AH Timeline: The NHL-WHA merger: A different story

[WB18]

@1940LaSalle
Wow. That’s really cool that you got to see a Baltimore Blades home game way back when. My Dad used to go see the Phoenix Roadrunners when they played in the WHA when he was a kid btw. Naturally, he would take me and my siblings to a lot of Coyote home games when we were growing up. But anyway, Baltimore May not be getting a team anytime soon ITTL because the Capitals are finding some success and the arena there is less than ideal for an NHL or NBA team. Plus the Bulls ITTL moves to Seattle after just two seasons.

@PGSBHurricane
1.) The Whalers will probably not leave Hartford IOTL, especially if they win a cup or two. With Ray Bourque and Grant Fhur on the team, that has a chance of happening before the team fell on hard times.

2.) That sounds interesting. I would imagine the Cougars and Fighting Saints would move considering that the Black Hawks and North Stars would not be happy about sharing their cities with them. My guess is that one of them goes to Milwaukee and the other goes to either Dallas or Kansas City, maybe New Jersey apon entering the NHL

 

[PGSBHurricane]

@PGSBHurricane
1.) The Whalers will probably not leave Hartford IOTL, especially if they win a cup or two. With Ray Bourque and Grant Fhur on the team, that has a chance of happening before the team fell on hard times.

2.) That sounds interesting. I would imagine the Cougars and Fighting Saints would move considering that the Black Hawks and North Stars would not be happy about sharing their cities with them. My guess is that one of them goes to Milwaukee and the other goes to either Dallas or Kansas City, maybe New Jersey apon entering the NHL

For reference, here's a list of all WHA teams since its inception. Lots of possibilities, really. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Hockey_Association#Timeline_of_teams

 

[PGSBHurricane]

As far as the Cougars go, if the Ducks/Kings and Islanders/Rangers can co-exist then the Cougars could move to one of Chicago’s suburbs like Rosemont where the Wolves of the AHL play today.

 

[WB18]

1982-83 NHL Regular Season Standings
Playoff teams in BOLD

Adams Division
Hartford Whalers 96 points
Quebec Nordiques 89 points
Buffalo Sabres 84 points
Montreal Canadiens 81 points
Boston Bruins 79 points
Toronto Maple Leafs 75 points

Patrick Division
New York Islanders 108 points
Atlanta Flames 100 points
New York Rangers 87 points
Philadelphia Flyers 83 points
Washington Capitals 82 points
Pittsburgh Penguins 68 points

Snythe Division
Seattle Thunderbirds 99 points
Winnipeg Jets 97 points
Los Angeles Kings 92 points
Vancouver Canucks 72 points
Colorado Rockies 71 points
Calgary Wranglers 65 points
Edmonton Oilers 61 points

Norris Division
St Louis Blues 110 points
Houston Aeros 106 points
Cincinnati Stingers 88 points
Minnesota North Stars 77 points
Chicago Black Hawks 66 points
Detroit Red Wings 58 points

Headlines

- The St Louis Blues finish first overall in the regular season with Wayne Gretzky winning his second straight MVP award. The Blues also traded for Larry Robinson from Montreal midway through the season in exchange for some draft picks to give them a solid defensemen.

- The Islanders have another eye-popping regular season, putting up 108 points with Mike Bossy, Brian Trottier and Company having a great year.

- The Colorado Rockies nearly make the playoffs, thanks to rookies Scott Stevens and Doug Gilmour slowly becoming some of the top enforcers (and scorers) in the league, they just barely miss out on the last day of the year thanks to a loss to LA and Vancouver winning against Edmonton.

Comments appreciated! How did your team do?

 

[kinnikuniverse]

1982-83 NHL Regular Season Standings
Playoff teams in BOLD

Adams Division
Hartford Whalers 96 points
Quebec Nordiques 89 points
Buffalo Sabres 84 points
Montreal Canadiens 81 points
Boston Bruins 79 points
Toronto Maple Leafs 75 points

Patrick Division
New York Islanders 108 points
Atlanta Flames 100 points
New York Rangers 87 points
Philadelphia Flyers 83 points
Washington Capitals 82 points
Pittsburgh Penguins 68 points

Snythe Division
Seattle Thunderbirds 99 points
Winnipeg Jets 97 points
Los Angeles Kings 92 points
Vancouver Canucks 72 points
Colorado Rockies 71 points
Calgary Wranglers 65 points
Edmonton Oilers 61 points

Norris Division
St Louis Blues 110 points
Houston Aeros 106 points
Cincinnati Stingers 88 points
Minnesota North Stars 77 points
Chicago Black Hawks 66 points
Detroit Red Wings 58 points

Headlines

- The St Louis Blues finish first overall in the regular season with Wayne Gretzky winning his second straight MVP award. The Blues also traded for Larry Robinson from Montreal midway through the season in exchange for some draft picks to give them a solid defensemen.

