WHAWhalers.com
          "The Multi Media Home of the WHA New England Whalers"
The WHA New England Whalers 1972-1979
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November 1971
The World Hockey Association awards franchise to sports enthusiasts and businessmen Howard Baldwin, John Coburn, Godfrey Wood, and William Barnes.

January 1972
Jack Kelley, highly successful coach at Boston University, joins the New England franchise as coach and general manager. Newly formed team is named "WHALERS" because it contains the letters of the new league, and it carries with it a part of the New England heritage.

April 19, 1972
Larry Pleau becomes the first player to sign a Whalers contract. Later in the month Brad Selwood, Rick Ley, and Jim Dorey from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tim Sheehy from the US Olympic Team also join the club.

October 12, 1972
The Whalers play their first WHA game. Rebounding from a 2-0 deficit, the Whalers defeat the visiting Philadelphia Blazers, 4-3, before 14,332 spectators at the Boston Garden. Tommy Williams scores the very first Whalers goal.

May 1973

Whalers defeat Bobby Hull's Winnipeg Jets to win the first-ever WHA
Avco Cup Championship.

January 11, 1975
Howard Baldwin and the Hartford Civic Center Whalers play their first hockey
game at the new Hartford Civic Center before a sellout crowd of 10,507.

May 23, 1977
The Whalers out duel the NHL to sign the entire Howe family, Gordie, Mark,
and Marty, to long term contracts.

January 18, 1978
At 4:30 am, under the weight of snow and ice, the Hartford Civic Center Coliseum roof collapses. The Whalers are forced to relocate to Spingfield while the Civic Center is repaired and enlarged.

June 22, 1979
Along with Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Quebec, the Whalers join the National Hockey League as they expand to 21 teams for the 1979-1980 season. The WHA officially ceases all operations.

The New England Whalers were the WHA's first champion and most stable franchise. Created by former Hartford Whalers publicist Mark Willand, this site commemorates the WHA Whalers with all available video and audio remaining from the WHA era.  In addition, this site includes video from throughout the WHA.

Unlike the NHL Hartofrd Whalers, the WHA Whalers were a successful team, never missing the playoffs in the WHA's history, and finishing first in its division three times. They had a more stable roster than most WHA teams featuring including Rick Ley, Tom Webster, Brad Selwood, Larry Pleau, Mark and Gordie Howe, Al Smith among others.