1974–75 Houston Aeros season

1974–75 Houston Aeros
Avco Cup champions
Division	1st Western
1974–75 record	53–25–0
Home record	28–11–0
Road record	25–14–0
Goals for	369
Goals against	247
Team information
Coach	Bill Dineen
Captain	Ted Taylor
Alternate captains	Gordie Howe Gord Labossiere Poul Popiel
Arena	Sam Houston Coliseum
Team leaders
Goals	Frank Hughes
Assists	Larry Lund
Points	Larry Lund

The 1974–75 Houston Aeros season was the Aeros' third season of operation in the World Hockey Association (WHA). The Aeros qualified first in their division for the playoffs and successfully defended their Avco World Trophy WHA championship.

Regular season

Larry Lund scored 33 goals and had 108 points on the season. Frank Hughes scored a team high 48 goals. Gordie Howe (at the age of 46) scored 34 goals and had 99 points. Mark Howe had 36 goals and 76 points while Marty Howe had 13 goals and 34 points. In total, the Howe family had 83 goals and 209 points combined during the season. The Aeros ranked first in goals scored and goals against en route to 53 wins, a five-game improvement from their Cup winning season the year before.

Final standings

Western Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM
Houston Aeros	78	53	25	0	106	369	247	1257
San Diego Mariners	78	43	31	4	90	326	268	1058
Minnesota Fighting Saints	78	42	33	3	87	308	279	1233
Phoenix Roadrunners	78	39	31	8	86	300	265	1388
Michigan Stags / Baltimore Blades	78	21	53	4	46	205	341	1104

