1974–75 Kansas City Scouts season

1974–75 Kansas City Scouts
Division5th Smythe
Conference9th Campbell
1974–75 record15–54–11
Goals for184
Goals against328
Team information
General managerSid Abel
CoachBep Guidolin
CaptainSimon Nolet
ArenaKemper Arena
Team leaders
GoalsSimon Nolet and Wilf Paiement (26)
AssistsSimon Nolet (32)
PointsSimon Nolet (58)
Penalty minutesWilf Paiement (101)
WinsPeter McDuffe (7)
Goals against averageDenis Herron (3.75)

The 1974–75 Kansas City Scouts season was the first season for the franchise. The NHL completed its first 8-year expansion cycle by adding franchises in Washington and Kansas City.[1] Kansas City was awarded an NHL franchise on June 8, 1972. The city had a hockey history but had been a home to minor league hockey teams only. Initially, the franchise chose MO-hawks as their nickname to reflect a Missouri-Kansas union, an attempt to appeal to both Kansas and Missouri residents (the Kansas City metropolitan area spills across both states) and incorporating Missouri's postal abbreviation with the Kansas Jayhawker nickname, but the name was vetoed by the Chicago Black Hawks.[1] Therefore, the franchise selected its 2nd choice, Scouts. This was named after the famous statue overlooking the city.[1]

The arrival of the Scouts and Capitals led the NHL into creating 4 divisions, the Adams, Norris, Patrick and Smythe Divisions. The Scouts would be placed in the Smythe Division while their expansion cousins, the Capitals, would be in the Norris Division. The Scouts played for the first time on October 9 in Toronto. With construction of Kemper Arena (the Scouts home arena) starting late, then delayed by union work stoppages, the Scouts were forced to play their first 8 games on the road losing 7 and tying 1. On November 2, the Scouts made their home debut losing 4–3 to the Black Hawks.[1] The following day they would get their first win beating the Capitals in Washington 5–4. The highlight of the seasons would come on January 23 when the Scouts upset the Bruins 3–2 in Boston. Despite being led in scoring by team captain Simon Nolet, the Scouts finished in last place with a 15–54–11 record.

Kansas City's games aired on radio station WDAF-AM with Dick Carlson the play-by-play broadcaster. A limited number of road contests were televised by KBMA Channel 41. Gene Osborn handled play-by-play with Bill Grigsby serving as analyst.

Offseason

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NHL draft

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Round # Player Nationality College/junior/club team
1 2 Wilf Paiement (RW)  Canada St. Catharines Black Hawks (OMJHL)
2 20 Glen Burdon (C)  Canada Regina Pats (WCHL)
3 38 Bob Bourne (C)  Canada Saskatoon Blades (WCHL)
4 56 Roger Lemelin (D)  Canada London Knights (OMJHL)
5 74 Mark Lomenda (RW)  Canada Victoria Cougars (WCHL)
6 92 John Shewchuk (C)  United States St. Paul Vulcans (MWJHL)
7 110 Mike Boland (D)  Canada Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OMJHL)
9 145 Brian Kuruliak (LW)  Canada North Bay Trappers (OPJHL)
10 162 Denis Carufel (D)  Canada Sorel Eperviers (QMJHL)
11 177 Soren Johansson (C)  Sweden Djurgardens IF (Sweden)
12 191 Mats Ulander (LW)  Sweden Bodens BK (Sweden)
13 203 Ed Pizunski (D)  Canada Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)
14 213 Willie Wing (RW)  Canada Hamilton Fincups (OMJHL)

