The Aeros franchise was originally slated for Dayton, Ohio, but was moved to Houston in April 1972. The Aeros finished second in the Western Division in their first season and were bounced from the playoffs in the second round by the Winnipeg Jets, but the next year, they enticed former Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe out of retirement to play with his sons Mark and Marty. The new and improved Aeros captured their first AVCO Cup championship that season and they repeated as champions the following year. In 1975-1976, the Aeros finished first in the Western Division for the third consecutive year and tied with the Jets for the best regular season record, but were swept in the finals by the Jets. The Aeros duplicated their outstanding regular season once again, only to again fall victim to the Jets in the second round of the playoffs. That summer, the Howes left for New England, but with the addition Andre Lacroix from the San Diego Mariners, the Aeros still finished with the third best record in the league before losing to the defending champion Quebec Nordiques in the first round of the playoffs.
The Aeros tried to gain entry into the NHL that summer, but when those hopes were dashed, the team folded and the Jets purchased the remaining players under contract.
Led by many of the former Aeros, the Jets went on to capture the AVCO Cup in 1979. |
| Season |
Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
Pts |
Pct. |
GF |
GA |
Finish |
| 1972-1973 |
Houston Aeros |
78 |
39 |
35 |
4 |
82 |
0.526 |
284 |
269 |
2nd place, Western Division |
| 1973-1974 |
Houston Aeros |
78 |
48 |
25 |
5 |
101 |
0.647 |
318 |
219 |
1st place, Western Division |
| 1974-1975 |
Houston Aeros |
78 |
53 |
25 |
0 |
106 |
0.679 |
369 |
247 |
1st place, Western Division |
| 1975-1976 |
Houston Aeros |
80 |
53 |
27 |
0 |
106 |
0.662 |
341 |
263 |
1st place, Western Division |
| 1976-1977 |
Houston Aeros |
80 |
50 |
24 |
6 |
106 |
0.662 |
320 |
241 |
1st place, Western Division |
| 1977-1978 |
Houston Aeros |
80 |
42 |
34 |
4 |
88 |
0.550 |
296 |
302 |
3rd place, League |
| Totals |
|
474 |
285 |
170 |
19 |
589 |
0.621 |
1928 |
1541 |
|
|
