The 1974–75 Kansas City Scoutsseason was the first season for the franchise. The NHL completed its first 8-year expansion cycle by adding franchises in Washington and Kansas City. Kansas City was awarded an NHL franchise on June 8, 1972. The city had a hockey history but had been a home to minor league hockey teams only. Initially, the franchise chose MO-hawks as their nickname to reflect a Missouri-Kansas union, an attempt to appeal to both Kansas and Missouri residents and incorporating Missouri's postal abbreviation with the Kansas Jayhawker nickname, but the name was vetoed by the Chicago Black Hawks. Therefore, the franchise selected its 2nd choice, Scouts. This was named after a famous statue overlooking the city. The arrival of the Scouts and Capitals led the NHL into creating 4 divisions, the Adams, Norris, Patrick and Smythe Divisions. The Scouts would be placed in the Smythe Division while their expansion cousins, the Capitals, would be in the Norris Division. The Scouts played for the first time on October 9 in Toronto. Kemper Arena hosted the American Royal Rodeo and Livestock Show, so the Scouts were forced to play their first 9 games on the road losing 8 and tying 1. On November 2, the Scouts made their home debut losing 4–3 to the Black Hawks. The following day they would get their first win beating the Capitals in Washington 5–4. The highlight of the seasons would come onJanuary 23 when the Scouts upset the Bruins 3–2 in Boston. Despite being led in scoring by team captain Simon Nolet, the Scouts finished in last place with a 15–54–11 record.
Offseason
NHL draft
Expansion draft
Regular season
Along with the Washington Capitals, the Scouts joined the NHL as an expansion team for the 1974–75 season. With a combined 30 teams between the NHL and the rival World Hockey Association, the talent pool available to stock the new teams was extremely thin. In their first season, the Capitals would set an NHL record for futility, losing 67 of 80 games, and only winning one on the road. The Scouts fared only marginally better, and the expansion was widely seen as having been a mistake. They played their home games at Kemper Arena. The team was not a particular success either at the gate or on the ice. Rising oil prices and a falling commodity market made for hard going in the Midwest during the 1970s.
October 9, 1974 – The Scouts played their first game in franchise history against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The final score was 6–2 in favor of the Maple Leafs.
November 2, 1974 – The first home game in Kansas City Scouts history was played. The opponent was the Chicago Blackhawks and the Blackhawks won the game by a score of 5–4.
November 3, 1974 – The Scouts won their first game in franchise history by defeating their expansion brethren, the Washington Capitals by a 5–4 score.
November 13, 1974 – The Scouts won their first home game in franchise history. The final score was 5–3 in a triumph over their cross-state rivals, the St. Louis Blues.
January 23, 1975 – The Scouts had their biggest win of the season by defeating the Boston Bruins by a score of 3–2 in Boston.
Final standings
Game log
Player stats
Forwards
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player
GP
G
A
Pts
PIM
Simon Nolet
72
26
32
58
30
Guy Charron
51
13
29
42
21
Dave Hudson
70
9
32
41
27
Wilf Paiement
78
26
13
39
101
Ed Gilbert
80
16
22
38
14
Robin Burns
71
18
15
33
70
Randy Rota
80
15
18
33
30
Lynn Powis
73
11
20
31
19
Gary Croteau
77
8
11
19
16
Norm Dube
56
8
10
18
54
Gary Coalter
30
2
4
6
2
Butch Deadmarsh
20
3
2
5
19
Ted Snell
29
3
2
5
8
Doug Buhr
6
0
2
2
4
Doug Horbul
4
1
0
1
2
Hugh Harvey
8
0
0
0
2
Defencemen
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player
GP
G
A
Pts
PIM
Jim McElmury
78
5
17
22
25
Brent Hughes
66
1
18
19
43
Jean-Guy Lagace
19
2
9
11
22
Bart Crashley
27
3
6
9
10
Claude Houde
34
3
4
7
20
Larry Johnston
14
0
7
7
10
Larry Giroux
21
0
6
6
24
Dennis Patterson
66
1
5
6
39
Bryan Lefley
29
0
3
3
6
Glen Burdon
11
0
2
2
0
Chris Evans
2
0
2
2
2
Ken Murray
8
0
2
2
14
Roger Lemelin
8
0
1
1
6
Mike Baumgartner
17
0
0
0
0
Mike Boland
1
0
0
0
0
Hank Lehvonen
4
0
0
0
0
Goaltending
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
