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Bring Back The Whale!!!

GHartford

By GHartford
in Greater Hartford

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Theophrastus Bombastus Hamlet

Theophrastus Bombastus

Posted
Posted

IT was on the Courant Web site last night.

The pack, is now "the Whale".

it's some where between the wold pack, and the Whalers, but will certainly be a welcome change for many and at least help to symbolize this new era, and moving forward

Join Whalers Sports & Entertainment

at the XL Center Atrium TODAY for a

Hartford Hockey press conference

and event.

The festivities begin at 4:30 PM

when Pucky arrives and the music

starts. Press conference scheduled

for 5:15 PM.

Please join us for a great night in

Hartford hockey history.

I guess it's going to be the "Connecticut Whale"... a little clunky, but I'm sure there are legal issues involved.

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HartfordTycoon Town

HartfordTycoon

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I'm glad that the Penguins were able to get a new arena in Pittsburgh truthfully and think that Hartford does have a shot at getting the NHL back. However, we all know we need a new arena and Kansas City has a state of the art building with no major Pro or College tenants but it has worked out for them anyway. They are keeping it booked and it's doing extremely well attracting concerts and other events. If Hartford had a new arena we would be in at least that same position but we have two major college tenants in the UConn Men's and Women's Basketball teams. Building a new arena is a no brainer to me and hopefully if we get this parking deal it will be something that is coming soon. I would actually have a lot more respect for the city if they could get something like this done on their own without the state helping. I think it would shock the whole region.

Pittsburgh Tribune

The Hartford Whalers moved to North Carolina in 1997, became the Hurricanes and won the Stanley Cup in 2006.

No matter to the fans who still wear the Whalers' blue and green sweaters and hope their team will come back. They got a boost this week when former Penguins owner Howard Baldwin announced his company will manage Hartford's minor-league team and rename it the Connecticut Whale.

"I believe we now have a window of three to seven years," said Alan Victor, immediate past president of the Hartford Whalers Booster Club. "If it doesn't happen then, it's not going to happen."

*******************

"We have a state-of-the-art building identical to your building," said Paul McGannon, founder of a National Hockey League booster group in Kansas City called NHL21. "The only difference is we don't have a team with championship banners in it."

No one should cry for Kansas City, officials there said. Through the first half of this year, the Sprint Center drew more fans to concerts and non-sporting events than all but two other arenas -- Madison Square Garden in New York and Philips Arena in Atlanta.

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The Voice of Reason Town

The Voice of Reason

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Pitt is a great Hockey city, and them loosing a team would have been worse than our loss (for the NHL)

it is also a decent sized city that can easily support 1 indoor sport.

Now before I go off on Arenas etc....

My buddy and I are looking at season tickets for the Whale in the red area. but we dont want a ton if crying kids around. we drink beer and we curse etc... is there an area to avoid if this is what we are after?

basicly, where is the supporters section?, the student section,the frat house of hockey at the civic center?

now back to arenas...

I think if the city were to get this done it would be amazing. but I think the state SHOULD help. hell, the city represents a 3 mile perimiter to any new arena. Every Hotel in Hartford county should at least contribute a little room tax. or something.

I say this mainly because I would like any new arena development to also include another 1 or 2 residential towers downtown. killing 2 birds kind of thing

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beash19 Unincorporated Area

beash19

Posted
Posted

Pitt is a great Hockey city, and them loosing a team would have been worse than our loss (for the NHL)

it is also a decent sized city that can easily support 1 indoor sport.

Now before I go off on Arenas etc....

My buddy and I are looking at season tickets for the Whale in the red area. but we dont want a ton if crying kids around. we drink beer and we curse etc... is there an area to avoid if this is what we are after?

basicly, where is the supporters section?, the student section,the frat house of hockey at the civic center?

now back to arenas...

I think if the city were to get this done it would be amazing. but I think the state SHOULD help. hell, the city represents a 3 mile perimiter to any new arena. Every Hotel in Hartford county should at least contribute a little room tax. or something.

I say this mainly because I would like any new arena development to also include another 1 or 2 residential towers downtown. killing 2 birds kind of thing

I dont believe you will find such a section for the Wolf Pack games. And while I am a father and never want to subject my child to the language that comes with professional sports fans...I am one of those fans when she is not with me. The language slips out at times. I think no matter where you sit, the weeknight games will have much less kids than the weekend day games. Those are where you'll get the stares from the moms (and dads at times) for you language.

