In this, the WHA’s third season, the Houston Aeros won their second straight Avco Cup, going 12-1 in the playoffs, including sweeps in the semi-finals and again in the finals against Quebec, the Canadian Division winners whose 92 regular-season points were second only to the West Division-winning Aeros.

It was a special season all-around for the 53-win, 106-point Aeros as still-effective legend Gordie Howe played with his two sons, 19-year-old LW Mark and 20-year-old defensemen Marty. The Howes combined for 83 goals (36 for Mark, 34 for “the old man” and 13 for Marty), but the WHA’s top scoring team was loaded with firepower: Center Larry Lund (33 goals, 108 points), LW Andre Hinse (39 goals, 86 points), RW Frank Hughes (48 goals, 83 points) – among 15 (!) men with double-figure goals.

The award-winning stars in this WHA season will be familiar to fans of NHL history: Bobby Hull (77 goals), Anders Hedberg (53 goals), Mike Rogers, Andre Lacroix, J.C. Tremblay and the ageless Gordie Howe, who at 46 was the first-team all-star right wing, with 34 goals and 99 points. The league’s top goalie, Houston’s Ron Grahame, was the playoff MVP.

Quebec should not be overlooked, with forwards Serge Bernier (54 goals, 122 points), Rejean Houle (40 goals, 92 points), Marc Tardif (38 goals for Quebec, 50 overall), Real Cloutier (26 goals, 53 points), Michel Parizeau (28 goals, 74 points) and defenseman Tremblay (16 goals, 72 points) in front of the 22-year-old goalie Richard Brodeur, who won 29 games this season before earning his NHL nickname as “King Richard” in Vancouver.