# 1980–81 Hartford Whalers season

The 1980–81 Hartford Whalers season was the Whalers' second season in the National Hockey League. The Whalers failed to qualify for 1981 Stanley Cup playoffs, as the club finished with a 21–41–18 record, earning 60 points, which was 11 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final playoff position. This marked the first time since joining the NHL that the Whalers did not qualify for the playoffs.

## Offseason

On May 23, Hartford signed defenseman Thommy Abrahamsson as a free agent. Abrahamsson played in 26 games with Leksands IF of Elitserien, scoring nine goals and 15 points. Abrahamsson had previously played with the Whalers from 1974 to 1977, when the club was still a part of the WHA. In 203 games with New England, Abrahamsson scored 28 goals and 95 points.
Gordie Howe announced his retirement from the team on June 4. Howe retired as the highest scoring player in NHL history, as he scored 801 goals and added 1049 assists for 1850 points in 1767 games in a career that spanned from 1946 until 1980. Howe joined the Whalers organization in 1977, and in two seasons with the New England Whalers in the WHA, he scored 53 goals and 139 points in 134 games. In 1979–80, he remained with the club as they moved to the NHL, and Howe, at the age of 51, scored 15 goals and 41 points in 80 games, followed with a goal and two points in three playoff games. Following this announcement, the Whalers hired Howe as director of player development.
On June 5, the Whalers acquired center Rick Meagher, a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a third round and a fifth-round pick in 1981. Meagher appeared in only two games with Montreal during 1979–80, as he spent most of the season with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Nova Scotia Voyageurs. In 64 games with Nova Scotia, Meagher had 32 goals and 76 points, followed by three goals and seven points in six post-season games.
At the 1980 NHL Entry Draft held at the Montreal Forum on June 11, the Whalers selected defenseman Fred Arthur from the Cornwall Royals of the QMJHL with their first-round pick, eighth overall. In 67 games with Cornwall in 1979–80, Arthur scored five goals and 70 assists for 75 points. In the postseason, Arthur had two goals and 14 points in 18 games, helping Cornwall win the President's Cup and earn a berth at the 1980 Memorial Cup. During the Memorial Cup, Arthur had five assists in five games, helping the Royals win the championship.
On June 14, Hartford acquired goaltender Mike Veisor from the Chicago Black Hawks in exchange for a second-round draft pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Veisor had a record of 3–5–3 with a 3.28 GAA and a .903 save percentage in 11 games with Chicago during 1979–80.
The Whalers acquired right winger Warren Miller off of waivers under terms from the 1979 expansion draft from the New York Rangers on August 7. The Whalers had to give the Rangers cash to complete the deal. Miller scored seven goals and 13 points in 55 games with New York in 1979–80. In 1978–79, Miller scored 26 goals and 49 points in 77 games with the New England Whalers.
On September 1, right winger Bobby Hull announced his retirement as a player. Hull appeared in nine games with Hartford in 1979–80, scoring two goals and seven points after he was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets. In 1090 career NHL games, Hull scored 616 goals and 1187 points as he played with the Chicago Black Hawks from 1957 to 1972 before signing with the Jets as a free agent. In 411 career WHA games with Winnipeg, Hull scored 303 goals and 638 points from 1972 to 1979, before rejoining the NHL in 1979–80 with the Jets.
On September 4, the Whalers traded away goaltender Al Smith to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for cash. Smith had a record of 11–10–8 with a 3.67 GAA and a .876 save percentage with the Whalers in 1979–80. In 1973, Smith led the Whalers to the Avco Cup, and in 1978, he won the Ben Hatskin Trophy which was awarded to the best goaltender in the World Hockey Association.

## Regular season
### October

The Whalers opened the 1980–81 season with a four-game road trip, and on October 9, they lost 8–6 to the St. Louis Blues, followed by a 9–3 loss two nights later against the Minnesota North Stars. After a 2–2 tie against the Buffalo Sabres, the Whalers earned their first victory on October 15, with a 5–2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Hartford played their first home game of the season on October 18 against the Detroit Red Wings in front of 10,287 fans. The Whalers Al Sims led the way with two goals, and John Garrett made 26 saves in the Whalers 4–2 victory. The team would post a 3–0–1 record on their opening four game home stand.
The Whalers would finish the month with a solid record of 5–4–2, earning 12 points, and second place in the Norris Division, three points behind the first place Los Angeles Kings.

