1984–85 Hartford Whalers season

The 1984–85 Hartford Whalers season was the Whalers' sixth season in the National Hockey League.

1984–85 Hartford Whalers
Division5th Adams
Conference8th Wales
1984–85 record30–41–9
Home record17–18–5
Road record13–23–4
Goals for288
Goals against320
Team information
General managerEmile Francis
CoachJack Evans
CaptainMark Johnson
ArenaHartford Civic Center
Average attendance12,059 (81.4%) [1]
Minor league affiliate(s)Binghamton Whalers (AHL)
Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL)
Team leaders
GoalsSylvain Turgeon (31)
AssistsRon Francis (57)
PointsRon Francis (81)
Penalty minutesTorrie Robertson (337)
Plus/minusPaul Fenton (+7)
WinsGreg Millen (16)
Goals against averageMike Liut (2.97)

Offseason

On May 29, the Whalers acquired defenseman Brad Shaw from the Detroit Red Wings for an eighth round draft pick in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. Shaw played with the Ottawa 67's during the 1983–84 season, scoring 12 goals and 78 points in 63 games. Shaw also participated with Canada at the 1984 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he had two assists in seven games. Shaw was a fifth round draft pick for Detroit at the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

On June 9, Hartford selected defenseman Sylvain Cote in the first round, 11th overall pick, at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft held at the Montreal Forum. Cote scored 15 goals and 65 points with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL. He also represented Canada at the 1984 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he earned two assists in seven games.

Two days later, on June 11, the Whalers signed head coach Jack Evans and assistant coach Claude Larose to a three-year extension, through the 1987–88 season. In his first season with Hartford in 1983–84, Evans led the club to a 28–42–10 record, earning 70 points, which represented a 25-point improvement over the 1982–83 season.

On September 5, the club acquired goaltender Steve Weeks from the New York Rangers for future considerations. Weeks had a 10–11–2 record with a 3.98 GAA and a .864 save percentage with the Rangers during the 1983–84 season. In his career with the Rangers, Weeks had a 42–33–14 record with a 3.83 GAA and a .866 save percentage in 94 games from 1980 to 1984.

During the NHL Waiver Draft held on October 9, the Whalers selected right winger Dave Lumley from the Edmonton Oilers and defenseman Wally Weir from the Quebec Nordiques. Lumley scored six goals and 21 points in 56 games with the Oilers in 1983–84. In the playoffs, Lumley scored two goals and seven points in 19 games, helping the Oilers win the 1984 Stanley Cup Finals. His best season came in 1981–82, when Lumley scored 32 goals and 74 points in 66 games with Edmonton. Weir played in 25 games with Quebec in 1983–84, scoring two goals and five points. In five seasons with the Nordiques, Weir scored 19 goals and 58 points in 272 games, while accumulating 535 penalty minutes.

Regular season

October

The Whalers opened the season on the road at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers on October 11, as Sylvain Turgeon scored two goals in a 4–4 tie. Two nights later, the Whalers hosted the Boston Bruins in front of a sellout crowd of 14,817. Risto Siltanen was the hero for Hartford, as he scored the overtime winner in a 3–2 victory.

After losing their next game, on the road against the Boston Bruins, the Whalers won three games in a row, improving their record to 4–1–1, before heading out for a four-game western road trip. The Whalers split the four game road trip, opening with two losses against the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets, before rebounding with wins over the Minnesota North Stars and Chicago Black Hawks.

The Whalers finished the month of October with a loss to the Quebec Nordiques on Halloween night. Overall, Hartford earned a record of 6–4–1 as the club earned 13 points. Hartford sat in a tie for first place in the Adams Division with the Montreal Canadiens.

November

Hartford began November with a blowout loss, losing 8–1 to the Buffalo Sabres on November 2. The next night, the Whalers tied the Sabres 4–4 on home ice during the second game of their home and home series. Four nights later, on November 7, the Whalers were shutout for the first time of the season, losing 3–0 to the Winnipeg Jets, dropping their overall record to 6–6–2.

On November 10, Greg Millen stopped all 28 shots he faced, as the Whalers earned their first shutout of the season, defeating the Quebec Nordiques 1–0. Following this victory, the Whalers lost their next three games, including a 7–0 loss to the Chicago Black Hawks. During this slump, on November 16, the Whalers acquired forward Pat Boutette from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Ville Siren. Boutette had previously played with the Whalers from 1979 to 1981. At the time of the trade, Boutette had a goal and four points in 14 games with the Penguins.

The Whalers ended their three-game losing skid with a 9–3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 22, as Mark Johnson and Greg Malone each scored two goals. Following a 4–4 against the Philadelphia Flyers, Hartford dropped their final two games of the month.

