Joel Quenneville’s Shorthanded Winner Caps Hartford’s Wild 1986–87 Opener

With 20 seconds remaining and the Hartford Whalers killing a penalty, Joel Quenneville supplied an unlikely finish to a remarkable comeback. His shorthanded goal on October 11, 1986, completed Hartford’s rally from a 5–2 third-period deficit, giving the Whalers a 6–5 victory over the Calgary Flames in their season opener at the Hartford Civic Center.

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Highlights

• Hartford opened its season against Calgary on October 11, 1986.

• The Whalers trailed 5–2 before scoring four unanswered third-period goals.

• Stew Gavin tied the game at 13:38, prompting Calgary’s goaltending change.

• Ulf Samuelsson’s slashing penalty left Hartford shorthanded late.

• Quenneville scored the winner at 19:40 on his only shot.

• Paul Lawless scored twice, and Mike Liut made 26 saves.

• Quenneville finished the season with just three goals in 37 games.

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Quenneville was hardly Hartford’s most obvious candidate for a last-minute scoring rescue. The defenceman scored just 54 goals in 803 NHL regular-season games and none in 32 playoff appearances. His career high was ten goals with the Colorado Rockies in 1980–81. During the 1986–87 season, he would appear in only 37 games for Hartford and score three times.

The first of those three goals capped a stunning reversal. Calgary still held a comfortable 5–2 advantage when Hartford began its comeback at 6:32 of the third period. The Whalers scored three times to draw even, with Stew Gavin making it 5–5 at 13:38. That tying goal ended Reggie Lemelin’s night in the Calgary net, bringing Mike Vernon into the game.

Hartford’s momentum faced a late test when Ulf Samuelsson received a slashing penalty at 18:08. Instead of settling for a tie while shorthanded, the Whalers found the winning goal. With assists from Dave Tippett and Doug Jarvis, Quenneville beat Vernon at 19:40. It was his only shot on goal all evening.

Paul Lawless led Hartford with two goals, while John Anderson, Ray Ferraro, Gavin and Quenneville added one apiece. Mike Liut stopped 26 of Calgary’s 31 shots to earn the victory. His second cousin, Ron Francis, finished without a point, but the Whalers still found enough offence to turn a three-goal deficit into a memorable opening-night win.

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4 St. Louis Blues Jack Adams Award Winners

The St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League have yet to take home their first Stanley Cup. The team joined the league in the expansion boom of 1967-68. The team has produced some great regular season teams and three coaches that won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year.

Red Berenson 1980-81

Red Berenson was no stranger to St. Louis when he became head coach of the team in 1979-80. The Blues were one of four teams that Berenson played for during his nearly 1,000 game NHL career, which also saw him play for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings. Red coached the Blues for just three years and won the Jack Adams Award in 1980-81. He has been the head coach of the University of Michigan Wolverines since the 1984-85 season.

That season, the Blues finished with 107 points, 27 more than the previous year. The team finished first in the Smythe Division and powered past the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs before falling to the New York Rangers. The team was led by Bernie Federko, Wayne Babych, Brian Sutter and Mike Liut.

Brian Sutter 1990-91

Brian Sutter moved behind the bench when his playing career ended and became the next St. Louis coach to win the Jack Adams Award in 1990-91. With the help of Brett Hull, Adam Oates and Scott Stevens, the Blues finished with 105 points, a 22 points improvement over the previous year, good for second place in the Norris Division and second overall. St. Louis beat the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs but lost to the Minnesota North Stars in the second.

Sutter played his entire career in a Blues jersey, from 1976-77 to 1987-88. He coached in the National Hockey League from 1988-89 to 2003-04. After St. Louis, he coached the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks.

Joel Quenneville 1999-00

Joel Quenneville is the last St. Louis Blues head coach to win the Jack Adams Award. Quenneville won the award in 1999-00 as the Blues posted 114 points to finish first overall in the NHL. It was a 27 point improvement on the previous year. The Stanley Cup playoffs were unkind with St. Louis losing in the first round to the San Jose Sharks. Playing starring roles on the 1999-00 Blues were Pavol Demitra, Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis.

Joel played over 800 games in the NHL from 1978-79 to 1990-91 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies, New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers and Washington Capitals. He has been a head coach in the National Hockey League since 1996-97. He began with the Blues and after a stint with the Colorado Avalanche, settled in with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was behind the bench for Chicago’s Stanley Cup victories in 2009-10 and 2012-13.

 

Ken Hitchcock 2011-12

 

Hitchcock took over as head coach of the Blues during the 2011-12 season, replacing Davis Payne 13 games into the campaign. It was his first head coaching job since getting let go by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2009-10. Ken led St. Louis to a first place tie in the Eastern Conference with the New York Rangers and just to points behind the Vancouver Canucks for first overall in the National Hockey League. The Blues were swept in the second round by eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings.

 

Never a player, Hitchcock got his start in coaching with the Kamloops Blazers in the WHL. The Blazers never had a losing season during Ken's six years behind the bench. He started out in the NHL in 1990-91 as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers, under head coach Paul Holmgren. Since 1995-96, Hitchcock has been a head coach in the NHL with the Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Blues. He won a Stanley Cup championship with the Stars in 1998-99.