April 8, 1979:  

The Blizzard in their first ever home opener drop a 2-1 decision to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

1979 - A New Beginning

The first ever Blizzard play-off home game attracts 30,000 to see the Cosmos.

Purchased by Global Communications Ltd. on February 1st, 1979, the team was re-named hte "Blizzard" and relocated to 54,000 seat Exhibition Stadium on the shores of Lake Ontario.

The Blizzard's home debut versus the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers was christened by a real snowstorm at half-time which covered the field and over 18,000 fans in attendance.

The club got off to a slow start with a 1-8 record, but the addition of two veteran scorers, Ivan Lukacevic and Jim Bone sparked the Blizzard to a mid-season tear where they won teon of their next 13 games.

Under head coach, Keith Eddy, the Blizzard finished with a respectable14-16 record in their inaugural year and qualified for the playoffs on the final day of the 1979 schedule.

The Blizzard went on to suffer two straight losses (3-1 and 2-0) to the New York Cosmos in the first round of playoff action but capped off a promising first season by drawing over 30,000 fans to their home playoff date on a mid-week afternoon.

(from the1984 Blizzard Media Guide)