Oddballs - 1985-86 7 Eleven

Time for the first oddball card to be featured here on Whalers Hockey Cards.  This one's from the 1985-86 7 Eleven hockey set.  I've sometimes seen these referred to as "7 Eleven Credit Cards", I'm guessing based on the fact that they have rounded corners and a horizontal layout, but in truth these are a bit smaller than a credit card.  There are 25 total cards in the set, if you're interested you can read a writeup and see scans for all 25 cards on my other blog (it's worth checking out for the photo of Ron Duguay alone!).  The Whalers, like all teams, have just a single card in the set:
 

#7 - Ron Francis/Mike Liut

I'll grant you that this is never going to stand out as one of my more aesthetically pleasing Whalers cards.  It is a unique item that you don't see every day though, and given that the entire set cost me just $1 it was a no-brainer to add to my Whalers collection.  Each card depicts portrait shots of two stars from the team on the front, and getting the call for the Whalers were Ron Francis and Mike Liut.  Liut is a notable selection for a couple of reasons.  First, there are only 2-3 goalies featured in the set, and secondly he is pictured in St. Louis Blues sweater since he had come to Hartford in a trade just the season before this set was released.

The back of these cards doesn't focus on the players depicted on the front, but instead gives a brief write-up on the team in general.  I think 7 Eleven did a pretty good job summarizing the Whalers in so few words.  They managed to get in some examples of the team's futility (Civic Center roof collapse and failure to make playoffs), but also noted the loyalty of the fans despite the team's lack of success.  Not a bad synopsis of the franchise if you ask me.