Calgary Cowboys

The Calgary Cowboys are a defunct professional hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Blazers were established in 1975 following the relocalisation of the Vancouver Blazers and lasted a mere two seasons before folding in 1977.
==History==
In 1972, the fledgling WHA attempted to place a team in Calgary, to be known as the Broncos in the hopes of taking advantage of an anticipated rivalry with Edmonton, and the Oilers. The franchise failed to get off the ground, however, prompting the Oilers to rename themselves the Alberta Oilers, with the intention of splitting their home schedule between the two cities. This plan similarly failed to materialize, and the Oilers dropped the Alberta moniker after one season. Calgary would get its second chance in the WHA in 1975, when the Vancouver Blazers moved across the Rocky Mountains. Owner Jim Pattison, failing in his goal of taking the Vancouver market away from the NHL's Vancouver Canucks chose to relocate to Calgary. However, by the time the WHA did arrive, the league was already in difficulty, and the team was viewed as minor-league, despite the presence of aging superstars such as Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull in the league.
The franchise played out of the 6,500 Stampede Corral knowing that its small size would prevent the team from achieving profitability initially. They were hoping for strong attendance figures that would encourage the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede board, who owned and operated the Corral, to expand the faciilty to 15,000 seats. Such an expansion had been planned by the Stampede board, but with no timelines, and no commitment to finance it.
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.
In the 1976 playoffs, the Cowboys met the Quebec Nordiques in the first round. 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 over the incident. 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 second round. The team never really captured the attention of Calgarians, as fewer than 5,000 fans, on average, attended playoff games against the Jets.
During the 1976–77 season, attendance fell to below 4,500 per game. Rumours abounded that the franchise would move again to Ottawa, though it completed the season in Calgary. Team owner, Jim Pattison, attempted to keep the Cowboys afloat in 1977–78, with the ultimate hope of being a part of the expected amalgamation with the National Hockey League. Pattison was also hoping that the Cowboys would be one of six WHA teams to join the NHL in 1977 following as part of a proposed merger. When the NHL made it clear it had no interest in a team playing out of the Corral, it was expected that Pattison would request a two year leave of absence in the hopes of building a new arena. The NHL voted down the 1977 merger plan,MacFarlane, 1990, p. 154, while only 2,000 fans purchased season tickets for the 1977–78 season. With no imminent hope for a new arena, Pattison chose to fold the franchise on August 18, 1977.
Calgary would have to wait only three years for the NHL to arrive, however, as the Atlanta Flames were relocated to the city in 1980–81, playing in the Corral as a temporary home while the Olympic Saddledome was constructed.
==Season-by-season record==
Cowboys' season-by-season record	Cowboys' season-by-season record	Cowboys' season-by-season record	Cowboys' season-by-season record	Cowboys' season-by-season record	Cowboys' season-by-season record	Cowboys' season-by-season record	Cowboys' season-by-season record	Cowboys' season-by-season record	Cowboys' season-by-season record	Cowboys' season-by-season record	Cowboys' season-by-season record
Season 	Team Name 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	PTS 	GF 	GA 	PIM 	Finish 	Playoffs
1975–76 	Calgary Cowboys 	80 	41 	35 	4 	86 	307 	282 	1064 	3rd, Canadian 	Won Quarterfinals (Quebec) Lost Semifinals (Winnipeg)
1976–77 	Calgary Cowboys 	81 	31 	43 	7 	69 	252 	296 	832 	5th, Western 	Did not qualify
==All-time scoring leaders==
Cowboys' all-time scoring leaders	Cowboys' all-time scoring leaders	Cowboys' all-time scoring leaders	Cowboys' all-time scoring leaders	Cowboys' all-time scoring leaders	Cowboys' all-time scoring leaders	Cowboys' all-time scoring leaders
Player 	POS 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	
Danny Lawson 	RW 	144 	68 	71 	139 	
Ron Chipperfield 	C 	156 	69 	68 	137 	
George Morrison 	LW 	142 	36 	51 	87 	
Peter Driscoll 	LW 	151 	36 	51 	87 	
Butch Deadmarsh 	F 	117 	39 	45 	84 	
Don Tannahill 	C 	150 	35 	46 	81 	
Lynn Powis 	C 	84 	34 	40 	74 	
Rick Sentes 	RW 	101 	35 	38 	73 	
Chris Evans 	D 	156 	10 	47 	57 	
Warren Miller 	D 	83 	23 	32 	55 	
==Head coaches==
* Joe Crozier (1975-77)
==References==
Category:Canadian ice hockey teams
Category:Established in 1975
Category:Disestablished in 1977
Category:World Hockey Association team