Visionaries

Bill Hunter’s dream of bringing big-league hockey to Edmonton materialized with the birth of the World Hockey Association’s (WHA) Alberta Oilers in 1972. "Wild Bill" built the club with local talent so that fans would be cheering for and supporting familiar faces. He also felt players with similar backgrounds would gel quickly as a team.

Hunter is considered the architect of the WHA, which introduced new options to National Hockey League players and eventually led to more leverage in contract negotiations. In addition, Hunter was the general manager for the WHA’s Team Canada in the 1974 Summit Series. This eight-game series proved the WHA was a legitimate league and that its top players could compete with the best in the world. After the Summit Series, Hunter focused much of his energy on convincing the City of Edmonton to build Northlands Coliseum, a pivotal factor in the Oilers’ eventual entry into the NHL.

[back] [top]