1975–76 Calgary Cowboys season

The 1975–76 Calgary Cowboys season was the 4th season of the Blazers franchise in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and 1st in Calgary, Alberta. The Vancouver Blazers relocated to Calgary prior to the season. The Cowboys finished 3rd in the Canadian Division and lost in the Semi-finals to the Winnipeg Jets 4 games to 1.
==Off-season==
The Cowboys inaugural jersey colours were red and white with a primarily white home jersey and a primarily red jersey. They'd stay with these colours throughout the club's existence. Three stripes were placed on the arms and five stripes on the body. The numbers and names were not outlined. The logo was a white cowboy hat, smaller versions were on the shoulders. This jersey design remained unchanged throughout the Cowboys two year stint in the WHA.
==Regular Season==
In their first season, the Cowboys were not expected to ice a strong team, having inherited a franchise that finished in a last place tie with the Oilers the previous year. Calgary finished 41–35–4 however, as a 44-goal season by Danny Lawson and 42 goals from Ron Chipperfield helped the Cowboys finish a surprising third in the Canadian division.
Don McLeod set the WHA record for assists in a season by a goalie with 13. Grant Fuhr of the NHL's 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers had 14 assists.
===Final Standings===
===Game Log===
Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results	Regular Season Results 	Regular Season Results
No. 	R 	Date 	Score 	Opponent 	Record
1 	L 	October 12, 1975 	0–2 	Minnesota Fighting Saints (1975–76) 	0–1–0
2 	W 	October 14, 1975 	5–3 	Indianapolis Racers (1975–76) 	1–1–0
3 	L 	October 17, 1975 	2–6 	Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) 	1–2–0
4 	L 	October 22, 1975 	1–2 	Denver Spurs (1975–76) 	1–3–0
5 	L 	October 24, 1975 	3–4 	Phoenix Roadrunners (1975–76) 	1–4–0
6 	L 	October 26, 1975 	1–3 	@ New England Whalers (1975–76) 	1–5–0
7 	W 	October 29, 1975 	3–1 	@ Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) 	2–5–0
8 	W 	October 30, 1975 	7–5 	@ Indianapolis Racers (1975–76) 	3–5–0
9 	L 	November 1, 1975 	2–3 	@ Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) 	3–6–0
10 	W 	November 2, 1975 	4–3 OT 	New England Whalers (1975–76) 	4–6–0
11 	T 	November 4, 1975 	4–4 	San Diego Mariners (1975–76) 	4–6–1
12 	W 	November 5, 1975 	4–2 	Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) 	5–6–1
13 	W 	November 7, 1975 	5–2 	Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) 	6–6–1
14 	W 	November 11, 1975 	6–3 	Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	7–6–1
15 	L 	November 13, 1975 	2–4 	Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) 	7–7–1
16 	W 	November 16, 1975 	5–3 	Houston Aeros (1975–76) 	8–7–1
17 	L 	November 18, 1975 	2–6 	San Diego Mariners (1975–76) 	8–8–1
18 	W 	November 21, 1975 	6–2 	@ Denver Spurs (1975–76) 	9–8–1
19 	W 	November 22, 1975 	6–4 	@ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1975–76)	10–8–1
20 	W 	November 27, 1975 	5–1 	@ Phoenix Roadrunners (1975–76) 	11–8–1
21 	W 	November 29, 1975 	5–4 OT 	@ San Diego Mariners (1975–76) 	12–8–1
22 	L 	November 30, 1975 	2–4 	@ Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	12–9–1
23 	L 	December 3, 1975 	3–4 	Toronto Toros (1975–76) 	12–10–1
