Whalers' back (in uniforms, at least)!

[WildGopher]

Great to see old Whalers' uniforms in game vs. old rival Boston . . . and even hear the Brass Bonanza goal song!

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[koyvoo]

It gave me flashbacks of the 7 game 1990 Adams division semi final.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

The most attention the Canes got since 2006.

 

[JMCx4]

Great to see old Whalers' uniforms in game vs. old rival Boston . . .

Even greater to see the Canes' Storm Squad in the Whalers' bright green stretch pants.

 

[Fenway]

 

[Franck]

Have to agree with Edwards here, it's bad enough that the people of Hartford had their team taken away from them, taking their history and their memories away from them and pretending that you own them too is just disrespectful.

 

[Big Phil]

I didn't care for it to be honest. I know there are only about 4 Hartford Whalers fans in the world, but this is just a classic "salt on the wound" type of thing, even if it was meant as respect. I can't imagine people in Quebec liking it if Nathan MacKinnon all of the sudden wore a Nordiques jersey.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

Edwards would have an excellent point except for the fact that eight other players have worn #19 since the franchise relocated to Carolina. Nonetheless, Carolina should have never reissued the jersey when they relocated nor should they have donned the Whalers uniforms last night. It wasn't to honor the Whalers, it was a money grab. It had to be disrespectful and insulting for Whaler fans to see that.

 

[Fenway]

I didn't care for it to be honest. I know there are only about 4 Hartford Whalers fans in the world, but this is just a classic "salt on the wound" type of thing, even if it was meant as respect. I can't imagine people in Quebec liking it if Nathan MacKinnon all of the sudden wore a Nordiques jersey.

When the WHA was collapsing in the late 70's it boggles the mind that the Whalers survived given the roof of the Hartford Civic Center collapsed in 1978 and it took close to 2 years to rebuild it. The NHL under John Ziegler thought Hartford was a better hockey market than Houston and even refused an offer by the owners of the Aeros to buy the Cleveland Barons and move them to Texas. The NHL instead folded the Barons and merged their assets with the North Stars.

Had Karmanos waited 2 years in Hartford his cable TV revenues would have exploded. He already had a deal that allowed Sportschannel to beam the Whalers into all 6 New England states including Boston with the exception of Fairfield County in CT which is considered NY territory. NESN did not want to be blocked in Connecticut so they gave the Whalers access in Massachusetts on the same channel the Celtics were on.

 

[Killion]

Edwards would have an excellent point except for the fact that eight other players have worn #19 since the franchise relocated to Carolina. Nonetheless, Carolina should have never reissued the jersey when they relocated nor should they have donned the Whalers uniforms last night. It wasn't to honor the Whalers, it was a money grab. It had to be disrespectful and insulting for Whaler fans to see that.

Yeah, pretty much all this, agree'd, well said.... though I'm not quite entirely on-board with it being "disrespectful & insulting"..... I actually appreciated it on certain levels. Edwards I thought totally off base, out of line..... Mind you.... I'm not from Hartford, wasnt a Whalers fan per se' but was saddened to see them go, watched the demise.

 

[Troubadour]

I wish the Whalers would come back, and the Nordiques too.

 

[Stephen]

Edwards would have an excellent point except for the fact that eight other players have worn #19 since the franchise relocated to Carolina. Nonetheless, Carolina should have never reissued the jersey when they relocated nor should they have donned the Whalers uniforms last night. It wasn't to honor the Whalers, it was a money grab. It had to be disrespectful and insulting for Whaler fans to see that.

Why should Carolina Hurricanes fans be beholden to random traditions like honouring the number of a guy who didn't even play for the Hartford Whalers in the NHL? The guy was a New England Whalers WHA hold over, and we don't need his Boston cronies telling people how to run their franchises or enjoy their own franchise traditions. Eff off Edwards.

"Sports respect" old crusty guys finding things to be dramatic about. Bunch of sour divas.

 

[Stephen]

On a separate note, it's interesting to contrast the brand appeal of the Hartford Whalers vs the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes have actually now been active in the NHL for longer than the Whale were around and have even put their names on a cup, but from a pure branding point of view they really lost something switching from those unique green, blue and white charming retros to that late 90s black, red and white look.

The NHL doesn't have enough "green" teams.

 

[YEM]

I didn't care for it to be honest. I know there are only about 4 Hartford Whalers fans in the world, but this is just a classic "salt on the wound" type of thing, even if it was meant as respect.

Carolina should have never reissued the jersey when they relocated nor should they have donned the Whalers uniforms last night. It wasn't to honor the Whalers, it was a money grab. It had to be disrespectful and insulting for Whaler fans to see that.

yep
pissing on the grave of the Whalers to make a few bucks

 

[WildGopher]

I wish the Whalers would come back, and the Nordiques too.

Yup. Gary Bettman had talked about "righting a wrong" and "we never should have left" in regards to getting teams back in Winnipeg and Minnesota, respectively, after those 1990s relocations. Now they should complete the job and get teams back in Quebec and Connecticut. Teams would be a virtual guarantee to do great there economically, as they have in Winnipeg and Minnesota.