Hartford struggled to a 2–7–2 record during November, bringing their overall record to 8–11–3 through their first 19 games. The Whalers dropped to last place in the Adams Division, three points behind the fourth place Buffalo Sabres.

December

The losses continued at the beginning of December, as Hartford lost two road games to begin the month, 8–4 to the Quebec Nordiques and 9–3 to the Montreal Canadiens.

Hartford snapped out of their skid on December 5, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 5–3, which began a five-game unbeaten streak, in which the Whalers posted a 4–0–1 record, bringing their record to 12–13–4.

The Whalers were unable to continue their winning ways, as the club dropped their final two games before Christmas, including a 10–5 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. After the Christmas break, the club defeated the New Jersey Devils 5–3 to snap their losing streak, however, Hartford would drop their final two games of the month.

Hartford earned a record of 5–6–1 during December. Their overall record was 13–17–4, as the team had earned 30 points. The Whalers remained in last place in the Adams Division, eight points behind the Quebec Nordiques for the fourth and final playoff position.

January

The Whalers opened 1985 with a 7–3 loss to the Quebec Nordiques on January 2, dropping their third consecutive game, and their fifth loss in their past six games.

The next night, the Whalers snapped their losing streak with a 6–2 win over the Detroit Red Wings, which started a four-game unbeaten streak for the team (3-0-1). Following a 4–4 tie against the Buffalo Sabres on January 8, the Whalers record improved to 16–18–5. The Whalers were within four points of the Boston Bruins for the final playoff position in the Adams Division.

The Whalers lost their next five games before snapping their skid with a 3–2 win over the Boston Bruins on January 26. The club then lost their next two games to close out January with seven losses in their final eight games.

Hartford slumped to a 4–8–1 during 13 games in January, bringing their record to 17–25–5 through January. The club continued to be in last place, 16 points behind the fourth place Boston Bruins.

February

The losses continued to pile up during February, as Hartford posted a 0–5–1 record during their first six games of the month. Among the lowlights was a 10–4 loss to the Quebec Nordiques on February 10.

Hartford ended their losing streak on February 14, as Steve Weeks made 19 saves, as the Whalers shutout the New Jersey Devils 4–0. This began a stretch in which the club posted a 3–1–1 record in a five-game stretch.

On February 21, the Whalers were involved in a blockbuster trade, as Hartford traded goaltender Greg Millen and centre Mark Johnson to the St. Louis Blues for goaltender Mike Liut and future considerations. Liut had a 12–12–6 record with a 3.83 GAA and a .880 save percentage with St. Louis during the 1984–85 season. Liut led the NHL in victories during the 1979–80 season with 32, and in 1980–81, he won the Lester B. Pearson Award, given annually to the most outstanding player in the NHL. In 347 career games with the Blues, Liut was 151–133–52 with a 3.59 GAA and a .885 save percentage.

On February 23, Liut appeared in his first game with the Whalers, as he made 30 saves, however, the club lost to the Los Angeles Kings 2–1 in overtime. Hartford continued to struggle to close out the month, as they dropped their remaining two games.

The Whalers earned a record of 3–9–2 in February, dropping their overall record to 20–34–7. Hartford remained out of the playoff picture, 15 points behind the fourth place Boston Bruins.

March/April

Hartford opened March with a 4–1 win over the New Jersey Devils behind a 28-save performance by Steve Weeks. Following the win, the Whalers would go on a six-game winless skid (0-4-2).

On March 11, the Whalers acquired center Dean Evason and goaltender Peter Sidorkiewicz from the Washington Capitals in exchange for David Jensen. Evason had three goals and seven points in 15 games with the Capitals, while Sidorkiewicz was already playing with the Whalers AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Whalers, as the Capitals and Hartford shared the affiliate.

On March 16, Steve Weeks made 28 saves in a 5–0 shutout victory over the St. Louis Blues, ending Hartford's winless streak. This victory kicked off a seven-game winning streak for Hartford. On March 17, Mike Liut earned his first win in a Whalers uniform, as Hartford beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3. On March 29, the final game of the winning streak, Ray Ferraro scored a hat trick in a wild 8–7 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

Hartford finished the season with a 2–3–0 record in their final five games after the winning streak. The team earned a record of 10–7–2 in their final 19 games. The overall record of the Whalers was 30–41–9, as Hartford earned 69 points, and finished in last place in the Adams Division, 13 points behind the fourth place Boston Bruins. This was the fifth consecutive season that the team failed the qualify for the post-season.

Final standings
Adams Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Montreal Canadiens8041271230926294
Quebec Nordiques804130932327591
Buffalo Sabres8038281429023790
Boston Bruins8036341030328782
Hartford Whalers803041926831869

[2]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.

