Toronto Toros 1975/76 Media Guide


Here's a great looking media guide I picked up recently of the 1975/76 Toronto Toros of the World Hockey Association. Featured on the cover are #7 Jim Dorey and #12 "Shotgun" Tom Simpson. The Toros were entering their third season in Toronto and were coming off an impressive 88 point, second place finish in the WHA's Canadian Division. This 1975/76 campaign would not be as successful for the team or Simpson himself. They would plummet to fifth in the Division with 52 points and Simpson would score well less than half the number of goals he had the prior year. In fact, by the next season the squad would be relocated to Birmingham, Alabama.

Simpson went from fifth in league scoring with 52 goals to 20 in 1975/76. He played one more year in the WHA before drifting to the low minor leagues then playing two seasons in the Netherlands. He would retire by age 30. 
Frank Mahovlich made a triumphant return to Toronto ice with seasons of 38 and 34 goals before following the franchise to Alabama. Below he is pictured helping out in front of his goaltender Jim Shaw.

Another of the former Maple Leaf stars on the Toros was Paul Henderson shown here shooting on Winnipeg's Joe Daley. Henderson tallied 30 goals in 74/75 then 26 in the dismal 75/76 season before also joining Mahovlich in Birmingham.
The true star of the Toros these two seasons was Big Vlad Nedomansky. Having starred on the international stage with Czechoslovakia since 1964, Vlad scored 41 then 56 goals for Toronto and eventually jumped to the NHL with Detroit, scoring 38 and 35 goals in the late 1970's.
One more pic of the ultimate "flash in the pan" Tom Simpson playing the Houston Aeros.

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