1995-96 Detroit Whalers
ANOTHER NAME, COACH, HOME AND DIVISION TITLE
The Jr. Wings had little time to celebrate their OHL championship. In the summer in 1995, changes ripped through the team as quick as a Bryan Berard breakout.
In the space of a month after the Jr. Wings' loss in the Memorial Cup:
- Lost general manager/head coach Paul Maurice to the parent Hartford Whalers.
- Hired Maurice's long-time friend, Peter DeBoer as new GM/head coach.
- In a reorganization of priorities at Joe Louis Arena, the Jr. Wings were evicted. The team was renamed the Detroit Whalers in alliance with Compuware's NHL franchise in Hartford.
- For at least one season, the Whalers found temporary home ice at its' training base - the Oak Park Compuware Arena, along with the Palace of Auburn Hills.
So not only did DeBoer have to rebuild his team on the ice, but deal with the business side of the team's eviction from JLA immediately.
What happened at Joe Louis Arena?
Nobody said for sure, but some speculated people within the Red Wing organization saw the crowds the Jr. Wings were drawing and felt Detroit OHL team was beging to get too big. Some say it was strictly business - that the Red Wings saw the crowds being generated by the Jr. Wings and hoped the same crowds would follow JLA-endorsed college hockey, indoor soccer, concerts and other events. To be fair, people at the JLA also sold a championship Arena Football League team and a successful lacrosse team at the same time.
Whatever the reasons, the Whalers' eviction from Joe Louis Arena ripped out the heart of a recognizable, growing fan-base for an OHL team hungry for acceptance in the Detroit area.
In terms of a fan-base, the team would have to start over. Oak Park Arena and The Palace of Auburn Hills were a long way from the Whalers' established fan base in "Down-river" Detroit, Western Wayne County and even into Windsor.
According to Maurice, he left the Whalers in capable hands.
"I told my boss, Jim Rutherford, when I coached the Jr. Red Wings that Pete DeBoer was a better coach than I was, because he has fantastic instincts," Maurice said. "The day I left for Hartford, I told Pete, 'Replacing me is not your problem, because now you have to replace yourself. You need an assistant coach like I had when I was in junior.' I mean that with all due respect to the different leagues we're coaching in.
"I think coaching is coaching and you go by the instincts. Pete's always had a great passion, a great fire. I've got the utmost respect for him. We talk hockey quite a bit and I'm asking the majority of the questions. He has a great mind for the game."
DeBoer's task for his team on the ice was to try to get it ready to play on two completely opposite home ice surfaces. The tiny Oak Park Arena seem to favor big, hard checking team while the spacious Palace (some 25 miles away) was a NHL-style ice surface.
In spite of the difference between Oak Park and the Palace, the Whalers had the OHL's best home-ice record in 1995-96 (25-6-2).
"You got to give credit to our players - especially our veterans," DeBoer said at the time. "It hasn't been easy, but they've worked hard and haven't complained."
As with any OHL season, the Whalers needed to replace departed players - Jason Saal, Jamie Allison, Bill McCauley, Jeff Mitchell, Eric Manlow, and Duane Harmer.
A veteran core group remained - led by Mike Ricinski, Sean Haggerty, Bryan Berard (back after failing to sign a contract with the Ottawa Senators), Dan Pawlaczyk, Scott Blair and Nic Beaudoin - and it was good enough for the Whalers to contend for the West Division title.
One of DeBoer first moves was acquiring defenseman Dan Preston from Belleville on September 5th. A smart, veteran puck handler, Preston became fast-friends with fellow veteran Rucinski.
Just before the start of the season, DeBoer was looking for a defenseman to play specifically with Berard. He picked up Mike VanVolsen from Niagara Falls for a draft choice.
But VanVolsen was traded to Owen Sound later on after the Whalers picked up defenseman Corey Neilson from North Bay for popular veteran Milan Kostolny and defenseman Ryan MacDonald November 1.
In the end, DeBoer had a mobile defense (a style he still prefers) with Berard, Rucinski, Preston, and Neilson to go with rookies Troy Smith, Jesse Boulerice and Jan Vodrazka.
Vodrazka - an import from Plzen, Czech Republic - quickly forged a reputation as a hard-hitting, fearless defender who became a fan favorite. First round pick Boulerice punctuated his play by dropping the gloves anytime against anyone.
"I play for my teammates," Boulerice said back then. "They'll soon find out I'll stick up for them anyplace, anytime.
The Whalers opened the season with three straight losses on the road (7-3 in Peterborough, 6-3 in Ottawa and 4-2 in Belleville) before winning its' first game of the season September 28 in Windsor.
