John Brophy, who would become Toronto Maple Leafs coach, joined the Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association as assistant to coach Glen Sonmor. Brophy became head coach in the 1978-79 when Sonmor joined the Minnesota North Stars. His team finished last in the league, but was in the middle of a youth movement.
Wayne Gretzky was heavily recruited by Birmingham Bulls owner John F. Bassett to be part of the youth movement. [1] Bassett wanted to confront the NHL by signing as many young and promising superstars as possible and saw Gretzky as the most promising young prospect.
Although Bassett failed to sign Gretzky, the Bulls (affectionately known as the Baby Bulls) included several future NHL stars at the beginning of their professional careers: Rick Vaive, Michel Goulet, Rob Ramage, Craig Hartsburg, and Gaston Gingras, as well as a 36-year-old Paul Henderson. Even though his team was the only one in the league not to make the playoffs, Brophy was awarded the Robert Schmertz Memorial Trophy as the WHA's coach of the year. [2]
After the WHA
After the WHA ceased operations in 1979, the Birmingham Bulls joined the Central Hockey League, playing during the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons. The CHL team included returning coach John Brophy, and six players carried over from the previous season's WHA team; Paul Henderson, Pat Riggin, Rick Adduono, and Dave Hanson. The team disbanded during its second season.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
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