Expansion draft

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# Player Drafted from Drafted by
1. Michel Plasse (G) Montreal Canadiens Kansas City Scouts
3. Peter McDuffe (G) New York Rangers Kansas City Scouts
5. Simon Nolet (RW) Philadelphia Flyers Kansas City Scouts
7. Butch Deadmarsh (LW) Atlanta Flames Kansas City Scouts
9. Brent Hughes (D) Detroit Red Wings Kansas City Scouts
11. Paul Terbenche (D) Buffalo Sabres Kansas City Scouts
13. Gary Coalter (C) California Golden Seals Kansas City Scouts
15. Gary Croteau (LW) California Golden Seals Kansas City Scouts
17. Randy Rota (LW) Los Angeles Kings Kansas City Scouts
19. Lynn Powis (C) Chicago Black Hawks Kansas City Scouts
21. John Wright (W) St. Louis Blues Kansas City Scouts
23. Ted Snell (RW) Pittsburgh Penguins Kansas City Scouts
25. Chris Evans (W) Detroit Red Wings Kansas City Scouts
27. Bryan Lefley (D) New York Islanders Kansas City Scouts
29. Robin Burns (LW) Pittsburgh Penguins Kansas City Scouts
31. Tom Peluso (W) Chicago Black Hawks Kansas City Scouts
33. Kerry Ketter (D) Atlanta Flames Kansas City Scouts
35. Norm Dube (W) Los Angeles Kings Kansas City Scouts
37. Real Lemieux (C) Vancouver Canucks Kansas City Scouts
39. Dave Hudson (C) Vancouver Canucks Kansas City Scouts
41. Ken Murray (D) Detroit Red Wings Kansas City Scouts
43. Dennis Patterson (D) Minnesota North Stars Kansas City Scouts
45. Ed Gilbert (C) Montreal Canadiens Kansas City Scouts
47. Doug Horbul (W) New York Rangers Kansas City Scouts

Regular season

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Along with the Washington Capitals, the Scouts joined the NHL as an expansion team for the 1974–75 season. With a combined 30 teams between the NHL and the rival World Hockey Association, the talent pool available to stock the new teams was extremely thin. In their first season, the Capitals would set an NHL record for futility, losing 67 of 80 games, and only winning one on the road. The Scouts fared only marginally better, and the expansion was widely seen as having been a mistake.

They played their home games at Kemper Arena. The team was not a particular success either at the gate or on the ice. Rising oil prices and a falling commodity market made for hard going in the Midwest during the 1970s.

  • October 9, 1974 – The Scouts played their first game in franchise history against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The final score was 6–2 in favor of the Maple Leafs.
  • November 2, 1974 – The first home game in Kansas City Scouts history was played. The opponent was the Chicago Blackhawks and the Blackhawks won the game by a score of 5–4.
  • November 3, 1974 – The Scouts won their first game in franchise history by defeating their expansion brethren, the Washington Capitals by a 5–4 score.
  • November 13, 1974 – The Scouts won their first home game in franchise history. The final score was 5–3 in a triumph over their cross-state rivals, the St. Louis Blues.
  • December 9, 1974 – Prior to a morning practice, the team was informed that head athletic trainer Gordon Marchant had committed suicide at his farm near Plattsburg, Mo. north of Kansas City. Clinton County (Mo.) Sheriff Ray Boyd stated Marchant died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Marchant's body was discovered by Scouts equipment manager James Kraus. (Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts, Pgs. 100–102, Troy Treasure, Balboa Press)
  • January 23, 1975 – The Scouts had their biggest win of the season by defeating the Boston Bruins by a score of 3–2 in Boston. Gary Croteau's second-period goal turned out to be the game-winner. Following the game, a Boston fan attempted to attack Croteau at the Scouts' bench, but Boston police intervened. (Icing On The Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts, Pg. 122)

Final standings

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Smythe Division[2]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Vancouver Canucks 80 38 32 10 271 254 +17 86
2 St. Louis Blues 80 35 31 14 269 267 +2 84
3 Chicago Blackhawks 80 37 35 8 268 241 +27 82
4 Minnesota North Stars 80 23 50 7 221 341 −120 53
5 Kansas City Scouts 80 15 54 11 184 328 −144 41

Record vs. opponents

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Smythe Division record vs. opponents


