Hull bringing back WHA

TORONTO — A new World Hockey Association is set to start playing in October with at least six teams.

Commissioner Bobby Hull, the star player of the WHA of the 1970s, and other businessmen announced Wednesday that teams in Halifax, Quebec City, Detroit, Dallas, Orlando and Jacksonville, Fla., have buildings in which to play.

Two more teams in Toronto and Hamilton are expected to join them shortly when they secure arena leases.

“A lot of them are in a situation right now where with this announcement they can go ahead and be selling season tickets by the first of next week,” Hull said at a news conference.

The NHL’s future is murky as its collective bargaining agreement with the players expires Sept. 15.

WHA team owners were frank in their belief that a labor disruption in the NHL would help their league gain fans looking for alternate sources of hockey.