That set the stage for the Whalers' inaugural game at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Skating before a sparse crowd on a beautiful, 80-degree Saturday afternoon that saw the University of Michigan football team playing at the same time, Detroit hammered Oshawa, 11-5. The Whalers had never skated on the ice at the Palace.
DeBoer started the season with veteran Darryl Foster and rookie Robert Esche in goal. But Foster struggled and the Whalers went 2-6-0.
On October 13th, the Whalers traveled to Kitchener and rookie Esche got his first ever OHL start. The Whalers dominated from start to finish in a 6-3 victory. Detroit then went 14-1-1 to move back in the hunt for first place in West Division.
Rumors started that the Whalers would make a trade for a goaltender. The deal for another goaltender took place October 19 when the Whalers acquired Mike Minard from Barrie. "I'm not very pretty about stopping to puck," Minard (an Edmonton draft) said. "But I get the job done."
Minard did just that, posting a 3.32 goals against, 25-10-4 won-loss record and .895 save percentage in 42 appearance for the Whalers.
As the season wore on, the Whalers continue to challenge for first place in the West Division. Sean Haggerty led the attack, scoring in bunches. The Dog line (named for the way they forechecked deep in the offensive zone) of Mike Morrone, Steve Wasylko and Andrew Taylor developed a trait of scoring big goals at critical times.
DeBoer made what seemed to be a small deal at the time when he picked up Windsor-native Mark Cadotte on waivers from Niagara Falls December 15. After a decent rookie season with the Thunder in 1994-95 (2 goals with 3 assists in 56 games), Cadotte went home from the Honeymoon City after losing his zest for the game. He was skating with the Tecumseh Bulldogs of the Western Jr. B League and any OHL could pick him up.
DeBoer was the only GM willing to take the chance.
"I remember working with Cadotte when he was young at a hockey school in Windsor," DeBoer said later. "I really gave him a chance to play as a favor to the his family. In the end, Mark really did me the favor."
Shortly after joining the Whalers, Cadotte burned his old team, scoring a hat trick and the game-winning goal January 9th in a 4-1 victory in Niagara Falls.
The Whalers moved into January locked in a three-way battle for first place with Sarnia and Sault Ste. Marie. Looking for a centerman to playing with Haggerty, DeBoer acquired Lee Jinman from North Bay at the deadline for rookie Colin Beardsmore and future considerations.
Jinman had a history of playing well with snipers, most notably Vitali Yachmenev. As it was, Haggerty was locked in a battle for the OHL goal scoring title with Sarnia's Jon Sim and Aaron Brand, Sean Venedam from Sudbury, Daniel Cleary in Belleville and Barrie's Alexandre Volchkov.
The Whalers clinched their third consecutive West Division title with a 15-3- 0 run January 22 through March 9th, winning their 40th game of the season in a 7-4 victory over Windsor. During the stretch, Jinman ripped off a 17-game consecutive assist streak to help fuel the Whaler attack.
CROSS-BORDER RIVALS FINALLY MEET IN PLAYOFFS
The 1996 playoffs started with a special matchup - Detroit vs. Windsor, for the first time ever. Since the Whalers finished 38 points ahead of Windsor during the regular season, the series figured to be a rout. And the series started in predictable fashion as Detroit won the first three games of the series.
But Windsor clawed back into the series. Led by goaltender Terry Joss (and bleached hair for every Spitfire player), Windsor won the next three games of the series to set a deciding Game 7 at Oak Park Compuware Arena March 27th.
Windsor got off to a fast start and appeared to score a goal in the first couple of minutes. But the goal was waived off when the referee ruled the goal went through the back of the net.
The Whalers then received a lift in the game when Mike Rucinski - who missed part of the series with a separated shoulder - played with pain and set up a key goal in the first period.
Detroit clinched the series with a 9-2 victory.
The Whalers had a much easier time with Kitchener in the second round, eliminating the Rangers in five games.
4th Semi-Final in 4 years
Detroit met Peterborough in one semi-final; Belleville met Guelph in the other semi-final. Both series lasted five games. Maybe the Whalers ran out of gas; maybe Peterborough's defense was too big.
Certainly, the Petes goaltender Zac Bierk out dueled Minard as the Whalers were eliminated in five games.
Although the season ended on a sad note, a new day was dawning for the Whalers.
On March 1, 1996, Whalers owner Peter Karmanos finalized plans to build a 4,000 seat arena in Plymouth Township for his team. The arena was to be ready for the 1996-97 season.
The Whalers wouldn't have to search for a home anymore.
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