### November

The Whalers would slump to begin the month of November, as the club would go winless in their first eight games (0–6–2) of the month before earning a 4–3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on November 22. The Whalers would follow that game up with a huge 11–3 loss to the Chicago Black Hawks the next night.
Hartford would end November with two wins in their final three games, bringing their season record to 8–12–4 record with 20 points, sitting in third place in the Norris Division.

### December

The Whalers opened December with a five-game western road trip, in which the team put up a respectable 2–2–1 record, with wins over the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets.
The team returned home for two games, as Hartford tied the Los Angeles Kings 5–5 on December 13, followed by a 5–4 win over the Boston Bruins on December 17. The Whalers then headed out for a three-game road trip before Christmas, in which the Whalers tied the Bruins 5–5, lost to the Quebec Nordiques 6–5, followed by a huge 7–2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on December 23.
On December 26, the Whalers and Pittsburgh Penguins played a very high scoring game, as Hartford came out on top with a 9–7 victory. Hartford ended the month with a 5–5 tie against the defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders the next night.
Overall, the Whalers had a 5–3–4 record in their 12 December games, and improved to 13–15–8, earning 34 points, for the season. The Whalers continued to stay into third place in the Norris Division, five points ahead of the fourth place Pittsburgh Penguins.

### January

Hartford got off to a bad start in January, losing their first three games, snapping their losing streak with a 6–6 tie against the Edmonton Oilers on January 9. The Whalers earned their first win of the month the next night, defeating the Winnipeg Jets 5–3.
The Whalers losing ways would return though, as the club lost four games in a row, including three by one goal, before ending the streak with a tie against the St. Louis Blues on January 21. Hartford would then lose their next two games, extending their winless streak to seven games, before the team finally defeated the Colorado Rockies 6–3 on January 28. Hartford then went winless in their last two games (0–1–1) of the month.
The team managed a 2–10–3 record in 15 games for the month, and had a 15–25–11 record, getting 41 points at the end January. Hartford fell into fourth place in the Norris Division, one point behind the third place Pittsburgh Penguins, and four points ahead of the last place Detroit Red Wings.

### February

The Whalers losing ways continued into February, as Hartford would go winless in their first nine games of the month (0–4–5), and extend their overall winless streak to 11 games.
After their 6–2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 19, the Whalers fired head coach Don Blackburn, and replaced him with Larry Pleau.
In his first game as the head coach, Pleau ended the Whalers winless skid, as Hartford defeated the New York Rangers 6–5 on February 22. The club won their next game three nights later, defeating the Minnesota North Stars 3–2, however, their winning streak ended with a 5–1 loss to the Calgary Flames on February 27.
The Whalers had a 2–5–5 record in February, and had a 4–15–8 record since the start of January. The Whalers overall season record at the end of February was 17–30–16, as they earned 50 points, and remained in fourth place in the Norris Division, only two points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings.

### March/April

The Whalers began March with two straight losses before earning a 5–3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on March 6. Hartford then went on a five-game winless skid (0–4–1) before earning another victory, which was a huge 9–3 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
Hartford would continue to struggle for the rest of the regular season, as they posted a 2–5–1 record in their final eight games after the 9–3 win over the Canadiens.
The team finished their second season with a 21–41–18 record, earning 60 points, and fourth place in the Norris Division, four points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings. The Whalers failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in team history.

