# 1973–74 Houston Aeros season

The 1973–74 Houston Aeros season was the Houston Aeros second season of operation in the World Hockey Association (WHA). The season saw the debut of Gordie Howe and his sons in the WHA. The team would win the Avco World Trophy WHA championship.

## Regular season

At age 45, Howe scored 100 points during the season, and he was subsequently awarded the Gary L. Davidson Award for most valuable player. Two seasons after he won the award, it was renamed to honor his legacy. The Aeros won the Western Division for the first time in their history.

### Final standings

Western Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PIM | Pts |
| Houston Aeros | 78 | 48 | 25 | 5 | 318 | 219 | 1038 | 101 |
| Minnesota Fighting Saints | 78 | 44 | 32 | 2 | 332 | 275 | 1243 | 90 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 78 | 38 | 37 | 3 | 268 | 269 | 1273 | 79 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 78 | 34 | 39 | 5 | 264 | 296 | 673 | 73 |
| Vancouver Blazers | 78 | 27 | 50 | 1 | 278 | 345 | 1047 | 55 |
| Los Angeles Sharks | 78 | 25 | 53 | 0 | 239 | 339 | 1086 | 50 |

### Game log

Regular season schedule :
| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | W | October 13, 1973 | 4–3 | @ Los Angeles Sharks (1973–74) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | L | October 14, 1973 | 2–5 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) | 1–1–0 |
| 3 | W | October 17, 1973 | 7–2 | @ Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) | 2–1–0 |
| 4 | L | October 21, 1973 | 0–2 | Cleveland Crusaders (1973–74) | 2–2–0 |
| 5 | W | October 24, 1973 | 6–2 | Los Angeles Sharks (1973–74) | 3–2–0 |
| 6 | T | October 27, 1973 | 2–2 | @ Cleveland Crusaders (1973–74) | 3–2–1 |
| 7 | L | October 28, 1973 | 2–3 | Quebec Nordiques (1973–74) | 3–3–1 |
| 8 | W | October 30, 1973 | 6–1 | Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) | 4–3–1 |
| 9 | W | November 3, 1973 | 6–4 | Los Angeles Sharks (1973–74) | 5–3–1 |
| 10 | L | November 7, 1973 | 4–5 | Toronto Toros (1973–74) | 5–4–1 |
| 11 | W | November 10, 1973 | 8–3 | Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) | 6–4–1 |
| 12 | W | November 13, 1973 | 5–2 | @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) | 7–4–1 |
| 13 | L | November 15, 1973 | 2–3 | @ Chicago Cougars (1973–74) | 7–5–1 |
| 14 | W | November 17, 1973 | 3–2 | @ New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights (1973–74) | 8–5–1 |
| 15 | L | November 18, 1973 | 3–8 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1973–74) | 8–6–1 |
| 16 | W | November 21, 1973 | 4–1 | New England Whalers (1973–74) | 9–6–1 |
| 17 | W | November 24, 1973 | 5–3 | Chicago Cougars (1973–74) | 10–6–1 |
| 18 | W | November 25, 1973 | 2–1 | Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) | 11–6–1 |
| 19 | T | November 28, 1973 | 4–4 | Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) | 11–6–2 |
| 20 | L | November 29, 1973 | 2–5 | @ New England Whalers (1973–74) | 11–7–2 |
| 21 | T | December 1, 1973 | 3–3 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1973–74) | 11–7–3 |
| 22 | L | December 2, 1973 | 2–5 | @ Toronto Toros (1973–74) | 11–8–3 |
| 23 | W | December 5, 1973 | 5–2 | New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights (1973–74) | 12–8–3 |
| 24 | L | December 6, 1973 | 3–4 | @ Los Angeles Sharks (1973–74) | 12–9–3 |
| 25 | W | December 9, 1973 | 5–3 | @ Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) | 13–9–3 |
| 26 | W | December 12, 1973 | 3–2 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) | 14–9–3 |
| 27 | W | December 14, 1973 | 5–2 | @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) | 15–9–3 |
| 28 | L | December 15, 1973 | 2–5 | @ Chicago Cougars (1973–74) | 15–10–3 |
| 29 | T | December 16, 1973 | 2–2 | Cleveland Crusaders (1973–74) | 15–10–4 |
| 30 | W | December 19, 1973 | 10–0 | Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) | 16–10–4 |
| 31 | L | December 21, 1973 | 1–3 | @ Toronto Toros (1973–74) | 16–11–4 |
| 32 | W | December 22, 1973 | 8–3 | Los Angeles Sharks (1973–74) | 17–11–4 |
| 33 | L | December 26, 1973 | 2–3 OT | New England Whalers (1973–74) | 17–12–4 |
| 34 | W | December 29, 1973 | 3–0 | Chicago Cougars (1973–74) | 18–12–4 |