 

[Ingvar]

I love Whalers uniforms so I would like to see them return but is there any demand for hockey in Hartford? Would anyone pay 650m to get a team there and build an arena?

 

[sr edler]

I'm not a big fan of green jerseys/uniforms on sports teams, to be honest. Especially not when the primary color. Hammarby IFs color scheme is nice though because their green is pretty light and goes along well with the white part.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Edwards would have an excellent point except for the fact that eight other players have worn #19 since the franchise relocated to Carolina. Nonetheless, Carolina should have never reissued the jersey when they relocated nor should they have donned the Whalers uniforms last night. It wasn't to honor the Whalers, it was a money grab. It had to be disrespectful and insulting for Whaler fans to see that.

but in a different jersey and a franchise. the owner has actively tried to kill all associations to their former incarnation, except now when he can make a cheap buck off it.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Yup. Gary Bettman had talked about "righting a wrong" and "we never should have left" in regards to getting teams back in Winnipeg and Minnesota, respectively, after those 1990s relocations. Now they should complete the job and get teams back in Quebec and Connecticut. Teams would be a virtual guarantee to do great there economically, as they have in Winnipeg and Minnesota.

maybe in Quebec, but Connecticut is no where near a pro sports state.

1. Hartford is the 8th largest city in New England, is rapidly losing population and corporations.
2. CT itself is already divided among Bruins and Rangers...the same issue the Whalers hit
3. CT does not support the hockey it has now. There are 3 AHL teams, all averaging ~3,500 - 4,000 a game
4. Hartford is not the best "open" market in New England. Even then, none would have a chance because of point 2

- Providence (9k a game AHL team, 1.6M metro (39th))
- Worcester+Springfield (long standing AHL cities ~20 mi apart, 1.5M combined metro)

 

[blood gin]

Have to agree with Edwards here, it's bad enough that the people of Hartford had their team taken away from them, taking their history and their memories away from them and pretending that you own them too is just disrespectful.

I'm not in a place where I can hear his full comments, but I'll say this.

The Carolina Hurricanes is the Whalers franchise in a new city under a new name. But it's the same franchise. They own the history, it's their history, it's their memories.

When I move to a new city, I can take a new name and get plastic surgery if I choose, but I'm still the same age. I still have the same memories and everything I did in my previous city still counts as my history. As my background

Those are their jerseys. However hurtful it may seem they are not "wrong" in wearing something they own

 

[sr edler]

When I move to a new city, I can take a new name and get plastic surgery if I choose, but I'm still the same age. I still have the same memories and everything I did in my previous city still counts as my history.

I think people who've gone through electroconvulsive therapy though have reported memory loss/issues, so if that's the case with the subject in question, then it could explain a potential emotional discharge.

Would you think it in or out of a proper context if the New Jersey Devils suddenly showed up to a game wearing the blue/red/gold/white colors of the Colorado Rockies? Mackenzie Blackwood or Keith Kinkaid in nets doing their best job to impersonate the old fan favorite Hardy Åström? Or.... if the Chicago Blackhawks showed up to a game in the blue/white colors of Oregon's finest the Portland Rosebuds?

 

[DowntownBooster]

I'm not in a place where I can hear his full comments, but I'll say this.

The Carolina Hurricanes is the Whalers franchise in a new city under a new name. But it's the same franchise. They own the history, it's their history, it's their memories.

When I move to a new city, I can take a new name and get plastic surgery if I choose, but I'm still the same age. I still have the same memories and everything I did in my previous city still counts as my history. As my background

Those are their jerseys. However hurtful it may seem they are not "wrong" in wearing something they own

So I guess what you're saying is that if you had a significant other and the two of you had a child and then your significant other met someone else and took your child and moved in with the other person, then the other person now replaces you in the child's life and all your memories of raising the child and the events you shared together now belong to the new person.

 

[sharkhawk]

Meh, wasn’t a fan of the uniforms when they were in Hartford, not a fan now. I think a lot of people are nostalgic for a time that never existed. Those jerseys weren’t loved until they became retro

 

[blood gin]

So I guess what you're saying is that if you had a significant other and the two of you had a child and then your significant other met someone else and took your child and moved in with the other person, then the other person now replaces you in the child's life and all your memories of raising the child and the events you shared together now belong to the new person.

No. That's a poor analogy. There is no child here. The Hurricanes are the same franchise as the Whalers. Moving to a new city did not automatically erase that teams history

 

[DowntownBooster]

No. That's a poor analogy. There is no child here. The Hurricanes are the same franchise as the Whalers. Moving to a new city did not automatically erase that teams history

No, it's not a poor analogy at all. You might be able to move a franchise but you can't transfer the memories of what transpired in the original location. They belong to the fans that witnessed the events. The fans in Carolina have no concept of what happened in Hartford because they did not see it. Their memories of the team would only have begun when the Hurricanes began playing there. It's common sense.