 |
| 39 | L | January 15, 1975 | 2–4 | Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75) | 16–21–2 |
| 40 | L | January 16, 1975 | 2–4 | @ Indianapolis Racers (1974–75) | 16–22–2 |
| 41 | W | January 18, 1975 | 2–1 | Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) | 17–22–2 |
| 42 | L | January 19, 1975 | 4–9 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1974–75) | 17–23–2 |
| 43 | W | January 23, 1975 | 5–3 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1974–75) | 18–23–2 |
| 44 | W | January 25, 1975 | 2–1 | Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) | 19–23–2 |
| 45 | L | January 27, 1975 | 0–2 | @ New England Whalers (1974–75) | 19–24–2 |
| 46 | L | January 28, 1975 | 3–4 | @ Chicago Cougars (1974–75) | 19–25–2 |
| 47 | W | January 29, 1975 | 6–2 | Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75) | 20–25–2 |
| 48 | W | January 31, 1975 | 2–0 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1974–75) | 21–25–2 |
| 49 | L | February 2, 1975 | 3–4 | Quebec Nordiques (1974–75) | 21–26–2 |
| 50 | W | February 5, 1975 | 3–2 | Winnipeg Jets (1974–75) | 22–26–2 |
| 51 | W | February 6, 1975 | 4–0 | @ Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) | 23–26–2 |
| 52 | L | February 7, 1975 | 1–4 | @ Toronto Toros (1974–75) | 23–27–2 |
| 53 | L | February 9, 1975 | 1–4 | Houston Aeros (1974–75) | 23–28–2 |
| 54 | W | February 12, 1975 | 5–3 | Chicago Cougars (1974–75) | 24–28–2 |
| 55 | W | February 14, 1975 | 3–2 | San Diego Mariners (1974–75) | 25–28–2 |
| 56 | L | February 15, 1975 | 1–5 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1974–75) | 25–29–2 |
| 57 | L | February 17, 1975 | 1–2 | Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75) | 25–30–2 |
| 58 | L | February 19, 1975 | 3–5 | Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75) | 25–31–2 |
| 59 | W | February 22, 1975 | 4–3 | Toronto Toros (1974–75) | 26–31–2 |
| 60 | L | February 23, 1975 | 0–6 | @ Indianapolis Racers (1974–75) | 26–32–2 |
| 61 | L | February 26, 1975 | 5–9 | @ Houston Aeros (1974–75) | 26–33–2 |
| 62 | T | March 1, 1975 | 4–4 | @ New England Whalers (1974–75) | 26–33–3 |
| 63 | W | March 4, 1975 | 3–1 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1974–75) | 27–33–3 |
| 64 | L | March 5, 1975 | 2–4 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1974–75) | 27–34–3 |
| 65 | W | March 8, 1975 | 6–5 | @ Indianapolis Racers (1974–75) | 28–34–3 |
| 66 | L | March 12, 1975 | 0–2 | Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75) | 28–35–3 |
| 67 | W | March 14, 1975 | 3–0 | Edmonton Oilers (1974–75) | 29–35–3 |
| 68 | L | March 16, 1975 | 1–2 | Houston Aeros (1974–75) | 29–36–3 |
| 69 | L | March 17, 1975 | 2–3 | @ Chicago Cougars (1974–75) | 29–37–3 |
| 70 | W | March 19, 1975 | 5–4 | Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75) | 30–37–3 |
| 71 | W | March 22, 1975 | 5–1 | Edmonton Oilers (1974–75) | 31–37–3 |
| 72 | W | March 26, 1975 | 4–2 | Vancouver Blazers (1974–75) | 32–37–3 |
| 73 | L | March 27, 1975 | 3–5 | @ New England Whalers (1974–75) | 32–38–3 |
| 74 | W | March 29, 1975 | 7–5 | Indianapolis Racers (1974–75) | 33–38–3 |
| 75 | W | March 30, 1975 | 7–6 | Chicago Cougars (1974–75) | 34–38–3 |
| 76 | L | April 1, 1975 | 2–3 OT | @ Chicago Cougars (1974–75) | 34–39–3 |
| 77 | L | April 2, 1975 | 6–7 | @ Houston Aeros (1974–75) | 34–40–3 |
| 78 | W | April 5, 1975 | 5–2 | New England Whalers (1974–75) | 35–40–3 |