I can't tell you how excited I am that the Whale is back. There are many people who have a problem with the new name. I cant say I'm one of them. My only problem with it is that every time I go to type it, I have to erase the "rs" at the end. Brass Bonanza baby!!!

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The Voice of Reason Town

The Voice of Reason

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yeah, people get a little hung up on the name.

name matters little, but know that its associated with the old school whalers. and they wont wear rangers on their chest, so that should be enough.

they could be called the hartford hillbillies for all i care as long as its a representation of a step in the right direction. and for that, we need to support this team and organization. we know baldwin is not a bad guy.

lets support, and we can add rs to the back oh whale

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HartfordTycoon Town

HartfordTycoon

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Everyone knows that Hartford needs a new arena. Somebody, anybody, needs to make that happen.

UConn's The Daily Campus

While it's tough to see in these economic times, a new arena is going to be built in Hartford – sooner rather than later. As the XL Center grows more and more decrepit, the biggest cash cow, UConn basketball, is going to want a better place to play. While the students would love it if all home games were played at Gampel, the men and women continue to draw more than 10,000 fans a game and I can't foresee a way that the city of Hartford could stand losing this revenue.

Bringing a team back to Hartford is a long process, and bolstering AHL attendance is only the very beginning. The XL Center needs to be fitted with shops, restaurants and attractions to make fans come before the game and stick around after. Sure the Whalers may have been the laughing stock of the NHL for "playing in a mall," but the businesses thrived and the Civic Center was a destination, not just a place to watch a hockey game.

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drc72 Burg

drc72

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Everyone knows that Hartford needs a new arena. Somebody, anybody, needs to make that happen.

UConn's The Daily Campus

While it's tough to see in these economic times, a new arena is going to be built in Hartford – sooner rather than later. As the XL Center grows more and more decrepit, the biggest cash cow, UConn basketball, is going to want a better place to play. While the students would love it if all home games were played at Gampel, the men and women continue to draw more than 10,000 fans a game and I can't foresee a way that the city of Hartford could stand losing this revenue.

Bringing a team back to Hartford is a long process, and bolstering AHL attendance is only the very beginning. The XL Center needs to be fitted with shops, restaurants and attractions to make fans come before the game and stick around after. Sure the Whalers may have been the laughing stock of the NHL for "playing in a mall," but the businesses thrived and the Civic Center was a destination, not just a place to watch a hockey game.

Does the writer know something we don't? Maybe the State leaked out some information?

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HartfordTycoon Town

HartfordTycoon

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Does the writer know something we don't? Maybe the State leaked out some information?

I think the writer is going out on a limb but assumes the same thing that I do about getting a new arena. The state will not jeopardize the investment in UConn Basketball by not building a new arena sometime in the fairly near future. The fact is simply that the XL Center is pretty much done and UConn's attendance is suffering due to not playing in a better arena that feels inviting for the fans. I just hope they hurry up because it actually will be cheaper to build during the recession.

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HartfordTycoon Town

HartfordTycoon

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last week the hartford courant had a live chat with howard baldwin. The majority of the people in the chat room wanted a new arena. Howard tried to argue for fixing the xl center which he compared it to renovating fenway park which was hilarious.

I think Howard has a good plan and vision except on this aspect. Maybe he feels like a new arena is simply not possible here because we make everything so impossible in CT. Maybe he doesn't want the state to feel like he is pressuring them for some huge investment over his pipe dream but he needs to realize that the state has other investments that it would be bolstering by building a new arena. Maybe he needs to get together with the administration at UConn and figure out how to start up the PR campaign for getting a new arena in Hartford. The XL Center cannot be renovated to be acceptable for the NHL. We should not limit our sights on the NHL either, with a new arena we should be looking for an NBA team as well. If Oklahoma City can support the NBA Hartford damn sure can.

I mean seriously, are we supposed to spend a crap load of money renovating the XL to be barely up to NHL standards and then 5-10 years down the line expect they won't want us to pony up for a new arena at some point? There is no point delaying the inevitable.

