1981–82 Hartford Whalers season

1981–82 Hartford Whalers
Division	5th Adams
Conference	Wales
1981–82 record	21–41–18
Goals for	264
Goals against	351
Team information
General manager	Larry Pleau
Coach	Larry Pleau
Captain	Dave Keon
Alternate captains	None

Regular season

October

The Whalers opened the 1981–82 season on the road against the Quebec Nordiques in front of a sold out crowd at Le Colisée on October 6, losing a close one to the Nordiques, by a 6-5 score. Two nights later, Hartford earned their first point of the season, as the Whalers and Montreal Canadiens skated to a 5-5 tie.

Hartford had their home opener on October 10 against their new divisional rivals, the Boston Bruins, in front of 13,107 fans at the Civic Center. The Whalers and Bruins fought to a 1-1 tie, as Hartford goaltender Greg Millen led the way with 23 saves, while Blaine Stoughton scored the only goal for the team.

After going winless in their first four games of the season (0-2-2), the Whalers finally earned their first victory, as Rick Meagher recorded a hat trick, as Hartford crushed the Detroit Red Wings by an 8-1 score.

The victory over Detroit would be the Whalers only win of the month, as Hartford finished October with a five-game winless streak (0-2-3), finishing October with a 1-4-5 record, earning seven points, and sat in last place in the Adams Division, six points behind the Buffalo Sabres for fourth place.

November

Hartford opened November with a pair of 4-1 losses to the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks to fall to 1-6-5 on the season, before earning their second win of the year, a 4-2 decision against the Minnesota North Stars on November 9.

The Whalers would follow the victory with a four-game winless skid (0-2-2), to fall to 2-8-7 on the season through their first 17 games of the year. Hartford would snap the winless streak with an 8-5 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. A highlight in the game was when Ron Francis scored his first career goal.

Wins would be scarce for the Whalers in November, as they would record only one more victory in November, and ended the month with a record of 3-7-3 in 13 games, and fall to 4-11-8 on the season, earning 16 points, in last place in the Adams Division, 14 points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff spot.

December

The Whalers opened December with their first road win of the season, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on December 2. Overall, Hartford would win three of their first four games of the month, as they recorded wins against the New York Rangers and the St. Louis Blues.

After their 3-1-0 start to the month, Hartford fell into a five-game winless streak (0-4-1), getting their only point in a 5-5 tie against the Los Angeles Kings, before earning a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings to snap their skid in their final game before Christmas.

The team then went 2-2-0 in their final four games of December, to finish the month with a 6-7-1 record in 14 games, and post a 10-18-9 record on the season. The Whalers remained in last place in the Adams Division, 14 points behind the fourth place Quebec Nordiques.

January

Hartford got off to a terrible start in January, as the club dropped their first five games of the month, before finally earning a tie against the Boston Bruins on January 16, as Blaine Stoughton scored two goals in a 3-3 tie. Hartford then lost their next game by a 7-1 score against the Buffalo Sabres the next night to extend their winless skid to seven games.

The team ended their winless skid with a solid 4-2 victory over the Quebec Nordiques on January 20. This marked the start of a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2) for the Whalers to end the month.

Hartford managed to post a 4-6-3 record in 13 games in January, and an overall record of 14-24-12 on the season, earning 40 points. The Whalers were stuck in the Adams Division cellar, 18 points behind the fourth place Quebec Nordiques.

February

The Whalers continued to stay hot at the start of February, as Hartford went 2-0-2 on a four-game road trip, and extended their overall unbeaten streak to a team record 10 games (6-0-4). The unbeaten streak came to an end on February 13, as the New York Rangers defeated Hartford by a 3-2 score.

The loss to the Rangers began a string of losses for the Whalers, as the team went on a six-game losing streak, before snapping the skid with a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins on February 24. Hartford then lost their last two games of the month, and eight of nine overall.

The club went 3-8-2 in their 13 February games, slipping to a 17-32-14 record on the season, registering 48 points, and 23 points behind the Quebec Nordiques.

March/April

The team opened March with two ties against the Buffalo Sabres, followed by a two-game winning streak, defeating the Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets. The Whalers four game unbeaten streak came to an end on March 13, as the Montreal Canadiens shutout Hartford 5-0. The club lost their second straight game the next night, 4-3 to the Colorado Rockies.

The Whalers managed to snap their two-game losing streak, and won consecutive games, beating the Quebec Nordiques and Buffalo Sabres. Those wins were the Whalers last of the season, as the team finished the season with a nine-game winless streak (0-7-2).

