The History of the God of Love in Houston – Hockey Writer – Hockey History
*Originally published in December 2017
Houston Eros was a member of the now-defunct World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1972-78. They had a huge success, winning the playoffs in each of the six seasons and winning two league titles in three finals. Eros is Texas’ first major professional hockey team and has become one of the state’s most successful sports franchises.
Houston Love God – The Suspicious Beginning
ERO may have evolved into one of the most successful franchises in WHA history, but the start of the franchise is very vague. Although the team only calls the city of Houston residence, its origins are rooted in 1,100 miles northeast of Dayton, Ohio. In 1971, architect Paul Deneau bought the right to the franchise as a $25,000 franchise member. They are called Dayton Arrows.
The inability to find the right place in Dayton led to Dannoll looking for a house elsewhere and ending up with Houston. The name was renamed the God of Love after discovering an Aviation Mexico plane while traveling and recognizing the city’s connection to the aerospace industry. After the relocation, the team played home games at the Sam Houston Coliseum until the 1975 summit was completed.
Leadership decision
Deneau, who is considered the main reason for Houston’s success, chose to hire former player Bill Dineen as head coach for personnel decision-making. Dineen played for five seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and won two Stanley Cups with the team and established a connection that would help bring Gordie Howe to Houston.
After being hired by the God of Love, Deanne used his experience in the Western Hockey League (not to be confused with the current Canadian Hockey League division) to land on Veterans. Forwards Ted Taylor, Larry Lund and Frank Hughes, defensemen Poul Popiel, Larry Hale and John Schella, and goalkeeper Wayne Rutledge are members of the inaugural roster and continue until the franchise.
Dineen is the only head coach and general manager in EROS history and has led the team to a record of 285-170-19 in six seasons. After the team was demolished, he coached the WHA’s New England Whaler for a season before being hired by the Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL, where he coached for six seasons. He served as a coaching career in two seasons in two seasons before being fired after the 1992-93 season.
Seasonal results
Houston’s inauguration season is consistent with the WHA’s inauguration season in 1972-73. They finished the game 39-35-4, enough to finish second in the Western Conference. They made the playoffs, defeating the Los Angeles Sharks in the first round but were swept by the Winnipeg Jets led by Bobby Hull in the second round.
The 1973-74 season was the year when Eros took off as a team. They won the division with a record of 48-25-5 and swept the Chicago Cougars to win the first AVCO Cup as a league title. This is their first of their last appearance in three straight games. That season also marked the arrival of Gordie Howe and his sons Marty and Mark, three of which were key to the team’s success. But more in the trio.
Eros’ third season (1974-75) was the team’s most successful match, ending with a record of 53-25-0 and winning the second AVCO Cup, beating Quebec Nordic. That season also marked the St. Louis Blues of the NHL on September 26, 1974. Houston won 5-3.
In 1975-78, the last three seasons of “Love” were a period of slow decline in team performance. They returned to the AVCO Cup final in 1975-76 but lost to Winnipeg in four games. The next two seasons, ERO was eligible for the playoffs, but was removed in the 1977 finals and in the first round of 1978 (their final year).
“Welcome to Horston”
According to Gordie Howe’s autobiography, Mr. Hockeythe above phrase was shown on a banner in downtown Houston before the 1973-74 home opener. It was printed after Eros signed on to NHL legend Gordie and his sons Marty and Mark. By 1973, Gordie had retired for two seasons and was an all-time leader in the NHL in games, goals, assists and points. After retirement, he held a front desk position with Red Wings but sought to return to the ice.
After the Howe family’s connection with the God of Love began, the team started after they won the first round pick and Marty in the 12th round. Both options were considered controversial at the time, as the WHA ignored NHL rules and did not select players who were eligible for junior qualifications. By drafting the two Howe sons, Houston offers the brothers the option to live in juniors or leave professional hockey. The decision became even more difficult when NHL President Clarence Campbell called Gordie, telling him to ban his sons from signing with God of Love. Instead, Goddy allowed Mark and Marty to make their own decisions, and they signed with Houston.
“The NHL president had a thorough conversation with the consequences of my boys playing for the God of Love. He said it was a heavy blow to the league and the dangers that could endanger the entire junior hockey system … Ultimately, our decision finally fell into our decision and we thought about our next day and Mr. Kample. Earn.” Mr. Hockeypages 197-98
Gordie’s path to Houston was out of his desire to return to the player who was playing rather than a front desk position. He contacted EROS head coach and former teammate Bill Dineen and asked if he was interested in having three luxury on the team. Naturally, Dineen agreed with this and started a good relationship.
Houston’s best years matched the House on the lineup. From 1973-74 to 1976-77, Eros won two AVCO Cups in three final appearances and set a record of 204-101-11. Gordie scored 369 points in 285 games, Mark accumulated 306 points in 279 games, while Marty scored 140 points in 308 games. These totals are Goddy’s move from the right wing to the center to take advantage of Mark’s ability on the wing.
After the 1976-77 season, House left Houston for the New England Whaleship, which is also the WHA’s New England Whaleship, due to the imminent financial problems of the franchise. Although the term with Howes might end prematurely, Gordie always looks back at his time in Houston with love:
“When I look back at the Houston team, I still think it’s a squad. Our defense is definitely the NHL’s ability…I firmly believe that if there is a chance, if there is a chance, Eros will be one of the top six or eight clubs in the NHL. If we may lack talent, we can make a part of Marty and Mark, which is what I made early in Houston. There is no wise move.” Mr. Hockey, Pages 214-15
The collapse of the franchise
Like many WHA franchises, Houston Eros has unsustainable financial plans. From the very beginning, the WHA has attracted players on contracts that NHL teams cannot match. The problem is that WHA has no revenue potential for the NHL and many of its franchises have been in financial turmoil from the very beginning.
For example, ERO has experienced three ownership groups during the six years of the franchise. After the 1977-78 season, their last team’s ownership group sought to merge with the NHL, such as the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordic and New England (Hartford) Wheeler. Meanwhile, efforts were made to bring the Colorado Rockies to Houston, but eventually moved it to New Jersey and became a devil. After the program came down, the team was sold, but the owner could not be found. The franchise eventually ceased operations in July 1978 and sold to 15 contracts, with the rest released as free agents.
Many of their players have been successful in other WHA teams or NHL after the Houston Eros collapsed. John Tonelli played in the NHL for 16 seasons, winning four Stanley Cups with the Islanders. Terry Ruskowski played for a season with the Winnipeg Jets before jumping to the NHL that he spent 11 seasons.
Gordie Howe spent two seasons with the New England Whalers and made a transition with the team to the NHL, spending one season in Hartford. Mark played for 16 seasons in the NHL, the majority of the Philadelphia Flyer and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.
Hockey in Houston Post – Aeros
Since the 1978 Eros franchise collapsed, there is no major hockey franchise that calls Houston Home. The city ran for expansion in 1997, but Columbus was awarded a blue jacket. From 1994 to 2001, the EROS team’s name was reused in the now-defunct International Hockey League and was absorbed into the U.S. Hockey League as a member of Wild, Minnesota. This version of Houston Eros lasted until the team moved to Iowa in 2013 and became the Iowa wilderness.
Houstonians continue to aspire to acquire NHL franchise through relocation or expansion. Currently, the city appears to be awarded the Alliance Series 32 along with Seattle. Before that, when Houston was in the world of hockey, the city would have to reverence the 1970s.
Reward content
It was a great interview, and Gordie Howe had a 1978 interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) discussing his return to hockey after two years of absence.
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