1979–80 Hartford Whalers season

1979–80 Hartford Whalers
Division	4th Norris
Conference	8th Prince of Wales
1979–80 record	27–34–19
Goals for	303
Goals against	312
Team information
General Manager	Jack Kelley
Coach	Don Blackburn
Captain	Rick Ley
Alternate captains	None
Arena	Springfield Civic Center (first 22 home games) Hartford Civic Center
Average attendance	9,833 (91.9%)
Team leaders
Goals	Blaine Stoughton (56)
Assists	Mike Rogers (61)
Points	Mike Rogers (105)
Penalties in minutes	Nick Fotiu (107)
Wins	John Garrett (16)
Goals against average	Al Smith (3.66)

< 1978–79	1980–81>

The 1979–80 Hartford Whalers season was the Whalers' first season in the National Hockey League. Along with the Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques, and Winnipeg Jets, the Whalers were one of four World Hockey Association franchises that joined the NHL. The Whalers season was Gordie Howe's final season in the NHL.

Offseason

Hartford Whalers logo introduced in 1979, designed by Peter Good, a Connecticut-based graphic designer. This logo replaces the harpoon by combining a green W for Whalers with a blue whale's tail. Some people never notice that the negative space--the white area between the W and the whale's tail--acts as an H for Hartford.

NHL Amateur Draft

Pick	Player	Nationality	NHL Team	College/junior/club team
18.	Ray Allison (RW)	Canada	Hartford Whalers	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

NHL Expansion Draft

Reclaimed players

Reclaiming of players: The 17 existing NHL teams were allowed to reclaim any rights to former WHA players they held. The four incoming franchises, however, were allowed to protect up to two goaltenders and two skaters, voiding their NHL rights. These players were considered "priority selections" in the expansion draft. Gordie Howe was one of two special cases (the other being Wayne Gretzky), as a gentlemen's agreement between the Hartford Whalers and the Detroit Red Wings, which held his rights, led to the Wings declining to reclaim Howe.

These are Hartford players whose NHL rights were reclaimed when the WHA merged with the NHL. This list is incomplete.

#	Player	Reclaimed From	Reclaimed By
2.	Alan Hangsleben (D)	Hartford Whalers	Montreal Canadiens
7.	Rick Ley (D)	Hartford Whalers	Toronto Maple Leafs
9.	George Lyle (LW)	Hartford Whalers	Detroit Red Wings
10.	Warren Miller (RW)	Hartford Whalers	New York Rangers

Whalers selections

#	Player	Drafted From	Drafted By
1.	Rick Ley (D)	Toronto Maple Leafs	Hartford Whalers
2.	Nick Fotiu (LW)	New York Rangers	Hartford Whalers
3.	Al Sims (D)	Boston Bruins	Hartford Whalers
4.	Bernie Johnston (C/LW)	Philadelphia Flyers	Hartford Whalers
5.	Brian Hill (RW)	Atlanta Flames	Hartford Whalers
6.	M. F. Schurman (LW)	Philadelphia Flyers	Hartford Whalers
7.	Rick Hodgson (D)	Atlanta Flames	Hartford Whalers
8.	Kevin Kemp (D)	Toronto Maple Leafs	Hartford Whalers
9.	Jean Savard (C)	Chicago Black Hawks	Hartford Whalers
10.	Alan Hangsleben (D)	Montreal Canadiens	Hartford Whalers
11.	Ralph Klassen (F)	Colorado Rockies	Hartford Whalers
12.	Bill Bennett (LW)	Boston Bruins	Hartford Whalers
13.	Dave Given (F)	Buffalo Sabres	Hartford Whalers
14.	Nick Beverley (D)	Colorado Rockies	Hartford Whalers
15.	Norm Lapointe G	Vancouver Canucks	Hartford Whalers
16.	Don Kozak (?)	Vancouver Canucks	Hartford Whalers

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Regular season

Gordie Howe

When the WHA folded in 1979, the Hartford Whalers joined the NHL and the 51-year-old Howe signed on for one final season playing in all 80 games of the schedule, helping his team to make the playoffs with fifteen goals. One particular honor was when Howe, Phil Esposito, and Jean Ratelle were selected to the mid-season all-star game by coach Scotty Bowman, as a nod to their storied careers before they retired. Howe had played in five decades of all-star games and he would skate alongside the second-youngest to ever play in the game, 19-year-old Wayne Gretzky. The Joe Louis Arena crowd gave him a standing ovation twice, lasting so long, he had to skate to the bench to stop people from cheering. He had one assist in his side's 6–3 win.

Final standings

Norris Division
	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	80	47	20	13	328	240	107
Los Angeles Kings	80	30	36	14	290	313	74
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	30	37	13	251	303	73
Hartford Whalers	80	27	34	19	303	312	73
Detroit Red Wings	80	26	43	11	268	306	63

^[1]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.