Game log

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No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 L October 9, 1974 2–6 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75) 0–1–0
2 L October 12, 1974 2–6 @ New York Islanders (1974–75) 0–2–0
3 L October 13, 1974 2–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) 0–3–0
4 L October 18, 1974 2–4 @ Atlanta Flames (1974–75) 0–4–0
5 L October 19, 1974 0–3 @ Los Angeles Kings (1974–75) 0–5–0
6 T October 23, 1974 4–4 @ California Golden Seals (1974–75) 0–5–1
7 L October 25, 1974 3–5 @ Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) 0–6–1
8 L October 27, 1974 2–8 @ Boston Bruins (1974–75) 0–7–1
9 L November 2, 1974 3–4 Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) 0–8–1
10 W November 3, 1974 5–4 @ Washington Capitals (1974–75) 1–8–1
11 L November 5, 1974 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75) 1–9–1
12 L November 7, 1974 4–6 Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) 1–10–1
13 L November 9, 1974 1–6 Buffalo Sabres (1974–75) 1–11–1
14 W November 13, 1974 5–3 St. Louis Blues (1974–75) 2–11–1
15 W November 15, 1974 4–2 New York Islanders (1974–75) 3–11–1
16 L November 16, 1974 1–3 @ Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) 3–12–1
17 L November 20, 1974 0–1 Atlanta Flames (1974–75) 3–13–1
18 L November 22, 1974 6–7 Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) 3–14–1
19 L November 23, 1974 0–6 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) 3–15–1
20 W November 26, 1974 4–3 Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) 4–15–1
21 L November 27, 1974 2–4 @ Atlanta Flames (1974–75) 4–16–1
22 L November 30, 1974 0–1 Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) 4–17–1
23 L December 1, 1974 0–10 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) 4–18–1
24 L December 4, 1974 3–7 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) 4–19–1
25 T December 6, 1974 3–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) 4–19–2
26 L December 7, 1974 1–4 @ New York Islanders (1974–75) 4–20–2
27 L December 10, 1974 2–6 Boston Bruins (1974–75) 4–21–2
28 W December 12, 1974 5–3 California Golden Seals (1974–75) 5–21–2
29 T December 14, 1974 2–2 Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) 5–21–3
30 L December 18, 1974 0–6 Los Angeles Kings (1974–75) 5–22–3
31 T December 19, 1974 4–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75) 5–22–4
32 L December 21, 1974 4–6 @ St. Louis Blues (1974–75) 5–23–4
33 L December 22, 1974 2–5 New York Islanders (1974–75) 5–24–4
34 L December 28, 1974 2–7 @ Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) 5–25–4
35 L December 29, 1974 1–2 @ New York Rangers (1974–75) 5–26–4
36 L January 2, 1975 1–2 St. Louis Blues (1974–75) 5–27–4
37 W January 4, 1975 2–1 Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) 6–27–4
38 W January 6, 1975 5–2 Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) 7–27–4
39 L January 8, 1975 1–6 New York Rangers (1974–75) 7–28–4
40 W January 11, 1975 5–3 Washington Capitals (1974–75) 8–28–4
41 L January 14, 1975 4–6 Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) 8–29–4
42 L January 16, 1975 4–7 @ Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) 8–30–4
43 W January 18, 1975 4–1 Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) 9–30–4
44 L January 19, 1975 0–5 @ Buffalo Sabres (1974–75) 9–31–4
45 W January 23, 1975 3–2 @ Boston Bruins (1974–75) 10–31–4
46 L January 25, 1975 1–4 @ Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) 10–32–4
47 T January 27, 1975 3–3 Boston Bruins (1974–75) 10–32–5
48 T January 29, 1975 4–4 Atlanta Flames (1974–75) 10–32–6
49 L February 1, 1975 2–3 Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) 10–33–6
50 L February 2, 1975 1–8 @ Buffalo Sabres (1974–75) 10–34–6
51 T February 4, 1975 3–3 Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) 10–34–7
52 W February 6, 1975 3–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75) 11–34–7
53 L February 7, 1975 0–5 @ St. Louis Blues (1974–75) 11–35–7
54 W February 9, 1975 2–1 @ California Golden Seals (1974–75) 12–35–7
55 L February 11, 1975 0–4 @ Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) 12–36–7
56 W February 13, 1975 5–1 Washington Capitals (1974–75) 13–36–7
57 L February 15, 1975 0–3 California Golden Seals (1974–75) 13–37–7
58 L February 16, 1975 0–3 @ Washington Capitals (1974–75) 13–38–7
59 T February 18, 1975 2–2 New York Rangers (1974–75) 13–38–8
60 L February 20, 1975 3–6 Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) 13–39–8
61 W February 23, 1975 4–2 Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) 14–39–8
62 L February 26, 1975 2–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75) 14–40–8
63 L March 1, 1975 0–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) 14–41–8
64 L March 2, 1975 0–4 @ Atlanta Flames (1974–75) 14–42–8
65 L March 4, 1975 4–7 @ Los Angeles Kings (1974–75) 14–43–8
66 T March 5, 1975 4–4 Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75) 14–43–9
67 L March 7, 1975 2–5 New York Rangers (1974–75) 14–44–9
68 L March 8, 1975 1–5 @ Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) 14–45–9
69 T March 11, 1975 3–3 @ Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) 14–45–10
70 L March 14, 1975 1–6 @ St. Louis Blues (1974–75) 14–46–10
71 L March 16, 1975 3–6 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75) 14–47–10
72 L March 19, 1975 1–3 New York Islanders (1974–75) 14–48–10
73 L March 22, 1975 2–4 Buffalo Sabres (1974–75) 14–49–10
74 L March 25, 1975 1–2 @ Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) 14–50–10
75 T March 26, 1975 2–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75) 14–50–11
76 L March 29, 1975 1–4 @ Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) 14–51–11
77 L March 30, 1975 2–8 @ New York Rangers (1974–75) 14–52–11
78 W April 1, 1975 3–1 Los Angeles Kings (1974–75) 15–52–11
79 L April 3, 1975 4–6 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) 15–53–11
80 L April 6, 1975 2–3 St. Louis Blues (1974–75) 15–54–11

