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Bring Back The Whale!!!

GHartford

By GHartford
in Greater Hartford

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Luca Brasi Hamlet

Luca Brasi

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Posted

I think you meant to say that the XL center is losing events to the meadows and casinos.

Yes... that is exactly what I meant. The Meadows is just far enough from downtown that downtown businesses do not get the benefit of having 10,000+ people in town for a concert.

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MadVlad Town

MadVlad

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The answer to that is........ develop Windsor St. That, to me, has been the biggest waste of potential in this city. Perfect way to expand downtown's footprint a little, much wasted space, perfect for 6 story brownstones and a little retail/restaurant/bar action...

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drc72 Burg

drc72

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But Bettman should not be allowed to deny a team owner the right to move his own team. He certainly didn't seem to have a problem when the Whalers left for Raleigh in 13 years ago. But now he wants teams like the Coyotes and Predators to stay put. And he's trying to block Jim Balsillie of Research In Motion from buying a bankrupt NHL team and moving them to Hamilton, Ontario. Seriously, what is Bettman's problem? Whatever it is, he doesn't know what he's doing. Bettman's got to go.

It's mind boggling indeed!!!! I just can't understand Bettman's fascination with the south. A lot of those teams are failing, but yet he still tries to save those markets. Hey commish thanks for backing up Hartford. Bring them back north were they belong.

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MadVlad Town

MadVlad

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I want to the Rock Cats game tonight, here's an unofficial count: 2 Whalers hats (including mine), 2 Whalers shirts, one Whalers tattoo, and the Rock Cats store sold Whalers tee's... and other than the store, all that was just in my section.

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The Voice of Reason Town

The Voice of Reason

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I hate to have to write this.....

I know its great to see the whale tale logo all over the place, but I see it as a little of a sad thing.

it means we are now a piece of sports kitch history

the negro league teams all sold a ton of clothes for a while there too, and no one ever imagined those teams "coming back"

retro is cool, and the whale is apparently retro now.

hell, the whale was also being rocked by a few people at Damons pub for the us soccer viewing party on Saturday, but by no means does that help the cause.

now if T-Shirt sales actually contributed to a new Arena fund or something.... then we would be on to something

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HartfordTycoon Town

HartfordTycoon

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I hate to have to write this.....

I know its great to see the whale tale logo all over the place, but I see it as a little of a sad thing.

it means we are now a piece of sports kitch history

the negro league teams all sold a ton of clothes for a while there too, and no one ever imagined those teams "coming back"

retro is cool, and the whale is apparently retro now.

hell, the whale was also being rocked by a few people at Damons pub for the us soccer viewing party on Saturday, but by no means does that help the cause.

now if T-Shirt sales actually contributed to a new Arena fund or something.... then we would be on to something

Well, I think the Whale has a better chance of making a return than the Negro league does! Thankfully on a few different levels! I think its good to see the Whalers gear getting popular. The Whalers are more popular nationally than most existing NHL teams and certainly more so than the hurricanes. That's saying something. If the Whale were to return I think national interest in the NHL would go up and that the fans in CT would be even more on the bandwagon than ever.

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MadVlad Town

MadVlad

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I agree, I think all the press and exposure is really taking this to a new level, and I'd assume Howard Baldwin is the one to thank. It can't be a coincidence that people like Adam Sandler and Megan Fox, two people that have no discernible ties to Hartford or the Whalers, suddenly appear wearing Whalers gear. I have to say I'm as optimistic as I've ever been about getting a team, it's just that the timing stinks, there is literally no money to build a new arena, which is the linchpin to any deal.

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beash19 Unincorporated Area

beash19

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I agree, I think all the press and exposure is really taking this to a new level, and I'd assume Howard Baldwin is the one to thank. It can't be a coincidence that people like Adam Sandler and Megan Fox, two people that have no discernible ties to Hartford or the Whalers, suddenly appear wearing Whalers gear. I have to say I'm as optimistic as I've ever been about getting a team, it's just that the timing stinks, there is literally no money to build a new arena, which is the linchpin to any deal.

I agree completely. However I must remind you that a new arena does not need to happen right now. Right now, Baldwin needs to win the support of Connecticut residents (and businesses). Then he needs to make the Hockeyfest a huge success. Then he needs to land an AHL team and let them play in the XL Center. Once that happens, then it becomes time to start looking for funding of a new arena. This, along with having an AHL Whalers team should begin to allow Baldwin to press the NHL to reconsider Hartford as a viable market. I'm all for this and hope with all my heart that this succeeds. But I know that patience is a must.