Game log

Regular season schedule
No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	W	October 16, 1974	6–0	@ Vancouver Blazers (1974–75)	1–0–0
2	L	October 18, 1974	4–6	@ Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75)	1–1–0
3	L	October 19, 1974	2–6	@ San Diego Mariners (1974–75)	1–2–0
4	L	October 22, 1974	2–7	@ Quebec Nordiques (1974–75)	1–3–0
5	L	October 23, 1974	4–5	@ New England Whalers (1974–75)	1–4–0
6	W	October 26, 1974	3–2	Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75)	2–4–0
7	W	October 29, 1974	4–2	@ Chicago Cougars (1974–75)	3–4–0
8	W	October 30, 1974	1–0	Chicago Cougars (1974–75)	4–4–0
9	W	November 2, 1974	8–2	Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75)	5–4–0
10	W	November 5, 1974	9–3	San Diego Mariners (1974–75)	6–4–0
11	L	November 9, 1974	4–5 OT	Indianapolis Racers (1974–75)	6–5–0
12	W	November 12, 1974	6–1	New England Whalers (1974–75)	7–5–0
13	W	November 13, 1974	8–5	@ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75)	8–5–0
14	W	November 16, 1974	6–2	Chicago Cougars (1974–75)	9–5–0
15	L	November 17, 1974	3–4	San Diego Mariners (1974–75)	9–6–0
16	W	November 19, 1974	10–0	@ Indianapolis Racers (1974–75)	10–6–0
17	W	November 22, 1974	4–1	@ Vancouver Blazers (1974–75)	11–6–0
18	W	November 23, 1974	4–2	@ Vancouver Blazers (1974–75)	12–6–0
19	W	November 24, 1974	4–3 OT	@ Edmonton Oilers (1974–75)	13–6–0
20	L	November 26, 1974	4–6	Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75)	13–7–0
21	W	November 28, 1974	2–0	Edmonton Oilers (1974–75)	14–7–0
22	L	November 30, 1974	4–5	Cleveland Crusaders (1974–75)	14–8–0
23	W	December 1, 1974	7–3	@ Indianapolis Racers (1974–75)	15–8–0
24	W	December 3, 1974	5–4	@ Toronto Toros (1974–75)	16–8–0
25	W	December 4, 1974	3–2	@ Winnipeg Jets (1974–75)	17–8–0
26	L	December 8, 1974	1–2	@ Quebec Nordiques (1974–75)	17–9–0
27	W	December 11, 1974	5–2	Vancouver Blazers (1974–75)	18–9–0
28	W	December 14, 1974	5–3	Winnipeg Jets (1974–75)	19–9–0
29	L	December 15, 1974	3–4	San Diego Mariners (1974–75)	19–10–0
30	W	December 17, 1974	7–2	Edmonton Oilers (1974–75)	20–10–0
31	L	December 19, 1974	1–3	Vancouver Blazers (1974–75)	20–11–0
32	W	December 21, 1974	5–3	@ New England Whalers (1974–75)	21–11–0
33	W	December 22, 1974	3–0	@ Cleveland Crusaders (1974–75)	22–11–0
34	W	December 28, 1974	6–1	New England Whalers (1974–75)	23–11–0
35	W	December 29, 1974	6–3	Winnipeg Jets (1974–75)	24–11–0
36	W	January 2, 1975	6–3	Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75)	25–11–0
37	W	January 4, 1975	5–2	Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75)	26–11–0
38	W	January 11, 1975	6–4	Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75)	27–11–0
39	L	January 12, 1975	4–7	Toronto Toros (1974–75)	27–12–0
40	W	January 15, 1975	9–2	Edmonton Oilers (1974–75)	28–12–0
41	L	January 18, 1975	4–5 OT	@ San Diego Mariners (1974–75)	28–13–0
42	L	January 24, 1975	5–7	@ Edmonton Oilers (1974–75)	28–14–0
43	W	January 26, 1975	3–1	@ Winnipeg Jets (1974–75)	29–14–0
44	L	January 28, 1975	5–7	@ Edmonton Oilers (1974–75)	29–15–0
45	L	January 31, 1975	1–4	@ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75)	29–16–0
46	W	February 1, 1975	6–5	@ Chicago Cougars (1974–75)	30–16–0
47	W	February 2, 1975	5–2	@ Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75)	31–16–0
48	W	February 4, 1975	4–3 OT	@ Indianapolis Racers (1974–75)	32–16–0
49	W	February 5, 1975	5–2	Toronto Toros (1974–75)	33–16–0
50	L	February 6, 1975	3–4	Quebec Nordiques (1974–75)	33–17–0
51	L	February 8, 1975	4–6	Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75)	33–18–0
52	W	February 9, 1975	4–1	@ Cleveland Crusaders (1974–75)	34–18–0
53	W	February 11, 1975	5–2	@ Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75)	35–18–0
54	W	February 12, 1975	3–1	@ Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75)	36–18–0
55	L	February 14, 1975	3–5	@ Winnipeg Jets (1974–75)	36–19–0
56	W	February 17, 1975	5–3	@ Quebec Nordiques (1974–75)	37–19–0
57	W	February 19, 1975	10–4	Quebec Nordiques (1974–75)	38–19–0
58	L	February 22, 1975	2–4	Vancouver Blazers (1974–75)	38–20–0
59	W	February 23, 1975	5–1	Toronto Toros (1974–75)	39–20–0
60	W	February 26, 1975	9–5	Cleveland Crusaders (1974–75)	40–20–0
61	W	February 27, 1975	7–2	@ Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75)	41–20–0
62	W	March 1, 1975	4–2	Chicago Cougars (1974–75)	42–20–0
63	W	March 2, 1975	4–3 OT	Indianapolis Racers (1974–75)	43–20–0
64	L	March 6, 1975	4–7	@ San Diego Mariners (1974–75)	43–21–0
65	L	March 8, 1975	4–5	New England Whalers (1974–75)	43–22–0
66	W	March 14, 1975	5–4	@ Chicago Cougars (1974–75)	44–22–0
67	W	March 16, 1975	2–1	@ Cleveland Crusaders (1974–75)	45–22–0
68	L	March 17, 1975	4–5	@ Toronto Toros (1974–75)	45–23–0
69	W	March 19, 1975	6–5	Indianapolis Racers (1974–75)	46–23–0
70	W	March 20, 1975	5–3	Quebec Nordiques (1974–75)	47–23–0
71	W	March 22, 1975	5–3	@ New England Whalers (1974–75)	48–23–0
72	L	March 26, 1975	1–2	@ Phoenix Roadrunners (1974–75)	48–24–0
73	W	March 27, 1975	8–0	Winnipeg Jets (1974–75)	49–24–0
74	W	March 29, 1975	8–2	Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75)	50–24–0
75	W	April 2, 1975	7–6	Cleveland Crusaders (1974–75)	51–24–0
76	W	April 5, 1975	8–2	Minnesota Fighting Saints (1974–75)	52–24–0
77	W	April 6, 1975	5–2	@ Toronto Toros (1974–75)	53–24–0
78	L	April 7, 1975	2–4	@ Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades (1974–75)	53–25–0

Playoffs

During the playoffs, the Aeros lost only once en route to a second consecutive Avco World Trophy. The Aeros defeated the Cleveland Crusaders 4–1 in the Quarter-finals. The Aeros then defeated the San Diego Mariners 4–0 to advance to the Final. In the Final, the Aeros swept the Quebec Nordiques 4–0.

Houston Aeros 4, Cleveland Crusaders 1 - Quarterfinals

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Record
1	April 10	Cleveland Crusaders	5–8	Houston Aeros	1–0
2	April 12	Cleveland Crusaders	3–5	Houston Aeros	2–0
3	April 13	Houston Aeros	1–3	Cleveland Crusaders	2–1
4	April 15	Houston Aeros	7–2	Cleveland Crusaders	3–1
5	April 17	Cleveland Crusaders	1–3	Houston Aeros	4–1

Houston Aeros 4, San Diego Mariners 0 - Semifinals

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Record
1	April 25	Houston Aeros	4–0	San Diego Mariners	1–0
2	April 27	Houston Aeros	2–1	San Diego Mariners	2–0
3	April 29	San Diego Mariners	0–6	Houston Aeros	3–0
4	May 1	San Diego Mariners	4–5 OT	Houston Aeros	4–0

