Me to West Saint Paul: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zHCzlCoDBCI

Choke is no longer the official soft drink of the Edina Cake Eaters-now it's a birthday cake-flavored soda straight from Senator Kellogg's Cup!  Congratulations Edina...this long wait only makes it all the sweeter for Eaters Nation!

And now...as I do every year, it's time for This Year in Major Pro Hockey for 1979:

NHL
For the fourth straight year, the Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup; defeating the New York Rangers 4-1 in the Finals, the Habs hoisted the Cup for the 23rd time.

Meanwhile, your Minnesota North Stars, despite marginally improving from last season after this past offseason's merger with the Cleveland Barons, were not able to climb out of the Adams Division cellar, only managing to pick up 68 points all season. 

In place of the All-Star Game was the Challenge Cup, which saw the NHL's All-Stars face off against the Sovlet Union's national team.  Though the NHL won the first game, the USSR would come back to win the next two and take the series.

By far the biggest news of the season, however, was the completion of the long-awaited merger with the World Hockey Association  Here are the teams which will be joining, and their alignment adjustments.

1. The Quebec Nordiques will play in the Adams Division alongside the North Stars, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs.  
2. The Hartford Whalers (locale moniker changed from "New England" at the Bruins' insistence) will play in the Norris Division alongside the Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings.  To make room for the Whalers, the Washington Capitals are moving to the Patrick Division.
3. The Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets will both play in the Smythe Division, joining the Chicago Black Hawks, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Rockies.  The Jets' acceptance into the NHL and Winnipeg Arena's status as the home of the Northland League's Winnipeg Monarchs will mean that in the 1979-80 season, for the first time ever, an MAHL team will share a home ice with an NHL one.
4. The other two WHA teams, the Birmingham Bulls and Cincinnati Stingers, were paid a large sum to cease operations.

Also, the NHL announced that, beginning with the 1979-80 season, helmets will be mandatory for all players who joined the league before then.  However, those who played in the NHL before June 1, 1979 will be allowed to continue to go helmetless.

WHA
The WHA's final season before the merger saw your Winnipeg Jets capture the final Avco World Trophy.  Despite finishing third place in the league standings, the Jets upset the Quebec Nordiques 4-0 in the semifinals, and denied the Edmonton Oilers' rookie standout Wayne Gretzky (acquired from the Indianapolis Racers when they folded midseason) a championship by picking up the 4-2 sweep to capture their third Cup.

Despite its demise, the WHA will forever be remembered fondly by die-hard hockey fans.

Olympics
University of Minnesota hockey coach Herb Brooks, fresh off the Golden Gophers' third National Championship, has been chosen to coach the USA national hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.  Brooks will have his work cut out for him, especially should his team face off against the ever-dominant Soviet Union, but has already developed a plan, recruiting numerous players from the Golden Gophers, as well as their chief rivals, the Boston University Terriers and Wisconsin Badgers.  Only time will tell how well his hybrid of the rugged North American style and the team-centered European style will work for Team USA.

So, until next year, this has been This Year in Major Pro Hockey for 1979...I'm Michael Burmy, wishing you a pleasant evening and an even greater year in the MAHL to come in the 1979-80 season!

Edina finally gets the big one! Good stuff, glad they could finally win it all.

Finally!!!!!! The Edina Cake Eaters are Kellogg Cup Champions!!!!! I never felt so happy to see this team win the big one at long last.

Ugh, why did it have to be Edina?!!