The 1974–75 Kansas City Scouts season was the first season for the franchise now known as the New Jersey Devils. 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 (the Kansas City metropolitan area spills across both states) 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 second choice, Scouts. This was named after The Scout, a famous statue overlooking the city.
The arrival of the Scouts and Capitals led the NHL into creating four 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. With construction of Kemper Arena (the Scouts home arena) starting late, then delayed by union work stoppages, the Scouts were forced to play their first 8 games on the road losing 7 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 on January 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.
Kansas City's games aired on radio station WDAF-AM with Dick Carlson the play-by-play broadcaster. A limited number of road contests were televised by KBMA Channel 41. Gene Osborn handled play-by-play with Bill Grigsby serving as analyst.
Offseason Sid Abel was hired as the general manager of the team on April 13, 1974, signing a three-year contract. Bep Guidolin was hired to be the coach of the team in May 1974.
NHL draft Round # Player Nationality College/junior/club team12Wilf Paiement (RW)St. Catharines Black Hawks (OMJHL)220Glen Burdon (C) Regina Pats (WCHL)338Bob Bourne (C) Saskatoon Blades (WCHL)456Roger Lemelin (D) London Knights (OMJHL)574Mark Lomenda (RW) Victoria Cougars (WCHL)692John Shewchuk (C) St. Paul Vulcans (MWJHL)7110Mike Boland (D) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OMJHL)9145Brian Kuruliak (LW) North Bay Trappers (OPJHL)10162Denis Carufel (D) Sorel Eperviers (QMJHL)11177Soren Johansson (C) Djurgardens IF (Sweden)12191Mats Ulander (LW) Bodens BK (Sweden)13203Ed Pizunski (D) Peterborough Petes (OMJHL)14213Willie Wing (RW) Hamilton Fincups (OMJHL)
Expansion draft # Player Drafted from Drafted by 1. Michel Plasse (G) Montreal Canadiens Kansas City Scouts 3. Peter McDuffe (G) New York Rangers Kansas City Scouts 5. Simon Nolet (RW) Philadelphia Flyers Kansas City Scouts 7. Butch Deadmarsh (LW) Atlanta Flames Kansas City Scouts 9. Brent Hughes (D) Detroit Red Wings Kansas City Scouts11. Paul Terbenche (D) Buffalo Sabres Kansas City Scouts13. Gary Coalter (C) California Golden Seals Kansas City Scouts15. Gary Croteau (LW) California Golden Seals Kansas City Scouts17. Randy Rota (LW) Los Angeles Kings Kansas City Scouts19. Lynn Powis (C) Chicago Black Hawks Kansas City Scouts21. John Wright (W) St. Louis Blues Kansas City Scouts23. Ted Snell (RW) Pittsburgh Penguins Kansas City Scouts25. Chris Evans (W) Detroit Red Wings Kansas City Scouts27. Bryan Lefley (D) New York Islanders Kansas City Scouts29. Robin Burns (LW) Pittsburgh Penguins Kansas City Scouts31. Tom Peluso (W) Chicago Black Hawks Kansas City Scouts33. Kerry Ketter (D) Atlanta Flames Kansas City Scouts35. Norm Dube (W) Los Angeles Kings Kansas City Scouts37. Real Lemieux (C) Vancouver Canucks Kansas City Scouts39. Dave Hudson (C) Vancouver Canucks Kansas City Scouts41. Ken Murray (D) Detroit Red Wings Kansas City Scouts43. Dennis Patterson (D) Minnesota North Stars Kansas City Scouts45. Ed Gilbert (C) Montreal Canadiens Kansas City Scouts47. Doug Horbul (W) New York Rangers Kansas City Scouts
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. December 9, 1974 – Prior to a morning practice, the team was informed that head athletic trainer Gordon Marchant had committed suicide at his farm near Plattsburg, Missouri north of Kansas City. Clinton County (Missouri) Sheriff Ray Boyd stated Marchant died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Marchant's body was discovered by Scouts equipment manager James Kraus. 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. Gary Croteau's second-period goal turned out to be the game-winner. Following the game, a Boston fan attempted to attack Croteau at the Scouts' bench, but Boston police intervened.