| 35 | W | December 30, 1973 | 6–4 | @ Los Angeles Sharks (1973–74) | 19–12–4 |
| 36 | L | January 5, 1974 | 1–2 | @ New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights (1973–74) | 19–13–4 |
| 37 | W | January 6, 1974 | 7–1 | Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) | 20–13–4 |
| 38 | W | January 8, 1974 | 6–2 | Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) | 21–13–4 |
| 39 | W | January 12, 1974 | 5–1 | Quebec Nordiques (1973–74) | 22–13–4 |
| 40 | W | January 16, 1974 | 4–1 | Toronto Toros (1973–74) | 23–13–4 |
| 41 | W | January 17, 1974 | 7–4 | Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) | 24–13–4 |
| 42 | L | January 19, 1974 | 2–3 | Los Angeles Sharks (1973–74) | 24–14–4 |
| 43 | W | January 22, 1974 | 3–1 | Los Angeles Sharks (1973–74) | 25–14–4 |
| 44 | W | January 24, 1974 | 5–1 | Quebec Nordiques (1973–74) | 26–14–4 |
| 45 | W | January 26, 1974 | 4–2 | @ Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) | 27–14–4 |
| 46 | W | January 27, 1974 | 4–1 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) | 28–14–4 |
| 47 | L | January 30, 1974 | 1–5 | @ Cleveland Crusaders (1973–74) | 28–15–4 |
| 48 | L | January 31, 1974 | 4–6 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1973–74) | 28–16–4 |
| 49 | L | February 2, 1974 | 2–5 | @ New England Whalers (1973–74) | 28–17–4 |
| 50 | W | February 4, 1974 | 7–1 | @ New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights (1973–74) | 29–17–4 |
| 51 | W | February 5, 1974 | 4–0 | New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights (1973–74) | 30–17–4 |
| 52 | W | February 8, 1974 | 6–2 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) | 31–17–4 |
| 53 | T | February 10, 1974 | 2–2 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) | 31–17–5 |
| 54 | W | February 12, 1974 | 3–1 | @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) | 32–17–5 |
| 55 | W | February 13, 1974 | 5–1 | Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) | 33–17–5 |
| 56 | W | February 15, 1974 | 6–4 | @ Los Angeles Sharks (1973–74) | 34–17–5 |
| 57 | L | February 17, 1974 | 1–6 | Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) | 34–18–5 |
| 58 | W | February 20, 1974 | 7–2 | New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights (1973–74) | 35–18–5 |
| 59 | W | February 23, 1974 | 5–2 | Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) | 36–18–5 |
| 60 | W | February 24, 1974 | 7–1 | Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) | 37–18–5 |
| 61 | W | February 26, 1974 | 3–2 | Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) | 38–18–5 |
| 62 | W | February 28, 1974 | 9–4 | @ Chicago Cougars (1973–74) | 39–18–5 |
| 63 | L | March 1, 1974 | 2–5 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) | 39–19–5 |
| 64 | L | March 3, 1974 | 3–6 | New England Whalers (1973–74) | 39–20–5 |
| 65 | L | March 6, 1974 | 2–4 | Edmonton Oilers (1973–74) | 39–21–5 |
| 66 | W | March 9, 1974 | 4–2 | Toronto Toros (1973–74) | 40–21–5 |
| 67 | W | March 12, 1974 | 3–2 | Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) | 41–21–5 |
| 68 | W | March 14, 1974 | 6–0 | @ Los Angeles Sharks (1973–74) | 42–21–5 |
| 69 | W | March 17, 1974 | 4–3 | Cleveland Crusaders (1973–74) | 43–21–5 |
| 70 | W | March 20, 1974 | 5–4 | @ Cleveland Crusaders (1973–74) | 44–21–5 |
| 71 | L | March 21, 1974 | 3–6 | @ Toronto Toros (1973–74) | 44–22–5 |
| 72 | W | March 22, 1974 | 4–2 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) | 45–22–5 |
| 73 | L | March 24, 1974 | 3–5 | Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) | 45–23–5 |
| 74 | W | March 27, 1974 | 8–1 | @ Vancouver Blazers (1973–74) | 46–23–5 |
| 75 | L | March 29, 1974 | 5–7 | @ Winnipeg Jets (1973–74) | 46–24–5 |
| 76 | L | March 31, 1974 | 2–5 | @ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1973–74) | 46–25–5 |
| 77 | W | April 1, 1974 | 4–1 | @ New England Whalers (1973–74) | 47–25–5 |
| 78 | W | April 3, 1974 | 3–1 | Chicago Cougars (1973–74) | 48–25–5 |

## Playoffs

The Aeros defeated the Winnipeg Jets in the Division semi-final 4–0. In the Division final, the Aeros defeated the Minnesota Fighting Saints 4–2 to advance to the Avco Cup final. The Aeros would sweep the Chicago Cougars to win their first WHA championship.

