The Carolina Hurricanes have been fairly successful since relocating from Hartford in 1997. And in this opinion piece from veteran THN contributor Al Morganti, the notion of Hartford relocating – as well as the mention of cities still discussed for an NHL expansion team today – was laid out in convincing form.
(And this is our daily reminder to you: to access THN’s archive, visit http://THN.com/Free and subscribe to the magazine.)
With the NHL expanding to Anaheim and Florida in 1993, Morganti wrote his opinion story – in THN’s April. 29, 1994 edition (Vol. 47, Issue 32) – and he mentioned the possibility of the NHL relocating Hartford to an American city. Morganti mentioned Phoenix, Atlanta and Milwaukee as potential destinations, and as we know, the Coyotes and Thrashers did get their shot at hosting an NHL team, although they both now have lost that privilege.
And given that the Whalers failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs in their final five seasons in Hartford – and given that they failed to get out of the first round of the post-season in all but one of their 18 years of existence – you can see why the franchise eventually departed for Raleigh, N.C. The Whalers were an out-and-out failure, and Morganti made a compelling argument for the Whalers relocating, so when the move to Raleigh came to pass three years after Morganti’s story was published, few hockey observers were surprised.
“Moving the Whalers out of Hartford should not be viewed as a franchise shift as much as it should be a mercy killing,” Morganti wrote. “For the good of the city, the team, the NHL and everybody who has been involved with the organization over the years, it’s time to save the Whale, and save your own sanity: Move the Whalers out of Hartford.”
SAVE THE WHALE: SWIM OUT OF HARTFORD
By Al Morganti
With the possible exception of the New England Patriots, I don’t think any team in pro sports has had the sort of season which the Hartford Whalers have just endured. In addition to adding to the lore of their storied history on the ice by missing the playoffs for the seventh time in 15 seasons, the Whalers also did a bang-up job off the ice.
That’s bang-up as in engaging in a barroom scuffle in Buffalo where the team captain, several other players (including underage. 19-year-old Chris Pronger) and two assistant coaches were hanging out at about 3 a.m. on the night before a game.
That’s bang-up as in general manager Paul Holmgren banging up his car and being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol; and bang-up as in another bang-up job of community relations when Bryan Marchment was also charged with a similar driving offense.
All of this took place within the space of about two weeks, which should have been viewed as a sign from the hockey gods that it’s time to move out of the place; a sign from the hockey gods that the city put up a good-faith effort, the fans were as loyal as you could expect, and piles of money was spent. But NHL hockey in Hartford wasn’t meant to be.
Considering the NHL is banging its head against the economic wall in Quebec, Winnipeg, Ottawa and possibly Edmonton, what’s wrong with throwing money away in Hartford? Simply look at the new franchises in Anaheim and Miami to see what the future could hold in Phoenix, Atlanta and Milwaukee and you realize stashing a team in Hartford is a crime.
Maybe there is nowhere else to go in Canada, but the U.S. has plenty of untapped markets, just waiting for the NHL.
Moving the Whalers out of Hartford should not be viewed as a franchise shift as much as it should be a mercy killing. For the good of the city, the team, the NHL and everybody who has been involved with the organization over the years, it’s time to save the Whale, and save your own sanity: Move the Whalers out of Hartford.
For those loyal fans of the Whalers who have stuck with the team through all these seasons, and there are many, I am sorry to have to make this proposal. However, over the years, this has become a matter of policy on my agenda.
Some people spend their careers carrying the torch for one social cause or another, but somehow the Lord saw fit that I would be the person to make a yearly plea the NHL move the Whalers out of Hartford.
A year ago, I made my last appeal to the NHL that happiness would be Hartford in the rear-view mirror. That column drew a response from the mayor of Hartford and Brian Burke.
You remember Burke. He was the GM of the Whalers for a while, then he bolted to take a job riding shotgun for NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
The most difficult part of my task is that there are some very good people in the Whalers’ organization, including most of the players, Holmgren and coach Pierre McGuire. Heck, I even worry about what would happen to my friend Jeff Jacobs if the Whalers left. Jeff is the guy who, along with Viv Bernstein, has chronicled the fortunes of the Whale for the biggest local paper.
If the team left…
Well, let’s just say the next biggest event in Hartford after the Whalers is an annual match between Avon Old Farms (a private school which spawned the likes of Brian Leetch) and some other private school where the lads are taught from a very young age how to wear corduroy pants through all four seasons.
Calling for the dismantling of the Whalers is a particularly difficult task this season. After all, the NHL is holding its annual entry draft in Hartford and I could be put at risk among the local citizenry.
I’ll take that chance for The Cause.
From the beginning, the idea of a team in Hartford was Pie in the Sky. That might explain why Johnny (Pie) McKenzie’s jersey number hangs from the Civic Center rafters.
The Hockey News Archive is an exclusive treasure trove of more than 2,640 issues and more than 156,000 articles exclusively produced for subscribers, chronicling the complete history of The Hockey News from 1947 until this day. Visit the archives at THN.com/archive and subscribe today at subscribe.thehockeynews.com
News Summary:
- Archive: 30 Years Ago, Hartford Whalers Were Stumbling Toward Relocation To Raleigh
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.