# 1986–87 Hartford Whalers season

The 1986–87 Hartford Whalers season saw the Whalers finish in first place in the Adams Division with a record of 43 wins, 30 losses, and 7 ties for 93 points. They lost the Adams Division semifinals in six games to the Quebec Nordiques. This was the only time in franchise history that the Whalers finished above fourth place in their division before their relocation to North Carolina.

## Offseason

At the 1986 NHL entry draft held at the Montreal Forum on June 21, the Whalers selected Scott Young from Boston University of Hockey East. In 38 games with Boston University, Young scored 16 goals and 29 points during the 1985–86 season.
On July 10, Hartford signed free agent Dallas Gaume, who had played with the University of Denver of the WCHA for the past four seasons. Gaume scored 37 goals and 99 points in 47 games during the 1985–86 season, as he was named to the All-WCHA First Team.
On October 3, the Whalers signed free agent Greg Britz, who was previously in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. During the 1985–86 season, Britz scored 17 goals and 36 points in 72 games with the St. Catharines Saints of the AHL. Britz had appeared in seven NHL games with Toronto between 1983 and 1985, earning no points.
At the NHL Waiver Draft on October 6, the Whalers selected Gord Sherven from the Edmonton Oilers. Sherven split the 1985–86 season between the Oilers and the Minnesota North Stars, as he scored a goal and four points in 18 games. In 49 AHL games split between the Springfield Indians and Nova Scotia Oilers, Sherven scored 17 goals and 41 points.
The Whalers and Calgary Flames were involved in a trade on October 7, as the Whalers acquired Yves Courteau from the Flames in exchange for Mark Paterson. In four games with Calgary during the 1985–86 season, Courteau scored a goal and two points. He spent most of the season with the Flames AHL affiliate, the Moncton Golden Flames, as he scored 19 goals and 40 points in 59 games.

## Regular season
### Final standings

Adams Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Hartford Whalers | 80 | 43 | 30 | 7 | 287 | 270 | 93 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 41 | 29 | 10 | 277 | 241 | 92 |
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 39 | 34 | 7 | 301 | 276 | 85 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 31 | 39 | 10 | 267 | 276 | 72 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 28 | 44 | 8 | 280 | 308 | 64 |
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.

### Record vs. opponents

Adams Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Adams Division
1986–87 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
HFD
MTL
QUE
Total
Boston
—3–4–12–62–5–16–213–17–2
Buffalo
4–3–1—4–41–5–23–4–112–16–4
Hartford
6–24–4—4–3–13–3–217–12–3
Montreal
5–2–15–1–23–4−1—5–318–10–4
Quebec
2–64–3–13–3–23–5—12–17–3
Vs. Patrick Division
1986–87 NHL records
Team
NJD
NYI
NYR
PHI
PIT
WSH
Total
Boston
1–1–12–0–11–21–22–11–1–18–7–3
Buffalo
2–11–1–11–21–20–2–12–17–9–2
Hartford
1–1–12–13–02–13–02–113–4–1
Montreal
2–11–1–12–0–10–2–11–1–10–36–8–4
Quebec
1–0–21–21–20–2–10–32–0–15–9–4
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Norris Division
1986–87 NHL records
Team
CHI
DET
MIN
STL
TOR
Total
Boston
1–1–10–2–13–02–12–18–5–2
Buffalo
2–12–0–10–31–20–2–15–8–2
Hartford
1–21–1–11–22–12–17–7–1
Montreal
2–0–11–1–12–12–12–19–4–2
Quebec
2–11–22–0–10–33–08–6–1
Vs. Smythe Division
1986–87 NHL records
Team
CGY
EDM
LAK
VAN
WIN
Total
Boston
2–12–12–12–12–110–5–0
Buffalo
0–31–22–10–31–24–11–0
Hartford
1–21–21–22–0–11–1–16–7–2
Montreal
2–10–33–01–22–18–7–0
Quebec
1–20–33–02–10–1–26–7–2 :

