Today in Hockey History

 Well its for the a leap year February 29th 1980, Gordie  Howe set another all time  record by becoming  the  first professional to score 800 goals.  He did this with the Hartford Whalers which he had  joined in WHA as the New England Whalers in 1979 at the age of 51.  He retired after the 1979-80 season but had helped the Whalers gain publicity and brought attention to smaller markets that love hockey.

Stat of the Day

1986-87 NHL Top 10 Goaltenders in Wins

1 - Ron Hextall (Philadelphia Flyers)  37

2 - Mike Liut  (Hartford Whalers)   31

3 - Mike Vernon  (Calgary Flames)  30

4 - Andy Moog  (Edmonton Oilers)  28

5 - Alain Chevrier  (New Jersey Devils)  24

6 - Ken Wregget  (Toronto Maple Leafs)  22

6 - Patrick Roy  (Montreal Canadiens)  22

6 - Grant Fuhr  (Edmonton Oilers)   22

9 - Kelly Hrudey  (New York Islanders)  21

9 - Pokey Reddick  (Winnipeg Jets)  21

Stat of the Day

Russ Anderson (Defenseman)

1975 Entry Draft

Drafted 31st overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins (13th pick of the 2nd round)

the first US born player drafted in 1975

Played 1976 -1981 with the Penguins before being traded to the Hartford Whalers on December 29th 1981 for Rick MacLeish.

Spent the rest of the 1981-82 season with Hartford and the entire 1982-83 season before being released in the offseason.  He signed with the LA Kings for the 1983-84 season, after being sent to New Haven in the AHL for 6 games in 1984 he returned to finish the 1984-85 season with the Kings.

He appeared in 519 games with 22 goals, 99 assists, 121 points and 1086 penalty minutes

Top 10 Greatest NHL Uniforms of All Time

Today in Hockey History (February 29th)

February 29th 1980

Gordie Howe (Hartford Whalers) became the first NHL player to score 800 goals. 

It was his 1,000th regular season game. 

February 29th 1992

 Ray Bourque scored his 1,000th career point. 

He was only the third NHL defenseman to score 1,000 career points. 

All-Star Moment #8: Gordie Howe's final All-Star Game

1976 27 Dec. WHA Super Series '76-'77 New England Whalers upsets USSR, 5--2

December 27th 1976

 WHA Super Series '76-'77 

New England Whalers upsets USSR, 5--2

Today in NHL History (May 28th)

May 28th 2002

The Carolina Hurricanes defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in OT of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Martin Gelinas scored at 8:05 of the OT to send the Hurricanes (formerly Hartford Whalers) to their first Stanley Cup Finals.

(photo courtesy Carolina Hurricanes)

Hurricanes Captain Ron Francis lifts the Prince Wales Trophy as Eastern Conference Champions

Happy Birthday Gordie Howe

Today is the 86th birthday of Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe.  World famous from his Stanley cup winning days with the Detroit RedWings and then as the ageless wonder when he came out of retirement to play with his sons on the WHA Houston Aeros.  

An all time legend if there ever was one.

Today in NHL History

 1985 - Ron Francis is named Whalers 

team captain, replacing Mark Johnson

Hartford Whalers Shane Churla vs. Buffalo Sabres Clark Gillies

Hartford vs Edmonton (1984 Highlights)

Hartford Whalers vs Boston (10/13/1984) Brief OT Clip

October 13th 1984

Boston at Hartford

OT winner for Hartford

Hartford Whalers vs. Montreal Canadiens Game 7 1992 Playoffs Full Game (...

Today in Hockey History

1973 - 1st WHA championship, New England Whalers beat Winnipeg Jets, 4 games to 1 and win the Avco World Trophy.

This was the culmination of the first WHA regular season and playoffs. The 2 best teams in the regular season were the Whalers, who won the Eastern division with 94 points and the Winnipeg Jets who won the Western Division with 90 points.

The playoffs saw the Whalers lose only 2 games on the way to the WHA Finals series and the Jets lost only one. The Whalers disposed of the Ottawa Nationals 4-1 and then the Cleveland Crusaders 4-1 while the Jets whipped Minnesota Fighting Saints 4-1 and romped over the Houston Aeros with a sweep 4-0.

The finals continued a trend as the Whalers took the series and the Avco World Trophy 4 games to 1. The 5th and deciding game was a 9-6 win for the Whalers with Larry Pleau getting a hat trick for the champs.

The Jets had come into the playoffs with 3 of the leagues top 10 scorers in Bobby Hull, Norm Beaudin and Chris Bordeleau. The Whalers had Tom Webster and Terry Caffery in the top ten of the leading point getters.

Today in Hockey History

1927 - Stanley Cup: Ottawa Senators beat Boston Bruins, in 2 games & 2 ties

1940 - Stanley Cup: New York Rangers beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 games to 2

1944 - Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens sweep Chicago Blackhawks in 4 games

1996 - Ottawa Senators eliminate Stanley Cup Champs New Jersey Devils from playoffs

1997 - Hartford Whalers last NHL game