- The Islanders have another eye-popping regular season, putting up 108 points with Mike Bossy, Brian Trottier and Company having a great year.

- The Colorado Rockies nearly make the playoffs, thanks to rookies Scott Stevens and Doug Gilmour slowly becoming some of the top enforcers (and scorers) in the league, they just barely miss out on the last day of the year thanks to a loss to LA and Vancouver winning against Edmonton.

Comments appreciated! How did your team do?

Wow, larry being traded would be ASB in any normal scenario, but since the habs aren't as lucky with their draft picks and rosters ITTL, maybe they realised that they need to rebuild while they can.

Woah, Atlanta, where did they come from? Who do they have on their roster?

 

[WB18]

Wow, larry being traded would be ASB in any normal scenario, but since the habs aren't as lucky with their draft picks and rosters ITTL, maybe they realised that they need to rebuild while they can.

Woah, Atlanta, where did they come from? Who do they have on their roster?

The Flames had a very easy schedule this year. They have Lanny McDonald like IRL and they traded for Dino Ciccerelli. No one is really taking them seriously however, they are expected to lose in the first round to the Rangers.

 

[Pyro]

I find it a nice touch that Seattle and Calgary's teams are the same as the junior ice hockey teams (WHL) in their respective cities, which brings me to ask, what the situation in with the WHL?

 

[1940LaSalle]

@1940LaSalle
Wow. That’s really cool that you got to see a Baltimore Blades home game way back when. My Dad used to go see the Phoenix Roadrunners when they played in the WHA when he was a kid btw. Naturally, he would take me and my siblings to a lot of Coyote home games when we were growing up. But anyway, Baltimore May not be getting a team anytime soon ITTL because the Capitals are finding some success and the arena there is less than ideal for an NHL or NBA team. Plus the Bulls ITTL moves to Seattle after just two seasons.

@PGSBHurricane
1.) The Whalers will probably not leave Hartford IOTL, especially if they win a cup or two. With Ray Bourque and Grant Fhur on the team, that has a chance of happening before the team fell on hard times.

2.) That sounds interesting. I would imagine the Cougars and Fighting Saints would move considering that the Black Hawks and North Stars would not be happy about sharing their cities with them. My guess is that one of them goes to Milwaukee and the other goes to either Dallas or Kansas City, maybe New Jersey apon entering the NHL

Got to amplify a bit: it was the Blades' home opener against the Houston Aeros with all three Howes in the lineup. Approximately 9100 in attendance.

 

[WB18]

1983 NHL Playoffs: First and Second Rounds
Winners in BOLD

First Round
Hartford Whalers 3 - Montreal Canadiens 1
Quebec Nordiques 3 - Buffalo Sabres 0
New York Islanders 3 - Philadelphia Flyers 1
New York Rangers 3 - Atlanta Flames 2

St Louis Blues 3 - Minnesota North Stars 0
Houston Aeros 3 - Cincinnati Stingers 0
Seattle Thunderbirds 3 - Vancouver Canucks 0
Winnipeg Jets 3 - Los Angeles Kings 2

Second Round
Hartford Whalers 4 - Quebec Nordiques 0
New York Rangers 4 - New York Islanders 2

Houston Aeros 4 - St Louis Blues 3
Seattle Thunderbirds 4 - Winnipeg Jets 3

Conference Finals Previews

HAR vs NYR
The Rangers are fresh off the upset of a century over the two-time defending champion Islanders in the Patrick Division Finals. They’re reward? They get to face a red-hot Hartford team that has lost just one game in these playoffs so far. Led by Ray Bourque and Grant Fuhr, this team seems to be peaking at the right time. Prediction Whalers in 4 straight.

SEA vs HOU

The Aeros stunned the Blues in the Conference Finals by letting Wayne Gretzky score, but take advantage of the weak Saint Louis defense. They can’t do that against Rod Langway and Paul Coffey here. The Aeros now have to play tougher. Seattle has to change nothing, Langway and Coffey have been exciting to watch this whole playoff year and this series should be no exception. Prediction Thunderbirds in 6.

Comments appreciated! Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[kinnikuniverse]

1983 NHL Playoffs: First and Second Rounds
Winners in BOLD

First Round
Hartford Whalers 3 - Montreal Canadiens 1
Quebec Nordiques 3 - Buffalo Sabres 0
New York Islanders 3 - Philadelphia Flyers 1
New York Rangers 3 - Atlanta Flames 2

St Louis Blues 3 - Minnesota North Stars 0
Houston Aeros 3 - Cincinnati Stingers 0
Seattle Thunderbirds 3 - Vancouver Canucks 0
Winnipeg Jets 3 - Los Angeles Kings 2

Second Round
Hartford Whalers 4 - Quebec Nordiques 0
New York Rangers 4 - New York Islanders 2

Houston Aeros 4 - St Louis Blues 3
Seattle Thunderbirds 4 - Winnipeg Jets 3

Conference Finals Previews

HAR vs NYR
The Rangers are fresh off the upset of a century over the two-time defending champion Islanders in the Patrick Division Finals. They’re reward? They get to face a red-hot Hartford team that has lost just one game in these playoffs so far. Led by Ray Bourque and Grant Fuhr, this team seems to be peaking at the right time. Prediction Whalers in 4 straight.

SEA vs HOU

The Aeros stunned the Blues in the Conference Finals by letting Wayne Gretzky score, but take advantage of the weak Saint Louis defense. They can’t do that against Rod Langway and Paul Coffey here. The Aeros now have to play tougher. Seattle has to change nothing, Langway and Coffey have been exciting to watch this whole playoff year and this series should be no exception. Prediction Thunderbirds in 6.

Comments appreciated! Merry Christmas everyone!

Come to think of it, with seattle's only viable offensive weapons being ken linseman and mark napier, are they playing like the 90s-early 00s devils, as in defense-minded, trap hockey? Anyways, i'll go with houston here, With pelle lindberg Patrick roying his way to the stanley cup finals.

Holy crap, where did the rangers came from? Who do they have on their roster? Anyways, hartford's defense is too stacked, and and they actually have scoring in blaine stoughton and pat verbeek.

 

[TheMatthew25]

HAR vs NYR
The Rangers are fresh off the upset of a century over the two-time defending champion Islanders in the Patrick Division Finals. They’re reward? They get to face a red-hot Hartford team that has lost just one game in these playoffs so far. Led by Ray Bourque and Grant Fuhr, this team seems to be peaking at the right time. Prediction Whalers in 4 straight.

SEA vs HOU

The Aeros stunned the Blues in the Conference Finals by letting Wayne Gretzky score, but take advantage of the weak Saint Louis defense. They can’t do that against Rod Langway and Paul Coffey here. The Aeros now have to play tougher. Seattle has to change nothing, Langway and Coffey have been exciting to watch this whole playoff year and this series should be no exception. Prediction Thunderbirds in 6.

Hartford sweeps the NY Rangers in Four Games: Hartford is just a better team now, Rangers will have a hard time fighting back.

Houston beats Seattle in a Game 7 Thriller: Houston will have their work cut out, Seattle is a new team looking to make their mark. I believe that the Aeros will hold their ground against the Thunderbirds. Game 7 will be a classic though.

Stanley Cup Finals: Hartford vs Houston... Hartford in 6 Games. Nothing against Houston, but Hartford is loaded with talented players and it shows. Hartford will be Champions.

Curious why St. Louis, with Wayne Gretzky, is having a tough time making it to the finals? Guess maybe the depth of the team isn't as good as it should be or maybe they are lacking depth in defense? Or maybe bad luck?

 

[WB18]

Hartford sweeps the NY Rangers in Four Games: Hartford is just a better team now, Rangers will have a hard time fighting back.

Houston beats Seattle in a Game 7 Thriller: Houston will have their work cut out, Seattle is a new team looking to make their mark. I believe that the Aeros will hold their ground against the Thunderbirds. Game 7 will be a classic though.

Stanley Cup Finals: Hartford vs Houston... Hartford in 6 Games. Nothing against Houston, but Hartford is loaded with talented players and it shows. Hartford will be Champions.

Curious why St. Louis, with Wayne Gretzky, is having a tough time making it to the finals? Guess maybe the depth of the team isn't as good as it should be or maybe they are lacking depth in defense? Or maybe bad luck?

Based on those predictions, I think you’ll like what you’ll see, not to spoil anything.

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Curious why St. Louis, with Wayne Gretzky, is having a tough time making it to the finals? Guess maybe the depth of the team isn't as good as it should be or maybe they are lacking depth in defense? Or maybe bad luck?

Well, he's got lots of tools to use on offense with federko, brian sutter, Paul Maclean and Mike gartner, but the blues doesn't have depth in defense.

 

[TheMatthew25]

Well, he's got lots of tools to use on offense with federko, brian sutter, Paul Maclean and Mike gartner, but the blues doesn't have depth in defense.

Which is my main issue with the Blues. They need to add more depth in their defense. Who is the goalie for the Blues ITTL so far?

 

[WB18]

Which is my main issue with the Blues. They need to add more depth in their defense. Who is the goalie for the Blues ITTL so far?

The Blues goalie is Roland Melanson as of now.

 

[TheMatthew25]

The Blues goalie is Roland Melanson as of now.

Thanks for the update. The Blues have a good goalie for now. But defense is where they are lacking. I would honestly see them, during the next draft, add more power to the defense.

 

[WB18]

1983 NHL Conference Finals

Whales Conference Final: Hartford vs NY Rangers

G1: NYR 0 @ HAR 8 Whalers lead series 1-0

The Whalers had been talking about how they wanted to make a statement and boy did they ever, pasting the Rangers to 8 goals as Ray Bourque secured the hat trick and Warren Miller had 4 assists in a complete beatdown.

G2: NYR 0 @ HAR 1 Whalers lead series 2-0

The Rangers regrouped and came back strong in Game 2. With the score still at zeros late in the third, it was a scramble in front of the New York net that left a rebound for Rick Lea to punch in the winning goal in a tight game to win both games at home.

G3: HAR 2 @ NYR 1 (OT) Whalers lead series 3-0

In a tight, closely battled game, both teams saw players ejected for fighting and scrapping. Tied at 1 after goals from Pat Verbeek and Mikko Lenionen, the teams went into overtime looking for any advantage. Verbeek delivered a huge hit on the boards to Mike Rogers to dislodge the puck into middle ice which was scooped up by Mario Simioni who promptly took it down and unloaded it on Eddie Mio for the winner.

G4: HAR 6 @ NYR 2 Whalers win series 4-0

Facing elimination and with their star players a non-factor in the series, the Rangers tried to keep themselves in the hunt with an early goal from Lenionen. The Whalers saw their second line erupt with goals from Bourque and Verbeek. The Rangers tied it in the second period with a shot from Don Maloney but it was all Hartford after that as Jim Playfield took charge and flipped in the tiebreaker early in the third. Late goals from the Whalers put it well out of reach as Hartford swept the Rangers to advance to their first Stanley Cup final.

Campbell Conference Final: Houston vs Seattle

G1: SEA 2 @ HOU 3 Aeros lead series 1-0

Mark Howe would put the Aeros on his back, scoring a goal and two assists in a game 1 victory.

G2: SEA 1 @ HOU 2 (OT) Aeros lead series 2-0

In game 2, Chris Chelios would score the overtime winner past Phil Myre on a hard shot from the left face-off circle to win it.

G3: HOU 1 @ SEA 3 Aeros lead series 2-1

Paul Coffey played a strong one in game three, scoring twice in a 3-1 win.

G4: HOU 2 @ SEA 4 Series tied 2-2

In game four, veteran Rod Langway scored the winner as the Thunderbirds tied the series. Houston, having given up the series lead, was determined not to let the opportunity slip away this time. “We need to step up our play in game five” said Mark Howe

G5: SEA 3 @ HOU 4 Aeros lead series 3-2

The Aeros would indeed step up their game. Dave Andreychuk beat Myre just two minutes into overtime to give Houston a 4-3 win and a 3-2 series lead

G6: HOU 2 @ SEA 0 Aeros win series 4-2

Game six in Seattle was all Houston. Checked tightly by Andreychuk and Guy Carbonneau, the Seattle offense was completely shut down. Pelle Lindberg earned a shutout as the Aeros advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time ever.

Comments apricated! Who you got winning it all?

 

[Unknown]

Being from the Lone Star State, I pick Houston...

 

[PGSBHurricane]

As a Nutmegger, my vote is for the Whalers.

 

[AltSptHst]

Pelle Lindbergh is in Houston? Hopefully, that butterflies away his death, and he goes on to be one of the best netminders ever.