## Playoffs
### Adams Division Semifinals

The Whalers opened the 1987 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Quebec Nordiques in a best-of-seven series. Quebec finished the regular season with a 31-39-10 record, earning 72 points, which was 21 fewer points than the Whalers, and the fourth and final playoff position in the Adams Division. The Whalers and Nordiques faced off against each other in the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs, as the fourth place Whalers swept the first place Nordiques in the first round.
The series opened on April 8 at the Hartford Civic Center. Quebec scored the lone goal of the first period, as Peter Stastny beat Whalers goaltender Mike Liut as Quebec took a 1–0 lead. The Nordiques extended their lead to 2–0 after a goal by Robert Picard at 6:32, however, just under three minutes later, the Whalers John Anderson scored on the power play, cutting the Nordiques lead to 2–1 after two periods. In the third period, the Whalers Dean Evason scored 8:48 into the period, tying the game 2-2. The game would go into overtime, as neither team could score again. In the extra period, Hartford's Paul MacDermid scored 2:20 into the period, as the Whalers completed the comeback and defeated the Nordiques 3–2 to take a 1–0 series lead.
The series resumed the next evening in Hartford, however, it would be the Nordiques once again opening the scoring, as Randy Moller scored 3:35 into the game to give Quebec a 1–0 lead. The Whalers responded with a goal by Sylvain Turgeon, tying the game 1-1, however, the Nordiques Jeff Brown scored a power play goal late in the period, giving Quebec a 2–1 lead into the first intermission. The Whalers tied the game midway through the second period on a goal by Stew Gavin at 10:26 into the period, then a goal 89 seconds later by Scot Kleinendorst gave the Whalers their first lead of the game at 3–2. Late in the period, the Whalers Paul MacDermid beat Nordiques goaltender Clint Malarchuk, extending the Whalers lead to 4–2 after the second period. In the third period, Hartford's Dana Murzyn scored 6:58 into the period on the power play, as the Whalers took a 5–2 lead. The Nordiques fought back with goals by John Ogrodnick and Lane Lambert, however, Hartford hung on for the 5–4 victory and took a 2–0 series lead.
The third game of the series was played on April 11 at Le Colisée in Quebec City. Peter Stastny of the Nordiques opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal only 1:20 into the period, giving the Nordiques a 1–0 lead. Just over six minutes later, Šťastný scored his second goal of the game, extending Quebec's lead to 2–0. The Nordiques scored again, as Michel Goulet scored on the power play, as Quebec took a 3–0 lead into the first intermission. The Nordiques continued their dominance in the second period, as Goulet scored his second of the game 3:34 into the period, giving Quebec a 4–0 lead, as Whalers goaltender Mike Liut was pulled from the game, being replaced by Steve Weeks. Just under three minutes later, the Nordiques scored again, as Peter Stastny scored his third goal of the game, as Quebec took a commanding 5–0 lead. The Whalers managed to shut Quebec down for the remainder of the game, however, they would only get an early third period goal by Ron Francis, as Quebec won game three by a score of 5–1, cutting the Whalers series lead to 2–1.
Game four of the series was played the next evening in Quebec. The Nordiques once again opened the scoring, as Jeff Brown put the puck past Mike Liut, giving Quebec a 1–0 lead at the 4:53 mark. The Whalers Dana Murzyn tied the game at 10:25 of the first period, however, the Nordiques responded with a late power play goal by Michel Goulet, as Quebec took a 2–1 lead after the first period. In the second period, the Nordiques Michel Goulet scored the lone goal, his second of the game, extending Quebec's lead to 3–1 after two periods. Goulet would record the hat trick with a power play goal at 9:44 in the third period, as Quebec defeated the Whalers 4–1 to even the series at two games each.
The fifth game of the series was back in Hartford on April 14. For the fifth time of the series, Quebec opened the scoring, as Robert Picard scored on the power play 7:17 into the first period. The Whalers tied it just under two and a half minutes later on a goal by Ron Francis, then Hartford took a 2–1 lead on a power play goal by Mike McEwen at 13:38 into the period. The Nordiques tied the game on a power play goal by Jeff Brown at the 15:10 mark of the period, however, the Whalers re-took the lead with a late period goal by Ray Ferraro, as Hartford had a 3–2 lead after the first period. In the second period, the Nordiques John Ogrodnick scored the lone goal, as he connected on the power play, tying the game 3-3. In the third period, the Whalers Ray Ferraro and Kevin Dineen each took a two-minute penalty 2:27 into the third, giving Quebec a five-on-three advantage. The Nordiques took advantage, as John Ogrodnick and Michel Goulet each scored on the power play, giving the Nordiques a 5–3 lead. The Whalers fought back, as Dean Evason scored at 7:32, cutting the Nordiques lead to 5–4. Stew Gavin then tied the game with a goal at 11:19, making it 5-5. Hartford's comeback attempt was then stopped, as the Nordiques John Ogrodnick scored with 1:07 left in the game, giving Quebec a 6–5 lead. The Nordiques Mike Eagles then scored an empty net goal, as Quebec won the game 7–5, and took a 3–2 series lead.
Game six was back in Quebec, played on April 16, as the Whalers faced elimination. Hartford opened the scoring for the first time in the series, as Dean Evason scored a goal 1:06 into the game for the 1–0 lead. Quebec tied the game with a goal just over two minutes later by Lane Lambert. At 6:43, the Whalers took the lead once again, as Dave Babych scored on the power play, giving the Whalers a 2–1 lead. Kevin Dineen then added a goal at 13:32, as Hartford took a 3–1 lead after the first period. In the second period, Dineen scored his second goal of the game, 6:24 into the period on the power play, extending the Whalers lead to 4–1. Quebec's Peter Stastny replied with a power play goal of his own at 13:47, cutting the Whalers lead to 4–2. Just thirty seconds later, the Nordiques John Ogrodnick scored, as Hartford clung on to a 4–3 lead after two periods. In the third period, after a holding penalty to the Whalers Dave Babych, the Nordiques tied the game on a power play goal by Jason Lafreniere, making the score 4-4. Neither team could break the tie, as the game went into overtime. In the extra period, the Nordiques completed the comeback and the upset, as Peter Stastny scored his second goal of the game at 6:08 into the period, giving Quebec the 5–4 victory and winning the series 4–2, eliminating the Whalers from the post-season.

