Whale Soup for the Hartford Soul...

Mike Liut
1988-89 O-Pee-Chee #127

Digging through my old Hartford Whalers cards... Surprised that I have about 10% of the nearly 5000 or so cards according to TCDB. Of course that list counts everything beyond standard trading cards (including food issues, trading card games, playing cards, etc.)

Following their days in the WHA, the Hartford Whalers were in the NHL from 1979-1996 (17 years). What a difference a couple decades can make, especially with dozens of hockey card brands and seemingly infinite parallels.

To put it in perspective, the Atlanta Thrashers have over 15,000 cards in the database. They existed from 1999 to 2011 (12 years).

Could even be a rather affordable collecting project to try and acquire as many Whalers cards as possible...

Doug Sulliman
1983-84 O-Pee Chee #148

Anytime the dreadful "Cooperalls" are mentioned, most people think of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Hartford Whalers also experimented with this "girdle and shell lower body equipment system".

Fun fact: Contrary to popular belief, the pants worn by NHL players were actually manufactured by CCM, and not Cooper.
The "CCM" logo can be seen at the top and bottom of the pant, incorporated into the vertical stripes.

Hartford Whalers
1989-90 O-Pee-Chee #304

Great snapshot of a faceoff...This angle could definitely become stale if overused, but I can't actually think of many cards like this one.

While not normally a fan of "Team Cards", I do enjoy some of these wide-angle snapshots featured in Topps/OPC cards of this era.

Watching some good old fashioned hockey on YouTube, noticed the centreman would often stand sideways to take a faceoff, and swiping at the puck that way...

Playing youth hockey, I always remember being yelled at by the referee to "square up", before being tossed from the faceoff circle.

Ron Francis
1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Premier #32

After spending nearly the first decade of his career in Hartford, Ron Francis was traded to the Penguins in 1991.

He would re-join the franchise in Carolina (1998 thru 2004) and see his number 10 officially retired by the Hurricanes.

Kevin Dineen
1990-91 Upper Deck #266
(card back)

The "whale hunt" led me to appreciate this snapshot on the back of the card that I had never really noticed before...

Looks as if Kevin Dineen has pushed the puck past goaltender Kelly Hrudey, hoping it has enough steam to cross the goal line.

Peter Sidorkiewicz was Hartford's main netminder for three seasons, after Mike Liut was traded to the Capitals (in exchange for Yvon Corriveau).

The Whalers lost Sidorkiewicz to the 1992 expansion draft.

Zarley Zalapski
1992-93 Upper Deck #316

Action in front of the Whalers' net, with newly acquired netminder Frank Pietrangelo.

This is presumably during the very last Hartford Whalers playoff appearance - A seven game thriller series against Montreal.

Pat Verbeek
1993-94 Upper Deck #331

One of the best-known Whalers, Pat Verbeek was traded to the Rangers in 1995 for a couple players and draft picks.

The Whalers would use a first round pick to select goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere (1st round, 13th overall).

Glen Wesley
1995-96 Collector's Choice #315
(card back)

Formerly of the Bruins,  long time Whalers/Hurricanes defenceman Glen Wesley shown here wearing number 20 with the Whalers.

He switched to number 2 in Carolina, which is now retired by the Hurricanes organization.

From Wikipedia:

"When the Whalers moved to North Carolina to begin the 1997–98 NHL season, they returned the previously retired #2 for Rick Ley (D, 1972–1981) and #19 for John McKenzie (RW, 1977–1979) to circulation, while retaining Howe's #9 without public display. Wesley (who wore No. 20 in Hartford) was the only Hurricane to wear #2 prior to its re-retirement; #19 has been issued to several players since the move"

Kevin Haller
1997-98 Pacific Invincible
NHL Regime #36

The last sightings of The Whale...

Moving forth with the 1997-98 season and the move to Carolina, the "Hurricanes" players are still depicted in their
Whalers uniforms.

Interestingly enough, the "Pacific Invincible" brand was only released in 1997-98 and 2003-04.

Sean Burke
1997-98 Pinnacle Inside #30

Sean Burke was originally acquired by Hartford in 1992 (along with Eric Weinrich) in a trade that sent Bobby Holik to New Jersey.

Burke would be with the organization until shortly after the relocation to Carolina, and was dealt to Vancouver in January of 1998 (and subsequently traded to Philadelphia 2 months later).