24 	W 	December 5, 1975 	8–3 	Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	13–10–1
25 	W 	December 7, 1975 	5–4 	@ Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	14–10–1
26 	W 	December 9, 1975 	4–1 	Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) 	15–10–1
27 	L 	December 11, 1975 	2–3 	Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	15–11–1
28 	L 	December 12, 1975 	2–4 	@ Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) 	15–12–1
29 	T 	December 14, 1975 	3–3 	@ Toronto Toros (1975–76) 	15–12–2
30 	L 	December 16, 1975 	3–7 	@ Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) 	15–13–2
31 	W 	December 19, 1975 	5–3 	@ Toronto Toros (1975–76) 	16–13–2
32 	L 	December 20, 1975 	7–8 	@ Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) 	16–14–2
33 	W 	December 23, 1975 	10–1 	Toronto Toros (1975–76) 	17–14–2
34 	W 	December 26, 1975 	5–4 	@ Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) 	18–14–2
35 	W 	December 28, 1975 	6–4 	Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) 	19–14–2
36 	W 	January 1, 1976 	5–1 	Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	20–14–2
37 	W 	January 2, 1976 	3–1 	@ Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	21–14–2
38 	L 	January 3, 1976 	3–6 	Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) 	21–15–2
39 	W 	January 6, 1976 	5–0 	Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) 	22–15–2
40 	W 	January 7, 1976 	3–1 	Indianapolis Racers (1975–76) 	23–15–2
41 	L 	January 15, 1976 	3–5 	@ Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) 	23–16–2
42 	W 	January 17, 1976 	4–2 	Houston Aeros (1975–76) 	24–16–2
43 	W 	January 20, 1976 	10–3 	@ Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	25–16–2
44 	L 	January 21, 1976 	1–4 	@ Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) 	25–17–2
45 	L 	January 23, 1976 	0–2 	@ Houston Aeros (1975–76) 	25–18–2
46 	L 	January 25, 1976 	3–5 	@ Houston Aeros (1975–76) 	25–19–2
47 	L 	January 28, 1976 	0–5 	@ Phoenix Roadrunners (1975–76) 	25–20–2
48 	L 	January 29, 1976 	0–1 	@ San Diego Mariners (1975–76) 	25–21–2
49 	W 	February 3, 1976 	3–2 	Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) 	26–21–2
50 	L 	February 5, 1976 	4–6 	New England Whalers (1975–76) 	26–22–2
51 	T 	February 7, 1976 	4–4 	Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) 	26–22–3
52 	L 	February 8, 1976 	4–8 	@ Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) 	26–23–3
53 	W 	February 10, 1976 	4–3 	Toronto Toros (1975–76) 	27–23–3
54 	W 	February 13, 1976 	4–3 OT 	@ Indianapolis Racers (1975–76) 	28–23–3
55 	L 	February 15, 1976 	4–5 OT 	@ Cincinnati Stingers (1975–76) 	28–24–3
56 	L 	February 18, 1976 	0–4 	@ Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) 	28–25–3
57 	L 	February 20, 1976 	3–6 	Minnesota Fighting Saints (1975–76) 	28–26–3
58 	W 	February 22, 1976 	4–2 	Toronto Toros (1975–76) 	29–26–3
59 	T 	February 24, 1976 	3–3 	@ Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	29–26–4
60 	W 	February 25, 1976 	5–2 	Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	30–26–4
61 	W 	February 27, 1976 	5–4 	Cleveland Crusaders (1975–76) 	31–26–4
62 	L 	February 29, 1976 	2–5 	Phoenix Roadrunners (1975–76) 	31–27–4
63 	W 	March 2, 1976 	6–3 	Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	32–27–4
64 	L 	March 3, 1976 	4–6 	@ Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	32–28–4
