The Blazers, which had relocated from Philly, shared an arena with the Canucks of the NHL.

I briefly got my bruised, double-jointed fingers on a copy of a 1974-75 guide for the Vancouver Blazers of the old World Hockey Association. As I’ve stated before, I’m no big fan of hockey, but why not take a gander at an old piece of miscellaneous media?

The WHA operated in  the U.S. and Canada in the 1970s, trying to compete with the NHL. The Vancouver Blazers were only a fleeting part of that city, soon moving on to become the Calgary Cowboys.  It was a different sport in those days, with small salaries and an emphasis on toughness and fighting. One player listed under “Future Blazers” was Rick Jodzio, who was the son of a middleweight boxer and spent a good amount of off-ice time hitting the heavy bag. When the team moved to Calgary, Jodzio was involved in one of the sport’s most infamous moments, in which he was taken to court after beating Quebec Nordiques player Marc Tardif so badly that he was hospitalized. (Of course, footage of that brawl exists online.)

A more typical player was veteran right winger Johnny McKenzie. An excerpt about him from the guide:

“Whether they call him ‘Pie’ or ‘Cowboy,’ just two of his nicknames, they’ve been calling McKenzie a big-leaguer since he broke in with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1958. He also spent time with Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers before joining the Boston Bruins in 1965. Although he never weighed more than 175 pounds, he became the symbol of the Bruins’ toughness and one of the most feared checkers in the National Hockey League. Born in High River, Alberta, he makes his year-round home in Vancouver. At one time he broke broncs and rode Brahma bulls in a rodeo circuit.”

More Miscellaneous Media: