Logo of the Chicago Cougars of the World Hockey Association, one of the league’s original franchises. They existed from 1972 until 1975, and in their second season advanced to the WHA playoffs final round, but lost the battle for the Avco Cup to Gordie Howe’s Houston Aeros. In an earlier playoff round that same year, the Cougars were forced to play 2 home games at a skating rink in a local shopping center, due to their home arena being booked for a production of Peter Pan, starring gymnast Cathy Rigby. When the team’s owners encountered financial difficulties prior to the Cougars’ third and final season, the club was sold to Cougar players Ralph Backstrom, Dave Dryden and player-coach Pat Stapleton, but they wound up folding after the ’75 season.