As happy as I feel for the Reds on their sixth Cup and etching their place in history...that's largely overshadowed by my sympathy for the Foxes with them coming OH SO CLOSE.  Still, I know they have nothing to be ashamed of, and IMMENSELY proud of their historic run (as everyone who supports them is), and know that they WILL win the Cup very soon (and once they do, that moment is gonna be all the sweeter).

And now, for this year's edition of This Year in Major Pro Hockey.

NHL: The Montreal Canadiens won their record 19th Stanley Cup this year, dethroning the Philadelphia Flyers with a 4-0 sweep in the Finals.  With the Broad Street Bullies' dynasty seemingly over, a new one for the Habs looks to be on the horizon.  Meanwhile, your Minnesota North Stars had another year to forget, their 47 points the third-lowest in the league, ahead of only recent expansion teams the Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts (whose low performance caused the NHL to scrap initially planned expansion to Seattle and Denver for this coming season).

Speaking of the Scouts, they are set to move to Denver this coming season, where they will be known as the Colorado Rockies.  Meanwhile, the California Golden Seals are leaving the Bay Area, moving to northeast Ohio where they will be known as the Cleveland Barons.

WHA: This was a good year to be a Manitoba hockey fan, as, in addition to the MAHL teams' fantastic seasons, your Winnipeg Jets have won the Avco World Trophy, dethroning the Houston Aeros in a four-game sweep, writing a thrilling final chapter to the Bobby Hull-Gordie Howe rivalry and becoming the first pro hockey team in the MAHL's footprint to win a championship.  News was not nearly as good for your Minnesota Fighting Saints, who ceased operations midseason despite having a winning record (because of financial problems), joining the Ottawa Civics (the former Denver Spurs, relocating midseason) as WHA teams to fold over the year.

But fear not, Fighting Saints fans, for the former Cleveland Crusaders have agreed to move to the St. Paul Civic Center this season as the second team to bear the Minnesota Fighting Saints name, with the logo almost identical to the former team's, except with the original Victorias blue replaced with red (a color used by the MAHL's Saints, Vulcans, Sea Lions and Flying Aces).  The new Saints will now be the last WHA team to share a city with an NHL one, as the Toronto Toros are moving to Alabama this coming season, where they will be known as the Birmingham Bulls.

This has been This Year in Major Pro Hockey...I'm Michael Burmy, bidding you good night, and looking forward to everything to come in the 1976 MAHL offseason!

1976 Offseason Highlights

- 3 expansion teams are set to join the MAHL

- 7 current franchises made identity changes

- 1 team is making the move indoors
              - Brainerd: The Lumberjacks are moving indoors at long last, calling 2,000 seat Brainerd Civic Arena home

- 3 teams introduced mascots

- 2 new rivalry trophies were created

- 2 teams retired numbers

- The Twin Cities Vulcans made the decision to change their name from "Twin Cities" to "St. Anthony" where the vast majority of Vulcans call home

St. Anthony Vulcans? That just doesn't sound right after being Twin Cities for so long.

Mascots

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