Baldwin not recieving warm welcome

[uconn99]

Authority Not Betting On Baldwin's Dream Of NHL In Hartford

This is insance. The guy has love for the city, is willing to use his own money, and is getting the door shut in his face. Unbelievable.

[HartfordTycoon]

un-freakin-beleiveble. We need to dump those losers at MSG, they are called MSG for a reason, they care about New York. This is Hartford. Let's let someone who actually wants to see something big in Hartford take over. Let's just give him a shot. What do we have to loose and look at his resume'. I mean c'mon.

[MadVlad]

Connecticut is so friggin screwed up, it's unbelievable. they just squander chances left and right....

[uconn99]

This almost makes me want to cry. How can these people be so stupid, let alone be in charge of things at the HCC.

[MadVlad]

Well, here's something simple you can do, vote "no" on this poll....

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-cdams...64784,post.poll

[Hartfordfan]

Hello i am a new member but a fellow hartford fan. Like all of us i only wish for the best for hartford. In response to the article, the state might of screwed the best chance of getting a pro team in hartford. But first some things need to be changed to the civic center.

[MadVlad]

Welcome , brother...

[uconn99]

Seriously there isnt a whole lot wrong with the Civic center. Yes, it is old, but it has undergone some renovations in recent years with the score board, all new seats, and some other minor things. The one thing that has to go is the ugly purple and take that huge HC logo off the basketball court.

Other than crowded hallways, the place has a good sound system, nice scoreboard, and above average seats. To bring the place up to professional standards is another thing, but for right now or for a new AHL team the place is fine. It is in better shape than when the Whalers were there.

[MadVlad]

Which doesn't mean anything. Not sure if you've been in any sort of "new" arenas, but they are set up different now. The luxury boxes aren't skyboxes anymore, they are in between the first and second tiers. There aren't enough revenue streams for the HCC to be successful with any sort of pro franchise.

[Hartfordfan]

he's right. Remember the civic center was built in the 70's. its probably one the oldest out there excluding some college basketball arenas. a typical arena sits 18,000-20,000 ppl with new amenties. The civic center sits about 16,000 and doesn't have many amenities. the walkways are narrow and seats don't even have cupholders. There is so much competition from cities that have new arenas that it is very hard to lure a team to hartford.

[uconn99]

I know all that. I attend Phoenix coyote games at the Glendale arena weekly and that place is probably one of the nicest if not best places to watch hockey in the nation. Basically what I ment is for a AHL team like the wolfpack, or a new AHL team that baldwin wants, the civic center right at this moment is fine. There is no need for a new civic center right now unless there was a sure bet on getting a NHL or NBA team.

[Germaine]

Connecticut is so friggin screwed up, it's unbelievable. they just squander chances left and right....

It does seem that way doesn't it? With all due respect to Lake Compounce, I still can't believe we let Six Flags move up the street to a location JUST ACROSS the border!!!!!!

[HartfordTycoon]

It does seem that way doesn't it? With all due respect to Lake Compounce, I still can't believe we let Six Flags move up the street to a location JUST ACROSS the border!!!!!!

I have alot of friends who still fell that way too. I don't mind it being there because it's still close, but If it were in CT that would obviously be better for CT.

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

I think the existing HCC (with a few upgrades) is doable, provided it is almost-to-completely sold out for all 40 Whalers home games. Just went to a UConn game, and they are FINALLY walking around selling beer in the stands - woo-hoo!

Who is signed up for retail in the new 'mall'?

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-whale...headlines-local

Pinheaded morons.

[JC3124]

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-whale...headlines-local

Pinheaded morons.

The key to that is "short term". The long term i think we still have a good shot, hopefully Jim Amann can hurry things up a bit, he has some power.

[HartfordTycoon]

There is a silver lining here. Northland has expressed interest in the Coloseum and would, of course, recomend building a new one for us. Should the state decide that we needed a new one. And I think we all know we need a new one, built to NBA and NHL standards. Even if we only have Uconn in there, we would have a better chance at getting tournament games on the men's side and not just for the women.

[GregV]

I honestly haven't paid much attention to this Return of the Whale talk. I've heard the same war-cry over and over again since they left and have lost interest. Until now.

IMO, this article has uncovered the most promising development yet in the battle to return our beloved Whalers. Two heavyweights are entering the ring, the only two that seem to get anything done in this town: Northland and Mayor Perez.

Seriously, this isn't the silver lining, this is the sun rising in the east...potentially.