Houston Aeros 4, Quebec Nordiques 0 - Avco Cup Finals

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Record
1	May 3	Quebec Nordiques	2–6	Houston Aeros	1–0
2	May 6	Quebec Nordiques	3–5	Houston Aeros	2–0
3	May 10	Houston Aeros	2–0	Quebec Nordiques	3–0
4	May 12	Houston Aeros	7–2	Quebec Nordiques	4–0

Player stats

Regular season
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG Larry Lund C 78 33 75 108 68 28 13 0 0 Gordie Howe RW 75 34 65 99 84 40 8 3 0 Andre Hinse LW 75 39 47 86 12 34 13 0 0 Frank Hughes LW 76 48 35 83 35 32 15 0 0 Mark Howe D 74 36 40 76 30 40 7 4 0 Poul Popiel D 78 11 53 64 123 41 4 2 0 Gord Labossiere C 76 23 34 57 40 5 4 0 0 Ted Taylor LW 73 26 27 53 130 7 2 3 0 John Schella D 78 10 42 52 176 43 0 0 0 Jim Sherrit C 77 22 25 47 25 36 1 0 0 Murray Hall RW 78 18 29 47 28 2 0 5 0 Terry Ruskowski C 71 10 36 46 134 30 3 0 0 Rich Preston RW 78 20 21 41 10 25 1 0 0 Don Larway RW 76 22 14 36 59 26 0 0 0 Marty Howe D 75 13 21 34 89 46 0 1 0 Larry Hale D 76 2 18 20 40 35 0 0 0 Glen Irwin D 70 2 11 13 153 38 0 0 0 Bill Prentice D 17 0 3 3 19 3 0 0 0 Ron Grahame G 43 0 1 1 6 0 0 0 0 Wayne Rutledge G 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO Ron Grahame 2590 43 33 10 0 131 3.03 4 Wayne Rutledge 2092 35 20 15 0 113 3.24 2 Team: 4682 78 53 25 0 244 3.13 6

Playoffs
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG Mark Howe D 13 10 12 22 0 0 0 3 Gordie Howe RW 13 8 12 20 20 0 0 1 Larry Lund C 13 5 13 18 13 0 0 1 Gord Labossiere C 13 6 7 13 4 0 0 0 Frank Hughes LW 13 6 6 12 2 0 0 1 Poul Popiel D 13 1 10 11 34 0 0 1 Murray Hall RW 13 7 3 10 8 0 0 2 Andre Hinse LW 11 5 4 9 8 0 0 0 John Schella D 13 0 8 8 12 0 0 0 Ted Taylor LW 11 2 5 7 22 0 0 0 Rich Preston RW 13 1 6 7 6 0 0 0 Terry Ruskowski C 13 4 2 6 15 0 0 1 Jim Sherrit C 13 3 3 6 6 0 0 2 Don Larway RW 13 3 1 4 8 0 0 0 Larry Hale D 13 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 Marty Howe D 11 0 2 2 11 0 0 0 Glen Irwin D 13 0 2 2 8 0 0 0 Ron Grahame G 13 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 Bill Prentice D 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO Ron Grahame 780 13 12 1 26 2.00 3 Team: 780 13 12 1 26 2.00 3

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;

Draft picks

Houston's draft picks at the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft.

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
WHA Secret Amateur Draft
1	9	John Hughes (D)	Canada	Toronto Marlboros (OHA)
1	15	Rich Nantais (LW)	Canada	Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
2	30	Terry Ruskowski (C)	Canada	Swift Current Broncos (WCHL)
WHA Amateur Draft
1	15	Dick Spannbauer (D)	United States	University of Minnesota (WCHA)
2	30	Pierre Larouche (F)	Canada	Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL)
3	45	Pete LoPresti (G)	United States	University of Denver (WCHA)
4	60	Derek Smith (F)	Canada	Ottawa 67's (OHA)
5	74	Bob Sirois (RW)	Canada	Montreal Red White and Blue (QMJHL)
6	89	Ken Gassoff (C)	Canada	Medicine Hat Tigers (WCHL)
7	104	Murray Beck (C)	Canada	New Westminster Bruins (WCHL)
8	119	Jerry Badiuk (D)	Canada	Kitchener Rangers (OHA)
9	134	Jan Kascak (D)	Canada	St. Louis University (CCHA)
10	147	Ron Wilson (D)	United States	Providence College (ECAC)
11	160	Bob Ferriter (LW)	United States	Boston College (ECAC)
12	173	John McMorrow (F)	United States	Providence College (ECAC)
13	184	Craig Norwich (D)	United States	University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
14	192	Kevin MacDonald (D)	Canada	Bowling Green State University (CCHA)
15	197	Ian MacPhee (RW)	Canada	Swift Current Broncos (WCHL)
16	201	Don Hay (RW)	Canada	New Westminster Bruins (WCHL)

See also

• 1974–75 WHA season