 |
| Detroit Whalers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Auburn Hills, Michigan |
| League | Ontario Hockey League |
| Operated | 1995–1997 |
| Colors | Navy blue, white, green and silver |
| Head coach | Peter DeBoer |
| Franchise history | |
| 1990–92 | Detroit Compuware Ambassadors |
| 1992–95 | Detroit Junior Red Wings |
| 1995–97 | Detroit Whalers |
| 1997–2015 | Plymouth Whalers |
| 2015–present | Flint Firebirds |
The Detroit Whalers were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League for two seasons from 1995 to 1997. The Whalers were based in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
The creation of the Detroit Whalers resulted after a failed takeover bid by Peter Karmanos to buy the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings from Mike Ilitch. The Junior Red Wings severed all ties with the NHL Red Wings when the relationship soured after the 1994–95 season ended.
When the Detroit Junior Red Wings were evicted from Joe Louis Arena in 1995, the franchise changed names and home arenas again. Karmanos renamed his franchise the Detroit Whalers, in association through common ownership with the NHL's Hartford Whalers team which Karmanos bought, instead of the Detroit Red Wings.
The Whalers found temporary home ice at its training base, the Oak Park Ice Arena, along with The Palace of Auburn Hills. The next year, the team had a permanent facility in Plymouth Township, Michigan. The team played for two seasons before renaming themselves again to the Plymouth Whalers.
Shortly after the Jr. Red Wings were finished playing in the Memorial Cup, general manager & head coach Paul Maurice was promoted to the Hartford Whalers. He would be replaced by the assistant coach Peter DeBoer, as new general manager & head coach. DeBoer would remain with the Whalers organization until 2001.
The Whalers attendance suffered in their first season after losing much of its fan base in downtown Detroit. The loss of the "Junior Red Wings" name also lowered the team's profile. Peter DeBoer set about rebuilding a new image and fan base for the franchise.
DeBoer's task for his team on the ice was to prepare to play on two completely opposite home ice surfaces. The tiny Oak Park Arena favored a hard checking team while the spacious Palace (25 miles away) was an NHL size 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), and won their second consecutive Western Division title and the Bumbacco Trophy.
The 1996 playoffs started with a cross-border matchup of Detroit vs. Windsor that fans had wanted since 1990. Detroit finished 38 points ahead of Windsor during the regular season, but the series took seven games to decide. Detroit won the first three games of the series, but Windsor won the next three games. Detroit clinched the series with a 9-2 victory in game seven. The Whalers moved on to defeat the Kitchener 4 games to 1 in the second round. The Whalers were eliminated in the semi-finals, losing to the Peterborough Petes in five games.
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 had arrived in Plymouth in 1996–97, and began to build a new fan base, and rebuild the team on the ice. DeBoer and newly appointed assistant coach Steve Spott chose a team full of rookies, and a handful of veterans. The Whalers revamped their roster with a hard-working scouting staff. First round pick Harold Druken scored 27 goals with 31 assists in his first season.
The Whalers made the playoffs despite finish with a losing record of 26-34-6. Detroit met their old foe, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the playoffs. After losing the first three games, the Whalers came from three goals behind in the fourth game to prolong the series, winning 4-3 in double overtime. The game was the longest in the franchise's history (90 minutes, 2 seconds). The Greyhounds won the next game 8-3, but the Whalers' rookies gained valuable experience for the next season.
Bryan Berard won his second consecutive Max Kaminsky Trophy in 1995–96 as the most outstanding defenceman in the OHL. The same season he was the Canadian Hockey League Defenceman of the Year.
Regular season
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Points | Pct % | Goals for | Goals against | Standing |
| 1995–96 | 66 | 40 | 22 | 4 | 84 | 0.636 | 319 | 243 | 1st Western |
| 1996–97 | 66 | 26 | 34 | 6 | 58 | 0.439 | 230 | 270 | 4th Western |
Playoffs
During the 1995–96 season, the Detroit Whalers played 21 regular season home games at The Palace of Auburn Hills, and the remaining 12 regular season home games and playoff home games at the Oak Park Ice Arena.
Karmanos arranged to build the Whalers a new home in Plymouth Township as soon as the 1995–96 season ended. The new arena was constructed in 6 months, in time for the 1996–97 season. The Detroit Whalers played all games of their second season at the Compuware Sports Arena.
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to 1997. Originally based in Boston, the team joined the WHA in the league's inaugural season, and was known as the New England Whalers throughout its time in the WHA. The Whalers moved to Hartford in 1974 and joined the NHL in the NHL–WHA merger of 1979.
