Since 2007 we have been conducting in the U.S. and Canada various WHA reunions for fans and players, film screenings and book signings, plus interviews and shooting for our documentaries throughout North America. See some photos from these previous WHA HOF events HERE
__________________________________________________________________________________________

THE 2012 US Hockey Hall of Fame Museum debut is HERE

Fall 2012 WHA HOF Book and News is HERE

---------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMER 2010 WHA HOF INDUCTION EVENTS:
July 17: MeiGray Hockey Jersey Expo in New Jersey
August 14: Whalers FanFest in Hartford, Connecticut
August 20: WHA Jets Film Premiere in Winnipeg, Manitoba
August 28: Andre Lacroix WHA HOF game in Cleveland, Ohio

See the bottom of this long page for a Summer 2010 photo gallery.
Much video from the events will be added here soon!
_______________________________________________________________________________

By Timothy Gassen
President, WHA Hall of Fame

The Summer of 2010 was the busiest ever for the WHA Hall of Fame, with more than 20,000 miles traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada. We kicked off the tour as a special guest at the Seventh Annual MeiGray Game Worn Jersey Expo on July 17 in North Branch, New Jersey.

MeiGray Group co-founder Barry Meisel is a dedicated WHA fan, collecting the major league’s hockey jerseys since his days as a firsthand WHA fan in the 1970s. His collection of WHA game jerseys might be the finest in the world, and we were delighted to have this incredible collection as part of our WHA Hall of Fame exhibit. (See a video clip of the WHA HOF at the event at our Facebook page HERE.)

We were excited to meet so many dedicated hockey fans interested in and supportive of the mission of the WHA HOF, and the goodwill from these fans alone made the cross-country trek worthwhile. Meeting former New Jersey Devil Ken Daneyko was a wonderful bonus, and he offered some kind words about his days growing up in Edmonton as a fan of his WHA Oilers.

Next stop for the WHA HOF was the Whalers FanFest in Hartford, Connecticut on August 14. More than 4,700 Whalers fans jammed the concourses of the Rentschler football stadium in an overwhelming show of support for the return of the Whalers and for the heritage of Whalers hockey.

The MeiGray Group traveled from New Jersey and kindly displayed again some of their rare WHA jerseys at our WHA HOF display, and the massive push of hockey fans was breathtaking! The WHA era of the Whalers was well represented at the FanFest, both with WHA players appearing to sign autographs and the fans themselves in WHA gear. And I just have to say that Pucky The Whale is the most fantastic hockey mascot I have ever seen. It is impossible not to smile when you see Pucky The Whale! (We lost count how many times the Whalers' bouncy theme song, "Brass Bonaza," was played on the PA system. But it made me smile and think of Pucky each and every time!)

Hartford marked the first WHA HOF induction ceremonies, and we were honored to present the official WHA Hall of Fame jersey to "Mr. Hockey"— the one and only Gordie Howe. The entire Howe family was inducted in to the WHA HOF, and we were privileged to have Marty & Mark Howe then join the induction ceremonies. All-time WHA scoring champ Andre Lacroix and Whalers founder Howard Baldwin were also inducted to the cheers of the massive throng of fans. Former Houston Aeros champion and team VP Jack Stanfield (also a WHA HOF Board member) was also on hand to help honor the Hall of Famers.

The new Connecticut Whalers organization treated us with great respect, spearheaded by their VP (and WHA Hall of Fame Board member) Mark Willand, and we look forward to returning to Hartford soon! (You can see some others' coverage of the Hartford WHA HOF day HERE and HERE and HERE.)

We headed straight to Winnipeg the following day, which was a week of media and fan exuberance. the WHA HOF induction event would be the first reunion in Winnipeg since 1978 of the famous "Hotline" — Bobby Hull, Anders Hedberg & Ulf Nilsson — and Winnipeg was indeed excited! We started with an emotional press conference mid-week, resulting in the full front page of the next day's newspaper and full TV coverage. (You can see some of the media coverage HERE and HERE and HERE.)

Bobby, Anders & Ulf were also kind in giving me an exclusive hour-long video interview about their time in Winnipeg & the WHA, which will be cut into a major video feature for future release. On a personal note, I had to shake my head in amazement — here I was with my boyhood hockey heroes, Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson and Bobby Hull. Throughout the week I was able to sit down with them, get to know them as people, and explain the inspiration they game to me all those years ago. Anders & Ulf had come all the way from Sweden, Bobby from Florida, and I had trekked from Arizona — and here we all were, together in Winnipeg. I felt so blessed, so fortunate, so grateful.

I was also fortunate to meet with the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame while in Winnipeg, and its director, Rick Brownlee, kindly gave me a tour of some of their WHA Jets artifacts. (A video clip from the tour is HERE as part of our Facebook page.)