Final standings
Record vs. opponents
Schedule and results
|1||L||October 9, 1974||2–6 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75) ||0–1–0
|2||L||October 12, 1974||2–6 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders (1974–75) ||0–2–0
|3||L||October 13, 1974||2–3 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) ||0–3–0
|4||L||October 18, 1974||2–4 || align="left"| @ Atlanta Flames (1974–75) ||0–4–0
|5||L||October 19, 1974||0–3 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1974–75) ||0–5–0
|6||T||October 23, 1974||4–4 || align="left"| @ California Golden Seals (1974–75) ||0–5–1
|7||L||October 25, 1974||3–5 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) ||0–6–1
|8||L||October 27, 1974||2–8 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1974–75) ||0–7–1
|9||L||November 2, 1974||3–4 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) ||0–8–1
|10||W||November 3, 1974||5–4 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1974–75) ||1–8–1
|11||L||November 5, 1974||3–5 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75) ||1–9–1
|12||L||November 7, 1974||4–6 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) ||1–10–1
|13||L||November 9, 1974||1–6 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1974–75) ||1–11–1
|14||W||November 13, 1974||5–3 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1974–75) ||2–11–1
|15||W||November 15, 1974||4–2 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1974–75) ||3–11–1
|16||L||November 16, 1974||1–3 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) ||3–12–1
|17||L||November 20, 1974||0–1 || align="left"| Atlanta Flames (1974–75) ||3–13–1
|18||L||November 22, 1974||6–7 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) ||3–14–1
|19||L||November 23, 1974||0–6 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) ||3–15–1
|20||W||November 26, 1974||4–3 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) ||4–15–1
|21||L||November 27, 1974||2–4 || align="left"| @ Atlanta Flames (1974–75) ||4–16–1
|22||L||November 30, 1974||0–1 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) ||4–17–1
|23||L||December 1, 1974||0–10 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) ||4–18–1
|24||L||December 4, 1974||3–7 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) ||4–19–1
|25||T||December 6, 1974||3–3 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) ||4–19–2
|26||L||December 7, 1974||1–4 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders (1974–75) ||4–20–2
|27||L||December 10, 1974||2–6 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1974–75) ||4–21–2
|28||W||December 12, 1974||5–3 || align="left"| California Golden Seals (1974–75) ||5–21–2
|29||T||December 14, 1974||2–2 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) ||5–21–3
|30||L||December 18, 1974||0–6 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1974–75) ||5–22–3
|31||T||December 19, 1974||4–4 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1974–75) ||5–22–4
|32||L||December 21, 1974||4–6 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1974–75) ||5–23–4
|33||L||December 22, 1974||2–5 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1974–75) ||5–24–4
|34||L||December 28, 1974||2–7 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) ||5–25–4
|35||L||December 29, 1974||1–2 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1974–75) ||5–26–4
|36||L||January 2, 1975||1–2 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1974–75) ||5–27–4
|37||W||January 4, 1975||2–1 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) ||6–27–4
|38||W||January 6, 1975||5–2 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) ||7–27–4
|39||L||January 8, 1975||1–6 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1974–75) ||7–28–4
|40||W||January 11, 1975||5–3 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1974–75) ||8–28–4
|41||L||January 14, 1975||4–6 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) ||8–29–4
|42||L||January 16, 1975||4–7 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1974–75) ||8–30–4
|43||W||January 18, 1975||4–1 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) ||9–30–4
|44||L||January 19, 1975||0–5 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1974–75) ||9–31–4
|45||W||January 23, 1975||3–2 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1974–75) ||10–31–4
|46||L||January 25, 1975||1–4 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) ||10–32–4
|47||T||January 27, 1975||3–3 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1974–75) ||10–32–5
|48||T||January 29, 1975||4–4 || align="left"| Atlanta Flames (1974–75) ||10–32–6
|49||L||February 1, 1975||2–3 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) ||10–33–6
|50||L||February 2, 1975||1–8 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1974–75) ||10–34–6
|51||T||February 4, 1975||3–3 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1974–75) ||10–34–7
|52||W||February 6, 1975||3–2 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75) ||11–34–7
|53||L||February 7, 1975||0–5 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1974–75) ||11–35–7
|54||W||February 9, 1975||2–1 || align="left"| @ California Golden Seals (1974–75) ||12–35–7
|55||L||February 11, 1975||0–4 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1974–75) ||12–36–7
|56||W||February 13, 1975||5–1 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1974–75) ||13–36–7
|57||L||February 15, 1975||0–3 || align="left"| California Golden Seals (1974–75) ||13–37–7
|58||L||February 16, 1975||0–3 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1974–75) ||13–38–7
|59||T||February 18, 1975||2–2 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1974–75) ||13–38–8
|60||L||February 20, 1975||3–6 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1974–75) ||13–39–8
|61||W||February 23, 1975||4–2 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1974–75) ||14–39–8
|62||L||February 26, 1975||2–4 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1974–75) ||14–40–8
|63||L||March 1, 1975||0–3 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1974–75) ||14–41–8
|64||L||March 2, 1975||0–4 || align="left"| @ Atlanta Flames (1974–75) ||14–42–8