On what date did Gretzky sign with the Indianapolis Racers?

Wayne Gretzky signed with the Indianapolis Racers on June 12, 1978. Racers owner Nelson Skalbania signed the 17-year-old to a personal-services contract reported at seven years and US$1.75 million.

The signing was possible because the World Hockey Association did not impose the NHL’s minimum age restriction of 20. Several WHA teams pursued Gretzky, including the Birmingham Bulls and Indianapolis, as league owners sought young stars who could attract attention and strengthen the WHA’s position against the NHL.

Gretzky’s Indianapolis stay was brief. The financially troubled Racers were losing roughly $40,000 per game, and Gretzky played only eight games for the club. In November 1978, Skalbania transferred him, along with Eddie Mio and Peter Driscoll, to Peter Pocklington’s Edmonton Oilers.

The date is sometimes confused with the later Edmonton transaction or with the start of the 1978–79 WHA season. June 12 marks the original Indianapolis signing, months before Gretzky’s move to Edmonton and his emergence as a professional superstar.