In the early-to-middle 1980s, the Hartford Whalers failed to make the playoffs. And in this THN archive story from 1984, the Whalers discussed their optimism things would change.
In their early years, the Hartford Whalers made one playoff appearance before missing the post-season for five straight seasons. And in this story from THN's Dec. 21, 1984 edition (Vol. 38, Issue 13), writer Randy Smith spoke to Whalers management and players about turning things around.
They wouldn't make the playoffs that season, but starting in 1986, the Whalers did make the playoffs for seven straight seasons. However, Hartford made it out of the first round of the playoffs just once -- and even then, they were eliminated in the second round. Glory never came to the Whalers, but they did have the best intentions.
Here is Smith's story on the Whalers:
HARTFORD AIN’T SO HOPELESS ANY MORE
By Randy Smith
The gap between the Hartford Whalers of today and the Whalers of yesterday is widening, and the players love it.
So does Emile Francis, the team’s 58-year-old president and general manager, who vows that his primary goal is “to bring the Stanley Cup to Hartford before I’m through.”
When Francis came to town in May of 1982, he found a team and an organization badly in need of revision. He still has his work cut out for him if his team is to come within reach of the “Holy Grail,” a term he uses to describe the coveted cup—a prize he says is “what it’s all about.”
First, of course, the Whalers must make the playoffs. Considering that 16 of 21 NHL teams qualify each year, the playoffs are hardly an exclusive club. But the Whalers are located in the Adams Division, where Boston, Buffalo, Montreal and Quebec view the playoffs as the first step, not as any sort of lasting achievement. To reach the final 16, something the Whalers have managed to do just once, in 1979-80, their first NHL campaign, they must beat out one of those teams.
It won’t be easy.
“We can’t sit back and hope for a team to have a bad year, like Montreal had last year,” Francis says. “It’s not up to them. It’s up to us. We have to improve.”
The chances of the Whalers, currently in their 13th year overall and their sixth in the NHL, reaching the playoffs seem more realistic this time around. In Francis’ first year at the helm, they won more games (28) than in any prior NHL season, compiled a downright respectable 22-224 record outside their division, and went 13-14-4 in their last 31 games, a positive indication that things would continue to improve this year.
“Nobody folded the tents, that’s the big thing,” Francis says. “We let the league know that Hartford no longer would be easy.”
In the early going this year, the Whalers looked the part of a playoff contender. Despite playing seven of their first 10 games on the road, they jumped to a 6-3-1 start, the first time they’ve been three games over .500 in the NHL. But a 2-10-2 slide, which coincided with the loss of Sylvain Turgeon, the team’s most authentic goal scorer who went down with one of those confounded pulled stomach muscles that everybody seems to know how to get, but nobody seems to know how to get rid of, sobered the early-season optimism.
“There’s no question we miss Sly,” says linemate and team captain Mark Johnson. “He opens everything up. Without him, defensemen don’t hesitate to pinch in. When he’s there, defensemen are afraid to pinch in. One step and he’s gone.”
Turgeon scored 40 goals in his rookie season, was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team, and down the road, could turn out to be any sort. He has a wealth of talent.
“I’ll guarantee you that Sly will score 60 goals in this league someday,” says defenseman Chris Kotsopoulos. “He got 40 last year easy—I mean, real easy. It’s scary what he’s capable of doing.”
Turgeon hasn’t played since Nov. 2. The Whalers have tried everything, including five days of hospitalization to eliminate movement, to get their 19-year-old left winger back in the lineup. He is expected back around the first of the year, and perhaps sooner. Still, this stomach muscle stuff is a risky business.
“Of course, we want him back as soon as possible,” Francis says. “But Sylvain has a great career ahead of him. The important thing is not to endanger that.”
In 12 games, despite being restricted, Turgeon reached seven goals and 13 points.
The Whalers have tried virtually everybody, from veteran Tony Currie, since departed, to rookie Paul Fenton, in Turgeon’s spot, but Johnson and right winger Ray Neufeld, two of the team’s key players, just haven’t looked the same.