### Houston Aeros 4, Winnipeg Jets 0 - Semifinals

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | April 8 | Houston Aeros | 5–2 | Winnipeg Jets | 1–0 |
| 2 | April 10 | Houston Aeros | 3–2 | Winnipeg Jets | 2–0 |
| 3 | April 13 | Winnipeg Jets | 1–10 | Houston Aeros | 3–0 |
| 4 | April 14 | Winnipeg Jets | 4–5 | Houston Aeros | 4–0 |

### Houston Aeros 4, Minnesota Fighting Saints 2 - Division Finals

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | April 18 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | 5–4 OT | Houston Aeros | 0–1 |
| 2 | April 20 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | 2–5 | Houston Aeros | 1–1 |
| 3 | April 21 | Houston Aeros | 1–4 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | 1–2 |
| 4 | April 28 | Houston Aeros | 4–1 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | 2–2 |
| 5 | April 29 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | 4–9 | Houston Aeros | 3–2 |
| 6 | May 1 | Houston Aeros | 3–1 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | 4–2 |

### Houston Aeros 4, Chicago Cougars 0 - Avco Cup Finals

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | May 12 | Houston Aeros | 3–2 | Chicago Cougars | 1–0 |
| 2 | May 15 | Houston Aeros | 6–1 | Chicago Cougars | 2–0 |
| 3 | May 17 | Chicago Cougars | 4–7 | Houston Aeros | 3–0 |
| 4 | May 19 | Chicago Cougars | 2–6 | Houston Aeros | 4–0 |

## Player stats

Regular season :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| 9 - Gordie Howe | RW | 70 | 31 | 69 | 100 | 46 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 5 |
| 13 - Larry Lund | C | 75 | 33 | 53 | 86 | 109 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 10 |
| 7 - Frank Hughes | LW | 73 | 42 | 42 | 84 | 47 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3 |
| 16 - Andre Hinse | LW | 69 | 24 | 56 | 80 | 39 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 - Mark Howe | D | 76 | 38 | 41 | 79 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| 11 - Murray Hall | RW | 78 | 30 | 28 | 58 | 25 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 5 |
| 23 - Jim Sherrit | C | 76 | 30 | 28 | 58 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 - Gord Labossiere | C | 67 | 19 | 36 | 55 | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 - Poul Popiel | D | 78 | 7 | 41 | 48 | 126 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 - Ted Taylor | LW | 75 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 143 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 - John Schella | D | 73 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 170 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 21 - Don Grierson | RW | 65 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 - Marty Howe | D | 73 | 4 | 20 | 24 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 - Gordon Kannegiesser | D | 78 | 0 | 20 | 20 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 - Larry Hale | D | 69 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 - Joe Szura | C | 42 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 25 - Gary Williamson | LW | 9 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 - Jack Stanfield | LW | 41 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 - Bill Prentice | D | 55 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 - Don McLeod | G | 49 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 - Ed Hoekstra | C | 19 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 30 - Wayne Rutledge | G | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 - Ron Grahame | G | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
| 1 - Don McLeod | 2971 | 49 | 33 | 13 | 3 | 127 | 2.56 | 3 |
| 30 - Wayne Rutledge | 1509 | 25 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 84 | 3.34 | 0 |
| 29 - Ron Grahame | 250 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1.20 | 1 |
| Team: | 4730 | 78 | 48 | 25 | 5 | 216 | 2.74 | 4 |
Playoffs :
Scoring :
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Larry Lund | C | 14 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mark Howe | D | 14 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Andre Hinse | LW | 14 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gordie Howe | RW | 13 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gord Labossiere | C | 14 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Murray Hall | RW | 14 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Poul Popiel | D | 14 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frank Hughes | LW | 14 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jim Sherrit | C | 14 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ted Taylor | LW | 14 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Schella | D | 14 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Don Grierson | RW | 14 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marty Howe | D | 14 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Hale | D | 14 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gordon Kannegiesser | D | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Don McLeod | G | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill Prentice | D | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Stanfield | LW | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Szura | C | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Williamson | LW | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltending :
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO |
| Don McLeod | 842 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 35 | 2.49 | 0 |
| Team: | 842 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 35 | 2.49 | 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

Houston's draft picks at the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 9 | Darcy Rota (F) | Canada | Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) |
| 2 | 23 | Tom Lysiak (F) | Canada | Medicine Hat Tigers (WCHL) |
| 3 | 35 | Vic Mercredi (LW) | Canada | New Westminster Bruins (WCHL) |
| 4 | 48 | Don Cutts (G) | Canada | R.P.I. (ECAC) |
| 5 | 61 | Paul O'Neil (C) | United States | Boston University (ECAC) |
| 6 | 74 | Dennis Owchar (D) | Canada | Toronto Marlboros (OHA) |
| 7 | 87 | Dan Hinton (F) | Canada | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHA) |
| 8 | 99 | Lee Palmer (D) | Canada | Clarkson University (ECAC) |
| 9 | 110 | Sean Shanahan (LW) | Canada | Providence College (ECAC) |