New England Whalers
VS
Indianapolis Racers
WHALERS WIN!!!! 5-3
It was Hockey Nite In Hartford that night against the Racers.
Going into the game, Mike Rogers was the Whaler leading scorer with 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists).
Gordie Howe was second with 31 points (8 goals, 23 assists). Toughguy Jack Carlson, Mike Antonovich, John McKenzie, Larry Pleau, Dave Keon,
Mark Howe, Gordie Roberts and Tom Webster all had more than 20 points. Al Smith was number one in goalies stats with a 16-3-3 record and a 2.61 gaa.
Jack Carlson recorded his first hat trick of his major league career the week earlier against the Winnipeg Jets. Tom Webster and Tom Antonovich also had
hat tricks recorded for the Whalers that season.
John "Pie" McKenzie Moves in on Unindentified Nordique Goalie
Where did some of the Whalers stay during their tenure witht the Whalers? Alan Hangsleben and George Lyle are among the few who stayed at the ranch home of Mark and Marge Kravitz in Manchester.
It seems the Kravitz's had some empty space in their home after their children moved away. Some of the Whalers, who didn't want to sign leases, asked if they could rent out some of the rooms. The Kravitz's said "sure".
Hangsleben really enjoyed the Kravitz's cooking. Marge said his favorite was porkchops, apple pie and french fries.
Hangsleben Protecting the Puck (Undoubtedly with a Filled Stomach)
The "Update" section had a look back at two Whaler losses against the Winnipeg Jets. The first game was a 6-3 loss the second (Jack Carlson's Hat trick night) was a 7-3 defeat. Two of Carlson's goals came just 15 seconds apart
in the third period to close the deficit to 5-3. Dave Dryskow put the game away for the Jets when he scored a goal at 17:38 of the third period. Despite the losses, the Whalers still had a six point lead on the Jets as of December 20, 1977.
That's about it for this program. Additional articles focused on Gordie Howe. No sense putting notes on those in since he has been focused on fairly extensively on numerous other websites.