[Broken External Image]:http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/6694/sparadeday0018gg.jpg we have fucked up tank police things
i still have a whalers jersey man.... [Broken External Image]:http://www.thisisct.net/images/043.jpg [Broken External Image]:http://members.aol.com/bbusque/whalebumper.JPG [Broken External Image]:http://members.aol.com/bbusque/puckythewhale.JPG The Hartford Whalers were an NHL hockey team based in the Hartford Coliseum in Hartford, CT until 1997. The Whalers were founded in Boston, MA in 1972 as the New England Whalers. The Whalers were bought by Howard Baldwin (a man of great dreams) with the intent of having them play at the Hartford Civic center which was under construction in 1974. Howard also helped form the World Hockey Association (WHA) which would go on to aquire some truly great hockey players from the NHL and turn out be be a rival league. The Whalers were moved to Springfield while the Civic center was being completed. The team used a Whale as their mascot (Pucky above) in the WHA days and early NHL, but the name is actually WHAlers named after the WHA league. In 1974 the New England Whalers played their first game in the Civic Center in Hartford. In their first few years, they proved to be an excellent team, winning 2 divisional titles and 1 championship. Theses WHA mid to late 70's were good years for the Whalers and as a rule the Whalers played in front of packed houses. The WHA Whalers acquired hockey greats such as Gordie Howe, Dave Keon, and Rick Ley. They even beat the Central Red Army from the Soviet Union a feat they would latter repeat in the NHL. In the late 70's the WHA came upon hard times. Teams began to fold, and the collapse of the league was certain. To make matters worst on January 17, 1978 the Hartford Civic Center roof collapsed under the weight of snow and ice. The Whalers were forced to move back to Springfield until repairs could be completed on the Civic Center. The fans showed support traveling to games in Springfield and by forming the "91 Club"( a reference to the highway between Hartford and Springfield). To show they were not in a permanent location, the team finished off the 1977-78 season in their road uniforms. The final 6 WHA teams were: The New England Whalers, The Cincinnati Stingers, The Winnipeg Jets, The Quebec Nordiques, The Edmonton Oilers, and The Birmingham Bulls. The Stingers and the Bulls both folded, while the other four went on to join the NHL after a bit of a fight. It seems some other teams (including the Montreal Canadians) did not want the WHA teams in the NHL. Well the great fans of Canada staged a strike of Molsen (the company which owned the Canadians). The beer strike supplied the WHA teams the one extra vote they needed to enter the NHL. The New England Whalers became the Hartford Whalers (I believe this was because the Bruins would no longer allow the use of New England since they too were located in New England). The Whalers arrived back in CT as an NHL team and would find a much larger Civic Center, a requirement the league invoked to allow the Whalers to enter into the NHL. While some teams like the Jets suffered in the entry draft, where existing NHL teams stripped the WHA of good players, Hartford did OK but not great going on to make the playoffs in their first year in the NHL. That would be it for the Whalers and the playoffs until Emile Francis was brought in to manage the team. Emile made some great trades acquiring super players such as Mike Luit. The team also had some great farm talent coming up through the ranks with the likes of Ron Francis and Kevin Dineen. In 1985-86 the Whalers grabed the last playoff berth and swept the first place Nordiques in the first round, then took the Canadians (the eventual winner of the cup that year) to seven games before losing. The Whalers were the only team in the playoffs to give the Canadians a fight that year. At the beginning of the 1986-87 season the Hockey Digest favored the Whalers to win the cup. The Whalers had a great regular season on their way to the Adams (Northeast) division championship, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Nordiques (playbacks a bitch). Darker times were to come. A man named Richard Gordon and a company named Colonial Realty bought the team. (Colonial sold out shortly since they never really had any money). The Gordon Years were terrible times with many popular players getting traded or worst yet just given away. The man responsible for those terrible trades is Eddie Johnson, or EJ (As in EJ sucks!!!!). EJ traded away players such as Ron Francis, the captain, Kevin Dineen, Scott Young, Ulf Samulson and gave Mike Luit and Todd Kreiger away with very little compensation. The majority of the players went to Pittsburgh where they went on to win a Stanley cup that year. Well attendance in Hartford plummeted with playoff attendance reaching only 6,000 for one game (personally I think that has something to do with the Whalers being the 2nd worst team in the league that year and only making the playoffs because the Nordiques were the worst). Well EJ was fired and went on to coach Pittsburgh home of most of the players he traded. Here in Hartford we still find it strange that EJ was the coach of that team. Well Richard Gordons pockets weren't to deep and with the falling attendance he was forced to sell the team. The state stepped up with some money to keep the team in Hartford, but was also shopping around for a buyer. The governor of CT at the time, (Lowelle Weiker) sold the team to a man named Peter Karmanos. The deal seems shady, another person offered more but was turned down, and now the evil governor is a member of Karmanos's company's executive board. Hmmmmmm. The first Karmanos years were good. The team began to rebuild. Karmanos brought players to the team, and made us proud of our team once more. This good feeling didn't last long. The 1995-96 season ended with Karmanos announcing that he would move the team unless the fans bought x number of season tickets. This was troubling due to Quebec, which moved a year earlier to Denver, CO and Winnipeg moving that season to Phoenix, AZ. It seemed the WHA teams were doomed. A lot of tickets were sold that year, but not enough. Karmanos was going to leave, but seemed to have forgot that he signed a contract that he would stay for four years (Governor John Rowland reminded him with a threat of a nice big fat exit penalty $$$$). Thus the state kept him here, and the stage was set for the last season of NHL hockey in Hartford. The year started out with a surprize. Former captain Brendan Shannahan announced he wanted a trade. After much pain, he was sent to Detroit for Keith Primeau and Paul Coffey. Stu "The Reaper" Grimson was also acquired in this trade. Now everything seemed to be going great. Former Whaler Kevin Dineen was brought back and made captain. Keith Primeau loved it here and played his heart out. Stu Grimson beat up everyone in sight. It was great. To top it all off, we were on top of the Northeast Division. However, Paul Coffey wanted out. Coffey was a great player on the decline. We didn't need his crap, so we traded him to Philadelphia for Kevin Haller. Haller is a good solid player, and a key defensman. (Coffey was welcomed to Philly with a concussion accidentally given to him Eric Lindros. Justice is sweet). Now disaster struck. Hartford's star goalie, Sean Burke dislocated his thumb. Despite a good performance by backup goalie Jason Muzatti, the team suffered and went on a losing streak. I do not blame this on Muzatti, I blame it on the team. It seemed that the team would not rally around him. After several trades, and Burkes return, the team came back strong. Well about this time Karmanos announced the team was leaving Hartford. This seemed to effect their on ice performance and the Whalers fell to last in the division. In the last few weeks the Whale turned it on a little and seemed to have them self in a good position to make the playoffs. After a great come from behind victory against the Sabers the Whalers only needed to go on the road and beat Ottawa to sew up the last playoff berth, but blew it. After a loss to lowly New York Islanders, the only way the Whalers had a shot at the playoffs was if Ottawa lost. The last Hartford Whalers game was on April 13, 1997, against Tampa Bay. The Whalers won.
sorry broheim, i love it too much. too much a part of city history. and besides, it says my last name on the back, my dad got it done a long time ago. [Broken External Image]:http://myspace-889.vo.llnwd.net/00209/98/85/209635889_l.jpg
ah ha dope though Its to bad that the Whalers lost their franchise, same with Winnipeg the fuck is up with San Jose and Anaheim.... sad ass teams BRING BACK THE WHALERS AND JETS!
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