If there is to be a second-half resurgence, it’ll most likely begin with the return of Turgeon. With him, the Whalers may not have enough firepower. Without him, they definitely don’t.
To hear the players tell it, though, the Whalers have enough to make a serious run at the playoffs.
“This is the first time in my four years here that I honestly think we can make the playoffs,” Kotsopoulos says.
“We have a much stronger nucleus this year,” Johnson says.
“We have proven that we can play against the big teams,” Ronnie Francis says. “That’s a big boost. We’ve been through some tough times, but nobody’s throwing in the towel.”
“We can’t think as individuals,” defenseman Joel Quenneville says. “We have to think as a team. We have to remember what made us successful. If everybody doesn’t show up to work, it’s tough for us to win.”
“It begins in the mirror,” veteran center Mike Zuke says. ‘‘Each guy has to account for himself. Hard work only gets you a pat on the back. It doesn’t mean you’ll move up in the standings. We’ve got to reach the next plateau. At times, this team lacks confidence. We’ve got to win some of the tough ones.”
The Whalers unloaded a huge monkey from their backs by beating Montreal, 5-3, Dec. 5. It was the first time they’ve knocked off the Canadiens since Feb. 17, 1983. They tied one and lost nine in the interim.
“If we had let them beat us in our own building, we would have been in real trouble,” says Francis, who picked up four assists in the victory, his most productive game of the season up to that point. “It won’t be all downhill from here, but a least the monkey’s off our back.”
Francis, who showed 266 career points (87 goals) in 235 games, has found a pair of unlikely wingers—Dave Lumley, claimed in the waiver draft from Edmonton, and Pat Boutette, acquired from Pittsburgh for the rights to 20-year-old defenseman Ville Siren.
“That line can play against any line in the league,” coach Jack Evans says. “And I’m not talking as a checking line, either. They can check and they can score. I wouldn’t hesitate using them against anybody. They’ve played great together.”
The best long-range news is that rookie defenseman Mark Fusco, a 23-year-old American Olympian, looks to be a player,
“Fusco has been a tower of strength since day one,” Evans says. “You beat him and he gets mad. He never stops. He’s got great determination and that’s what you have to have to play in this league.”
Through 25 games, the Whalers had used 28 players. They began with five rookies—Fusco, Dave Tippett, Sylvain Cote, David A. Jensen and Ulf Samuelsson. Fusco and Tippett appear well prepared to handle the rigors of the NHL, while Cote has been brought along slowly. His potential, however, is obvious. Both Jensen and Samuelsson are in Binghamton.
The failure of Jensen to provide immediate help is the most discouraging long-range news. In 12 games, he had but four assists. But at 19, he’s permitted to learn his craft in the minors. The speed he possesses cannot be taught.
Two other rookies, right winger Kevin Dineen and left winger Fenton, were recalled from Binghamton as the Whalers want to make sure they avoid the trap of losing with the same faces.
“Things are definitely looking up,” Evans says.
The clouds are parting in Hartford. In Francis and Turgeon, they have two bona fide stars. One is 21. The other is 19. In Cote, Fusco and Jensen, they have a trio of comers. How far they actually come will weigh heavily in the Whalers’ future. In Johnson, Neufeld, Kotsopoulos, Quenneville, Risto Siltanen and goaltender Greg Millen, they have a handful of proven performers, all of whom are in their mid-20s. Their primes await.
It was only yesterday, remember, that the Whalers were promising in a stream of press conferences that they would bite the bullet, that they would deal with losing and that they would show patience. Before their fifth NHL season, they had fired four coaches, two GMs and had switched captains five times. The only thing the Whalers led the league in was press conferences.
“I’ll admit things got pretty screwed up,” says Howard Baldwin, the club’s chairman and managing general partner. “I made some bad decisions and I’ve got no one to blame but myself. I can’t be any more honest than that.”
Slowly and steadily, the Whalers are pushing those days into the distant past. There’s no question that today they are better than they were. That’s what makes tomorrows so enticing.