Whalers de Hartford

The Whalers de Hartford are old a frankness from the National league of hockey (LNH). It was known before under the name of Whalers of New England in the Worldwide association of hockey (AMH) of 1972 with 1979.

In 1997, it moved with Raleigh, in North Carolina, where it takes the name of Hurricanes of the Caroline.

History of the frankness

Years in the worldwide association of hockey

The frankness from the Whalers was born in November 1971 when the Worldwide association of hockey decided to grant a frankness to the business men from New England Howard Baldwin, John Coburn, Godfrey Wood and William E. Barnes. The frankness then based with Boston in the Massachusetts makes its market in manpower of teams of the National league of hockey: Tom Webster high-speed motorboat of the Red Wings de Détroit), the defenders Ted Green of the Bruins of Boston and Rick Ley of the Maple Leafs of Toronto or old the guard of the Penguins de Pittsburgh Al Smith. The new direction also decides to make sign a number rather significant, and unusual, of player American including of the native players of Massachusetts but also of the former members of the team of the States to the Winter Olympics like Larry Pleau, Kevin Ahearn, John Cunniff or Paul Hurley. The first team of Whalers records the best results of Association at the time of the season 1972-73 with Webster like better pointer. The team will even manage to gain as of her first season the final of the eliminatory Séries gaining the Coupe AVCO.

During the first two seasons and half of their existence, Whalers make play their home match in different skating rinks like the Boston Arena, the Boston Garden and the Big E Coliseum of West Springfield. Competition is hard for the frankness and the fans of hockey are largely been used between Bruins as Boston and Whalers. Thus, the direction of the team decides to move the team in the Connecticut, a State knowing hockey only through teams of minor league. The direction stops its choice on the town of Hartford, a city rich in potential investors and with a past rich in traditions of hockey.

January 1st 1975, the team plays its first match in front of a full house in the skating rink of the Hartford Civic Center Coliseum. The frankness will play the large majority of its matches in this skating rink until its removal in North Carolina in 1997. Even if the team does not manage to gain Cut AVCO once again, Whalers are a victorious team managing each season to qualify itself for the series and finishing with three recoveries in the first place of their division. The manpower of Whalers is one of most stable of the AMH with players like Ley, Webster, Selwood, Larry Pleau and Tommy Earl playing more than 350 matches with the team. Whalers also strike a great blow while making sign legendary the Gordie Howe and its two sons Mark and Marty coming from the Aeros of Houston in 1977. In 1978, the team made up of Gordie Howe, Gordie Roberts, Mike Rogers, Ron Plumb, John McKenzie, Dave Keon and Mike Antonovich reach the finale of Cut AVCO while being the best defense of the AMH. The following season is not also good even and Andre Lacroix former player of late Aeros takes over Howe.

While being one of the most stable teams of the AMH, Whalers are one of the four franknesses to being accepted in 1979 within the National league of hockey. Despite everything, Bruins of Boston put the pressure on the direction of the LNH so that Whalers give up the part New England of their name. Howes, Rogers, Ley, Keon, Smith, Roberts and Lacroix then will carry the shirt of Whalers de Hartford. The majority of the players of 1978-79 of Whalers will be able to continue to play for the frankness since only Selwood, George Lyle and Warren Miller will be selected by the other franknesses from the LNH. Bobby Hull joined the frankness coming from the Jets from Winnipeg.

Years in the national league of hockey

Unfortunately, Whalers will never know as much success in the LNH than of the time of the AMH in spite of a crowd always present to support the team. In eighteen seasons, Whalers will be qualified only with ten recoveries for the series. During these seasons, Whalers also will build a competition with the Bruins of Boston and the Rangers of New York. The competition is such with Bruins, that at the time of the matches in Civic Center a quarter of the public comes from Boston to see the match, Boston being at two hours of car of Civic Center.

The history of Whalers is strewn with disastrous transfers with departures of good players to make come from the players of less talent to try to bring depth to the team game. Thus, Whalers will make exchange players like Mark Howe or Mike Rogers against players not having never bored in the LNH. When well even the exchanges make come from the players of talent in Hartford, those make very to leave there quickly (like Chris Pronger or Brendan Shanahan).

The most beautiful moments of the frankness take place at the end of the Années 1980 in 1985-86 and 1986-87 with two consecutive qualifications for the series carried out by the center Ron Francis and by Kevin Dineen, Mike Liut and Sylvain Turgeon.

Unfortunately, Francis does not feel with its ease within the frankness and in spite of its 714 matches, 264 goals, 557 assistances and 821 points for Whalers, it leaves the frankness to join the Penguins de Pittsburgh in return of players not helping really the frankness to take off whereas on its side, Ron Francis joined the effective of Penguins who will gain the Coupe Stanley 1991. Little time after, the managing director of Whalers, Eddie Johnston, which orchestrated the transfer of Francis, joined Penguins.

Whalers carried out by Jimmy Roberts are qualified all the same for the series of 1992 but they lose in semi-final of Adams division against the Canadian of Montreal at the time of the seventh match and at the end of two Prolongation S. Roberts is transfered little times after and whereas Whalers still have some high-speed motorboats - Geoff Sanderson, Pat Verbeek, Andrew Cassels and Sean Burke - they are qualified never again for the series.

End of the frankness with Hartford

The first causes of the departure of Whalers de Hartford are the size of the market as well as the problem of skating rinks. The Hartford Civic Center became too small and decayed to be profitable. The small room of Hartford makes pale figure vis-a-vis the modern arenas of the LNH equipped with luxurious continuations and all the facilities available.

