WHA scoring record-holder André Lacroix dies at 81

André Lacroix, the WHA’s all-time leading scorer, has died at 81.

The Canadian centre played seven seasons in the World Hockey Association, a rival to the NHL that began in the early 1970s.

When the WHA’s remaining teams joined the NHL in 1979, Lacroix held its records for regular-season games, assists and points.

He played alongside stars including Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe and Dave Keon, and earned the nickname “the Magician” for his stickhandling and passing.

His scoring and playmaking made him one of the WHA’s standout players, though he was often overshadowed by better-known teammates.

Lacroix believed that leaving the NHL for the upstart league was why he was not inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.