Birmingham Bulls (WHA)
WHA team known as the 'Birmingham Bullies' and later the 'Baby Bulls.'
The Birmingham Bulls were a professional ice hockey team from Birmingham, Alabama. They competed in the World Hockey Association between 1976 and 1979, then moved to the Central Hockey League from 1979 to 1981. Their home ice was the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center. Before relocating to Birmingham, the franchise had been known as the Ottawa Nationals and the Toronto Toros. The Bulls name has since been used by other hockey teams, including clubs in the East Coast Hockey League and the Southern Professional Hockey League. John F. Bassett moved the Toros from Toronto to Birmingham because of unfavorable lease terms at Maple Leaf Gardens, despite the team’s modest on-ice success and decent attendance by WHA standards. General manager Gilles Leger coached the team for a short stretch at the start of the 1976–77 season before Pat Kelly took over for most of that year. The following season, Glen Sonmor was brought in as head coach and general manager. He built a notoriously physical squad that led the league in penalty minutes, setting a professional hockey record for penalties that stood for decades. This rough style earned them the nickname "Birmingham Bullies," a twist on the Philadelphia Flyers' "Broad Street Bullies" moniker—the Flyers’ own penalty record had been broken by the Bulls. The aggressive approach debuted on Thanksgiving Day 1977 against the Cincinnati Stingers. Within the first minute, ten players were in the penalty box. The Bulls won 12–2, and a newspaper dubbed it the "Thanksgiving Day Massacre." That season, the Bulls made the WHA playoffs for the only time in their three-year existence, but were eliminated in the first round by the eventual champion Winnipeg Jets, led by Bobby Hull. During Sonmor’s tenure as general manager, he also negotiated the first cross-league player trade with the NHL, involving the Detroit Red Wings. John Brophy, who later coached the Toronto Maple Leafs, served as Sonmor’s assistant during the second season in Birmingham. When Sonmor left to join the Minnesota North Stars for the 1978–79 season, Brophy became head coach. His team finished last in the league, but was in the midst of a youth movement, shifting from a purely physical style to a more skilled approach.
- Record penalty minutes
- Set a team record for penalty minutes that stood for decades in all of professional ice hockey
Lore & Background
The Bulls originated as the Ottawa Nationals and Toronto Toros before owner John F. Bassett moved the team to Birmingham due to onerous lease terms at Maple Leaf Gardens. In their first season (1976–77), general manager Gilles Leger coached briefly before Pat Kelly took over. The following season, Glen Sonmor was hired as head coach and general manager, organizing a very physical and aggressive team that became the most penalized in the league. Their rough play earned them the nickname 'Birmingham Bullies,' a play on the Philadelphia Flyers' 'Broad Street Bullies,' whose penalty record the Bulls broke. A Thanksgiving Day game against the Cincinnati Stingers started with ten players in the penalty box within the first minute; the Bulls won 12–2, dubbed the 'Thanksgiving Day Massacre.' That 1977–78 team was the only Bulls squad to qualify for the WHA playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round by the champion Winnipeg Jets. During Sonmor's tenure, he negotiated the first cross-league player trade with the NHL, involving the Detroit Red Wings.
Reader's Guide
The Birmingham Bulls' significance lies in their role as a WHA team that bridged the league's final years and the NHL's expansion southward. Though not included in the 1979 NHL–WHA merger—partly due to NHL skepticism about southern markets after the Atlanta Flames' struggles—the Bulls left a lasting legacy through their players. After the WHA folded, the Bulls joined the Central Hockey League for two seasons before disbanding during the 1980–81 season. The 1979 NHL entry draft saw four former Bulls selected in the first round, including Rob Ramage first overall by the Colorado Rockies. Future NHL stars such as Rick Vaive, Michel Goulet, Rob Ramage, Pat Riggin, Craig Hartsburg, Gaston Gingras, and Rod Langway began their professional careers with the Bulls. The last active NHL players from the Bulls were Michel Goulet and Rob Ramage, who both retired in 1994. Major professional hockey has never returned to Birmingham, though a minor league team using the Bulls name began play in the Southern Professional Hockey League in 2017.
Did You Know?
- The Birmingham Bulls set a team record for penalty minutes that stood for decades in all of professional ice hockey.
- The 1977–78 Bulls were the only WHA Birmingham team to qualify for the playoffs, losing to the champion Winnipeg Jets.
- Wayne Gretzky was heavily recruited by owner John Bassett but was not signed.
- Four former Bulls were selected in the first round of the 1979 NHL entry draft, including Rob Ramage first overall.
More in Defunct Ice Hockey Teams 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced