Chicago Cougars

Lore & Background

The Cougars were founded by brothers Walter and Jordan Kaiser, owners of Lakeshore Health Spa, who owned land in Rosemont and hoped to build a sports arena there, inspired by Nassau Coliseum. The team was a charter member of the WHA. During the 1974 Avco Cup Finals against the Houston Aeros, the Cougars' two home games were played at the Randhurst Twin Ice Arena in suburban Mount Prospect because the International Amphitheatre was booked for a production of Peter Pan starring gymnast Cathy Rigby, and the Chicago Stadium was unavailable due to playoff commitments by the Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls.

Just prior to their third season, the team was sold to players Ralph Backstrom, Dave Dryden, and player-coach Pat Stapleton after the Kaisers could not secure funds for a new arena. The land for the arena, originally named the O'Hare Sports Arena, was sold to the village of Rosemont and became the Rosemont Horizon (now Allstate Arena), home of the Chicago Wolves. The Cougars made their only postseason appearance in 1974, upsetting the defending champion New England Whalers and defeating the Toronto Toros before being swept by the Houston Aeros in the finals. The franchise folded after the 1974–75 season when the player-owners could not attract more financing.

Reader's Guide

The Chicago Cougars represent a short-lived but colorful chapter in the history of the World Hockey Association. As a charter member, they helped establish the league's presence in a major U.S. market, though the team struggled financially and on the ice for much of its existence. Their only playoff run in 1974 was marked by the unusual 'Peter Pan Incident,' where a theatrical production forced the team to play home games at a small suburban rink, a public relations disaster that contributed to the franchise's instability. The Cougars were also pioneers in jersey design, being the first major professional hockey team to place player numbers on the front of the jersey, a feature later adopted by the Buffalo Sabres and other NHL teams. After the Cougars folded, the WHA lost its presence in all three of the largest U.S. markets (New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago). Most of the Cougars' players were claimed by the expansion Denver Spurs in the dispersal draft, and the Spurs are sometimes considered a continuation of the franchise. The last active Cougars player in North American major professional hockey was Curt Brackenbury, who retired from the NHL after the 1982–83 season.

Did You Know?

• The team was owned by players Ralph Backstrom, Dave Dryden, and Pat Stapleton during its final season.
• The land originally intended for the Cougars' arena was sold to Rosemont and became the Rosemont Horizon (now Allstate Arena), home of the Chicago Wolves.