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

1986–87 regular season :
October: 4–3–1 (home: 3–1–1; road: 1–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1WOctober 11, 19866–5Calgary Flames1–0–0Recap
2LOctober 12, 19862–7@ Boston Bruins1–1–0Recap
3TOctober 16, 19864–4 OTWinnipeg Jets1–1–1Recap
4LOctober 18, 19863–6Philadelphia Flyers1–2–1Recap
5WOctober 24, 19865–4@ Buffalo Sabres2–2–1Recap
6WOctober 25, 19863–2Buffalo Sabres3–2–1Recap
7WOctober 28, 19865–2Pittsburgh Penguins4–2–1Recap
8LOctober 30, 19862–6@ Toronto Maple Leafs4–3–1Recap :
November: 7–3–2 (home: 4–1–1; road: 3–2–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
9TNovember 1, 19862–2 OTQuebec Nordiques4–3–2Recap
10TNovember 2, 19863–3 OT@ Quebec Nordiques4–3–3Recap
11WNovember 5, 19863–2New York Islanders5–3–3Recap
12LNovember 8, 19863–4@ Los Angeles Kings5–4–3Recap
13WNovember 12, 19864–3@ Vancouver Canucks6–4–3Recap
14LNovember 13, 19863–4@ Calgary Flames6–5–3Recap
15WNovember 15, 19866–2Edmonton Oilers7–5–3Recap
16LNovember 19, 19861–4Montreal Canadiens7–6–3Recap
17WNovember 21, 19864–0St. Louis Blues8–6–3Recap
18WNovember 22, 19866–3@ New York Islanders9–6–3Recap
19WNovember 26, 19863–0Buffalo Sabres10–6–3Recap
20WNovember 29, 19867–5@ Montreal Canadiens11–6–3Recap :
December: 8–5–3 (home: 4–1–2; road: 4–4–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
21LDecember 1, 19861–4@ Quebec Nordiques11–7–3Recap
22WDecember 3, 19862–1Quebec Nordiques12–7–3Recap
23WDecember 4, 19862–1@ Philadelphia Flyers13–7–3Recap
24LDecember 6, 19861–4Detroit Red Wings13–8–3Recap
25WDecember 10, 19866–2St. Louis Blues14–8–3Recap
26TDecember 13, 19862–2 OTVancouver Canucks14–8–4Recap
27LDecember 14, 19863–4@ Buffalo Sabres14–9–4Recap
28WDecember 17, 19864–3Buffalo Sabres15–9–4Recap
29WDecember 18, 19866–5@ Boston Bruins16–9–4Recap
30TDecember 20, 19862–2 OT@ Detroit Red Wings16–9–5Recap
31WDecember 21, 19864–3 OT@ New York Rangers17–9–5Recap
32WDecember 23, 19862–0Boston Bruins18–9–5Recap
33TDecember 26, 19861–1 OTMontreal Canadiens18–9–6Recap
34LDecember 27, 19862–6@ Montreal Canadiens18–10–6Recap
35WDecember 30, 19863–1@ Washington Capitals19–10–6Recap
36LDecember 31, 19862–5@ Minnesota North Stars19–11–6Recap :
January: 7–9–0 (home: 4–2–0; road: 3–7–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
37LJanuary 3, 19872–3Chicago Blackhawks19–12–6Recap
38WJanuary 4, 19878–3Toronto Maple Leafs20–12–6Recap
39LJanuary 7, 19873–6@ St. Louis Blues20–13–6Recap
40LJanuary 9, 19870–3@ Winnipeg Jets20–14–6Recap
41LJanuary 10, 19873–4@ Minnesota North Stars20–15–6Recap
42LJanuary 12, 19875–7@ New Jersey Devils20–16–6Recap
43WJanuary 14, 19873–1Boston Bruins21–16–6Recap
44LJanuary 15, 19874–6@ Boston Bruins21–17–6Recap
45LJanuary 17, 19871–6Washington Capitals21–18–6Recap