65 	W 	March 4, 1976 	4–1 	Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) 	33–28–4
66 	L 	March 6, 1976 	2–5 	@ Toronto Toros (1975–76) 	33–29–4
67 	L 	March 7, 1976 	1–3 	@ Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) 	33–30–4
68 	W 	March 9, 1976 	7–4 	Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) 	34–30–4
69 	W 	March 11, 1976 	2–0 	Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	35–30–4
70 	W 	March 16, 1976 	4–3 OT 	@ Edmonton Oilers (1975–76) 	36–30–4
71 	L 	March 17, 1976 	2–3 	@ Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) 	36–31–4
72 	W 	March 20, 1976 	8–7 	@ Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) 	37–31–4
73 	L 	March 23, 1976 	5–6 OT 	@ Toronto Toros (1975–76) 	37–32–4
74 	W 	March 24, 1976 	7–6 	@ New England Whalers (1975–76) 	38–32–4
75 	L 	March 26, 1976 	1–4 	@ New England Whalers (1975–76) 	38–33–4
76 	L 	March 27, 1976 	4–6 	@ Quebec Nordiques (1975–76) 	38–34–4
77 	W 	March 28, 1976 	5–4 	@ Toronto Toros (1975–76) 	39–34–4
78 	W 	March 30, 1976 	6–2 	Toronto Toros (1975–76) 	40–34–4
79 	W 	April 2, 1976 	4–1 	Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) 	41–34–4
80 	L 	April 6, 1976 	3–5 	Winnipeg Jets (1975–76) 	41–35–4
==Playoffs==
In the playoffs, the Cowboys met the Quebec Nordiques in the Quarter-finals. The series is best known for one of hockey's most legendary brawls. The incident began when Calgary's Rick Jodzio cross-checked Quebec's Marc Tardif in the head, causing both teams to leave their benches. The brawl lasted 20 minutes and ended only when Quebec police gathered at the players benches and escorted the teams back to their dressing rooms. The game resumed following a 20 minute break to allow both teams to cool down, then resumed without eleven players, who were ejected from the game. The incident caught the attention of Quebec's Solicitor General Francois Lalonde, who had the incident investigated as a criminal matter. Jodzio was suspended indefinitely by the league, and later plead guilty in a Quebec court to a charge of assault . Cowboys coach Joe Crozier was suspended for the rest of the series.
Calgary went on to defeat the Nordiques, who had finished 18 points ahead of Calgary in the regular season, but were defeated by the Winnipeg Jets in the Semi-finals. The team never really captured the attention of Calgarians, as fewer than 5,000 fans, on average, attended playoff games against the Jets.
===Calgary Cowboys 4, Quebec Nordiques 1===
#	Date 	Visitor 	Score	Home 	Record
1	April 10	Calgary Cowboys 	3–1 	Quebec Nordiques	1–0
2	April 11	Calgary Cowboys 	8–4 	Quebec Nordiques	2–0
3	April 14	Quebec Nordiques	2–3 	Calgary Cowboys 	0–3
4	April 16	Quebec Nordiques	4–3 	Calgary Cowboys 	1–3
5	April 18	Calgary Cowboys 	6–4 	Quebec Nordiques	4–1
===Winnipeg Jets 4, Calgary Cowboys 1===
#	Date 	Visitor 	Score	Home 	Record
1	April 23	Calgary Cowboys	1–6 	Winnipeg Jets 	0–1
2	April 25	Calgary Cowboys	2–3 	Winnipeg Jets 	0–2
3	April 28	Winnipeg Jets 	6–3 	Calgary Cowboys	3–0
4	April 30	Winnipeg Jets 	3–7 	Calgary Cowboys	3–1
5	May 2 	Calgary Cowboys	0–4 	Winnipeg Jets 	1–4
==Player Stats==
Regular Season	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Scoring 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable"	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
# 	Player	Pos	GP	G 	A 	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
11 	 	RW 	80	44	52	96 	46 	13 	7 	4 	5
7 	 	C 	75	42	41	83 	32 	13 	19 	0 	5
9 	 	LW 	79	25	32	57 	13 	5 	7 	1 	0
15 	 	LW 	79	26	28	54 	196	5 	5 	2 	4
8 	 	LW 	72	25	24	49 	33 	9 	7 	0 	5
5 	 	LW 	78	25	24	49 	10 	6 	1 	5 	5
16 	 	C 	51	17	17	34 	8 	6 	6 	0 	0
24 	 	LW 	75	16	18	34 	127	12 	2 	0 	6
12 	 	LW 	57	10	22	32 	26 	10 	1 	0 	1
6 	 	D 	71	3 	28	31 	62 	11 	1 	0 	0
17, 25 	 	RW 	58	11	15	26 	6 	-2 	0 	0 	0
4 	 	D 	75	3 	20	23 	50 	12 	1 	0 	0
23 	 	D 	69	2 	21	23 	66 	31 	0 	0 	0
19 	 	RW 	39	8 	12	20 	4 	7 	0 	1 	0
20 	 	C 	38	7 	11	18 	19 	0 	0 	0 	2
10 	 	C 	21	5 	13	18 	4 	3 	1 	0 	2
16 	 	LW 	47	10	7 	17 	137	5 	0 	0 	2
2 	 	D 	42	0 	16	16 	33 	-6 	0 	0 	0
20 	 	C 	15	7 	8 	15 	14 	8 	1 	0 	1
14 	 	C 	30	5 	9 	14 	6 	5 	0 	0 	0
18 	 	C 	30	5 	9 	14 	19 	-7 	0 	0 	2
10 	 	C 	21	4 	10	14 	2 	2 	0 	1 	0
1 	 	G 	63	0 	13	13 	4 	0 	0 	0 	0
22 	 	RW 	15	5 	2 	7 	18 	-5 	0 	0 	1
21 	 	D 	58	2 	4 	6 	22 	-3 	0 	1 	0
22 	 	D 	28	0 	5 	5 	6 	4 	0 	0 	0
3 	 	D 	29	0 	5 	5 	14 	3 	0 	0 	0
3 	 	D 	31	0 	3 	3 	6 	4 	0 	0 	0
19 	 	D 	9 	0 	2 	2 	23 	2 	0 	0 	0
 	 	LW 	6 	0 	1 	1 	2 	-2 	0 	0 	0
25 	 	D 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	 	LW 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	-2 	0 	0 	0
10 	 	C 	2 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
10 	 	C 	3 	0 	0 	0 	29 	0 	0 	0 	0
17 	 	RW 	3 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	 	D 	4 	0 	0 	0 	2 	-4 	0 	0 	0
 	 	D 	5 	0 	0 	0 	2 	1 	0 	0 	0
0 	 	G 	8 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
30 	 	G 	19	0 	0 	0 	4 	0 	0 	0 	0
Playoffs	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Scoring 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable"	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Player 	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG
 	D 	10	5	5	10 	4 	0 	0 	0
 	C 	10	4	6	10 	19 	0 	0 	0
 	C 	10	5	4	9 	6 	0 	0 	0
 	C 	10	5	4	9 	2 	0 	0 	0
 	RW 	9 	4	4	8 	19 	0 	0 	0
 	RW 	10	3	4	7 	8 	0 	0 	0
 	LW 	10	2	5	7 	41 	0 	0 	0
 	LW 	10	2	5	7 	8 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	10	0	6	6 	6 	0 	0 	0
 	LW 	10	3	2	5 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	C 	3 	2	0	2 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	7 	0	2	2 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	9 	0	2	2 	4 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	6 	0	1	1 	19 	0 	0 	0
 	LW 	8 	0	1	1 	14 	0 	0 	0
 	LW 	8 	0	1	1 	8 	0 	0 	0
 	G 	10	0	1	1 	4 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	10	0	1	1 	10 	0 	0 	0
 	RW 	10	1	0	1 	28 	0 	0 	0
 	C 	1 	0	0	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	2 	0	0	0 	2 	0 	0 	0
 	LW 	2 	0	0	0 	14 	0 	0 	0
 	LW 	3 	0	0	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	8 	0	0	0 	2 	0 	0 	0
 	G 	1 	0	0	0 	0 	0 	0 	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 
==Awards and Records==
*The Cowboys did not win any awards this season.
==Transactions==
==Draft Picks==
==Farm Teams==
==Gallery==
1975-Dec14-Morrison-Vien.jpg|George Morrison and Mario Viens, December 14, 1975.
75-76WHACalgaryGameAd.jpg
75-76WHACalgarySeasonTickets.jpg|Season Tickets
==See Also==
*1975–76 WHA season
==Notes==
==References==
* 
* 
Calgary Cowboys season, 1975–76
Calgary Cowboys season, 1975–76
Category:Calgary Cowboys seasons