In 1973 Bob Charlebois is acquired from Ottawa for Brit Selby.

In 1958 Wayne Babych is born in Edmonton, ALTA

In 1980 Rick Meagher is acquired from Montreal with a swap of '81 3rd and 5th round picks.

In 1945 Andre Lacroix was born in Lauzon, QUE

In 1973 Terry Caffery is named the WHA Rookie of the Year.

In 1980 Gordie Howe announces his retirement as a player and becomes Director of Player Development.

In 1975 Danny Arndt is selected in the 2nd round of the '75 WHA Amateur Draft.

In 1966 Nick Kypreos was born in Toronto, ONT

In 1954 Wally Weir was born in Verdun, QUE

In 1966 Doug Houda was born in Blairmore, ALTA

In 1982 Larry Kish is named head coach replacing Larry Pleau (who remains Director of Hockey Operations).

In 1992 Whalers introduce new uniforms, changing to a navy blue color scheme after 20 seasons in green.

In 1972 Rick Ley, John Cunniff, Ric Jordan, Kevin Ahearn, and Mike Hyndman sign Whalers contracts.
In 1985 Dan Bourbonnais is released.
In 1985 Mike Crombeen is released.
In 1985 Randy Gilhen is released.
In 1985 Randy Pierce is released.
In 1985 Pat Boutette is released.
In 1985 Richie Dunn is released.

In 1993 Brad McCrimmon is acquired from Detroit for a 6th round pick.

In 1961 Paul Coffey was born in Weston, ONT

In 1972 Terry Caffery signs a Whalers contract.
In 1974 Tommy Williams is claimed by Indianapois in the '74 WHA Expansion Draft.
In 1991 Dave Babych is claimed by Minnesota in the '91 NHL expansion draft.

1991:  Rick Ley is Fired as Head Coach

"Richard Gordon did me a favor," Ley said. "Because it was just a matter of time before he pulled the plug on me. It gave me a chance to get on with my life and gave them a chance to get on with a new coaching staff. If it didn't happen last May, it could have happened a week or two into the season and I'd be in a worse position.

"The part I feel really bad about is they gassed Jay Leach and Brent Peterson. They were two guys who did a terrific job. Jay's still in the organization, and I think he's doing what he wants [coaching Springfield]. But when he gassed me, he did more than affect my life. He affected mine and other families, too.

"If Richard had been astute enough he would have seen that, if you keep making changes at the management level, all you're asking for is trouble. If you don't have stability at the top, you'll never have it in your ranks."

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Captain Ted Green is traded to the Winnipeg Jets for "future considerations"

Whalers Birthdays:

Mark Howe, 1955
Reid Bailey 1956
Bob Bodak 1961

In an NHL.co interview Burke had this to say about his stint in Hartford -- and explains his decision to eliminate "Brass Bonanza."

"...When Brian Burke took over as the general manager of the Whalers in 1992, one of his first decisions was to get rid of the very popular song, much to the dismay of Whalers fans and people like Gordie Howe and Ron Francis.

..."I did because there were players who were embarrassed by it," said Burke. "An NHL team with a fight song, they were embarrassed by it. As soon as I went to the NHL they put it back in. No big deal."...Burke didn't like the song, but Maguire was one of many, including, Gordie Howe, who would suddenly just hum the tune. "Whether they were working out or on a plane or different things. (Maguire hums the song). It's a pretty catchy tune. Gordie heard it a lot because he scored. Whenever you heard it, you did something well."

"Everything they had done in Hartford to that point had less than desirable results," said Burke... we eliminated the fight song, we made some major moves that would have led to long-term success but it just didn't work out between me and the owner and I went back to the NHL."
...
"Yeah, I think they are really an under-appreciated team in the history of the League," Maguire said. "If you look at the great players who went through there, whether it would beGordie Howe, Dave Keon or Ricky Ley. You look at the fact they had unbelievable talent in Ronnie Francis, Ulfie Samuelsson, Kevin Dineen, Ray Ferraro. I mean there was a huge legacy of great talent that went through there. It was a team that was run by a legendary guy like Emile Francis. You know I can't say enough good things about it. Everything was great about it and (Hartford) was a great place to live too."