The new league was not considered much of a threat, until Bobby Hull, arguably the NHL's top forward at the time, jumped to the new league. The 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs marked the first time two former WHA teams played for the Cup, with the Hurricanes defeating the Oilers in seven games. The WHA had many lasting effects on NHL hockey. The Philadelphia Blazers and the Cleveland Crusaders would replace the Screaming Eagles and the Broncos. Realizing that it could not hope to compete with both the Rangers and the Islanders, the WHA moved the Golden Blades to New Jersey soon after taking control. Both the Oilers and Nordiques had asked for bailouts from Alberta and Quebec, respectively, but both provincial governments ultimately declined, as it would be perceived by voters as government subsidization of a hockey club that paid multi-million dollar salaries. The Whalers had similar rivalries with the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers, attracting many Bruins and Rangers fans to their home games at the Hartford Civic Center, and skating to the 1986–87 Adams Division title. More teams found themselves on the move than those who didn't, often more than once ... the league was anything but stable. Long before Fox had the glowing puck for TV, the WHA was screwing with the tried and true black puck on white ice theory. Under the deal, four WHA clubs – the Edmonton Oilers, New England Whalers (renamed the Hartford Whalers), Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets – joined the NHL. Furthermore, like other recently added expansion NHL teams, they suffered from escalating player salaries (ironically, the same trend that was instigated by the WHA), which were difficult to meet with the restricted revenue streams in the smaller markets compared to the large-market franchises. Only the Jets, despite winning the most WHA championships, have not managed much success in the NHL, nor have they come close to making the Cup finals. The Avalanche were an instant success in their new home of Denver and now rank among the wealthiest franchises, enjoying 487 consecutive home sellouts,The Coyotes were initially popular upon their move to Phoenix, as they posted six consecutive .500 or better seasons; however, they have since been plagued by financial problems and low attendance. Hull's signing attracted a few other top stars such as Cheevers, Sanderson, and Tremblay. Two of the original twelve teams, the Dayton Arrows and the San Francisco Sharks, relocated citing arena troubles. However, by the time the Toros played their first game, Ballard had regained control of the Gardens. The Toros' lease with Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. called for them to pay $15,000 per game, which was negotiated by Ballard's son Bill while the elder Ballard was in jail. NHL owners voted down a 1977 plan to merge six WHA teams (the Edmonton Oilers, New England Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, Cincinnati Stingers, Houston Aeros, and Winnipeg Jets) into the NHL before a 1979 merger was approved. While they planned to play in the brand new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Nassau County did not consider the WHA a professional league and wanted nothing to do with the Raiders. And although the Whalers, Jets and Les Nordiques have moved on, the Edmonton Oilers remain standing. The team did not make the playoffs in the six seasons following 2001-02. The WHA had an acrimonious relationship with the NHL, resulting in numerous legal battles, as well as competition for control of players and markets. In November 1971, twelve teams were formally announced. The league consisted at the time of 5 teams in Florida and one in New England, most sporting original WHA jerseys and names. And they introduced hockey to markets the NHL still hasn't attempted. Winnipeg especially loaded up with Scandinavian players and became the class of the league, with Hedberg and Nilsson combining with Bobby Hull to form one of hockey's most formidable forward lines. This, however, was not enough to save the team, and the league was forced to take over the franchise again 24 games into the season. The Boston Bruins attempted to restrain Sanderson and Cheevers from joining the WHA, though a United States federal court refused to prohibit the signings. The arena was also closely cramped, with players not having adequate changing and dressing facilities. The Canadiens' owners, Molson Breweries, were feeling the effects of a massive boycott that originated in Edmonton, Quebec City, and Winnipeg and spread across Canada.On the ice, the WHA teams had proven themselves to be the NHL's competitive equals, winning more games than they lost in interleague exhibition games.

The Raiders were sold after that season and renamed the New York Golden Blades, but were forced to revert to a Sundays-only home schedule due to the high price of rent and scheduling conflicts with other events at Madison Square Garden. After a lengthy debate, the NHL voted the proposal down as it was never popular among NHL team owners.

The New England Whalers would eventually win the WHA's inaugural championship, later renamed the Right from the start, the league was plagued with problems. Finally, after contentious negotiations, the NHL adopted a five-minute, sudden-death overtime. The Coyotes, surprising most observers, went on to have their best season in franchise history in 2009-10. The WHA's success in Canada led the NHL to re-consider the other major Canadian cities without NHL teams. By the turn of the century, nearly all salaries were denominated in U.S. dollars, although that was not made mandatory until the salary cap was implemented. The final two seasons of the WHA saw the debut of many superstars, some of which became hockey legends in the NHL. It was then that Ballard demanded $3,500 for use of the lights. The WHA signed European players, previously thought to be unsuited to the North American style of play. Since 1979, three of the four former WHA teams have won the Stanley Cup: the Oilers have played in the finals seven times, winning five; the Avalanche have played for it twice, winning on both occasions; and the Hurricanes have played for it twice, winning once. In 1974, to broaden a depleted talent pool, the WHA began employing European players – which the NHL had largely ignored up to that time – in serious numbers, including stars such as Swedish players Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson and Czech center Vaclav Nedomansky.

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