# Indianapolis Racers
The **Indianapolis Racers** were a professional ice hockey team based in [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis), Indiana, that played in the [World Hockey Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-hockey-association) (WHA) from the 1974-75 season until the franchise folded on December 15, 1978, partway through the 1978-79 season.[1](https://www.wrtv.com/news/building-our-future/throwback/throwback-thursday-indianapolis-racers-ended-40-years-ago-this-month) The team is best remembered as the club with which [Wayne Gretzky](https://www.edgepedia.org/wayne-gretzky) began his professional career before being sold to the Edmonton Oilers.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| League | World Hockey Association (WHA), 1974-75 through December 1978[1](https://www.wrtv.com/news/building-our-future/throwback/throwback-thursday-indianapolis-racers-ended-40-years-ago-this-month) |
| Home arena | Market Square Arena, Indianapolis[1](https://www.wrtv.com/news/building-our-future/throwback/throwback-thursday-indianapolis-racers-ended-40-years-ago-this-month) |
| First / last game | October 17, 1974 (L 4-2 vs. Michigan Stags); December 12, 1978 (L 7-4 vs. New England Whalers)[3](https://funwhileitlasted.net/2025/11/09/indianapolis-racers-hockey/) |
| Folded | December 15, 1978, after 25 games of the 1978-79 season (5-18-2, 12 points)[1](https://www.wrtv.com/news/building-our-future/throwback/throwback-thursday-indianapolis-racers-ended-40-years-ago-this-month) • [4](https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/1904/indianapolis-racers) |
| Peak season | Won the WHA Eastern Division in 1976 under coach Jacques Demers; led the WHA in attendance in 1976-77 at 9,295 fans per game[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/) |
| Championships | None; the Racers never won the AVCO Cup[3](https://funwhileitlasted.net/2025/11/09/indianapolis-racers-hockey/) |
| Notable players | Wayne Gretzky, Dave Keon, Mark Messier, Pat Stapleton[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/) |
## Founding and early seasons
Indianapolis had been without a hockey team since the early 1960s when the city was awarded a franchise in the newly formed, major league World Hockey Association in 1974.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/) The WHA, which began play in 1972, sought to compete with the [National Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-hockey-league), and the Racers were one of its expansion clubs.[1](https://www.wrtv.com/news/building-our-future/throwback/throwback-thursday-indianapolis-racers-ended-40-years-ago-this-month) The franchise was born as a WHA expansion award dated 1973, and played its first game on October 17, 1974, losing 4-2 to the Michigan Stags.[3](https://funwhileitlasted.net/2025/11/09/indianapolis-racers-hockey/)
The team played its home games at the newly built [Market Square Arena](https://www.edgepedia.org/market-square-arena), which it shared with the ABA's Indiana Pacers.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/) • [5](https://hockeyprograms.blogspot.com/2026/01/indianapolis-racers-wha-1975-76.html) The Racers were the first Indianapolis team to embrace the city's racing heritage in its name.[6](https://thirdstringgoalie.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-history-of-hockey-in-indianapolis.html)
On the ice, the start was rough. The Racers went 18-57-3 in their first season in the then 14-team WHA.[6](https://thirdstringgoalie.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-history-of-hockey-in-indianapolis.html) In 1975-76, former Chicago Blackhawk Pat Stapleton led the team in scoring, and Indianapolis allowed the fewest goals in the WHA, 247.[5](https://hockeyprograms.blogspot.com/2026/01/indianapolis-racers-wha-1975-76.html)
## Peak years, 1976-1978
**The Demers era.** In 1976 the Racers won the league's Eastern Division under coach Jacques Demers.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/) Support for the team peaked the following season: the Racers led the WHA in attendance in 1976-77, averaging 9,295 fans per game.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/)
The 1977 playoffs produced the longest game in WHA history. In Game 1 against the Cincinnati Stingers, the Racers won 4-3 on Gene Peacosh's goal 108:40 into the game, and went on to sweep [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati) 4 games to 0 in the opening round before reaching the semifinal round of the postseason.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/)
## Ownership turmoil and the Gretzky episode
The franchise changed hands repeatedly. Indiana Pro-Sports, Inc. owned the Racers at their founding, and Paul Deneau became majority owner after acquiring the club from John Weissert and Dick Tinkham in December 1974.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/) • [7](https://www.eliteprospects.com/staff/92604/paul-deneau) After several changes in ownership, financial losses, and the departure of Demers, the team came under the control of the Canadian businessman Nelson Skalbania in October 1977.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/)