Game log

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	L	October 11, 1979	1–4	@ Minnesota North Stars (1979–80)	0–1–0
2	T	October 13, 1979	3–3	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80)	0–1–1
3	T	October 14, 1979	3–3	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80)	0–1–2
4	L	October 17, 1979	1–3	@ Buffalo Sabres (1979–80)	0–2–2
5	W	October 19, 1979	6–3	Los Angeles Kings (1979–80)	1–2–2
6	L	October 20, 1979	1–6	@ New York Islanders (1979–80)	1–3–2
7	T	October 24, 1979	2–2	@ Quebec Nordiques (1979–80)	1–3–3
8	L	October 26, 1979	1–2	New York Islanders (1979–80)	1–4–3
9	T	October 28, 1979	2–2	@ New York Rangers (1979–80)	1–4–4
10	W	October 31, 1979	4–2	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80)	2–4–4
11	W	November 2, 1979	5–3	Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80)	3–4–4
12	W	November 6, 1979	7–2	@ Colorado Rockies (1979–80)	4–4–4
13	L	November 9, 1979	2–4	Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80)	4–5–4
14	T	November 11, 1979	5–5	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80)	4–5–5
15	L	November 14, 1979	2–3	@ Winnipeg Jets (1979–80)	4–6–5
16	W	November 17, 1979	4–0	Edmonton Oilers (1979–80)	5–6–5
17	L	November 18, 1979	4–5	@ Boston Bruins (1979–80)	5–7–5
18	W	November 21, 1979	5–3	Buffalo Sabres (1979–80)	6–7–5
19	T	November 24, 1979	4–4	Quebec Nordiques (1979–80)	6–7–6
20	W	November 25, 1979	4–2	Atlanta Flames (1979–80)	7–7–6
21	L	November 27, 1979	2–6	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80)	7–8–6
22	W	November 30, 1979	7–5	Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80)	8–8–6
23	T	December 1, 1979	4–4	@ Montreal Canadiens (1979–80)	8–8–7
24	T	December 4, 1979	3–3	@ Washington Capitals (1979–80)	8–8–8
25	L	December 7, 1979	4–7	New York Rangers (1979–80)	8–9–8
26	L	December 9, 1979	0–3	@ Edmonton Oilers (1979–80)	8–10–8
27	L	December 11, 1979	3–5	@ Vancouver Canucks (1979–80)	8–11–8
28	L	December 12, 1979	4–7	@ Los Angeles Kings (1979–80)	8–12–8
29	L	December 15, 1979	5–6	@ Colorado Rockies (1979–80)	8–13–8
30	W	December 19, 1979	5–4	Washington Capitals (1979–80)	9–13–8
31	L	December 22, 1979	2–4	Buffalo Sabres (1979–80)	9–14–8
32	L	December 23, 1979	2–4	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80)	9–15–8
33	T	December 26, 1979	4–4	Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80)	9–15–9
34	L	December 29, 1979	0–3	@ St. Louis Blues (1979–80)	9–16–9
35	T	January 2, 1980	3–3	@ Edmonton Oilers (1979–80)	9–16–10
36	L	January 4, 1980	3–6	Washington Capitals (1979–80)	9–17–10
37	L	January 6, 1980	1–2	Detroit Red Wings (1979–80)	9–18–10
38	L	January 7, 1980	2–5	@ New York Rangers (1979–80)	9–19–10
39	L	January 9, 1980	2–6	@ Minnesota North Stars (1979–80)	9–20–10
40	W	January 12, 1980	6–4	@ Detroit Red Wings (1979–80)	10–20–10
41	W	January 17, 1980	7–1	Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80)	11–20–10
42	W	January 19, 1980	5–3	Chicago Black Hawks (1979–80)	12–20–10
43	W	January 21, 1980	7–2	Winnipeg Jets (1979–80)	13–20–10
44	L	January 24, 1980	2–7	Montreal Canadiens (1979–80)	13–21–10
45	L	January 26, 1980	2–3	@ New York Islanders (1979–80)	13–22–10
46	W	January 28, 1980	6–1	Atlanta Flames (1979–80)	14–22–10
47	W	January 30, 1980	8–2	Boston Bruins (1979–80)	15–22–10
48	L	February 2, 1980	3–5	@ Atlanta Flames (1979–80)	15–23–10
49	W	February 3, 1980	5–3	New York Islanders (1979–80)	16–23–10
50	W	February 6, 1980	7–3	Los Angeles Kings (1979–80)	17–23–10
51	T	February 8, 1980	4–4	Colorado Rockies (1979–80)	17–23–11
52	L	February 10, 1980	2–6	Minnesota North Stars (1979–80)	17–24–11
53	T	February 12, 1980	5–5	Vancouver Canucks (1979–80)	17–24–12
54	W	February 15, 1980	5–4	Winnipeg Jets (1979–80)	18–24–12
55	L	February 16, 1980	3–5	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80)	18–25–12
56	W	February 18, 1980	6–4	New York Rangers (1979–80)	19–25–12
57	W	February 19, 1980	6–2	Edmonton Oilers (1979–80)	20–25–12
58	W	February 23, 1980	6–5	@ Atlanta Flames (1979–80)	21–25–12
59	L	February 26, 1980	5–9	@ Quebec Nordiques (1979–80)	21–26–12
60	L	February 27, 1980	3–6	Boston Bruins (1979–80)	21–27–12
61	W	February 29, 1980	3–0	St. Louis Blues (1979–80)	22–27–12
62	W	March 1, 1980	6–3	@ St. Louis Blues (1979–80)	23–27–12
63	L	March 6, 1980	3–4	@ Buffalo Sabres (1979–80)	23–28–12
64	L	March 8, 1980	5–9	@ Washington Capitals (1979–80)	23–29–12
65	T	March 9, 1980	1–1	@ Boston Bruins (1979–80)	23–29–13
66	T	March 12, 1980	4–4	@ Detroit Red Wings (1979–80)	23–29–14
67	W	March 13, 1980	3–1	Vancouver Canucks (1979–80)	24–29–14
68	W	March 15, 1980	4–1	Colorado Rockies (1979–80)	25–29–14
69	L	March 16, 1980	1–6	Minnesota North Stars (1979–80)	25–30–14
70	T	March 19, 1980	5–5	Montreal Canadiens (1979–80)	25–30–15
71	T	March 21, 1980	5–5	Philadelphia Flyers (1979–80)	25–30–16
72	T	March 22, 1980	5–5	@ Montreal Canadiens (1979–80)	25–30–17
73	L	March 24, 1980	5–7	St. Louis Blues (1979–80)	25–31–17
74	L	March 26, 1980	0–7	@ Winnipeg Jets (1979–80)	25–32–17
75	T	March 28, 1980	4–4	@ Vancouver Canucks (1979–80)	25–32–18
76	T	March 29, 1980	2–2	@ Los Angeles Kings (1979–80)	25–32–19
77	L	April 1, 1980	4–5	Toronto Maple Leafs (1979–80)	25–33–19
78	L	April 2, 1980	4–6	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1979–80)	25–34–19
79	W	April 4, 1980	9–2	Quebec Nordiques (1979–80)	26–34–19
80	W	April 6, 1980	5–3	Detroit Red Wings (1979–80)	27–34–19

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Player stats

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Mike Rogers	80	44	61	105	10
Blaine Stoughton	80	56	44	100	16
Mark Howe	74	24	56	80	20
Dave Keon	76	10	52	62	10
Jordy Douglas	77	33	24	57	39
Pat Boutette	47	13	31	44	75
Gordie Howe	80	15	26	41	42
Al Sims	76	10	31	41	30
Gordie Roberts	80	8	28	36	89

^[2]

Goaltending

Note: GP= Games played; W= Wins; L= Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

Player	GP	W	L	T	SO	GAA
Al Smith	30	11	10	8	2	3.66
John Garrett	52	16	24	11	0	3.98

^[2]

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Playoffs

In the first round of the playoffs, 14th seeded Hartford played the 3rd seeded Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens won the series 3 games to 0.

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Awards and records

1980 NHL All-Star Game

Gordie Howe, Forward

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Roster

1979-80 Hartford Whalers

Goaltenders

1 Al Smith
35 John Garrett

Defensemen

Wingers

Centers

Coach: Don Blackburn
GM: Jack Kelley

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References

Whalers on Hockey Database

^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
^ ^a ^b 1979-80 Hartford Whalers [NHL] player statistics at hockeydb.com

v t e Hartford Whalers seasons

1970s	1970–71 . 1971–72 . 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80

1980s	1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90

1990s	1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 Carolina

v t e Carolina Hurricanes

Formerly the New England/Hartford Whalers Founded in 1997 Based in Raleigh, North Carolina

Franchise	Team General Managers Coaches Players Captains Draft picks Seasons Current Season

History	History Records Awards

Personnel	Owners Peter Karmanos, Jr. General manager Jim Rutherford Head coach Kirk Muller Team captain Eric Staal Current roster

Arena	Greensboro Coliseum PNC Arena

Affiliates	AHL Charlotte Checkers ECHL Florida Everblades

General Managers	Rutherford

Head Coaches	Mauice Laviolette Maurice Muller

Media	FS Carolinas The Buzz ESPN The Fan

Retired numbers	2 9 10 17

v t e New England/Hartford Whalers head coaches

Kelley Ryan Kelley Blackburn Neale Dineen Blackburn Pleau Kish Pleau Cunniff Evans Pleau Ley Roberts Holmgren McGuire Holmgren Maurice

v t e 1979–80 NHL season by team

Patrick	Atlanta NY Islanders NY Rangers Philadelphia Washington

Adams	Boston Buffalo Minnesota Quebec Toronto

Norris	Detroit Hartford Los Angeles Montreal Pittsburgh

Smythe	Chicago Colorado Edmonton St. Louis Vancouver Winnipeg

See also	1979 NHL Expansion Draft 1979 NHL Entry Draft All-Star Game 1980 Stanley Cup Finals

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Last modified on 20 April 2013, at 19:50