World Hockey Association

Robert Schmertz (November 15, 1926 – July 24, 1975) was an American real estate developer and sports franchise owner. He was owner or part-owner of two NBA franchises; the Portland Trail Blazers from 1970 through 1972, and the Boston Celtics from 1972 until 1975. He also owned the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association, and the New York Stars of the now-defunct World Football League. Schmertz also founded Leisure Technology, a developer of retirement communities.

Peter Hugh Pocklington (born November 18, 1941) is a Canadian entrepreneur and vocal advocate of free-market capitalism.

Franklyn Bonn Sanders (March 8, 1949 – February 17, 2012) was a professional ice hockey player who made 76 regular season game appearances for the WHA Minnesota Fighting Saints in 1972–73. Born in Oakdale, Minnesota, he is perhaps best known for being a member of the United States hockey team that won a silver medal in the 1972 Olympic Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan. Sanders also played on the 1969 WCHA champion Minnesota Gophers hockey team and was captain of the 1970–71 team. He was awarded the John Mariucci Most Valuable Player Award that year.

Nelson Mathew Skalbania (born February 12, 1938) is an engineer and businessman from Vancouver, British Columbia who is best known for signing a then 17-year-old Wayne Gretzky to the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association, and for his high-profile real estate flipping.

Gary L. Davidson (born August 13, 1934)[1] is an American lawyer and businessman who is based in Orange County, California.

Dennis Arthur Murphy (September 4, 1926 – July 15, 2021) was an American sports entrepreneur who helped co-found the American Basketball Association (1967-1976) (with Gary Davidson), the World Hockey Association (1972-1979), the original World Team Tennis (1973-1978), Roller Hockey International (1992-1999), and several other trend-setting amateur and professional sports concepts and events. Each of his innovations exhibited ground-breaking marketing and promotional tactics, new rules, and a style of play that forced the evolution of the entrenched incumbent. Among the many visionary rules and promotional concepts introduced by Murphy include the 3-point shot (ABA), the Slam-Dunk Contest (ABA), team cheerleaders (ABA), the first $1 million contract (WHA), and he paved the path for the ever-growing wave of European and Russian hockey players that now play in North America.

The World Hockey Association (French: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926. Although the WHA was not the first league since that time to attempt to challenge the NHL's supremacy, it was by far the most successful in the modern era.

Marvin Milkes (August 10, 1923 – January 31, 1982) was an American front office executive in three professional sports: Major League Baseball, soccer, and hockey. He is perhaps best known as the first general manager in the history of baseball's Seattle Pilots and—when that franchise was transferred after its only season in the Pacific Northwest—Milwaukee Brewers.

William Dickenson ("Wild Bill") Hunter, OC (May 5, 1920 – December 16, 2002) was a Canadian ice hockey player, general manager and coach. Hunter was involved in hockey, Canadian football, baseball, softball and curling, but he is best known for founding the Western Hockey League (WHL), being a key player in the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA) and for his efforts to bring professional hockey to previously overlooked Western Canadian cities, especially in Edmonton and (unsuccessfully) in Saskatoon.

The WHA's East Division was formed in 1972. The division existed for five seasons until 1977. In 1972, the WHA was formed with 12 teams, split into two divisions of six teams each, with the other division being the West Division. The division existed until 1977, as the WHA decreased to only eight teams and divisions weren't used anymore.