Vs. Wales Conference

Vs. Campbell Conference

Schedule and results
No. R Date Score Opponent Record Attendance
1TOctober 11, 19844–4 OT@ New York Rangers (1984–85)0–0–117,407
2WOctober 13, 19843–2 OTBoston Bruins (1984–85)1–0–114,817
3LOctober 14, 19842–4@ Boston Bruins (1984–85)1–1–112,103
4WOctober 17, 19845–3@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1984–85)2–1–116,182
5WOctober 18, 19847–3Detroit Red Wings (1984–85)3–1–19,148
6WOctober 20, 19843–2Vancouver Canucks (1984–85)4–1–111,578
7LOctober 23, 19844–9@ Calgary Flames (1984–85)4–2–116,683
8LOctober 24, 19844–8@ Winnipeg Jets (1984–85)4–3–110,442
9WOctober 27, 19845–3@ Minnesota North Stars (1984–85)5–3–112,224
10WOctober 28, 19844–1@ Chicago Black Hawks (1984–85)6–3–117,312
11LOctober 31, 19843–5Quebec Nordiques (1984–85)6–4–110,152
12LNovember 2, 19841–8@ Buffalo Sabres (1984–85)6–5–114,146
13TNovember 3, 19844–4 OTBuffalo Sabres (1984–85)6–5–213,509
14LNovember 7, 19840–3Winnipeg Jets (1984–85)6–6–29,871
15WNovember 10, 19841–0@ Quebec Nordiques (1984–85)7–6–214,801
16LNovember 15, 19841–6@ Philadelphia Flyers (1984–85)7–7–217,191
17LNovember 17, 19840–7Chicago Black Hawks (1984–85)7–8–213,493
18LNovember 21, 19842–4@ Detroit Red Wings (1984–85)7–9–219,144
19WNovember 22, 19849–3Pittsburgh Penguins (1984–85)8–9–29,722
20TNovember 24, 19844–4 OTPhiladelphia Flyers (1984–85)8–9–314,140
21LNovember 28, 19842–4Minnesota North Stars (1984–85)8–10–310,200
22LNovember 30, 19842–4Edmonton Oilers (1984–85)8–11–314,817
23LDecember 1, 19844–8@ Quebec Nordiques (1984–85)8–12–314,268
24LDecember 3, 19843–9@ Montreal Canadiens (1984–85)8–13–317,007
25WDecember 5, 19845–3Montreal Canadiens (1984–85)9–13–310,278
26WDecember 8, 19844–3 OT@ New York Islanders (1984–85)10–13–315,834
27TDecember 12, 19842–2 OTBuffalo Sabres (1984–85)10–13–410,945
28WDecember 15, 19844–3 OTMontreal Canadiens (1984–85)11–13–411,917
29WDecember 19, 19846–5Boston Bruins (1984–85)12–13–412,944
30LDecember 21, 19840–1New York Islanders (1984–85)12–14–413,227
31LDecember 22, 19845–10@ Montreal Canadiens (1984–85)12–15–415,973
32WDecember 26, 19845–3New Jersey Devils (1984–85)13–15–413,412
33LDecember 28, 19840–4@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1984–85)13–16–414,451
34LDecember 29, 19842–3@ Washington Capitals (1984–85)13–17–413,314
35LJanuary 2, 19853–7@ Quebec Nordiques (1984–85)13–18–414,752
36WJanuary 3, 19856–2Detroit Red Wings (1984–85)14–18–410,491
37WJanuary 5, 19854–3Chicago Black Hawks (1984–85)15–18–413,172
38WJanuary 7, 19857–4@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1984–85)16–18–416,182
39TJanuary 8, 19854–4 OT@ Buffalo Sabres (1984–85)16–18–513,086
40LJanuary 12, 19854–5@ Minnesota North Stars (1984–85)16–19–513,239
41LJanuary 15, 19852–5Calgary Flames (1984–85)16–20–510,083
42LJanuary 17, 19854–5@ Montreal Canadiens (1984–85)16–21–515,658
43LJanuary 19, 19850–2Buffalo Sabres (1984–85)16–22–514,217
44LJanuary 22, 19855–8Montreal Canadiens (1984–85)16–23–512,675
45WJanuary 26, 19853–2@ Boston Bruins (1984–85)17–23–513,704
46LJanuary 27, 19854–8Boston Bruins (1984–85)17–24–514,817
47LJanuary 31, 19853–5@ Los Angeles Kings (1984–85)17–25–510,218
48LFebruary 1, 19853–4 OT@ Vancouver Canucks (1984–85)17–26–511,121
49LFebruary 3, 19853–6@ Edmonton Oilers (1984–85)17–27–517,498
50LFebruary 6, 19854–7Calgary Flames (1984–85)17–28–59,382
51LFebruary 7, 19855–7@ Boston Bruins (1984–85)17–29–512,636
52TFebruary 9, 19852–2 OTNew York Rangers (1984–85)17–29–614,817
53LFebruary 10, 19854–10Quebec Nordiques (1984–85)17–30–611,090
54WFebruary 14, 19854–0@ New Jersey Devils (1984–85)18–30–610,123
55TFebruary 16, 19854–4 OT@ New York Islanders (1984–85)18–30–715,757
56LFebruary 17, 19854–5 OTToronto Maple Leafs (1984–85)18–31–710,511
57WFebruary 19, 19856–2@ Winnipeg Jets (1984–85)19–31–710,501
58WFebruary 21, 19854–3 OT@ New York Rangers (1984–85)20–31–717,416
59LFebruary 23, 19851–2 OTLos Angeles Kings (1984–85)20–32–711,462
60LFebruary 24, 19852–3St. Louis Blues (1984–85)20–33–710,775
61LFebruary 26, 19852–3Philadelphia Flyers (1984–85)20–34–711,414
62WMarch 1, 19854–1@ New Jersey Devils (1984–85)21–34–710,591
63LMarch 3, 19856–7 OTVancouver Canucks (1984–85)21–35–710,070
64LMarch 5, 19853–6@ Buffalo Sabres (1984–85)21–36–714,389
65LMarch 7, 19850–4@ Boston Bruins (1984–85)21–37–712,512
66LMarch 9, 19853–4@ Montreal Canadiens (1984–85)21–38–718,090
67TMarch 10, 19855–5 OTMontreal Canadiens (1984–85)21–38–810,787
68TMarch 13, 19853–3 OT@ Los Angeles Kings (1984–85)21–38–910,938
69WMarch 16, 19855–0@ St. Louis Blues (1984–85)22–38–916,752
70WMarch 17, 19854–3Pittsburgh Penguins (1984–85)23–38–911,143
71WMarch 20, 19853–2St. Louis Blues (1984–85)24–38–911,674
72WMarch 23, 19855–2Boston Bruins (1984–85)25–38–914,817
73WMarch 24, 19852–1Quebec Nordiques (1984–85)26–38–910,440
74WMarch 27, 19853–1@ Washington Capitals (1984–85)27–38–914,355
75WMarch 29, 19858–7Edmonton Oilers (1984–85)28–38–914,817
76LMarch 30, 19851–2Buffalo Sabres (1984–85)28–39–912,518
77LApril 2, 19851–2@ Buffalo Sabres (1984–85)28–40–915,570
78WApril 4, 19852–0Washington Capitals (1984–85)29–40–912,737
79WApril 6, 19852–1Quebec Nordiques (1984–85)30–40–912,730
80LApril 7, 19851–4@ Quebec Nordiques (1984–85)30–41–915,004

