1982–83 Hartford Whalers season

1982–83 Hartford Whalers
Division	5th Adams
1982–83 record	19–54–7
Goals for	261
Goals against	403
Team information
General Manager	Larry Pleau
Coach	Larry Kish
Captain	Russ Anderson
Alternate captains	None
Team leaders
<1981–82	1983–84>

Regular season

October

The Whalers opened the 1982–83 season on the road against the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum on October 6. Hartford took a 1-0 lead in the game after Pierre Larouche scored the Whalers first goal of the season, however, the Canadiens came back and won the game 2-1.

Three nights later, Hartford had their home opener, played against the Boston Bruins in front of 12,430 fans at the Civic Center. The Whalers took an early 3-0 lead, however, the Bruins staged a comeback, and won the game 5-4. The next night, the Whalers earned their first point of the season, a 4-4 tie against the Buffalo Sabres.

After the Whalers winless streak was extended to four games after a tie against the Edmonton Oilers, the team finally won their first game of the season on October 16 against the Vancouver Canucks 6-5. Pierre Larouche led the way for the Whalers, as he scored a hat trick in the victory.

Hartford would struggle for the rest of the month, earning only one more victory, as the club posted a 2-6-2 record in October, earning six points, and was in last place in the Adams Division, five points behind the Buffalo Sabres for the fourth and final playoff position.

November

The Whalers would get off to a slow start in November, losing three of their first four games, before winning consecutive games for the first time all season, defeating the Quebec Nordiques 7-5 and the St. Louis Blues 5-2.

Following the two game winning streak, the team would end the month of November on a six-game winless skid (0-5-1), which included a humiliating 8-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on November 27.

The Whalers ended the month with a 3-8-1 record in 12 games, and a 5-14-3 record on the season, remaining in last place in the Adams Division, 13 points behind the Quebec Nordiques for fourth place.

December

After dropping their first two games of the month, and extending their overall winless streak to eight games (0-7-1), the Whalers finally earned a victory, defeating the New York Rangers 5-2 at the Civic Center. Two nights later, the Whalers were blown out against the Montreal Canadiens, losing 11-2.

After their blowout loss to Montreal, the Whalers rebounded in their next game, defeating the Canadiens by a 7-4 score, which started a five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1). On December 17, the Whalers Mike Veisor stopped all 33 shots he faced against the Winnipeg Jets in a 2-0 Hartford win.

The shutout win against the Jets was the Whalers last victory of the month, as the team lost their next five games, before earning a tie against the Washington Capitals in their final game of December.

The Whalers had a 5-8-2 record in 15 games in December, bringing their overall season record to 10-22-5, earning 25 points, and in the cellar of the Adams Division, as Hartford was 15 points behind the fourth place Quebec Nordiques.

January

The Whalers losing ways continued into January, as the club lost their first six games of the month, extending their winless streak to 12 games (0-11-1). On January 13, the Whalers won their first game in nearly a month, as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 at the Civic Center. Two nights later, the club extended their winning streak to two, as Hartford beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1, with goaltender Greg Millen making 29 saves for the win.

Following a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Black Hawks on January 23, the Whalers fired head coach Larry Kish, and replaced him with Larry Pleau. Kish led the Whalers to a 12-32-5 record in 49 games.

Under Pleau, the Whalers won their first game, 5-2 against the Quebec Nordiques, ending their four-game losing streak, followed by a 2-2 tie against the Winnipeg Jets to finish the month of January.

The Whalers finished the month with a 3-10-1 record in 14 games, and an overall record of 13-32-6, getting 32 points, and were now 22 points behind the fourth place Quebec Nordiques for the last playoff spot in the Adams Division.

February

Hartford started off February on a sour note, as they lost 12-3 against the Quebec Nordiques, setting a club record for goals allowed in a game. That loss was the first in a four-game losing streak. The Whalers snapped their losing streak with a 4-2 win over the defending Stanley Cup champions, the New York Islanders on the road. Hartford's Mark Johnson was the star of the game, as he recorded a hat trick.

The Whalers won their next game, a 5-3 decision over the Toronto Maple Leafs to extend their winning streak to two. After a loss against the Los Angeles Kings by a 5-2 score, Hartford would defeat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1, posting a 3-1-0 record in their past four games.

The team then lost their final five games of the month, including a loss by an 11-3 score to the New York Rangers on February 23.

Hartford had another losing month, going 3-10-0 in 13 games, falling to 16-42-6 for the season, earning 38 points, and 28 points behind the Quebec Nordiques for the fourth and final playoff position in the Adams Division.

March/April

After dropping their first three games of March, the Whalers replaced head coach Larry Pleau with John Cunniff. Pleau coached the Whalers to a 4-13-1 record in 18 games.

In his first game as the Whalers head coach, Cunniff lost to the Edmonton Oilers 9-4, a game in which Wayne Gretzky scored a hat trick and an assist for four points. In his next game against the New Jersey Devils, the Whalers shutout the Devils by a 3-0 score, as Greg Millen made 23 saves, earning his first win as a head coach.

Wins would be scarce for Hartford for the rest of the season, as the team went 2-8-1 in their remaining 11 games, finishing the season with a 19-54-7 record, earning a franchise season low 45 points. The Whalers finished in last place in the Adams Division, 35 points the Quebec Nordiques for the fourth and final playoff position.

Final standings

Adams Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS
Boston Bruins	80	50	20	10	327	228	110
Montreal Canadiens	80	42	24	14	350	286	98
Buffalo Sabres	80	38	29	13	318	285	89
Quebec Nordiques	80	34	34	12	343	336	80
Hartford Whalers	80	19	54	7	261	403	45

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, 1982	1–2	@ Montreal Canadiens (1982–83)	0–1–0
2	L	October 9, 1982	4–5	Boston Bruins (1982–83)	0–2–0
3	T	October 10, 1982	4–4	@ Buffalo Sabres (1982–83)	0–2–1
4	T	October 14, 1982	4–4	Edmonton Oilers (1982–83)	0–2–2
5	W	October 16, 1982	6–5	Vancouver Canucks (1982–83)	1–2–2
6	L	October 20, 1982	2–4	@ Edmonton Oilers (1982–83)	1–3–2
7	L	October 21, 1982	3–10	@ Calgary Flames (1982–83)	1–4–2
8	W	October 23, 1982	5–3	@ Los Angeles Kings (1982–83)	2–4–2
9	L	October 26, 1982	1–8	@ Vancouver Canucks (1982–83)	2–5–2
10	L	October 30, 1982	2–4	Detroit Red Wings (1982–83)	2–6–2
11	L	November 2, 1982	6–7	Minnesota North Stars (1982–83)	2–7–2
12	W	November 4, 1982	5–2	@ Boston Bruins (1982–83)	3–7–2
13	L	November 6, 1982	2–5	Buffalo Sabres (1982–83)	3–8–2
14	L	November 7, 1982	2–6	@ Washington Capitals (1982–83)	3–9–2
15	W	November 10, 1982	7–5	Quebec Nordiques (1982–83)	4–9–2
16	W	November 13, 1982	5–2	St. Louis Blues (1982–83)	5–9–2
17	L	November 16, 1982	1–7	Montreal Canadiens (1982–83)	5–10–2
18	L	November 17, 1982	3–4	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1982–83)	5–11–2
19	T	November 20, 1982	4–4	Calgary Flames (1982–83)	5–11–3
20	L	November 24, 1982	2–4	Buffalo Sabres (1982–83)	5–12–3
21	L	November 26, 1982	3–4	Chicago Black Hawks (1982–83)	5–13–3
22	L	November 27, 1982	0–8	@ Boston Bruins (1982–83)	5–14–3
23	L	December 1, 1982	1–6	@ New York Rangers (1982–83)	5–15–3
24	L	December 3, 1982	4–5	@ New Jersey Devils (1982–83)	5–16–3
25	W	December 4, 1982	5–2	New York Rangers (1982–83)	6–16–3
26	L	December 6, 1982	2–11	@ Montreal Canadiens (1982–83)	6–17–3
27	W	December 8, 1982	7–4	Montreal Canadiens (1982–83)	7–17–3
28	W	December 11, 1982	7–4	Philadelphia Flyers (1982–83)	8–17–3
29	W	December 12, 1982	3–1	@ Buffalo Sabres (1982–83)	9–17–3
30	T	December 14, 1982	3–3	@ Minnesota North Stars (1982–83)	9–17–4
31	W	December 17, 1982	2–0	@ Winnipeg Jets (1982–83)	10–17–4
32	L	December 18, 1982	4–7	@ St. Louis Blues (1982–83)	10–18–4
33	L	December 21, 1982	2–3	Pittsburgh Penguins (1982–83)	10–19–4
34	L	December 23, 1982	1–5	Boston Bruins (1982–83)	10–20–4
35	L	December 26, 1982	2–3	New York Islanders (1982–83)	10–21–4
36	L	December 28, 1982	1–4	@ Quebec Nordiques (1982–83)	10–22–4
37	T	December 30, 1982	4–4	Washington Capitals (1982–83)	10–22–5
38	L	January 1, 1983	5–7	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1982–83)	10–23–5
39	L	January 2, 1983	4–8	@ Buffalo Sabres (1982–83)	10–24–5
40	L	January 6, 1983	4–6	Vancouver Canucks (1982–83)	10–25–5
41	L	January 8, 1983	4–7	Philadelphia Flyers (1982–83)	10–26–5
42	L	January 9, 1983	4–8	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1982–83)	10–27–5
43	L	January 11, 1983	4–8	@ Montreal Canadiens (1982–83)	10–28–5
44	W	January 13, 1983	4–2	Montreal Canadiens (1982–83)	11–28–5
45	W	January 15, 1983	2–1	New Jersey Devils (1982–83)	12–28–5
46	L	January 18, 1983	1–8	@ New York Islanders (1982–83)	12–29–5
47	L	January 20, 1983	3–4	@ Los Angeles Kings (1982–83)	12–30–5
48	L	January 22, 1983	2–7	@ Minnesota North Stars (1982–83)	12–31–5
49	L	January 23, 1983	2–4	@ Chicago Black Hawks (1982–83)	12–32–5
50	W	January 27, 1983	5–2	Quebec Nordiques (1982–83)	13–32–5
51	T	January 29, 1983	2–2	Winnipeg Jets (1982–83)	13–32–6
52	L	February 1, 1983	3–12	@ Quebec Nordiques (1982–83)	13–33–6
53	L	February 2, 1983	1–7	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1982–83)	13–34–6
54	L	February 5, 1983	4–7	@ Boston Bruins (1982–83)	13–35–6
55	L	February 9, 1983	5–6	Detroit Red Wings (1982–83)	13–36–6
56	W	February 12, 1983	4–2	@ New York Islanders (1982–83)	14–36–6
57	W	February 13, 1983	5–3	Toronto Maple Leafs (1982–83)	15–36–6
58	L	February 15, 1983	2–5	Los Angeles Kings (1982–83)	15–37–6
59	W	February 17, 1983	4–1	Montreal Canadiens (1982–83)	16–37–6
60	L	February 19, 1983	2–4	Chicago Black Hawks (1982–83)	16–38–6
61	L	February 20, 1983	2–7	@ Detroit Red Wings (1982–83)	16–39–6
62	L	February 23, 1983	3–11	@ New York Rangers (1982–83)	16–40–6
63	L	February 25, 1983	3–5	@ Winnipeg Jets (1982–83)	16–41–6
64	L	February 27, 1983	3–4	Boston Bruins (1982–83)	16–42–6
65	L	March 1, 1983	5–6	Buffalo Sabres (1982–83)	16–43–6
66	L	March 5, 1983	3–10	@ Quebec Nordiques (1982–83)	16–44–6
67	L	March 6, 1983	3–7	Quebec Nordiques (1982–83)	16–45–6
68	L	March 8, 1983	4–9	Edmonton Oilers (1982–83)	16–46–6
69	W	March 10, 1983	3–0	@ New Jersey Devils (1982–83)	17–46–6
70	L	March 12, 1983	2–7	Pittsburgh Penguins (1982–83)	17–47–6
71	L	March 15, 1983	1–5	@ Montreal Canadiens (1982–83)	17–48–6
72	L	March 16, 1983	4–5	@ Washington Capitals (1982–83)	17–49–6
73	T	March 20, 1983	2–2	Calgary Flames (1982–83)	17–49–7
74	L	March 22, 1983	1–4	St. Louis Blues (1982–83)	17–50–7
75	L	March 23, 1983	3–8	@ Buffalo Sabres (1982–83)	17–51–7
76	L	March 26, 1983	4–7	@ Boston Bruins (1982–83)	17–52–7
77	W	March 27, 1983	5–1	Boston Bruins (1982–83)	18–52–7
78	W	March 29, 1983	5–4	Buffalo Sabres (1982–83)	19–52–7
79	L	April 2, 1983	4–5	Quebec Nordiques (1982–83)	19–53–7
80	L	April 3, 1983	5–6	@ Quebec Nordiques (1982–83)	19–54–7

Roster

1982-83 Hartford Whalers
Goaltenders 1 – Mike Veisor  30 – Greg Millen		Defensemen 3 – Stu Smith  4 – Mickey Volcan  5 – Pierre Lacroix  6 – Mark Paterson  6 – Blake Wesley  7 – Russ Anderson  – C 8 – Risto Siltanen  23 – Ed Hospodar  24 – Chris Kotsopoulos  25 – Mark Renaud  33 – Jeff Brownschidle		Wingers 11 – Paul Lawless  12 – Mark Johnson  15 – Dan Fridgen  16 – George Lyle  17 – Ray Neufeld  18 – Greg Adams  21 – Blaine Stoughton  22 – Doug Sulliman  26 – Bob Sullivan  27 – Warren Miller  29 – Archie Henderson  32 – Mike MacDougal  34 – Randy Gilhen  34 – Paul Marshall  40 – Mike Hoffman		Centers 10 – Ron Francis  14 – Michel Galarneau  15 – Paul MacDermid  20 – Merlin Malinowski  20 – Rick Meagher  28 – Pierre Larouche  Coach: Larry Kish (12-32-5) Coach: Larry Pleau (4-13-1) Coach: John Cunniff (3-9-1) GM: Larry Pleau

Draft picks

Hartford's draft picks from the 1982 NHL Entry Draft which was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, on June 9, 1982.

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/junior/club team (league)
1	14	Paul Lawless	Canada	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
2	35	Mark Paterson	Canada	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
3	56	Kevin Dineen	Canada	University of Denver (WCHA)
4	67	Ulf Samuelsson	Sweden	Leksands IF (SEL)
5	88	Ray Ferraro	Canada	Penticton Knights (BCJHL)
6	109	Randy Gilhen	Canada	Winnipeg Warriors (WHL)
7	130	Jim Johannson	United States	Rochester Mayo High School (Minnesota)
8	151	Mickey Krampotich	United States	Hibbing High School (Minnesota)
9	172	Kevin Skilliter	Canada	Cornwall Royals (OHL)
11	214	Martin Linse	Sweden	Djurgardens IF (SEL)
12	235	Randy Cameron	Canada	Winnipeg Warriors (WHL)

See also

• 1982–83 NHL season