### Final standings

Norris Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 45 | 22 | 13 | 332 | 232 | 103 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 43 | 24 | 13 | 337 | 290 | 99 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 30 | 37 | 13 | 302 | 345 | 73 |
| Hartford Whalers | 80 | 21 | 41 | 18 | 292 | 372 | 60 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 80 | 19 | 43 | 18 | 252 | 339 | 56 |
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.
League standings :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | p – New York Islanders | PTK | 80 | 48 | 18 | 14 | 355 | 260 | 110 |
| 2 | x – St. Louis Blues | SMY | 80 | 45 | 18 | 17 | 352 | 281 | 107 |
| 3 | y – Montreal Canadiens | NRS | 80 | 45 | 22 | 13 | 332 | 232 | 103 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Kings | NRS | 80 | 43 | 24 | 13 | 337 | 290 | 99 |
| 5 | x – Buffalo Sabres | ADM | 80 | 39 | 20 | 21 | 327 | 250 | 99 |
| 6 | Philadelphia Flyers | PTK | 80 | 41 | 24 | 15 | 313 | 249 | 97 |
| 7 | Calgary Flames | PTK | 80 | 39 | 27 | 14 | 329 | 298 | 92 |
| 8 | Boston Bruins | ADM | 80 | 37 | 30 | 13 | 316 | 272 | 87 |
| 9 | Minnesota North Stars | ADM | 80 | 35 | 28 | 17 | 291 | 263 | 87 |
| 10 | Chicago Black Hawks | SMY | 80 | 31 | 33 | 16 | 304 | 315 | 78 |
| 11 | Quebec Nordiques | ADM | 80 | 30 | 32 | 18 | 314 | 318 | 78 |
| 12 | Vancouver Canucks | SMY | 80 | 28 | 32 | 20 | 289 | 301 | 76 |
| 13 | New York Rangers | PTK | 80 | 30 | 36 | 14 | 312 | 317 | 74 |
| 14 | Edmonton Oilers | SMY | 80 | 29 | 35 | 16 | 328 | 327 | 74 |
| 15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NRS | 80 | 30 | 37 | 13 | 302 | 345 | 73 |
| 16 | Toronto Maple Leafs | ADM | 80 | 28 | 37 | 15 | 322 | 367 | 71 |
| 17 | Washington Capitals | PTK | 80 | 26 | 36 | 18 | 286 | 317 | 70 |
| 18 | Hartford Whalers | NRS | 80 | 21 | 41 | 18 | 292 | 372 | 60 |
| 19 | Colorado Rockies | SMY | 80 | 22 | 45 | 13 | 258 | 344 | 57 |
| 20 | Detroit Red Wings | NRS | 80 | 19 | 43 | 18 | 252 | 339 | 56 |
| 21 | Winnipeg Jets | SMY | 80 | 9 | 57 | 14 | 246 | 400 | 32 |
Divisions: ADM – Adams, NRS – Norris, PTK – Patrick, SMY – Smythe
bold – The top 16 teams in the league qualified for the playoffs, regardless of division or conference. x – Won division; y – Won Conference (and division); p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and conference and division)

### Record vs. opponents

Norris Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Norris Division
1980–81 NHL records
Team
DET
HFD
LAK
MTL
PIT
Total
Detroit
—0−2−21−31−31−2−13−10−3
Hartford
2−0−2—0−3−11−32−25−8−3
Los Angeles
3−13−0−1—1−30−2−27−6−3
Montreal
3−13−13−1—2−211−5−0
Pittsburgh
2−1−12−22−0−22−2—8−5−3
Vs. Adams Division
1980–81 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
MIN
QUE
TOR
Total
Detroit
0−2−20−3−10−2−20−3−13−13−11−6
Hartford
1−1−21−2−11−32−21−1−26−9−5
Los Angeles
2−21−2−14−03−13−0−113−5−2
Montreal
3−13−11−2−11−1−23−111−6−3
Pittsburgh
0−3−10−3−11−32−1−11−2−14−12−4
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Patrick Division
1980–81 NHL records
Team
CGY
NYI
NYR
PHI
WSH
Total
Detroit
1−2−10−42−1−11−31−2−15−12−3
Hartford
1−30−2−21−30−3−11−33−14−3
Los Angeles
1−32−23−10−42−1−18−11−1
Montreal
2−1−11−2−12−1−12−1−12−0−29−5−6
Pittsburgh
1−2−12−1−12−1−10−42−1−17−9−4
Vs. Smythe Division
1980–81 NHL records
Team
CHI
COL
EDM
STL
VAN
WIN
Total
Detroit
1−1−22−1−11−2−10−41−2−13−0−18−10−6
Hartford
0−3−12−1−11−2−10−3−11−1−23−0−17−10−7
Los Angeles
2−0−23−0−12−0−20−2−24−04−015−2−7
Montreal
2−24−02−21−1−22−0−23−114−6−4
Pittsburgh
1−33−11−2−12−20−3−14−011−11−2 :