Of course none of this would have been possible without the support of Pat McCullough and the Amadeus Steen Foundation. The WHA HOF and the Hotline were in Winnipeg to premiere the new WHA Jets film as a fundraising event for the non-profit organization, helping children and their families with extreme medical expenses in Manitoba. The premiere and induction ceremonies that concluded the week in Winnipeg on August 20 were packed, and fans cheered heartily as All-Stars Pat Stapleton and Joe Daley were inducted in the WHA Hall of Fame.

The "Hotline" appeared onstage together for their induction, with Ulf Nilsson, Anders Hedberg and Bobby Hull each receiving their WHA HOF jerseys to thunderous ovations. Their former WHA Jets teammate Joe Daley joined them on stage, and together they hoisted the AVCO World Trophy they won together over their heads in front of the adoring, boisterous, thunderous crowd.

The WHA Winnipeg Jets had always been my benchmark for hockey greatness, and I was delighted to see the people of Winnipeg salute them once again. I am not from Winnipeg — but I am so proud of Winnipeg and its major league hockey heritage. I hope I am invited back to Winnipeg for opening night when the major league Jets return!

Predictably, after the film screening and induction ceremonies, the autograph line for Bobby & the boys took hours to complete. And there sat The Golden Jet — Bobby Hull — shaking every hand, signing every bit, flashing his smile and offering a kind word to every WHA Jets fan. As my fellow Superfan Dave Pickering said to me outside the Jets locker room in 1975, motioning to Bobby Hull, "now THAT is a superstar."

Film premieres and hall-of-fame induction ceremonies are wonderful, but for the conclusion to our Summer 2010 WHA HOF tour we wanted to show some WHA stars once again as hockey players. That means they need to slip on the skates and play a game! And so the Andre Lacroix WHA Hall of Fame Day in Cleveland on August 28 was that special event.

We started the day with a screening of the new WHA HOF league documentary, then an autograph session, then the big moment — the first WHA HOF game. This all took place at The Pond in Chagrin Falls, the ice facility where Andre Lacroix is the director of hockey. Andre still skates each week with his adult men's team, and that team wanted to honor the all-time WHA scorer with a special surprise at his game: they all wore WHA Hall of Fame game jerseys, each with "LACROIX" and his #7 on the back. While this was a nightmare for the scoring sheet, it was guaranteed that at the end of the day that "Lacroix" would remain the WHA all-time scorer!

Other WHA stars joining Andre for the game were WHA Hall of Famer Pat Stapleton, John Sheridan, Kim Clackson, Wayne Muloin and coach Bill Needham. Altogether the players represented the WHA Indianapolis Racers, Winnipeg Jets, Cleveland Crusaders, Edmonton Oilers, New York Raiders, New York Golden Blades, Jersey Knights, San Diego Mariners, Houston Aeros & New England Whalers.

All-Star Pat Stapleton has long been a favorite of mine, and as an adult he's been an important mentor for me and the WHA Hall of Fame. He usually does not participate in these kinds of exhibition games, and actually hadn't skated in a game for almost 20 years. Pat doesn't care about his age, but I knew that he just turned 70, and I did keep a watchful eye on him. Would he be OK? Could he actually skate?

Pat started the game and took a long shift, and then headed to the bench for a well-deserved rest. He sat out a few shifts and I thought perhaps that was all we'd see of him skating that day. But of course I had it wrong. Whitey (as he is affectionately known) just took a few minutes to gauge the speed of the game, the style being played — then he took back to the ice.

Like a time machine, I saw once again that unique style Pat Stapleton always had on the ice as a WHA All-Star, that gliding & deceptive skating, that ability to find open ice and to control the pace of the game. He plucked pucks out of the air, sent tape-to-tape passes, joked on the bench and came within a whisker of finishing a hat trick. "I guess you never forget how to be a hockey player" he said to me with a wink.

Andre Lacroix never forgot, either, showing his elusive skating and masterful puck control throughout. He even scored on an intricate puck handling penalty shot, to the delight of the home crowd. Yes, there is nothing like seeing hockey players being hockey players, and then honoring their achievements. Of course, that is the mission of the WHA Hall of Fame. (You can see some coverage of Andre's day HERE and our video slideshow HERE and our video for the day HERE.)

20,000 miles later, I was finally asleep in my own Arizona bed at the conclusion of the 2010 Summer WHA HOF Tour. We had reached thousands of hockey fans eager to embrace the heritage of the major league World Hockey Association, and were able to honor many of its prominent players. I saw boyhood heroes inspire me all over again, and I felt the love and admiration they have for each other.

Stay tuned — the best is yet to come.
__________________________________________________________________________________________