Larry Hornung became the sixth member of the Winnipeg Jets when he signed a three-year contract with the Jets in June 1972. The veteran defender who had been with the NHL's St. Louis Blues became a stalwart on the Jets' blue line and helped lead them to the AVCO Cup finals on two occasions in his first four WHA seasons. Hornung was one of five players from the original Jets roster that was on their first AVCO Cup championship team in 1976, but during the following off-season, the Jets were forced to leave his rights exposed in the intra-league draft and he was subsequently claimed by the Edmonton Oilers.
In November 1976, after 21 games in Edmonton, Hornung was traded to the San Diego Mariners, where he finished the season and helped guide the Mariners to a post-season berth. Hornung and the Mariners met the Jets in the first round of the playoffs and lost in a hotly contested best-of-seven series that went the distance.
After the 1976-1977 season, the Mariners folded and Hornung wound up back in Winnipeg. He played 19 games for the Jets that year before retiring in December 1977.
Hornung was named as a WHA Second Team All-Star in 1972-1973 and was selected to play in the annual mid-season All Star Game three times. |