Hartford finished the year with a 21-41-18 record for the second straight season, earning 60 points, and were the last place team in the Adams Division, 22 points behind the Quebec Nordiques for the fourth and final playoff spot in the division.

Final standings

Adams Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PIM	PTS
Montreal Canadiens	80	46	17	17	360	223	1463	109
Boston Bruins	80	43	27	10	323	285	1266	96
Buffalo Sabres	80	39	26	15	307	273	1425	93
Quebec Nordiques	80	33	31	16	356	345	1757	82
Hartford Whalers	80	21	41	18	264	351	1493	60

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Schedule and results

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	L	October 6, 1981	5–6	@ Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)	0–1–0
2	T	October 8, 1981	5–5	@ Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)	0–1–1
3	T	October 10, 1981	1–1	Boston Bruins (1981–82)	0–1–2
4	L	October 15, 1981	2–7	Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)	0–2–2
5	W	October 17, 1981	8–1	Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)	1–2–2
6	L	October 21, 1981	2–5	@ Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)	1–3–2
7	T	October 23, 1981	2–2	@ Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)	1–3–3
8	L	October 24, 1981	3–7	@ Calgary Flames (1981–82)	1–4–3
9	T	October 29, 1981	6–6	New York Islanders (1981–82)	1–4–4
10	T	October 31, 1981	2–2	Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)	1–4–5
11	L	November 1, 1981	1–4	@ Boston Bruins (1981–82)	1–5–5
12	L	November 4, 1981	1–4	Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)	1–6–5
13	W	November 7, 1981	4–2	Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)	2–6–5
14	T	November 8, 1981	2–2	@ Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)	2–6–6
15	T	November 11, 1981	4–4	Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)	2–6–7
16	L	November 12, 1981	3–5	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82)	2–7–7
17	L	November 14, 1981	0–4	Washington Capitals (1981–82)	2–8–7
18	W	November 18, 1981	8–5	Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)	3–8–7
19	L	November 19, 1981	1–6	@ Boston Bruins (1981–82)	3–9–7
20	L	November 21, 1981	3–7	@ Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)	3–10–7
21	T	November 25, 1981	3–3	Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)	3–10–8
22	W	November 28, 1981	6–2	Washington Capitals (1981–82)	4–10–8
23	L	November 29, 1981	3–6	@ Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)	4–11–8
24	W	December 2, 1981	5–3	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)	5–11–8
25	L	December 4, 1981	2–4	Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)	5–12–8
26	W	December 6, 1981	5–3	@ New York Rangers (1981–82)	6–12–8
27	W	December 9, 1981	5–1	St. Louis Blues (1981–82)	7–12–8
28	L	December 12, 1981	2–4	Colorado Rockies (1981–82)	7–13–8
29	L	December 13, 1981	3–8	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)	7–14–8
30	L	December 16, 1981	1–6	Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)	7–15–8
31	T	December 19, 1981	5–5	Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)	7–15–9
32	L	December 20, 1981	2–8	@ Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)	7–16–9
33	W	December 22, 1981	3–2	@ Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)	8–16–9
34	L	December 26, 1981	6–9	Boston Bruins (1981–82)	8–17–9
35	W	December 27, 1981	7–3	Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)	9–17–9
36	L	December 29, 1981	1–6	@ St. Louis Blues (1981–82)	9–18–9
37	W	December 30, 1981	6–1	@ Winnipeg Jets (1981–82)	10–18–9
38	L	January 2, 1982	4–9	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82)	10–19–9
39	L	January 3, 1982	4–6	Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82)	10–20–9
40	L	January 6, 1982	3–5	Winnipeg Jets (1981–82)	10–21–9
41	L	January 9, 1982	2–3	Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)	10–22–9
42	L	January 11, 1982	2–6	@ Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)	10–23–9
43	T	January 16, 1982	3–3	@ Boston Bruins (1981–82)	10–23–10
44	L	January 17, 1982	1–7	@ Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)	10–24–10
45	W	January 20, 1982	4–2	Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)	11–24–10
46	T	January 23, 1982	2–2	@ Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)	11–24–11
47	W	January 25, 1982	6–5	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)	12–24–11
48	W	January 27, 1982	3–1	Calgary Flames (1981–82)	13–24–11
49	W	January 30, 1982	3–2	Boston Bruins (1981–82)	14–24–11
50	T	January 31, 1982	4–4	Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)	14–24–12
51	W	February 2, 1982	5–3	@ Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)	15–24–12
52	T	February 5, 1982	4–4	@ Colorado Rockies (1981–82)	15–24–13
53	W	February 6, 1982	4–2	@ St. Louis Blues (1981–82)	16–24–13
54	T	February 10, 1982	3–3	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82)	16–24–14
55	L	February 13, 1982	2–3	New York Rangers (1981–82)	16–25–14
56	L	February 14, 1982	1–9	New York Islanders (1981–82)	16–26–14
57	L	February 16, 1982	2–7	@ Calgary Flames (1981–82)	16–27–14
58	L	February 19, 1982	4–7	@ Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)	16–28–14
59	L	February 20, 1982	2–4	@ Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)	16–29–14
60	L	February 22, 1982	7–8	@ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)	16–30–14
61	W	February 24, 1982	4–3	Boston Bruins (1981–82)	17–30–14
62	L	February 27, 1982	1–7	@ Washington Capitals (1981–82)	17–31–14
63	L	February 28, 1982	0–5	Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)	17–32–14
64	T	March 3, 1982	3–3	@ Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)	17–32–15
65	T	March 6, 1982	2–2	Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)	17–32–16
66	W	March 7, 1982	7–6	Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)	18–32–16
67	W	March 10, 1982	6–2	Winnipeg Jets (1981–82)	19–32–16
68	L	March 13, 1982	0–5	@ Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)	19–33–16
69	L	March 14, 1982	3–4	Colorado Rockies (1981–82)	19–34–16
70	W	March 16, 1982	7–5	@ Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)	20–34–16
71	W	March 18, 1982	4–1	Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)	21–34–16
72	L	March 20, 1982	2–5	Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82)	21–35–16
73	L	March 21, 1982	3–5	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82)	21–36–16
74	T	March 24, 1982	3–3	Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)	21–36–17
75	L	March 27, 1982	4–5	@ New York Islanders (1981–82)	21–37–17
76	L	March 28, 1982	2–5	Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)	21–38–17
77	L	March 30, 1982	4–6	@ Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)	21–39–17
78	L	March 31, 1982	1–5	Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)	21–40–17
79	T	April 3, 1982	3–3	New York Rangers (1981–82)	21–40–18
80	L	April 4, 1982	2–7	@ Boston Bruins (1981–82)	21–41–18