The Owen Sound Attack are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. Based in Owen Sound since 1989, and operating under the current name since 2000, the Attack play their home games at the J. D. McArthur Arena inside the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
The Plymouth Whalers were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They played out of Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, USA, a suburb of Detroit until 2015 when they were relocated to Flint, Michigan.
The Sarnia Sting are a junior ice hockey team based in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. They are one of the 20 teams that make up the Ontario Hockey League. They play out of the Progressive Auto Sales Arena.
The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the GFL Memorial Gardens. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The Greyhounds name has been used by several ice hockey teams based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, since 1919.
The Windsor Spitfires are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team is based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1971, the franchise was promoted to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for the 1975–76 season. An unrelated Windsor Spitfires team, founded in 1946, moved to become the Hamilton Tiger Cubs in 1953, and later became the Erie Otters in 1996.
The Detroit Junior Red Wings were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League for three seasons from 1992 to 1995. The Jr. Red Wings were based in Detroit, Michigan.
The Detroit Vipers were an International Hockey League team. The team was founded in 1994, and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The USA Hockey Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Plymouth Township, Michigan, opened in 1996. Originally known as the Compuware Sports Arena, its name was shortened to Compuware Arena on September 11, 2007, to better market the venue for non-sporting events it hosted. It was renamed again to USA Hockey Arena in 2015 when the USA Hockey Foundation purchased the arena.
Peter Karmanos Jr. is an American businessman who was most recently the minority owner and alternate governor of the Carolina Hurricanes franchise until June 30, 2021. He served as their principal owner from 1994 to 2018. He also owned the Plymouth Whalers junior ice hockey club from its establishment in 1990 until 2015, and was the majority owner of the Florida Everblades from 1998 to 2019.
Paul Maurice is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). At age 43, Maurice became the youngest coach in NHL history to coach 1,000 games, reaching the milestone on November 28, 2010. He also holds a record for the most losses by an NHL coach with 713.
George Peter DeBoer is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the head coach for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is also a co-owner of the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
The Detroit Compuware Ambassadors were an elite Midget Major ice hockey team playing in the Tier I Elite Hockey League. The Ambassadors previously had separate franchises that competed in the North American Hockey League and in the Ontario Hockey League for two seasons from 1990 to 1992. The Compuware Ambassadors were based in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1970, the Junior A level was divided into two more levels, Tier I and Tier II. In 1974, the "Major Junior A" division of the OHA became the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) and began to operate independently of the OHA. Finally in 1980, the OMJHL became the Ontario Hockey League.
The 1995–96 OHL season was the 16th season of the Ontario Hockey League. The league expanded as the Barrie Colts entered into the central division. The Detroit Junior Red Wings become the Detroit Whalers. Seventeen teams each played 66 games. The Peterborough Petes won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Guelph Storm.
The 1996–97 OHL season was the 17th season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Niagara Falls Thunder move to Erie becoming the Erie Otters. Seventeen teams each played 66 games. The Oshawa Generals won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Ottawa 67's.
The 1997–98 OHL season was the 18th season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Toronto St. Michael's Majors name was reactivated when they are awarded a franchise, to play in the east division. The Detroit Whalers became the Plymouth Whalers. Eighteen teams each played 66 games. The Guelph Storm won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the Ottawa 67's.
The 1998–99 OHL season was the 19th season of the Ontario Hockey League. The Brampton Battalion and the Mississauga IceDogs were added as expansion teams. The league realigned from three divisions into two conferences and four divisions. Brampton were placed in the Midwest division of the Western conference, and Mississauga were placed in the Central division of the Eastern conference. The OHL inaugurated four new trophies this season. The Holody Trophy was created for the regular season champion of the Midwest division. Two conference playoffs champions were created; the Bobby Orr Trophy for the Eastern conference, and the Wayne Gretzky Trophy for the Western conference. The fourth new trophy was the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award, to be awarded to the MVP of the playoffs. Twenty teams each played sixty-eight games. The Belleville Bulls won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, defeating the London Knights.
The 1996–97 Hartford Whalers season was the 25th season of the franchise and the 18th and final season in Hartford. The Whalers would move to Greensboro, North Carolina, the next season to become the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Flint Firebirds are a major junior ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan. The team plays home games at the Dort Financial Center, and operates as a member of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team began play for the 2015–16 season. In September 2022, the Firebirds announced the Leamington Flyers as an affiliate.