The Bill Hunter Trophy was the WHA’s version of the Art Ross Trophy. For seven years between 1972-73 and 1978-79, the World Hockey Assocation handed out the Bill Hunter Trophy each year to the player with the most points during the regular season. Although Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull were the poster-children of the league, neither got their names on the Bill Hunter.
Over seven years, four different players led the WHA in scoring. Three of the four players won the Bill Hunter Trophy twice. All four played in the National Hockey League at some time, as well. Just one was drafted into the WHA and began his professional career there. Of the four players, two have rookie cards that are rated by Beckett Hockey Monthly. The other two have rookie hockey cards that are limited in value to semi-star status.
Andre Lacroix
Andre played a total of 325 regular season games in the NHL. He played with the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Black Hawks before the WHA and spent one partial season with the Hartford Whalerrs after the WHA came to end. In the first six of his seven WHA seasons, Lacroix surpassed the 100 point plateau. He will forever remain the all-time leader for points in the WHA with 798 over 551 games.
The Andre Lacroix rookie card
Mike Walton
Walton began his NHL career in 1965-66 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played a total of 588 regular season games with the Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks.
Real Cloutier
Since he is the only one of the four to begin his pro career in the WHA, Cloutier is the only one to have his rookie card appear in an O-Pee-Chee WHA set. The Real Cloutier rookie card
Marc Tardif
Tardif was the second overall pick of the Montreal Canadiens at the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft. Marc began his pro career with four years in a Habs uniform before jumping ship to the World Hockey Association for the 1973-74 season. Perhaps the greatest Los Angeles Sharks player to ever exist, Marc scored 40 goals during the teams only season in the league. His 316 career WHA goals is the all-time lead. After the WHA ended, Tardif stayed on with the Quebec Nordiques and played four years in the NHL before retiring.
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