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Ernie Wakely

Ernest Alfred Linton Wakely
Goaltender
Born November 27, 1940 in Flin Flon, Manitoba
Height: 5' 11" Weight: 160 lbs.
 
After being selected in the preliminary round of the 1972 General Player Draft, Ernie Wakely became the Winnipeg Jets' first announced signing at a press conference on the morning of May 24, 1972. Wakely left the NHL's St. Louis Blues to sign a three-year contract with the Jets.

Wakely split time with Joe Daley over his first two seasons with the Jets and was outstanding in backstopping the Jets to the Western Division crown and an appearance in the finals in 1972-73. Early in the 1974-75 season, Wakely found himself as the odd man out in a three-man logjam and the Jets traded him to the San Diego Mariners. Wakely soon took over the starting position and San Diego and excelled over the next two and a half seasons with the Mariners, leading them to a post-season berth three times.

After the Mariners folded following the 1976-77 season, Wakely signed with the Cincinnati Stingers, but in November, he was traded to the Houston Aeros. He again seized the starting position and backstopped the Aeros to a third-place finish in the eight-team league. Wakely was on the move once again after the Aeros folded and he signed with the Birmingham Bulls for the 1978-79 season. He teamed up with rookie Pat Riggin on a young Bulls squad that fell just short of qualifying for post-season play in the Bulls' and WHA's final season.

Wakely retired following the 1978-79 season. He was a Second Team All-Star in 1977-78 and appeared in the WHA's first two All-Star Games. He was the WHA's all-time leader in games played and shutouts.

Player Statistics Jersey Numbers Transactions Draft History


Goaltending Statistics
Regular Season
Season Team GP Min GA EN SO Saves Sv % GAA W L T
1972-1973 Winnipeg Jets 49 2894 152 2 2 1259 0.892 3.15 26 19 3
1973-1974 Winnipeg Jets 37 2254 123 2 3 1061 0.896 3.27 15 18 4
1974-1975 San Diego Mariners 35 2062 115 3 2 976 0.895 3.35 20 12 2
1974-1975 Winnipeg Jets 6 355 16 0 1 197 0.925 2.70 3 3 0
1975-1976 San Diego Mariners 67 3823 208 3 3 1772 0.895 3.25 35 27 4
1976-1977 San Diego Mariners 46 2506 129 2 3 1113 0.896 3.09 22 18 3
1977-1978 Cincinnati Stingers 6 311 26 0 0 120 0.822 5.02 0 5 0
1977-1978 Houston Aeros 51 3070 166 3 2 1442 0.897 3.24 28 18 4
1978-1979 Birmingham Bulls 37 2060 129 2 0 944 0.880 3.76 15 17 1
Totals 334 19335 1064 17 16 8884 0.893   164 137 21
Playoffs
Season Team GP Min GA EN SO Saves Sv % GAA W L
1972-1973 Winnipeg Jets 7 420 22 0 2 188 0.895 3.14 4 3
1974-1975 San Diego Mariners 10 520 39 0 0 - - 4.50 4 6
1975-1976 San Diego Mariners 11 640 39 0 0 - - 3.66 5 6
1976-1977 San Diego Mariners 3 160 9 0 0 66 0.880 3.38 2 1
Totals 31 1740 109 0 2 - -   15 16

Scoring Statistics
Regular Season
Season Team GP G A Pts PIM +/- PP SH Shots
1972-1973 Winnipeg Jets 49 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 -
1973-1974 Winnipeg Jets 37 0 0 0 9 - 0 0 -
1974-1975 San Diego Mariners 35 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0
1974-1975 Winnipeg Jets 6 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0
1975-1976 San Diego Mariners 67 0 2 2 6 - 0 0 0
1976-1977 San Diego Mariners 46 0 1 1 0 - 0 0 0
1977-1978 Cincinnati Stingers 6 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0
1977-1978 Houston Aeros 51 0 4 4 2 - 0 0 0
1978-1979 Birmingham Bulls 37 0 3 3 0 - 0 0 0
Totals 334 0 10 10 17 - 0 0 -
Playoffs
Season Team GP G A Pts PIM +/- PP SH Shots
1972-1973 Winnipeg Jets 7 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 -
1974-1975 San Diego Mariners 10 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 -
1975-1976 San Diego Mariners 11 0 0 0 4 - 0 0 -
1976-1977 San Diego Mariners 3 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 -
Totals 31 0 0 0 4 - 0 0 -


View listing of all known games for Ernie Wakely
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