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The Voice of Reason Town

The Voice of Reason

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there is NO WAY Baldwin actually wants a reno.

asking and talking about a new arena just out of the gates makes you look like a jerk. he is being real quiet on that subject and only mentioning renovation when pressed.

but the reality is that he is gonna make some headway on attendance/hockey fest, see where things lie, and then as UConn starts to make noise you can be damn sure he will jump on board for a new house.

and its a smart move.

never show your hand before the game

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  • 2 months later...
HartfordTycoon Town

HartfordTycoon

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The Whale debut was a huge success. This can only bode well for the future of Hockey in Hartford. I read that we outdrew the Phoenix Coyotes NHL game last night. The NHL should take notice. This market wants it's Whalers back in the worst way. Overall it is a great time to be a CT sports fan with the UConn men's hoops program seemingly back to the elite level and the women doing their usual domination and the football team playing for their first ever BCS bowl next week. Things are sweet right now.

Hartford Courant

HARTFORD — —

As the green-and-blue uniforms hit the ice a few minutes before 7 p.m. Saturday, "Brass Bonanza" filled the XL Center and 13,089 fans reveled in the nostalgia of the moment.

"It feels like old times," Howard Baldwin said.

And there was indeed a sense that Hartford's downtown arena was in a time warp on the night when the AHL team was re-christened as the Connecticut Whale. With green jerseys throughout the stands, fans roared during a pregame video that interspersed Whalers from the past with Whales of the present — a shot of Kris Newbury followed by the image of Pat Verbeek.

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  • 3 months later...
drc72 Burg

drc72

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Posted

http://whalers.courant2.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=924&start=10

Ok. So this is probably nothing. But someone on the Whalers board metioned a meeting between the CT gov, NHL officials, and investors about a new arena. You be the judge.

I would have to agree with some of those posters.......... Until I see a shovel in the ground, then I'll believe it.

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HartfordTycoon Town

HartfordTycoon

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Not holding my breath but I will cross my fingers. I said before that I think Malloy will most likely try to do something big like a new arena at some point. I wouldn't expect any concrete moves this early but maybe an informal meeting to see what the chances are for the NHL coming back if Malloy really does endorse a new arena could be helpful. If he hears something positive from the NHL it makes it much more likely he would start to seriously consider how to go about getting a new arena for Hartford. I also think there would have to be some corresponding development plans in other corners of the state as well to get legislators from the entire state to go along with something like this. I would not be surprised if UConn's men's and women's basketball success this year is having sort of a novel impact on him since it's his first time experiencing it as a resident of Greater Hartford. I'm sure it's kind of an eye opening experience for a Fairfield County guy. Maybe he now fully understands the economic impact of UConn Athletics and knows that a new arena will be required in the not so distant future.

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Theophrastus Bombastus Hamlet

Theophrastus Bombastus

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Not holding my breath but I will cross my fingers. I said before that I think Malloy will most likely try to do something big like a new arena at some point. I wouldn't expect any concrete moves this early but maybe an informal meeting to see what the chances are for the NHL coming back if Malloy really does endorse a new arena could be helpful. If he hears something positive from the NHL it makes it much more likely he would start to seriously consider how to go about getting a new arena for Hartford. I also think there would have to be some corresponding development plans in other corners of the state as well to get legislators from the entire state to go along with something like this. I would not be surprised if UConn's men's and women's basketball success this year is having sort of a novel impact on him since it's his first time experiencing it as a resident of Greater Hartford. I'm sure it's kind of an eye opening experience for a Fairfield County guy. Maybe he now fully understands the economic impact of UConn Athletics and knows that a new arena will be required in the not so distant future.

Man, I hope he pursues this instead of that stupid, useless, boondoggle "Busway" b/t NB and Htfd.

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HartfordTycoon Town

HartfordTycoon

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Man, I hope he pursues this instead of that stupid, useless, boondoggle "Busway" b/t NB and Htfd.

Welp, looks like the Busway is a go. I still think he will definitely introduce some of his own development projects and think an arena is a pretty likely one.

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beash19 Unincorporated Area

beash19

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Nice peice that was featured on Versus Network's NHL Extra about the history and potential return of the Whalers.

Versus

Great piece! You beat me to it. My daughter jumps around the room to the Brass Bonanza just like I used to (and like I want to now). Someday!!!!

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