The Birmingham Bulls were a professional ice hockey team based in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. They played in the World Hockey Association from 1976 to 1979 and the Central Hockey League from 1979 to 1981. The Bulls played their home games at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center.

Prior to being in Birmingham, the team was known as the Ottawa Nationals and the Toronto Toros. In 1992, another Birmingham hockey franchise was founded that used the Bulls name, the Birmingham Bulls of the East Coast Hockey League.

History

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 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, Pat Riggin, 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

The Bulls were not included in the WHA-NHL merger of 1979. Even without the WHA's insistence that all of its surviving Canadian teams be included, the NHL was skeptical about putting another team in the South due to the struggles of the Atlanta Flames (who would eventually move to Calgary a year later).

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

World Hockey Association

Central Hockey League

See also

• List of WHA seasons
• Birmingham Bulls (ECHL)

References

External links

• BirminghamProSports.com
• WHAhockey.com - Birmingham Bulls
• WHA Bulls on Magic City Hockey

de:Birmingham Bulls (WHA) fr:Bulls de Birmingham (hockey sur glace) sv:Birmingham Bulls