NEW JERSEY VS. TORONTO BUFFALO VS. PITTSBURGH COLORADO VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. ST. LOUIS

Thursday, April 26 Making a name Joy Russo ESPN.com Before the 1986 playoffs, the only real NHL honor the Hartford Whalers could call their own was the team's arena name – Hartford Civic Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum was the longest in the league. Canadiens 4, Whalers 3 Date Result Goalie 4/17 Whalers 4, Habs 1 Liut 4/19 Habs 3, Whalers 1 Roy 4/21 Habs 4, Whalers 1 Liut-Weeks 4/23 Whalers 2, Habs 1 Weeks 4/25 Habs 5, Whalers 3 Roy 4/27 Whalers 1, Habs 0 Liut 4/29 Habs 2, Whalers 1 Roy Although fans dodged this special tag and simplified matters by calling it "The Mall," the Whale earned respect in the '86 postseason. The Whalers were making their first trip to the playoffs since 1979-80, their first year in Hartford. After a three-game sweep of the first-place Quebec Nordiques, Hartford met the Canadiens – the same team that swept the Howe-led Whale in 1980. Just like their opening series, the Whalers weren't given a chance against Montreal in the Adams Division championship series. The Habs sported players like Mats Naslund, Larry Robinson, Guy Carbonneau and a rookie goaltender named Patrick Roy. But wise draft choices over the years that included Ron Francis, Sylvain Turgeon, Kevin Dineen and Ray Ferraro helped Hartford build a solid core of gritty scorers. They would finally show off those skills on the larger stage. Hartford came out flying in Game 1, taking the opener 4-1 in Montreal behind Mike Liut's 26 saves. The Whalers dropped the next two games before Kevin Dineen scored at 1:06 in overtime to give Hartford a 2-1 victory that tied the series at 2. In Game 6, Liut shut out the Habs with 32 saves and Dineen scored the lone goal to tie the series again, forcing a decisive Game 7. It was back to Montreal. The turnaround? The Canadiens outshot the Whale 32-25, but the game was a lot closer than that. While Hartford's youthful core was trying to keep the team's season alive, it was another rookie that ended their hopes. Claude Lemieux fired a shot past Liut at 5:55 of overtime to clinch the series for the Habs, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. The MVP The Whale. This single series put Hartford on the board as a contender and the team reached the playoffs for the next six seasons. But poor trades and financial troubles caught up with the franchise, which moved to Carolina in 1997. Joy Russo is a staff editor for ESPN.com Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories