Larry Lund: Unsung World Hockey Association Legend

When you think WHA, you think players like Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky and Anders Hedberg. Those guys made the league what it was but you should add Larry Lund to the list.

Lund, a champion seemingly everywhere he played, will forever be the 12th highest scorer in the history of the World Hockey Association. Larry outscored the more famous Howe family on the Houston Aeros in 1974-75 as the Texas team grabbed their second consecutive Avco World Trophy championship.

Junior and Minor Pro

WHA Career

Rookie Card

Career Stats

Junior and Minor Pro

Lund played his junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings in 1959-60 and 1960-61. In both years, Edmonton went to the Memorial Cup finals. In both years, they came up on the short end. In 1960, the Oil Kings lost to the St. Catherines Teepees. The following year, defeat was at the hands of the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors.

From 1961-62 to 1971-72, Larry Lund played in the minors, spending time in the IHL, WHL, CPHL and AHL. Over that time, he won four championships, one in the IHL and three times in the WHL.

In his first year of pro, Larry helped the Muskegon Zephyrs to a first place finish in the IHL. The Zephyrs then captured the playoff championship with a win over the St. Paul Saints in the finals. That St. Paul team was coached by Fred Shero.

Two years later, 1963-64, Lund was on the Pacific Coast playing for the San Francisco Seals in the WHL. The Seals had a lackluster regular season, finishing fourth in the six team league, just three points up on the fifth place Seattle Totems.

It was an upsetting year in the WHL with the Seals taking the championship over the third seed Los Angeles Blades. Nick Mickoski was the head coach of that San Francisco team and Bob Perreault starred between the pipes.

By 1966-67, Lund’s scoring ability was starting to shine. Playing for the Seattle Totems in the WHL, Larry finished seventh with 34 goals and eighth with 72 points. The Totems grabbed the championship, beating the Vancouver Canucks in the finals.

Playing with the Totems again in 1967-68, Larry finished eighth in the WHL with 37 assists and seventh with 96 penalty minutes. Seattle repeated as WHL champions with a win over the Portland Buckaroos in the finals.

His time in the American Hockey League was limited. Lund appeared in just nine AHL games, all with the Quebec Aces in 1968-69. For the rest of that season, he returned to the WHL and the Seattle Totems.

Moving on to the WHL’s Phoenix Roadrunners for 1970-71, Lund tied for third with 92 points and placed third with 63 assists. His 147 penalty minutes put him in the seventh position. Phoenix reached the finals but fell to the Portland Buckaroos.

His final season in the minors came in 1971-72, again with the Roadrunners. Larry finished second with 66 assists and second with 96 points. His 149 PIM put him in seventh. He was a prime candidate to be picked up by a WHA franchise for the league’s inaugural 1972-73 season.

Over his WHL career, Lund scored 183 and assisted on 312 for 495 points over 574 regular season games. In the playoffs, he added 40 points over 50 games.

Larry Lund – WHA

Between 1972-73 and 1977-78, Larry Lund played in 459 regular season games in the World Hockey Association, all with the Houston Aeros. Over that time, Larry scored 149 and assisted on 277 for 426 points. In the post season, Lund added 65 points in 59 games.

In 1973-74, Lund tied for seventh in the WHA with Wayne Connelly of the Minnesota Fighting Saints, both with 53. He tied for ninth with 86 points, equaling Serge Bernier of the Quebec Nordiques. In the playoffs, he led the Aeros with 23 points. Houston captured the Avco World Trophy championship with a win over the Chicago Cougars in the finals.

The following year, the Aeros again captured the championship with a win over the Quebec Nordiques. In the regular season, Lund finished third with 75 assists, behind Andre Lacroix of the San Diego Mariners and Ulf Nilsson of the Winnipeg Jets. He finished fifth with 108 points.

The Houston Aeros reached the finals once again in 1975-76, this time losing to the Winnipeg Jets. Lund played in just five of Houston’s playoff games.

In 2012, Larry Lund was inducted into the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame. His 426 points are the 12th most in WHA history.

Larry Lund – Rookie Card

The Larry Lund rookie card appears as number 22 in the 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee WHA hockey card set. He was also included in the 1973-74 Quaker Oats WHA set. On that back of that 1974-75 card, it states that Lund scored the first ever goal for the Houston Aeros.

Despite being a standout in the WHA, Larry would only be included in one other WHA set, the 1977-78 O-Pee-Chee collection.

Larry Lund Career Stats

Season	Team	Lge	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1961-62	Muskegon Zephyrs	IHL	64	29	26	55	92
1962-63	Muskegon Zephyrs	IHL	70	13	38	51	69
1963-64	San Francisco Seals	WHL	67	2	11	13	19
1964-65	Minneapolis Bruins	CPHL	37	30	17	47	26
1964-65	San Francisco Seals	WHL	37	8	12	20	28
1965-66	Seattle Totems	WHL	69	24	31	55	56
1966-67	Seattle Totems	WHL	72	34	38	72	74
1967-68	Seattle Totems	WHL	68	16	37	53	96
1968-69	Quebec Aces	AHL	9	1	2	3	2
1968-69	Seattle Totems	WHL	58	7	14	21	49
1969-70	Phoenix Roadrunners	WHL	68	33	40	73	54
1970-71	Phoenix Roadrunners	WHL	69	29	63	92	147
1971-72	Phoenix Roadrunners	WHL	66	30	66	96	149
1972-73	Houston Aeros	WHA	77	21	45	66	120
1973-74	Houston Aeros	WHA	75	33	53	86	109
1974-75	Houston Aeros	WHA	78	33	75	108	68
1975-76	Houston Aeros	WHA	73	24	49	73	50
1976-77	Houston Aeros	WHA	80	29	38	67	36
1977-78	Houston Aeros	WHA	76	9	17	26	36
	WHA Totals		459	149	277	426	419