Ottawa Nationals

Ottawa Nationals
City	Ottawa, Ontario
League	World Hockey Association
Operated	1972–73
Home arena	Ottawa Civic Centre
Franchise history
1972–1973	Ottawa Nationals
1973 playoffs	Ontario Nationals
1973–1976	Toronto Toros
1976–1979	Birmingham Bulls

The Ottawa Nationals were a professional men's ice hockey team based out of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada that played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) during the 1972–73 WHA season.

The WHA had originally announced a franchise to Doug Michel for "Ontario." Original plans called for the team to play at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. However, Michel couldn't get a suitable lease for the Gardens. Afterward, there was some expectation that Hamilton would be the team's home, but the franchise was eventually placed in Ottawa. Nick Trbovich became majority owner before the season began, with Michel running hockey operations.

The Nationals were coached by Billy Harris and led on the ice by Wayne Carleton, who scored 42 goals and 92 points during the season.

Their home ice was the Ottawa Civic Centre, but the team was a flop at the box office, averaging about 3,000 fans per game. Before the season ended, the City of Ottawa demanded a payment of $100,000 to secure dates for the following season. Rather than agree to this demand, the Nationals opted to move elsewhere for the next season and play its playoff dates in Toronto. During this playoff series, the team was referred to as the Ontario Nationals. After the end of the season, the team was sold to John F. Bassett and permanently moved to Toronto as the Toronto Toros.

March 1973 program

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Season	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1972–73	78	35	39	4	74	279	301	1067	4th, Eastern	Lost Quarter-final to New England

See also

• Ice hockey in Ottawa
• List of ice hockey teams in Ontario