The Oilers were founded on November 1, 1971 with the team playing its first season in 1972 as one of twelve founding franchises of the major professional World Hockey Association (WHA). Notably, the team was renamed the Alberta Oilers when the Calgary Broncos (a fellow WHA founding franchise in Alberta) relocated to Cleveland, Ohio. However, the team returned to the Edmonton Oilers name the following year. The Oilers subsequently joined the NHL in 1979 as one of four franchises introduced through the NHL merger with the WHA. The Oilers are now the sole remaining WHA team playing in their original city. (*)