Roster

1981–82 Hartford Whalers
Goaltenders 1 – Mike Veisor  30 – Greg Millen  35 – John Garrett		Defensemen 3 – Paul Shmyr  5 – Mark Howe  6 – Blake Wesley  7 – Russ Anderson  16 – Marty Howe  23 – Gilles Lupien  24 – Chris Kotsopoulos  25 – Norm Barnes  25 – Mark Renaud  29 – Jack McIlhargey  31 – Gerry McDonald  32 – Mickey Volcan  33 – Jeff Brownschidle  33 – Stu Smith		Wingers 8 – Garry Howatt  10 – Ray Neufeld  11 – Jordy Douglas  12 – Dan Bourbonnais  12 – Tom Rowe  15 – Rob McClanahan  16 – George Lyle  18 – Don Gillen  21 – Blaine Stoughton  22 – Doug Sulliman  23 – Mike McDougal  24 – Mike Fidler  26 – Don Nachbaur  27 – Warren Miller  32 – Dan Fridgen  38 – Randy MacGregor		Centers 4 – Ron Francis  7 – Rick MacLeish  14 – Dave Keon  – C 15 – Michel Galarneau  15 – Glenn Merkosky  20 – Rick Meagher  23 – Paul MacDermid  28 – Pierre Larouche  Coach: Larry Pleau GM: Larry Pleau

Draft picks

Hartford's draft picks from the 1981 NHL Entry Draft which was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, on June 10, 1981.

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/junior/club team (league)
1	4	Ron Francis	Canada	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
3	61	Paul MacDermid	Canada	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
4	67	Mike Hoffman	Canada	Brantford Alexanders (OHL)
5	93	Bill Maguire	Canada	Niagara Falls Flyers (OHL)
5	103	Dan Bourbonnais	Canada	Calgary Wranglers (WHL)
7	130	John Mokosak	Canada	Victoria Cougars (WHL)
8	151	Denis Dore	Canada	Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
9	172	Jeff Poeschl	United States	Northern Michigan University (WCHA)
10	193	Larry Power	Canada	Kitchener Ranger B's (MWJHL)

See also

• 1981–82 NHL season

References

• "1981–82 Hartford Whalers Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-05-06.