Original Team
The first team was one of the WHA's original twelve franchises. They played four seasons, beginning in 1972–73. The Fighting Saints' first game, a 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, was played October 13, 1972, at the St. Paul Auditorium. Partway through the first season, the new St. Paul Civic Center opened in January 1973. The first game in the new arena was on January 1, 1973, a 4-4 overtime tie with the Houston Aeros.
The team colors were royal blue, white and new gold. The name was taken from the St. Paul Saints of the Central Hockey League, who had used the nickname "The Fighting Saints" in promotional material.
At the outset, the Saints had a policy of favoring local players, with the 1972–73 roster featuring no fewer than 11 athletes who were either born in Minnesota or (in the case of former Team USA players Keith Christiansen, George Konik and Carl Wetzel) American citizens. This was almost unheard of in the early 1970s, when few NHL or WHA teams had even a single American player.
Among the players the Saints selected in the inaugural WHA draft in 1972 was a defenseman who had played for Team USA at the 1956 Winter Olympics, Wendell Anderson. Anderson said he was flattered, but he chose not to join the Saints and instead stuck to his day job—as Governor of Minnesota.
The Saints never missed the playoffs nor had a losing record and the team always drew more fans than the WHA average. They also boasted a handful of expensive marquee players such as Mike Walton, Dave Keon and John McKenzie. Nevertheless, without a true franchise player, the Saints were unable to secure the lucrative television deal that could have relieved their growing financial woes. The Saints had a winning record of 30-25-4 and were second in the West behind the Houston Aeros when they ceased operations on February 28, 1976, due to financial struggles.
The last game was played February 25, 1976 at the Civic Center, a 2-1 overtime loss to the San Diego Mariners in front of an announced crowd of 6,011.
Read more about this topic: Minnesota Fighting Saints
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