Beaupre Ties Herron

Two nights ago, Don Beaupre shutout the Anaheim Ducks 4-0. It was his second shutout of the year, but more importantly, it brought him within one shutout of tying Denis Herron’s all-time record of 46. Over Herron’s illustrious career, which was predominantly split between Colorado and Edmonton, he won 639 games, the most in NFHL history, along with two Vezina Trophies. Yesterday, in 141 fewer games, Beaupre matched his 46 shutouts, this time blanking the Calgary Flames, also by a 4-0 score.  Hartford jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, getting the first goal from Robert Reichel and the next two from Mario Lemieux, who now has a league leading 37 goals on the season.

“It’s great to put together a bit of a run” said Beaupre, who now has only given up one goal in his last three games, including the 6-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Initially, management expected to start Jean-Claude Bergeron in net against the Sabres, and possibly Flames as well, but decided to keep Beaupre between the pipes following his shutout against Anaheim, especially with four days off before the next game.

“You always want to keep playing, especially when things are going your way. I’m glad they decided to keep me in net to try to keep building on things” added Beaupre when asked about his usage.

Now 36 years old, Beaupre has played every game of his career for the Whalers, famously coming to Connecticut along with Peter Andersson way back in the 1981 offseason in a blockbuster deal that sent Paul Coffey to the Edmonton Oilers, defining the trajectory of both teams. While Beaupre has not provided a firm indication yet on his intentions to play next season, the Whalers are hoping he’ll continue his career for as long as he can, especially while Martin Biron, the heir apparent, continues to develop.

For now, Beaupre finds himself in rarified air. The future Hall of Famer likely has another 18-20 starts left this season as he hopes to break the record, before having to confront questions about the future. Most importantly, though, Beaupre is set on another accomplishment – a second SMJ Cup. “The record is nice, I’m hoping I can get it sooner than later and put it behind me. But in all honesty, the only thing I care about is winning another championship. I’d trade all the shutouts of my career for another Cup, that’s for sure.”

Hartford is off the rest of the week before retaking the ice against the New Jersey Devils, with Beaupre’s chase beginning in earnest. That’s all for now Whaler fans, check back in later for more updates, and Go Whalers!