Founded in 1971, the Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey National Hockey League (NHL) team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The team played its first season in 1972–73 as one of twelve founding franchises of the major professional World Hockey Association (WHA). They were originally supposed to be one of two WHA teams in Alberta (the other one being the Calgary Broncos). However, when the Broncos folded before the WHA's first season began the Oilers were renamed the Alberta Oilers. They returned to using the Edmonton Oilers name for the 1973–74 season, and have been called that ever since. The Oilers subsequently joined the NHL in 1979; one of four franchises introduced through the NHL merger with the WHA.