|
It was, in so many ways, the kind of night that defines a postseason.
At Rogers Place, with the chill of late October hanging over Edmonton and a restless sellout crowd of nearly 39,000 packed in, the Hartford Whalers faced not just a hockey game, but the weight of an entire season. Down three games to two in the Stanley Cup Final, their backs firmly against the proverbial wall.
And then — the bats came alive.
In a stunning offensive outburst, Hartford pummeled the Edmonton Oilers 15–6, forcing a winner-take-all Game 7. And at the center of it all was one man — catcher Mike Zuke.
Two home runs. Six runs driven in. Three trips across the plate. It was a performance that would’ve looked at home on a warm summer afternoon at Fenway or Yankee Stadium. But this was a cool October night in Alberta, and the stakes were far higher.
“It’s about making the most of the moment,” Zuke would say later. And he did just that — driving a three-run blast in the fourth and adding another two-run shot in the eighth, quieting a crowd that had come to see their team celebrate.
Alfonso Jaime chipped in with a crucial double in the sixth that broke a 3–3 tie and ignited a five-run frame, while J. Alfaro added a three-run homer to put the game out of reach. For Hartford, every swing felt like a statement — they weren’t ready to let this series end.
The Oilers, meanwhile, had their moments — with Hwang In-ho and M. Funkhouser each providing power of their own. But this wasn’t Edmonton’s night. Not when Hartford’s lineup was relentless, not when the Whalers stole bases, took extra bags, and pushed the game’s tempo like a team with nothing to lose.
And so, as the final out was recorded just before midnight local time, the scoreboard told the story: Hartford 15, Edmonton 6.
For the Whalers, a team steeped in history and fighting for its modern identity, this was more than a win. It was a declaration — that the Cup would not be awarded tonight. That there will be one more game.
Game 7. Hartford Civic Center. Wednesday night. A series tied 3–3.
In a sport that so often celebrates the poetic drama of sudden death overtime and last-second saves, this will be something different — a winner-take-all moment, where legends are made and seasons are remembered.
Mike Zuke gave Hartford life. Now, with everything on the line, someone will etch their name into hockey history.
|