46WJanuary 19, 19875–4 OT@ Montreal Canadiens22–18–6Recap
47WJanuary 21, 19873–1Montreal Canadiens23–18–6Recap
48WJanuary 23, 19873–2Quebec Nordiques24–18–6Recap
49WJanuary 24, 19873–0@ Toronto Maple Leafs25–18–6Recap
50LJanuary 27, 19872–4@ Quebec Nordiques25–19–6Recap
51WJanuary 29, 19876–3@ Boston Bruins26–19–6Recap
52LJanuary 31, 19872–4@ New York Islanders26–20–6Recap :
February: 7–4–0 (home: 3–2–0; road: 4–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
53WFebruary 1, 19878–6@ Pittsburgh Penguins27–20–6Recap
54LFebruary 4, 19871–3Buffalo Sabres27–21–6Recap
55WFebruary 6, 19875–2@ Washington Capitals28–21–6Recap
56WFebruary 7, 19873–1Montreal Canadiens29–21–6Recap
57LFebruary 14, 19872–5@ Los Angeles Kings29–22–6Recap
58WFebruary 17, 19875–4@ Chicago Blackhawks30–22–6Recap
59WFebruary 18, 19876–3@ New Jersey Devils31–22–6Recap
60LFebruary 21, 19873–6Chicago Blackhawks31–23–6Recap
61LFebruary 22, 19873–5@ Buffalo Sabres31–24–6Recap
62WFebruary 25, 19876–4Boston Bruins32–24–6Recap
63WFebruary 28, 19872–1Quebec Nordiques33–24–6Recap :
March: 9–4–1 (home: 7–2–1; road: 2–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
64TMarch 1, 19875–5 OTNew Jersey Devils33–24–7Recap
65WMarch 3, 19875–3Detroit Red Wings34–24–7Recap
66WMarch 5, 198710–2Boston Bruins35–24–7Recap
67WMarch 7, 19875–3Philadelphia Flyers36–24–7Recap
68LMarch 10, 19874–6@ Quebec Nordiques36–25–7Recap
69LMarch 11, 19871–6Calgary Flames36–26–7Recap
70WMarch 13, 19873–0@ Winnipeg Jets37–26–7Recap
71LMarch 15, 19871–4@ Edmonton Oilers37–27–7Recap
72WMarch 18, 19875–3@ New York Rangers38–27–7Recap
73WMarch 21, 19875–1Minnesota North Stars39–27–7Recap
74WMarch 22, 19876–3Los Angeles Kings40–27–7Recap
75LMarch 25, 19873–5Edmonton Oilers40–28–7Recap
76WMarch 28, 19875–4Pittsburgh Penguins41–28–7Recap
77WMarch 29, 19877–4Vancouver Canucks42–28–7Recap :
April: 1–2–0 (home: 1–0–0; road: 0–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
78LApril 1, 19872–3@ Montreal Canadiens42–29–7Recap
79WApril 4, 19875–3New York Rangers43–29–7Recap
80LApril 5, 19870–6@ Buffalo Sabres43–30–7Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

### Playoffs

1987 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Adams Division Semifinals vs. (A4) Quebec Nordiques – Nordiques win 4–2
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1WApril 8, 19873–2 OTQuebec NordiquesWhalers lead 1–0Recap
2WApril 9, 19875–4Quebec NordiquesWhalers lead 2–0Recap
3LApril 11, 19871–5@ Quebec NordiquesWhalers lead 2–1Recap
4LApril 12, 19871–4@ Quebec NordiquesSeries tied 2–2Recap
5LApril 14, 19875–7Quebec NordiquesNordiques lead 3–2Recap
6LApril 16, 19874–5 OT@ Quebec NordiquesNordiques win 4–2Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Forwards

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| Ron Francis | 75 | 30 | 63 | 93 | 10 | 45 |
| Kevin Dineen | 78 | 40 | 39 | 79 | 7 | 110 |
| John Anderson | 76 | 31 | 44 | 75 | 11 | 19 |
| Ray Ferraro | 80 | 27 | 32 | 59 | –9 | 42 |
| Dean Evason | 80 | 22 | 37 | 59 | 5 | 67 |
| Paul Lawless | 60 | 22 | 32 | 54 | 24 | 14 |
| Stewart Gavin | 79 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 10 | 28 |
| Sylvain Turgeon | 41 | 23 | 13 | 36 | –3 | 45 |
| Dave Tippett | 80 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 0 | 42 |
| Doug Jarvis | 80 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 0 | 20 |
| Paul MacDermid | 72 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 3 | 202 |
| Dave Semenko | 51 | 4 | 8 | 12 | –7 | 87 |
| Mike Millar | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Torrie Robertson | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | –6 | 98 |
| Bill Gardner | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | –2 | 0 |
| Shane Churla | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | –1 | 78 |
| Greg Britz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat Hughes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –1 | 2 |
| Yves Courteau | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –6 | 0 |
| Wayne Babych | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –5 | 4 |
| Gord Sherven | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Defensemen

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| Dave Babych | 66 | 8 | 33 | 41 | –18 | 44 |
| Ulf Samuelsson | 78 | 2 | 21 | 23 | 28 | 162 |
| Dana Murzyn | 74 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 17 | 95 |
| Mike McEwen | 48 | 8 | 8 | 16 | –9 | 32 |
| Scot Kleinendorst | 66 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 4 | 130 |
| Joel Quenneville | 37 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
| Tim Bothwell | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | –5 | 0 |
| Brad Shaw | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goaltending

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | GP | MIN | W | L | T | SO | GAA |
| Mike Liut | 59 | 3476 | 31 | 22 | 5 | 4 | 3.23 |
| Steve Weeks | 25 | 1367 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3.42 |

## Awards and honors

* Doug Jarvis, Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

## Transactions

The Whalers were involved in the following transactions during the 1986–87 season.

### Trades

| October 7, 1986 | To Calgary FlamesMark Paterson | To Hartford WhalersYves Courteau |
| October 21, 1986 | To St. Louis BluesTim Bothwell | To Hartford WhalersDave Barr |
| December 12, 1986 | To Edmonton Oilers3rd round pick in 1988 – Trevor Sim | To Hartford WhalersDave Semenko |
| January 12, 1987 | To Detroit Red WingsDave Barr | To Hartford WhalersRandy Ladouceur |
| March 10, 1987 | To St. Louis Blues10th round pick in 1987 – Andy Cesarski | To Hartford WhalersPat Hughes |

### Waivers

| October 6, 1986 | From Edmonton OilersGord Sherven |

### Free agents

| Player | Former Team |
| Dallas Gaume | University of Denver (NCAA) |
| Greg Britz | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Player | New Team |
| John Newberry | Oulun Kärpät (Finland) |
| Peter Dineen | Los Angeles Kings |
| Paul Fenton | New York Rangers |

## Draft picks

Hartford's draft picks at the 1986 NHL entry draft.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/junior/club team (League) |
| 1 | 11 | Scott Young | Right wing | United States | Boston University (Hockey East) |
| 2 | 32 | Marc Laforge | Defense | Canada | Kingston Canadians (OHL) |
| 4 | 74 | Brian Chapman | Defense | Canada | Belleville Bulls (OHL) |
| 5 | 95 | Bill Horn | Goaltender | Canada | Western Michigan University (CCHA) |
| 6 | 116 | Joe Quinn | Right wing | Canada | Calgary Canucks (AJHL) |
| 7 | 137 | Steve Torrel | Center | United States | Hibbing High School (USHS-MN) |
| 8 | 158 | Ron Hoover | Left wing | Canada | Western Michigan University (CCHA) |
| 9 | 179 | Rob Glasgow | Right wing | Canada | Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL) |
| 10 | 200 | Sean Evoy | Goaltender | Canada | Cornwall Royals (OHL) |
| 11 | 221 | Cal Brown | Defense | Canada | Penticton Knights (BCJHL) |
| 12 | 242 | Brian Verbeek | Center | Canada | Kingston Canadians (OHL) |
| S2 | 14 | Joe Tracy | Right wing | United States | Ohio State University (CCHA) |