In 1994, Peter Karmanos founder of the company Compuware buys Whalers and tries during four seasons to keep Whalers in the town of Hartford. In 1996, disappointed by the frequentation of the room, he announces that so at the time of the season 1996-97: 11000 abonnenments at the year are not sold by the team, it will be in the obligation to move the franchise.for furnace years. In same time, it decides to keep only the subscriptions for the whole season and to remove the popular formulas for five and ten matches.

At the beginning of 1996, negotiations take place between Whalers and the governor of the Connecticut, John Rowland, for the construction of a new skating rink at the cost of 147,5 million dollars. The negotiations turn short when Rowland and the State decides to refuse the refunding of 45 million dollars of losses asked by Karmanos for the three seasons of construction of a new room.

Consequently, on March 26th, 1997, the team announces that it will leave the city without immediately announcing the name of the future site of the frankness. One month month later, on April 13rd, Whalers play their last match with Hartford overriding the Lightning de Tampa Bay and Kevin Dineen captain of the team registering the last goal of the history of the frankness.

The decision of the new direction of the team is revealed in July: Whalers will play in the future in the Research Triangle of the North Carolina and the new center of the Entertainment and Sports Arena with Raleigh and the team will take the name of the Hurricanes of the Caroline.

Players and trainers of the frankness

Former players

Captains

This section has presented the whole of the captains of the team of Whalers for their first season in the Worldwide association of hockey until their removal in the North Carolina.

Withdrawn numbers

During their existence, Whalers withdrew three numbers of shirts of which two were given in circulation following their removal to Raleigh.

The withdrawn numbers are the following:

  • the number 2 of Rick Ley defender of the frankness between 1972 and 1981.
  • the number 9 of Gordie Howe right winger of Whalers between 1977 and 1980 and player high-speed motorboat of the LNH
  • the shirt 19 of John McKenzie also right winger of Whalers between 1977 and 1979.

Numbers 2 and 19 are the new ones used by the Hurricanes of the Caroline.

Choice of first round

Here the list of the players chosen at the time of the first turn of fishing out by the team of Whalers.

Like players, the choices of fishing out are negotiated in period of transfers, it may be thus that a team releases one or more choice of fishing out against a player of a concurrent frankness. Thus certain seasons, for example in 1976, Whalers did not have a choice of first round.

; Worldwide association of hockey

  • 1973: Glenn Goldup (2nd choice)
  • 1974: Tim Young (13th choice)
  • 1975: Terry McDonald (13th choice)
  • 1976: no the choice of first round
  • 1977: no the choice of first round

; National league of hockey

With the Temple of re-elected hockey

  • Gordie Howe player of Whalers between 1977 and 1980 allowed in 1972 with the Temple of was re-elected hockey.
  • Ron Francis the best pointer, striker and frontier runner of Whalers will be allowed with the temple of the famous in November 2007.

Trainers

This section introduces the trainers of the frankness from the time of the LNH.
  • Gift Blackburn 1979-80
  • Gift Blackburn and Larry Pleau 1980-81
  • Larry Pleau 1981-82
  • Larry Kish, Larry Pleau and John Cunniff 1982-83
  • Jack “Tex” Evans 1983-87
  • Jack “Tex” Evans and Larry Pleau 1987-88
  • Larry Pleau 1988-89
  • Rick Ley 1989-91
  • Jim Roberts 1991-92
  • Paul Holmgren 1992-93
  • Paul Holmgren and Pierre McGuire 1993-94
  • Paul Holmgren 1994-95
  • Paul Holmgren and Paul Maurice 1995-96
  • Paul Maurice 1996-97

Records

This section presents the records of the history of the frankness, whether they are individual records or recors teams.

Individual records

Time of the AMH, Rick Ley is the player who will have played the greatest number of matches with 478 appearances but also be more penalized (716 minutes) while Tom Webster registered the greatest total of goals with 220 goals as well as the greatest total of points with 425. On the level of the decisive master keys, Larry Pleau and its 215 assistances is the best frontier runner and Al Smith had 141 victories as a goalkeeper.

Time of the LNH, Ron Francis is the outstanding player of the frankness with 714 matches, 264 goals, 557 assistances and a total of 821 points. On the level of the penalties, Torrie Robertson in has accepted: 1368 during these six seasons with Whalers. Mike Liut with 115 gained matches is the most victorious guard of the history of the frankness from the time of the LNH while Sean Burke played 256 matches. From the point of view Washing, the 13 achievements of Liut are a record for the team.

During a simple season, Blaine Stoughton registers the greatest number of goals in 1979-80 with 56 goals while once again Ron Francis is the best frontier runner over one season in 1989-90 with 69 master keys. Mike Rogers is the best pointer over one season by reaching twice the 105 points (in 1980 and 1981). Torrie Robertson the player more penalized on the whole for Whalers is also the player more penalized over one season with 358 minutes collected in 1985-86. The best pointer-defender of the history of Whalers was Mark Howe with 80 points in 1980 and the best pointer in its first year was Sylvain Turgeon author of 72 points in 1983-84.

Records of team

The greatest number of points marked by the team is of 94 points in 1972-73 at the time of the first season of the team whereas they register only 45 points in 1982-83. In 1977-78, Whalers register 335 goals but they box on the contrary 403 in 1982-83 of them.

In 1984, they carry out their match with the greatest number of goals by beating the Oilers d' Edmonton on the score of 11 goals to 0 whereas one year earlier, they concede one 12-3 with the Nordiques of Quebec.

See too

References

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