230:'s Aeros on January 15. However, the Founders Club was not willing to meet Mullenix' asking price for the team, and Mullenix was not interested in operating a team in Ottawa. After the first home game, he gave the Founders Club an ultimatum–come up with $ 1.5 million within 10 days, or he would fold the team. When the Founders Club only offered $ 1 million, the Civics folded on January 17, 1976 after only playing 7 games as Ottawa.
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Because of the rushed nature of the move, the Civics did not adopt a logo or colours, and continued to wear the Spurs' orange road uniforms for all 7 of their games including their two home games. However, the NHL's first foray in
Colorado did not fare much better. An ownership group in Ottawa made a
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in the 1976 offseason. Mullenix knew that he could not possibly compete with an NHL team. The team unofficially folded in
December when Mullenix wanted out, and the league stepped in to broker a deal with an Ottawa group called the Founders Club. In an unusual move, the Founders Club insisted that
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While the Spurs were on a road trip in
January 1976, the team was quietly moved to Ottawa without even a press release and renamed the Civics. The players had heard talk a move out of Denver was imminent, but only learned of move at their next road game that night in
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The Spurs were plagued by financial difficulties and poor attendance (fewer than 3,000 per game), widely attributed to the Denver fanbase rejecting the WHA as a major league. However, they were also dogged by rumours that the NHL was planning to move either the
215:(another squad headed for oblivion before the season was over) in Minnesota, 5-2, on January 4. It would be the only victory in the Civics' short life. With the move to Ottawa, the league moved the team from the Western Division to the Canadian Division.
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The Civics' 7-game, two-week existence made them easily the shortest-lived team in the WHA's seven-year history, and one of the shortest-lived teams in North
American major league history. Only the
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team after Spurs owner Ivan
Mullenix won a conditional NHL expansion franchise to begin play in 1976-77, only to see those plans fizzle out.
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in 1968, and had been modestly successful in the minors before moving to the WHA in 1975. However, fans in Denver had been expecting a
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being played before a game they believed was still between two
American teams. They lost that night and again the following night in
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serious bid to move the
Colorado Rockies to the Canadian capital, however the Rockies eventually moved to New Jersey and became the
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GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
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announced plans to sell the team and relocate to Ottawa, existed for approximately two weeks, folding after only seven games.
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396:- Detailed write up on the team's brief existence as well as rare photos from their two home games.
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Mullenix move the Spurs to Ottawa immediately as a condition of beginning negotiations.
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to Denver; the Scouts would indeed eventually move to Denver as the
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season. The last active Spurs/Civics player in the NHL was
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This listing includes 34 games played as the Denver Spurs.
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Howard
Baldwin Trophy / Robert Schmertz Memorial Trophy
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643:Gary L. Davidson Award / Gordie Howe Trophy
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394:WHA Ottawa Civics, The Two Week Franchise
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218:The Civics played two home games at the
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746:Ice hockey clubs established in 1976
372:List of ice hockey teams in Ontario
164:The Denver Spurs began play in the
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741:Defunct ice hockey teams in Ottawa
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766:1976 disestablishments in Ontario
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761:1976 establishments in Ontario
756:World Hockey Association teams
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715:North American Hockey League
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663:Dennis A. Murphy Trophy
269:Season-by-season record
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539:Miami Screaming Eagles
170:National Hockey League
166:Western Hockey League
603:San Francisco Sharks
581:Philadelphia Blazers
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180:or the league-owned
140:were a professional
700:List of WHA players
695:List of WHA seasons
586:Phoenix Roadrunners
555:New England Whalers
529:Indianapolis Racers
502:Cleveland Crusaders
497:Cincinnati Stingers
377:List of WHA seasons
224:New England Whalers
220:Ottawa Civic Centre
199:Riverfront Coliseum
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125:(folded January 17)
78:Ottawa Civic Centre
668:Paul Deneau Trophy
658:Ben Hatskin Trophy
648:Bill Hunter Trophy
598:San Diego Mariners
534:Los Angeles Sharks
354:Folded mid-season
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653:Lou Kaplan Trophy
638:Avco World Trophy
613:Vancouver Blazers
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106:Franchise history
16:(Redirected from
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691:Related articles
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576:Ottawa Nationals
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472:Baltimore Blades
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117:Denver Spurs
248:Ron Delorme
228:Gordie Howe
735:Categories
631:and awards
401:References
195:Cincinnati
142:ice hockey
74:Home arena
317:Playoffs
111:1975–1976
96:TVOntario
629:Trophies
361:See also
254:season.
240:Senators
204:O Canada
84:Owner(s)
64:Operated
323:1975–76
252:1984-85
244:1992-93
209:Houston
47:Ontario
314:Finish
287:Season
146:Ottawa
54:League
43:Ottawa
460:Teams
278:Note:
92:Media
136:The
123:1976
100:CKOY
68:1976
38:City
348:535
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342:134
311:PIM
302:Pts
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308:GA
305:GF
290:GP
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299:T
296:L
293:W
20:)
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