Playoffs

The Whalers failed to qualify for the post-season for the fifth consecutive season. The Whalers finished with a 30-41-9 record, earning 69 points, which was their highest point total since the 1979-80 season. Hartford finished 13 points behind the fourth place Boston Bruins for the final playoff position in the Adams Division.

Player statistics

Transactions

The Whalers were involved in the following transactions during the 1984–85 season.

Trades
September 5, 1984 To New York Rangers
3rd round pick in 1986 - Shaun Clouston		 To Hartford Whalers
Steve Weeks
November 16, 1984 To Pittsburgh Penguins
Ville Siren		 To Hartford Whalers
Pat Boutette
February 21, 1985 To St. Louis Blues
Mark Johnson
Greg Millen		 To Hartford Whalers
Mike Liut
Future Considerations - Jorgen Pettersson on Apr. 16/85
March 11, 1985 To Washington Capitals
David Jensen		 To Hartford Whalers
Dean Evason
Peter Sidorkiewicz

Waivers
October 9, 1984 From Edmonton Oilers
Dave Lumley
October 9, 1984 From Quebec Nordiques
Wally Weir
December 5, 1984 To Edmonton Oilers
Tony Currie
February 6, 1985 To Edmonton Oilers
Dave Lumley
March 1, 1985 To Pittsburgh Penguins
Wally Weir

Free agents
PlayerNew Team
Doug SullimanNew Jersey Devils

Draft picks

Hartford's draft picks at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec.

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
111Sylvain Cote CanadaQuebec Remparts (QMJHL)
6110Mike Millar CanadaBrantford Alexanders (OHL)
7131Mike Vellucci United StatesBelleville Bulls (OHL)
9173John Devereaux United StatesScituate High School (USHS-MA)
10193Brent Regan CanadaSt. Albert Saints (AJHL)
11214Jim Culhane CanadaWestern Michigan University (CCHA)
12234Peter Abric CanadaNorth Bay Centennials (OHL)

See also

References
  1. "Hartford Whalers Yearly Attendance Graph". hockeydb.com.
  2. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  3. "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
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