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The Voice of Reason Town

The Voice of Reason

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all those things you wrote are true, but the sale of merchandise is not at all an indicator, especially if 2 hollywood people are wearing whalers schwag. hell when ashton kutcher wears some old trucking companys hat, does that help them out?

its fasion, sadly thats all it is. again if the revenues at all went toward a team it would be another thing entirely. but right now the merchandise is completely seperate from the movement to bring a team back, and eventually build an arena etc...

I am an extremely hopefull hockey fan and many times have stated my willingness to cast off a 25 year relationship with the New York Rangers (hey I grew up there) if we were to get a local team. I would be standing in line for season tickets. I will be at the winter hockey fest, I will spread the word and I drink my morning coffee out of a whalers mug at work as my little show of support, but untill the mugs, t-shirts, and jerseys actually benefit an organization here in hartford dedicated towards bring a team here, there is little behind all the merch, its just memorabilia now.

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drc72 Burg

drc72

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I hate to have to write this.....

I know its great to see the whale tale logo all over the place, but I see it as a little of a sad thing.

it means we are now a piece of sports kitch history

the negro league teams all sold a ton of clothes for a while there too, and no one ever imagined those teams "coming back"

retro is cool, and the whale is apparently retro now.

hell, the whale was also being rocked by a few people at Damons pub for the us soccer viewing party on Saturday, but by no means does that help the cause.

now if T-Shirt sales actually contributed to a new Arena fund or something.... then we would be on to something

I see were your coming from, but you gotta admit, 13 years later and there's still a pretty strong following. I find that pretty impressive.

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beash19 Unincorporated Area

beash19

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I see were your coming from, but you gotta admit, 13 years later and there's still a pretty strong following. I find that pretty impressive.

It sure looks to me like things are moving along...and at a much faster pace than I could have ever imagined. I really didnt expect Baldwin to be the owner of any team until at least 2011. But would be thrilled if he were to take control for this upcoming season.

http://www.courant.com/sports/hockey/hc-jacobs-baldwin-wolf-pack-column-0720100702,0,711595.column

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beash19 Unincorporated Area

beash19

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All I can say is "it's about frickin' time!". And here is Scott Gray's diatribe today: 7/30 Scott Gray

This is exciting!!! It seemed a few months ago that things were moving along quickly. Then it seemed to die down a bit, but now the news has picked up again. This is great stuff!

The only issue I have with Gray's words is in regards to the XL Center. The amount being put into the modernization upgrades would probably be in the millions, right? Is it worth doing the upgrades now rather than just wait a couple years and then replace it completely? I know something needs to be done, but will the funding be found for the modernization over a new arena? And if the mod takes place now, how much longer will it be until they offer the funding for a new arena?

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MadVlad Town

MadVlad

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The Whalers Fan Fest last weekend was a success, 4,700 people showed up to support a team that doesn't exist, better attendance than most current Wolf Pack games. I got to talk with Ron Francis, Kevin Dineen, and STanley CUp winning coach Joel Quenneville, as well as Howard Baldwin. Word has it that Baldwin's takeover and remake of the Wolf Pack is all but a done deal, with the name change to be "Connecticut Whalers", with significantly better marketing and a surge in attendance, hopefully. This is the first step to getting our team back...

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MadVlad Town

MadVlad

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And we've been getting a ton of press too...

NBC Sports, hottest selling NHL brand

NBC Sports II, raises questions?

Houston Press, from a Hartford area native

PuckUpdate.com, NHL, the better times

New England Hockey Journal

ESPN

Yahoo Sports

Yahoo Sports II

NY Times

Not bad for a team that technically hasn't existed in 13 years...

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HartfordTycoon Town

HartfordTycoon

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It's great to see all of this Whalers talk all over the country! I hope that we can really all get behind a rebranded AHL team and show them that we deserve something more. Part of a sports league's success is having teams that transcend their own regions and the Whalers have become that. They are more popular now nationally than they ever were while they were here and the NHL has to realize that it would be a huge PR boost to have them return to the league. The Carolina Hurricanes brand can't even come close. I saw a video of a Bettman interview where he said Karmanos was upset to find out that the NHL was back in the business of selling Whalers gear and that they are one of the most popular teams. I'm so happy that the Hurricanes get no revenue from Whalers gear and hope that the CT Development Authority is being compensated somehow.

Long Live the Whale!!!

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