## Playoffs
### Houston Aeros 4, Cleveland Crusaders 1 - Quarterfinals

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | April 10 | Cleveland Crusaders | 5–8 | Houston Aeros | 0–1 |
| 2 | April 12 | Cleveland Crusaders | 3–5 | Houston Aeros | 0–2 |
| 3 | April 13 | Houston Aeros | 1–3 | Cleveland Crusaders | 1–2 |
| 4 | April 15 | Houston Aeros | 7–2 | Cleveland Crusaders | 1–3 |
| 5 | April 17 | Cleveland Crusaders | 1–3 | Houston Aeros | 1–4 |

## Player stats

Regular season :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Rich Leduc | C | 78 | 35 | 31 | 66 | 122 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Al McDonough | RW | 78 | 34 | 30 | 64 | 27 | -11 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Ward | C | 73 | 30 | 32 | 62 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Harrison | C | 60 | 20 | 22 | 42 | 106 | -8 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Jarrett | LW | 77 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 70 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Gerry Pinder | LW | 74 | 13 | 28 | 41 | 71 | -6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Skip Krake | C | 71 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 108 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Grant Erickson | LW | 78 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Russ Walker | RW | 66 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 80 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terry Holbrook | RW | 78 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 7 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Edur | D | 61 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 28 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Cardwell | LW | 75 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 127 | -3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ray Clearwater | D | 66 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 51 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Shmyr | D | 49 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 103 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Wayne Muloin | D | 78 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 65 | -6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Larry Hillman | D | 77 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 83 | -6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Stewart | C | 59 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wayne Hillman | D | 60 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron F. Anderson | D | 39 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robbie Neale | C | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Buchanan | C | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Gerry Cheevers | G | 52 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Baxter | D | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Whidden | G | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
| Gerry Cheevers | 3076 | 52 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 167 | 3.26 | 4 |
| Bob Whidden | 1654 | 29 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 89 | 3.23 | 0 |
| Team: | 4730 | 78 | 35 | 40 | 3 | 256 | 3.25 | 4 |
Playoffs :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Gerry Pinder | LW | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Hillman | D | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Al McDonough | RW | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Shmyr | D | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Harrison | C | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Edur | D | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ray Clearwater | D | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Skip Krake | C | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wayne Hillman | D | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rich Leduc | C | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Ward | C | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Russ Walker | RW | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Cardwell | LW | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terry Holbrook | RW | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Jarrett | LW | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wayne Muloin | D | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gerry Cheevers | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grant Erickson | LW | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Stewart | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
| Gerry Cheevers | 300 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 4.60 | 0 |
| Team: | 300 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 4.60 | 0 |
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

Cleveland's draft picks at the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| WHA Secret Amateur Draft |||||
| 1 | 10 | Doug Risebrough (F) | Canada | Kitchener Rangers (OHA) |
| 1 | 13 | Bruce Affleck (D) | Canada | University of Denver (WCHA) |
| 2 | 25 | John Stewart (C) | Canada | Bowling Green State University (CCHA) |
| WHA Amateur Draft |||||
| 1 | 11 | Paul Baxter (D) | Canada | Winnipeg Clubs (WCHL) |
| 2 | 26 | Charlie Simmer (F) | Canada | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHA) |
| 4 | 49 | Jamie Hislop (F) | Canada | University of New Hampshire (ECAC) |
| 5 | 70 | Mike Thompson (D) | Canada | Victoria Cougars (WCHL) |
| 6 | 85 | Tom Lindskog (D) | Canada | University of Michigan (WCHA) |
| 7 | 100 | Harvey Stewart (G) | Canada | Flin Flon Bombers (WCHL) |
| 8 | 115 | Steve Colp (C) | Canada | Michigan Americans (SOJHL) |
| 9 | 130 | Jack Brownschidle (D) | United States | University of Notre Dame (WCHA) |
| 10 | 143 | Serge Gamelin (RW) | Canada | Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL) |
| 11 | 157 | Glen McLeod (D) | Canada | Sudbury Wolves (OHA) |
| 12 | 170 | Doug Allan (G) | Canada | New Westminster Bruins (WCHL) |
| 13 | 181 | Gordon Stewart (F) | Canada | Kamloops Chiefs (WCHL) |