Slim and None

Before the World Hockey Association played its first games, they won several important battles in the courts that allowed the league to pursue players from the NHL. Today you'll meet one of the founders of the WHA that was responsible for litigation---Don Regan.

There is more to building a hockey league than signing players and coaches. It took all kinds of professionals behind the scenes to get the WHA ready for its inaugural season.

The twelve teams of the WHA contributed to Winnipeg Jets to sign Bobby Hull, considered by many to be the most charismatic player in pro hockey. It ended up being one of the biggest signings in sports history, giving the league legitimacy.

It's time for the teams of the WHA to build their rosters. While a lot of franchises looked to make a big splash, the Whalers took a different approach---a mixture of young NHL talent and top college players.

It's getting close to dropping the puck for the WHA, but there was a series of franchise moves and ownership changes. Joining Howard Baldwin is the founder and first President of the league --- Gary Davidson.

The WHA had franchises, but needed to add players. This is the story of the first WHA draft and the building of the New England Whalers. Assistant Coach and Assistant General Manager Rob Ryan joins in the conversation.

This episode features a discussion of the key February meeting when the $25,000 obligation is raised to $250,000, then eliminated.  There is also a discussion of some of the more colorful owners and hockey personalities at that point in time and the status of the league itself.

The Whalers had gone from having people wonder whether they could pull it off to where are they going to play. Howard Baldwin explored a number of options including the Providence Civic Center, which was filled with chaos.  Also, Howard says goodbye to his longtime friend and associate, Bob Caporale.

It's November 1971, and Howard and the team have gotten the green light on their franchise. Now back home in Massachusetts, reality sets in. There are 10 months until the puck drops on opening night, and no shortage of tasks to complete - secure financial backing, find a place to play, build a front office and fill out a roster. Thankfully, there's still some luck left in the tank.

After returning home from the WHA league meetings in New York City, Howard and company had their marching orders. But, with only weeks until the next league meetings scheduled for Miami and so much to accomplish, the odds are stacked against the boys. Then again, when had a little adversity ever slowed them down before?

A newspaper article leads Howard into taking a leap of faith. He links up with an old friend, John Coburn. Before they know it, they are chasing a dream. The two get their "marching orders," which are quite daunting. The first task at hand, convincing the owners of the World Hockey Association, they had what it took to create a team. A decision is made, elating Howard, but ratcheting-up the pressure. The clock is ticking for Howard and John to prove themselves. That's when fate suddenly steps in.

Howard crammed in all four years of his hockey undergraduate into one season with the Devils, then earned his MBA with the Flyers. But, by June, 1970, his gut was telling him it was time to move on. That everyone thought he had gone mad didn't matter to Howard; plus, if he had stayed with the Flyers, he never would've read the article that changed everything.

Before he made it to Hollywood, before his name was etched on Lord Stanley's Cup, before his New England Whalers won the Avco World Trophy in the WHA's inaugural season, Howard Baldwin was just a kid on a frozen lake with lofty ambitions and huge skates to fill. Episode one tells the story of where that ambition came from - beginning with the Baldwin brothers upbringing in Bedford, NY, various summer jobs, a stint with the Marines, a brief college hockey career, and an even briefer amateur baseball career.