Player stats

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Forwards

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Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player GP G A Pts PIM
Simon Nolet 72 26 32 58 30
Guy Charron 51 13 29 42 21
Dave Hudson 70 9 32 41 27
Wilf Paiement 78 26 13 39 101
Ed Gilbert 80 16 22 38 14
Robin Burns 71 18 15 33 70
Randy Rota 80 15 18 33 30
Lynn Powis 73 11 20 31 19
Gary Croteau 77 8 11 19 16
Norm Dube 56 8 10 18 54
Gary Coalter 30 2 4 6 2
Butch Deadmarsh 20 3 2 5 19
Ted Snell 29 3 2 5 8
Doug Buhr 6 0 2 2 4
Doug Horbul 4 1 0 1 2
Hugh Harvey 8 0 0 0 2

Defencemen

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Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player GP G A Pts PIM
Jim McElmury 78 5 17 22 25
Brent Hughes 66 1 18 19 43
Jean-Guy Lagace 19 2 9 11 22
Bart Crashley 27 3 6 9 10
Claude Houde 34 3 4 7 20
Larry Johnston 14 0 7 7 10
Larry Giroux 21 0 6 6 24
Dennis Patterson 66 1 5 6 39
Bryan Lefley 29 0 3 3 6
Glen Burdon 11 0 2 2 0
Chris Evans 2 0 2 2 2
Ken Murray 8 0 2 2 14
Roger Lemelin 8 0 1 1 6
Mike Baumgartner 17 0 0 0 0
Mike Boland 1 0 0 0 0
Hank Lehvonen 4 0 0 0 0

Goaltending

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Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

Player GP W L T SO GAA
Denis Herron 22 4 13 4 0 3.75
Peter McDuffe 36 7 25 4 0 4.23
Michel Plasse 24 4 16 3 0 4.06

Transactions

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Trades

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August 22, 1974 To Montreal Canadiens
cash 		To Kansas City Scouts
Mike Baumgartner
September 1, 1974 To Atlanta Flames
cash 		To Kansas City Scouts
Morris Stefaniw
September 10, 1974 To New York Islanders
Bob Bourne 		To Kansas City Scouts
Larry Hornung
Bart Crashley
October 29, 1974 To St. Louis Blues
Chris Evans
Kansas City's 4th round draft pick
1976 NHL entry draft 		To Kansas City Scouts
Larry Giroux
December 1, 1974 To Vancouver Blazers (WHA)
Butch Deadmarsh 		To Kansas City Scouts
cash
December 14, 1974 To Detroit Red Wings
Bart Crashley
Ted Snell
Larry Giroux 		To Kansas City Scouts
Guy Charron
Claude Houde
January 10, 1975 To Pittsburgh Penguins
Michel Plasse 		To Kansas City Scouts
Jean-Guy Lagace
Denis Herron
February 1, 1975 To Los Angeles Kings
cash 		To Kansas City Scouts
Doug Buhr
February 10, 1975 To Los Angeles Kings
Ken Murray 		To Kansas City Scouts
cash
June 3, 1975 To Toronto Maple Leafs
Kansas City's 12th round pick
1975 NHL entry draft 		To Kansas City Scouts
cash
June 18, 1975 To St. Louis Blues
Lynn Powis
Kansas City's 2nd round pick
1975 NHL entry draft 		To Kansas City Scouts
Craig Patrick
Denis Dupere
cash

References

[edit]
  • Scouts on Hockey Database
  • Scouts on Database Hockey
  • Scouts Game Log on Database Hockey
  • 1974–1975 Scouts Transactions (Archived 2009-05-27)
  • "1974–75 Kansas City Scouts Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  1. ^ a b c d Kansas City Scouts
  2. ^ "1974-1975 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  3. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
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