Cardiac Cane
Fansided

Hartford Whalers: How the Brass Bonanza fell silent

By Conor Power

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - CIRCA 1988: John Anderson #20 of the Hartford Whalers skates against the New Jersey Devils during an NHL Hockey game circa 1988 at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Anderson's playing career went from 1977-94. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - CIRCA 1988: John Anderson #20 of the Hartford Whalers skates against the New Jersey Devils during an NHL Hockey game circa 1988 at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Anderson's playing career went from 1977-94. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
HARTFORD, CT – CIRCA 1980: Gordie Howe #9 of the Hartford Whalers talks with the media after an NHL Hockey game circa 1980 at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Howe’s career went from 1945-71, 1973-80, and 1997. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
HARTFORD, CT – CIRCA 1980: Gordie Howe #9 of the Hartford Whalers talks with the media after an NHL Hockey game circa 1980 at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Howe’s career went from 1945-71, 1973-80, and 1997. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Time in the NHL

In 1979-80, the Whalers joined the National Hockey League and had their first season in the league. After the team was gutted in the dispersal draft and allowed to re-build from the spare parts of the other teams, the Whalers were not what they were in the WHA and quickly found that out.

The Whalers struggled during their first few seasons in the big league. They were basement dwellers while they tried to rebuild, and it became a theme to see the team become the whipping boy for big teams like the Boston Bruins, the New York Rangers, and the Montreal Canadiens. They did make the playoffs in their first year in the NHL, but 16 of 21 teams did only the truly awful missed.

Speaking of only the truly awful missing, the Whalers would miss the playoffs for the next 5 years and would finish last in their division for the last 4. The Whalers were struggling, and the city of Hartford was missing the success the team had seen when they were in the WHA winning the championship and seeing their team win titles… until 1985-86.

In 1985-86, the team emerged from the basement of the Prince of Wales division and exploded into life. Led by Sylvian Turgeon, Ron Francis, and Ray Ferraro, the young core the Whalers had tanked for was starting to show its teeth and his ability to fight with the big guns in the division. They even beat the Quebec Nordiques for their 1st ever series win… but that was the height of the success of the Whalers in Hartford.

The team would continue to make the playoffs, but they were always 1st round fodder being thrown out when they played the likes of Boston and Montreal. It became a reoccurring theme and a staple of the NHL. Goaltenders flail around, the puck bounces, and the Whalers lose in round 1. And that was just the start of the issues with the Whalers. On March 4th, 1991, the team made a move to change the franchise forever.

Star forward and future general manager and hall of fame player Ron Francis would be traded alongside Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Zarley Zalapski, Jeff Parker, and John Cullen. Pittsburgh would go on to win back-to-back Stanley Cups, and Hartford fell back to the cellar.

With the team treading water in its old division, the team was sold in 1994 to accompany a new division alignment. Hartford was now in the North East division, and the new owner wasn’t afraid to pull the plug on the team in its current location. He doesn’t like losing money, and Canes fans know that way too well about Peter Karmanos.

Home/History