Dayton Aeros
| Houston Aeros | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Houston, Texas |
| League | World Hockey Association |
| Operated | 1972–1978 |
| Home arena |
Sam Houston Coliseum (1972–75) The Summit (1975–78) |
| Colors | Dark blue, Light blue & white |
| Franchise history | |
| 1972 | Dayton Arrows |
| 1972–1978 | Houston Aeros |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | four (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977) |
| Division Championships | four (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977) |
| Avco Trophy | two (1974, 1975) |
The Houston Aeros were a professional ice hockey team in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 to 1978.
The Aeros were originally slated to play in Dayton, Ohio as a charter member of the WHA. However, Dayton residents were lukewarm at best to a WHA team, and while there were questions regarding whether a U.S. market with less than a million people and a stagnating economy would support a major league hockey franchise in the long term, the more critical short term issue was that Dayton did not have a suitable arena. The largest arena in the city, the University of Dayton Arena, did not have an ice plant and the University balked at the cost of installing one. The largest hockey venue, Hara Arena, seated only 5,000 people—not enough even for temporary use. Due to these problems, owner Paul Deneau moved the team to Houston, Texas. Although the Aeros name had originally been chosen in honor of the Wright brothers, it was more than appropriate for Houston given the importance of the space industry.
In Houston, the Aeros became one of the most successful franchises in the WHA. They won four consecutive Western Division titles from 1973–74 to 1976–77 seasons, and finished second in the Western Division in 1972–73 and third in the league in 1977–78. They won the AVCO World Trophy in 1974 over the Chicago Cougars and in 1975 over the Quebec Nordiques, winning both series in a four-game sweep; and lost in the 1976 AVCO finals to the Winnipeg Jets, also in a sweep.
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