Minnesota Fighting Saints
| Minnesota Fighting Saints | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | St. Paul, Minnesota |
| League | World Hockey Association |
| Operated |
1972–1976 (First franchise) 1976–77 (Second franchise) |
| Home arena |
St. Paul Auditorium (1972) St. Paul Civic Center (1973–77) |
| Colors | Royal blue, new gold and white (1972–76) Scarlet, old gold and white (1976–77) |
| Franchise history | |
| First franchise | |
| 1972–1976 | Minnesota Fighting Saints |
| Second franchise | |
| 1972 | Calgary Broncos |
| 1972–1976 | Cleveland Crusaders |
| 1976–1977 | Minnesota Fighting Saints |
The Minnesota Fighting Saints was the name of two professional ice hockey teams based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that played in the World Hockey Association. The first team was one of the WHA's original twelve franchises, playing from 1972–76. The second team was relocated from Cleveland, Ohio, and played for part of the 1976–77 season. Neither edition of the franchise completed its final season of play.
Founded in November 1971, the first Fighting Saints team played four seasons beginning in 1972–73 under the ownership of nine local businessmen. (St. Paul attorney Wayne Belisle purchased the team late in the 1973-74 season. Belisle was the front man for a group of owners that included Jock Irvine.) The Saints' first game, a 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, was played October 13, 1972, at the St. Paul Auditorium. The team moved to the new St. Paul Civic Center, which opened in January 1973. The first game in the new arena was on January 1, 1973, a 4-4 overtime tie with the Houston Aeros.
The team colors were royal blue, white and new gold. The name was taken from the St. Paul Saints of the Central Hockey League, who had used the nickname "Fighting Saints" in promotional material.
The team originally had three sets of jerseys--white, blue and gold--all bearing the Saints "S" logo on the front, with the word "Saints" across the middle of the "S." (The gold jerseys were rarely used, and were worn only in the first season.) When the Saints left the St. Paul Auditorium for the new Civic Center on January 1, 1973, the familiar "little saint" logo replaced the "S" on the white and blue jerseys. While a halo was part of the team's "little saint" logo in promotions and advertising, the halo was never used on the jersey.
At the outset, the Saints had a policy of favoring local players, with the 1972–73 roster featuring no fewer than 11 athletes who were either born in Minnesota or (in the case of former Team USA players Keith Christiansen, George Konik and Carl Wetzel) American citizens. This was almost unheard of in the early 1970s, when few NHL or WHA teams had even a single American player.
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