Random wikipedia browsing is a fun little hobby, and sometimes leads you to some pretty interesting revealations. This little stream of wikipedia consciousness led me to the Indianapolis Colts NFL Draft 1st Round Picks (aka Bill Polian Is A Savior Sent From Above) and eventually to the Indianapolis Racers, our city’s member of the World Hockey Assiciation in the late 70’s.
The WHA existed from 1972 - 1979 as a competitor to the NHL. In 1979 they folded their top four teams out of the surviving six into the NHL: Edmonton, Quebec (now Colorado), Winnepeg (now Phoenix) and The Whale (New England, now Carolina).
Okay, so no surprise that Indianapolis wasn’t one of the four. They had folded a mere 25 games into that final season. But what if?
Two players on that 1978-79 roster for short stints?
Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.
Gretzky was sold to the Edmonton Oilers after only 8 games and Messier played “five games and failing to register a point before being released. He was picked up by the [Cincinnati] Stingers for the remainder of the season, before being selected by the Oilers in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft.”
To me, having BOTH Gretzky and Messier on your team and failing to hold onto them for more than 8 games, has to rank as one of the greatest sports management mistakes in history. Remember, Gretzky and Messier went on to form the backbone of the great Edmonton teams of the 80’s that 5 of 7 Stanley Cups (Gretzky only around for four of those). Not saying a Racers NHL franchise would have repeated that success, especially without goalie Grant Fuhr, but with two of the greatest players to ever lace up it’s hard to say there wouldn’t be at least one Cup in Indy.
And what about further fallout for Indy sports? If the Racers had joined the NHL and shown some success, creating a and sustaining a hockey fanbase, would we even have the Indianapolis Colts? Would the Dome have been built?
Who knows, but it’s fun to think about. Unless you are a hockey fan in Indianapolis. Then it just hurts.
(I’m hoping to find a copy of Red, White & Blues: A Personal History of Indianapolis Racers Hockey 1974-1979. )