News Article: Connecticut invites the Islanders to move to Hartford

[Spanky185]

I'd love to see the Whalers back... But you guys are right. The Islanders history is far more rich and I'd be more concerned with preserving them than I would resurrecting the Hartford franchise.

Just because a team relocates doesn't mean they have to abandon their history.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Just because a team relocates doesn't mean they have to abandon their history.

Yeah, everyone harkens back to the old days of Boston when someone mentions the Atlanta Braves.

 

[Ten Thousand Hours]

Yeah, everyone harkens back to the old days of Boston when someone mentions the Atlanta Braves.

That was forever ago. People count the LA days and the Super Bowl they won in LA when thinking about the Raiders. The Lakers count their championships from Minnesota. The Brooklyn days are the most notable part of the Dodgers' history.

 

[BRUINS since 1995]

Just because a team relocates doesn't mean they have to abandon their history.

Nope. But Av's did. Flames also..... do you remember where they came from...... Jets don't seem to bring often Atlanta in discussion. Do you remember where the Devils came from... etc...

A team club move rarely remember where they came from...

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Ok lets talk about the location in hand. No one when talking about Carolina looks back at the mediocre days of Hartford.

 

[Ten Thousand Hours]

Ok lets talk about the location in hand. No one when talking about Carolina looks back at the mediocre days of Hartford.

Maybe they would if Hartford won 4 straight Cups. There's nothing to talk about from the Whalers days.

 

[BMC]

The Islanders were a dynasty in the early 80's but they have always had attendance problems because of the location of the arena. You MUST drive there as public transportation to Nassau Coliseum just wasn't an option.

The Rangers are still the #1 team in the New York market even though the Islanders and Devils gave won SEVEN Cups to the Rangers 1 since 1973.

It is absurd that Metro New York has THREE hockey team, Southern California has 2 and Toronto only has one.

In a perfect world Carolina should be the team that relocates to Hartford as the Whalers never should have left in the first place.

I don't see how this could happen as long as Peter Karmanos owns the team. His pissed off a lot of people on his way out the door.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

That was forever ago. People count the LA days and the Super Bowl they won in LA when thinking about the Raiders. The Lakers count their championships from Minnesota. The Brooklyn days are the most notable part of the Dodgers' history.

That is certainly true.

 

[KrejciMVP]

This would be cool, on board

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Used to attend games in Hartford. Stayed at the Hotel with a view of the "Dome". Drank at a place called "Sharkies". B's won , crowd wasn't too antagonistic. That's all I remember, most of the 80's is pretty fuzzy. Oh, and it was cheap.

Tempted at a printing company while transitioning out of the constructions trades. Was making a delivery somewhere in Conn. Driver got lost and we ended up going through what could only be described as an opulent neighborhood. I mean David Letterman type places.

There's a town call Darien and I dated a girl who was named after it.​

Those are my 3 Conneticut stories.

When the Rangers played in Hartford, their fans must have drove their vans to the game. They bought so much crap it was amazing. Food, drink and souvenirs. It was as if the Whalers were giving it away (just like on the ice).

 

[Sharp Shooting Neely]

First and only game attended at the venerable Garden was during the shortened strike season of 91/92 against the Whalers.

Was the offer not made as a stop gap measure until the Isles figure out a better long term arrangement for an arena? If so, would think if Harford can convince them it is a good move the hard sell to stay there would be ramped up once they make the move. Not sure what damage that would inflict on the fan base on Long Island. Likely would not go over well with a portion of them if and when they would return.

Can't recall much on the exit of the Whalers as an NHL location. Would those same issues that caused them to leave still exist?

 

[jgatie]

The Whale couldn't even sell out playoff games. They needed their annual 1st round Adam's Division loss to the Bruins to do that. Despite having an all time top 5 sports logo, there's not a snowball's chance in hell of Brass Bonanza ever playing for an NHL team in insurance town again.

 

[Spanky185]

Yeah, everyone harkens back to the old days of Boston when someone mentions the Atlanta Braves.

That is why Atlanta is Bostons NL "rival" during interleague play. People remember their days in Milwaukee though.

Anyway it has to do with how successful the history is. The Orioles and more recently the Nationals pretend their birth cities never happened. But the Browns and Expos weren't very successful.

The kicker is the name change, most teams that relocate and change names start fresh, but that's not a hard and fast rule.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

The Whale couldn't even sell out playoff games. They needed their annual 1st round Adam's Division loss to the Bruins to do that. Despite having an all time top 5 sports logo, there's not a snowball's chance in hell of Brass Bonanza ever playing for an NHL team in insurance town again.

Sell out? I was at a playoff game against Montreal where the announced attendance was under 7,000.

 

[b in vancouver]

My wife worked for Aetna when the Whale was in Hartford. They picked up half of the cost for our season tickets. When things started going downhill, my wife got a call from Gordie Howe to make sure we renewed our tickets. At first I was thrilled. Then I was disgusted that Mr. Hockey had to stoop so low as to shill tickets, in Hartford no less.

It really is such a strange feeling. Never with Mr. Howe but I've had that experience with other sport, music and acting legends - at first you're thrilled, then just kind of sad as you realize they're just trying to sell you something.

 

[jgatie]

Sell out? I was at a playoff game against Montreal where the announced attendance was under 7,000.

I went to a Bruins - Whalers playoff game in Hartford back in the late 80's that may as well have been the Garden. Easily 3/4's of the crowd were Bruins fans. Hartford is too small a city, sandwiched between two O6 teams, to support a franchise. Period.

 

[b in vancouver]

Miss the Whalers but love The Isle.
Wish they were simply better run and had an easier time of it. The early 80s Islanders and mid 80 Flames are two of my favourite teams ever.

 

[ON3M4N]

As a CT resident I'd love to have a pro team back. I could actually go to Bruins games and have it not cost an arm and a leg.

 

[Bruins1233]

Pittsburgh? Pittsburgh is nice. Much more similar to Boston than Buffalo.

eh.
and the NHL plays in hicktowns like Raleigh and Nashville, as well as bombed out Rustbelt towns like Buffalo, an Detroit, and while Pitt isn't Buffalo, its still sort of a dying city. So Hartford certainly wouldn't be the worst place.
and no I don't hate the Midwest, Grand Rapids, Des Moines, Minneapolis, and Omaha seem like fine places.

 

[Fenway]

Sell out? I was at a playoff game against Montreal where the announced attendance was under 7,000.

I worked that game in 1992 and it was astonishing as at least half of the crowd had driven down from Quebec. It didn't get any better for Game 6 and this is a series the Whalers almost stole losing Game 7 in Double OT in Montreal. That was last season Hartford made the playoffs.

That season the team went bankrupt and fans were convinced they were leaving.

http://www.courant.com/sports/hockey/hartford-whalers/hc-whalers-historical-timeline-story.html