Few people know that Wayne Gretzky actually began his professional hockey career with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association and that he .... Gordon went onto owning a number of minor league hockey teams including Muskegon and Cleveland of the International Hockey League. read more
Gretzky had 46 goals and 110 points in his first year and was the WHA rookie of the year. He had 43 of those goals and 104 points in an Oilers uniform. Sklabania pulled the plug on the Indianapolis Racers on Dec. 15, 1978 and by spring 1979, the NHL would expand to Edmonton, Hartford, Quebec City and Winnipeg. read more
Pocklington purchased Gretzky and two other Indianapolis players, goaltender Eddie Mio and forward Peter Driscoll, paying a reported $700,000 for the contracts of the three players, although the announced price was $850,000. The Racers folded 17 games later on December 15, 1978 and major league hockey has not returned to Indianapolis. read more
In 1978, Gretzky signed with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association (WHA), where he briefly played before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers. When the WHA folded, the Oilers joined the NHL, where he established many scoring records and led his team to four Stanley Cup championships. read more