Skalbania's signature move was signing Wayne Gretzky. In May 1978, the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis records, Skalbania signed the 16-year-old Gretzky to a Racer contract; WRTV's retrospective dates the signing of a seven-year contract to June 12, 1978, when Gretzky was 17.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/) • [1](https://www.wrtv.com/news/building-our-future/throwback/throwback-thursday-indianapolis-racers-ended-40-years-ago-this-month) Gretzky scored his first two professional goals in his fourth start for the Racers on October 20, 1978.[1](https://www.wrtv.com/news/building-our-future/throwback/throwback-thursday-indianapolis-racers-ended-40-years-ago-this-month)
His Indianapolis career lasted eight games, in which he scored three goals and three assists.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/) With financial problems continuing, Skalbania sold Gretzky and two other top players to the [Edmonton Oilers](https://www.edgepedia.org/edmonton-oilers) for $850,000 in a desperate move to keep the team operating.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/) The sale did not save the franchise. Gretzky went on to play 21 seasons of major professional hockey, totaling 940 goals and 2,967 points in 1,567 games.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/)
## Collapse
The Racers folded early in the 1978-79 season, having played just 25 games, with a record of 5 wins, 18 losses, and 2 ties for 12 points, and did not make the playoffs.[1](https://www.wrtv.com/news/building-our-future/throwback/throwback-thursday-indianapolis-racers-ended-40-years-ago-this-month) • [4](https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/1904/indianapolis-racers) Their last game was a 7-4 loss to the New England Whalers on December 12, 1978.[3](https://funwhileitlasted.net/2025/11/09/indianapolis-racers-hockey/) On December 15, 1978, the team announced in a statement to the media that it would cease operations at midnight after failing to negotiate a new financial package with local limited partners.[1](https://www.wrtv.com/news/building-our-future/throwback/throwback-thursday-indianapolis-racers-ended-40-years-ago-this-month) The collapse also generated litigation: the Indiana Court of Appeals later heard *Skalbania v. Simmons*, a case arising from the franchise's collapse during the 1978-79 season, in which evidence showed the WHA was the sanctioning body for the Racers franchise.[8](https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914c3a7add7b049347c8120)
The end came just weeks before Christmas, and local retailers were left with unsold Racers merchandise; one retailer predicted at the time that the goods would become collectors' items once the WHA merged with the NHL.[1](https://www.wrtv.com/news/building-our-future/throwback/throwback-thursday-indianapolis-racers-ended-40-years-ago-this-month)
## Players and legacy
Beyond Gretzky, the Racers roster included two future [Hockey Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/hockey-hall-of-fame) members: [Dave Keon](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-keon), who played for the team in the 1975-76 season, and [Mark Messier](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-messier), who played for the Racers in 1978.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/) The team never posted a winning record in its four-plus seasons of play.[6](https://thirdstringgoalie.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-history-of-hockey-in-indianapolis.html)
The WHA itself folded after the 1978-79 season, with four of its teams, including Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers, joining the NHL.[9](https://www.nhl.com/news/merger-38-years-ago-helped-nhl-take-shape-288232682) Indianapolis was left without professional hockey until the [New York Islanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-islanders) moved their Central Hockey League affiliate to the city as the Indianapolis Checkers in October 1979.[2](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/)
## References
1. [Throwback Thursday: Indianapolis Racers ended 40 years ago this month, WRTV](https://www.wrtv.com/news/building-our-future/throwback/throwback-thursday-indianapolis-racers-ended-40-years-ago-this-month)
2. [Hockey, Encyclopedia of Indianapolis](https://indyencyclopedia.org/hockey/)
3. [Indianapolis Racers Hockey - WHA 1974-1979 Team History, Fun While It Lasted](https://funwhileitlasted.net/2025/11/09/indianapolis-racers-hockey/)
4. [Indianapolis Racers, Elite Prospects](https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/1904/indianapolis-racers)
5. [Indianapolis Racers (WHA, 1975-76), Hockey Programs](https://hockeyprograms.blogspot.com/2026/01/indianapolis-racers-wha-1975-76.html)
6. [The History of Hockey in Indianapolis, Third String Goalie](https://thirdstringgoalie.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-history-of-hockey-in-indianapolis.html)
7. [Paul Deneau - Franchise Owner, Indianapolis Racers, Elite Prospects](https://www.eliteprospects.com/staff/92604/paul-deneau)
8. [Skalbania v. Simmons, Indiana Court of Appeals, CaseMine](https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914c3a7add7b049347c8120)
9. [Merger 38 years ago helped NHL take shape, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/merger-38-years-ago-helped-nhl-take-shape-288232682)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › North American ice hockey leagues and teams (non-NHL)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license