the World Hockey Association was in its fourth season of operation, and was presenting itself as a viable competitor to the National Hockey League. However, the team in one of the league’s largest markets — the Toronto Toros — had raised the ire of Harold Ballard. Ballard was the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and more importantly, owner of the Toros’ arena — Maple Leaf Gardens. It was no surprise that Ballard despised the upstart Toronto WHA team, and did everything in his power to make the Toros feel unwelcome at the Gardens. On March 9, 1976, Ballard yanked the lease out from under the Toros, leaving them without an arena for their final 9 home games of the season.
the Toros travelled to Indianapolis to face off against the Racers, while management scrambled to find a new home for the team. Enter, St. Catharines. While most arenas in the city were already booked, the undersized Haig Bowl emerged as the front-runner for the homeless Toros. By mid-day on the 11th, the Toros had struck a deal with the City of St. Catharines, but there was one caveat. The city demanded that while in St. Catharines, the Toros would need to bear the name of their new city. Thus, when the team took the ice at the Haig Bowl on March 12, the Toronto Toros were no more. The team had become the St. Catharines Golden Horseshoes.
hoped that by forcing the name change on the team, St. Catharines would be seen as less of a temporary location, and more as a permanent home for the struggling franchise. However, the team remained the Toros on the road, went 4-5 at home in front of minuscule crowds, and when the city was unable to secure space at another arena, the Golden Horseshoes skipped town and landed in Birmingham, Alabama for the 1976-77 season.
Given the extremely temporary nature of the Toros’ tenure in St. Catharines, all stats are attributed to the Toronto franchise, and the Golden Horseshoes have become a forgotten footnote in the history of the World Hockey Association.
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