[MadVlad]

Northland wanting to be involved in a new arena is great news. Maybe they'll pick a new spot so they can own the current city-block that the HCC currently sits on, which I'm ok with.

[beerbeer]

I question whether Hartford is ready for the return of the NHL.

The city needs to do a few things first to make the return a success.

More downtown housing would be a start. I think they need to finish Front Street as well. These projects will make Hartford a better place to visit, more lively with more to do. This would have a positive effect on drawing folks to a downtown arena.

The Civic Center is not NHL ready. It may never be. There are no luxury boxes at the mezzanine level to create the revenue stream that the NHL needs. Seating needs to be in the 18-20 thousand range. A new arena might be the answer. But that's a number of years away.

The bigger issue is the jobs crisis in Connecticut. Until the state becomes job competitive with other states, there won't be the positive growth that insures the long-term success of an NHL franchise.

I was a big Whalers fan. Rather than bring in another franchise that could fail. The city and state need to fix the foundation that will ensure NHL success.

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

I question whether Hartford is ready for the return of the NHL.

The city needs to do a few things first to make the return a success.

More downtown housing would be a start. I think they need to finish Front Street as well. These projects will make Hartford a better place to visit, more lively with more to do. This would have a positive effect on drawing folks to a downtown arena.

The Civic Center is not NHL ready. It may never be. There are no luxury boxes at the mezzanine level to create the revenue stream that the NHL needs. Seating needs to be in the 18-20 thousand range. A new arena might be the answer. But that's a number of years away.

The bigger issue is the jobs crisis in Connecticut. Until the state becomes job competitive with other states, there won't be the positive growth that insures the long-term success of an NHL franchise.

I was a big Whalers fan. Rather than bring in another franchise that could fail. The city and state need to fix the foundation that will ensure NHL success.

Good points, but even if we start the process today, we're talking years before anything official happens - best to get your oars in the water early. At least the Bruins stink.

[GregV]

That is true. If Northland were involved, we would be talking about a new arena, potentially on the same site as the current coliseum. I could even foresee putting the new arena in the Front Street development, mainly because the city would not want to go up to 4 years without an arena at all. Most arenas/stadiums stay open while construction on their replacement is executed (e.g., proposals for MSG, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, etc.).

So, assuming that i) Hartford will have the demand/climate favorable to a professional sports team in 2010, ii) to bring the NHL/NBA we need a new stadium (IMO, we do), and iii) demolition/construction will take 3-5 years, we'll need a new site. Any other suggestions?

I say Front Street, or the lots in front of the Crowne Plaza.

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

That is true. If Northland were involved, we would be talking about a new arena, potentially on the same site as the current coliseum. I could even foresee putting the new arena in the Front Street development, mainly because the city would not want to go up to 4 years without an arena at all. Most arenas/stadiums stay open while construction on their replacement is executed (e.g., proposals for MSG, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, etc.).

So, assuming that i) Hartford will have the demand/climate favorable to a professional sports team in 2010, ii) to bring the NHL/NBA we need a new stadium (IMO, we do), and iii) demolition/construction will take 3-5 years, we'll need a new site. Any other suggestions?

I say Front Street, or the lots in front of the Crowne Plaza.

Probably not enough room at Front St., but the early plans called for an eventual expansion over the Whitehead highway towards the Colt building - now THAT would really connect everything (ConstitutionPlaza ---> Front Street housing/retail ---> Arena ---> more housing ---> Colt Redevelopment)

[TaylorG4444]

I can think of a few other possible locations for a new arena, but there are certain things one would have to know before looking for a possible site. 1.) You'd need to know how big the arena would be (how many seats you'd want it to have and other things of that nature) and 2.) You'd need to find out if peopel would be comfortable going to the location presented. No offense to whose idea it was, but having the arena near the Crowne hotel would be a bad idea....some people meet think it was too close to the North End and freak out. Escpecially the welloff from the suburbs. They freak out when you just mention the area. I think it would be cool to open up the river again and build it right next to the river. That way you could go early to a game and have dinner at the open air restaurant that looks over the newly re-opened river running below you. However, to do it the right way it would entail the burial of I-84 near DT and over to the Park Residences near Trinity. But like I said before....it all depends on the size of the arena the city wants. I don't know if it would be wise to have an arena more than 17,000 (including skyboxes). All I know is that it would be nice to have the Whale back in town.

[HartfordTycoon]

The new arena could go where Channel 3 and the vacant Clarion Hotel Site is. That could be incorporated somehow back into the streetscape with Front Street and The Mariott, Science Center, and Convention center. Columbus Blvd. would become one of the main strips in the region.