## Schedule and results

1980–81 regular season :
October
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
1LOctober 9, 19806–8@ St. Louis Blues (1980–81)0–1–011,132
2LOctober 11, 19803–9@ Minnesota North Stars (1980–81)0–2–015,338
3TOctober 12, 19803–3@ Buffalo Sabres (1980–81)0–2–116,433
4WOctober 15, 19805–2@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81)1–2–15,637
5WOctober 18, 19804–2Detroit Red Wings (1980–81)2–2–110,287
6TOctober 19, 19803–3New York Islanders (1980–81)2–2–210,014
7WOctober 22, 19803–0Colorado Rockies (1980–81)3–2–29,595
8WOctober 25, 19804–2Quebec Nordiques (1980–81)4–2–211,005
9LOctober 26, 19801–6@ Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81)4–3–217,077
10WOctober 29, 19805–3Detroit Red Wings (1980–81)5–3–29,103
11LOctober 30, 19802–8@ Montreal Canadiens (1980–81)5–4–215,555 :
November
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
12TNovember 1, 19804–4Vancouver Canucks (1980–81)5–4–310,418
13LNovember 5, 19801–6@ St. Louis Blues (1980–81)5–5–310,278
14TNovember 6, 19803–3@ Colorado Rockies (1980–81)5–5–45,669
15LNovember 8, 19804–5Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81)5–6–413,191
16LNovember 12, 19801–5Minnesota North Stars (1980–81)5–7–410,044
17LNovember 15, 19804–8Washington Capitals (1980–81)5–8–411,544
18LNovember 16, 19803–7@ New York Rangers (1980–81)5–9–417,419
19LNovember 20, 19800–5@ New York Islanders (1980–81)5–10–414,062
20WNovember 22, 19804–3Vancouver Canucks (1980–81)6–10–411,160
21LNovember 23, 19803–11@ Chicago Black Hawks (1980–81)6–11–410,827
22WNovember 26, 19808–4Winnipeg Jets (1980–81)7–11–410,741
23WNovember 28, 19806–4Edmonton Oilers (1980–81)8–11–411,073
24LNovember 29, 19802–5Buffalo Sabres (1980–81)8–12–413,202 :
December
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
25LDecember 2, 19802–5@ Los Angeles Kings (1980–81)8–13–47,456
26TDecember 3, 19804–4@ Vancouver Canucks (1980–81)8–13–511,281
27WDecember 6, 19805–3@ Calgary Flames (1980–81)9–13–57,083
28LDecember 7, 19804–6@ Edmonton Oilers (1980–81)9–14–517,215
29WDecember 10, 19808–5@ Winnipeg Jets (1980–81)10–14–511,623
30TDecember 13, 19805–5Los Angeles Kings (1980–81)10–14–611,204
31WDecember 17, 19805–4Boston Bruins (1980–81)11–14–613,111
32TDecember 20, 19804–4@ Boston Bruins (1980–81)11–14–79,616
33LDecember 21, 19805–6@ Quebec Nordiques (1980–81)11–15–710,241
34WDecember 23, 19807–2@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81)12–15–716,430
35WDecember 26, 19809–7Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81)13–15–712,208
36TDecember 27, 19805–5New York Islanders (1980–81)13–15–814,510 :
January
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
37LJanuary 2, 19811–3Montreal Canadiens (1980–81)13–16–814,510
38LJanuary 3, 19811–8@ New York Islanders (1980–81)13–17–815,008
39LJanuary 7, 19813–5@ Los Angeles Kings (1980–81)13–18–88,535
40TJanuary 9, 19816–6@ Edmonton Oilers (1980–81)13–18–917,474
41WJanuary 10, 19815–3@ Winnipeg Jets (1980–81)14–18–911,233
42LJanuary 12, 19812–5St. Louis Blues (1980–81)14–19–911,118
43LJanuary 14, 19814–5Los Angeles Kings (1980–81)14–20–911,455
44LJanuary 17, 19812–3Chicago Black Hawks (1980–81)14–21–913,131
45LJanuary 18, 19812–3@ Washington Capitals (1980–81)14–22–910,036
46TJanuary 21, 19816–6St. Louis Blues (1980–81)14–22–109,484
47LJanuary 23, 19812–4Calgary Flames (1980–81)14–23–1010,206
48LJanuary 24, 19814–7@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81)14–24–1016,485
49WJanuary 28, 19816–3Colorado Rockies (1980–81)15–24–1012,510
50TJanuary 30, 19815–5Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81)15–24–1110,667
51LJanuary 31, 19813–5Buffalo Sabres (1980–81)15–25–1112,425 :
February
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
52LFebruary 2, 19812–4@ Quebec Nordiques (1980–81)15–26–1112,435
53TFebruary 4, 19813–3Boston Bruins (1980–81)15–26–1213,149
54LFebruary 7, 19812–6Chicago Black Hawks (1980–81)15–27–1212,327
55TFebruary 8, 19816–6@ Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81)15–27–1317,077
56TFebruary 12, 19812–2@ Detroit Red Wings (1980–81)15–27–1411,175
57LFebruary 14, 19814–7@ Minnesota North Stars (1980–81)15–28–1413,158
58TFebruary 15, 19814–4@ Chicago Black Hawks (1980–81)15–28–1512,571
59TFebruary 18, 19813–3Winnipeg Jets (1980–81)15–28–1614,096
60LFebruary 19, 19812–6@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81)15–29–166,571
61WFebruary 22, 19816–5New York Rangers (1980–81)16–29–1613,663
62WFebruary 25, 19813–2Minnesota North Stars (1980–81)17–29–1611,202
63LFebruary 27, 19811–5@ Calgary Flames (1980–81)17–30–167,226 :
March
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
64LMarch 1, 19810–3@ Vancouver Canucks (1980–81)17–31–1612,616
65LMarch 3, 19814–5@ Colorado Rockies (1980–81)17–32–165,239
66WMarch 6, 19815–3@ Buffalo Sabres (1980–81)18–32–1616,383
67LMarch 8, 19814–5Calgary Flames (1980–81)18–33–1610,171
68TMarch 10, 19814–4@ Detroit Red Wings (1980–81)18–33–1713,217
69LMarch 11, 19812–5Washington Capitals (1980–81)18–34–1710,962
70LMarch 14, 19812–6@ New York Rangers (1980–81)18–35–1717,405
71LMarch 15, 19812–4@ Boston Bruins (1980–81)18–36–1710,865
72WMarch 18, 19819–3Montreal Canadiens (1980–81)19–36–1712,092
73LMarch 21, 19814–6New York Rangers (1980–81)19–37–1714,510
74TMarch 22, 19813–3Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81)19–37–1810,620
75LMarch 25, 19812–7Edmonton Oilers (1980–81)19–38–1811,405
76WMarch 27, 19815–3@ Washington Capitals (1980–81)20–38–1812,201
77LMarch 29, 19811–4Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81)20–39–1812,350 :
April
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendance
78WApril 1, 19815–4Quebec Nordiques (1980–81)21–39–1810,734
79LApril 3, 19811–6@ Montreal Canadiens (1980–81)21–40–1816,978
80LApril 5, 19814–5Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81)21–41–1813,059 :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

## Transactions

The Whalers were involved in the following transactions during the 1980–81 season.

### Trades

| June 5, 1980 | To Montreal Canadiens3rd-round pick in 1981 – Dieter Hegen 5th-round pick in 1981 – Steve Rooney | To Hartford WhalersRick Meagher 3rd-round pick in 1981 – Paul MacDermid 5th-round pick in 1981 NHL Entry Draft – Dan Bourbonnais |
| June 14, 1980 | To Chicago Black Hawks2nd-round pick in 1981 | To Hartford WhalersMike Veisor |
| September 4, 1980 | To Colorado RockiesAl Smith | To Hartford WhalersCash Considerations |
| November 20, 1980 | To Philadelphia Flyers2nd-round pick in 1982 – Peter Ihnacak | To Hartford WhalersJack McIlhargey Player to be Named Later – Norm Barnes on Dec. 5, 1980 |
| December 16, 1980 | To Minnesota North StarsGordie Roberts | To Hartford WhalersMike Fidler |
| January 15, 1981 | To New York RangersNick Fotiu | To Hartford Whalers5th-round pick in 1981 – Bill Maguire |
| February 1, 1981 | To Calgary FlamesFuture Considerations | To Hartford WhalersJohn Stewart |
| February 20, 1981 | To Pittsburgh Penguins6th-round pick in 1981 – Paul Edwards | To Hartford WhalersGilles Lupien |

### Waivers

| August 7, 1980 | From New York RangersWarren Miller |

### Free agents

| Player | Former Team |
| Thommy Abrahamsson | Leksands IF (Sweden) |
| Randy MacGregor | EC VSV (Austria) |
| Ross Yates | Mount Allison University (AUAA) |

## Draft picks

Hartford's draft picks from the 1980 NHL Entry Draft which was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal on June 11, 1980.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team (league) |
| 1 | 8 | Fred Arthur | Canada | Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) |
| 2 | 29 | Michel Galarneau | Canada | Hull Olympiques (QMJHL) |
| 3 | 50 | Mickey Volcan | Canada | University of North Dakota (WCHA) |
| 4 | 71 | Kevin McClelland | Canada | Niagara Falls Flyers (OMJHL) |
| 5 | 92 | Darren Jensen | Canada | University of North Dakota (WCHA) |
| 6 | 113 | Mario Cerri | Canada | Ottawa 67's (OMJHL) |
| 7 | 134 | Mike Martin | Canada | Sudbury Wolves (OMJHL) |
| 8 | 155 | Brent DeNat | Canada | Michigan Tech (WCHA) |
| 9 | 176 | Paul Fricker | Canada | University of Michigan (WCHA) |
| 10 | 197 | Lorne Bokshowan | Canada | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) |