Bring Back The Whale!!!

[JHChris280]

There are many posters in the Hartford forum who think the city can support an NHL team, as before. My question to them is how can the city do so when they've only drawn 4,048 per game so far this season for the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack? What was the attendence like when the Wailers were in town? Is this what drove the team outta town?

AHL attendance figures are a bigger farce than their NHL counterparts. It's not uncommon to see tickets sold and/or comped as being listed in the box scores as opposed to actual people in the seats. If quality AHL attendance meant anything than Hershey or Rochester would be NHL cities at this point. Some of these league leaders in the AHL really aren't drawing paying customers any better than some of the bottom teams in the league. Come playoff time, league wide in the AHL, there's a tremendous drop off in attendance because of playoff revenue sharing and restrictions against free or discounted tickets.

I think its fair to say many Whaler fans are turned off by a hockey team essentially wearing NY Ranger uniforms while also having an almost complete turn over of fan favorites. In my opinion after the Calder Cup championship in 2000 Hartford hockey fans expected less roster turn over. I think at that point reality hit many in this area that this isn't a franchise for the locals in the same way an NHL team would be (look no further than the MSG logo painted on the HCC center ice).

As far as Whalers attendance it was quite similiar to what is presently being seen in Boston, Chicago, Washington, New Jersey, and on Long Island for teams struggling on the ice (NJ might be the lone exception to poor on ice product). Also, there are probably 2,000-3,000 seats in HCC that are not optimal for hockey. If you sit in 300 sections chances are you will have trouble seeing the goal closest to you and about 10 rows in each side of the 200's are under skyboxes making it impossible to see the center ice scoreboard.

Why did they move? Few seem to agree but you can take your pick from what many have claimed: poor ownership, NHL commissioner, aging arena, smaller TV market, poor on-ice product, escalating player salaries, botched negotiations by politicians. Personally, I think we were squeezed by a league looking for a national TV contract trying to expand the footprint of the league, and the rest follows from there.

[drc72]

There are many posters in the Hartford forum who think the city can support an NHL team, as before. My question to them is how can the city do so when they've only drawn 4,048 per game so far this season for the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack? What was the attendence like when the Wailers were in town? Is this what drove the team outta town?

Many diehard Hartford hockey fans(including me) believe that Hartford is not a minor league city, but is a major league city. That is why we really have no interest in the Wolfpack. Bring back the Whaler's and I will guarantee you we will pack the house!!!

WOW!!! 1000 Posts I can't believe it.

[HartfordTycoon]

There are many posters in the Hartford forum who think the city can support an NHL team, as before. My question to them is how can the city do so when they've only drawn 4,048 per game so far this season for the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack? What was the attendence like when the Wailers were in town? Is this what drove the team outta town?

Frankie811, please do not come here to the Hartford forum to ask the same question over and over again. This is a nice warning. We have answered this question for you a million times and it does not even deserve a response any longer.

[uconn99]

Frankie811, please do not come here to the Hartford forum to ask the same question over and over again. This is a nice warning. We have answered this question for you a million times and it does not even deserve a response any longer.

Great points JHChris, however Hartford's media market isn't that small. It is larger than some markets who have major league teams currently.

[asylumhill]

In general, I think you guys put Northland/Gottesdiener on a little too big of a pedestal. But, I found this on line and I'm starting to believe that Northland really does have as big of an interest in making downtown work as many of you think he does. Check it out...

http://www.cbia.com/business/Presentations...resentation.pdf

I wish I could be as confident as Gottesdiener is. Thanks for linking that presentation.

[drc72]

I wish I could be as confident as Gottesdiener is. Thanks for linking that presentation.

Why are you not as confident?

[AmandaHugginkiss]

Someone made a comment about Harford being larger; I just took that as city talk being that two cities were being compared. I am sure the metro is larger like most cities. Memphis metro is only ranked in the 40's.

Back to the topic, Which is Hartford trying to pursue the most, NBA or NHL? And why should Harford get a professional team?

[SOCOM]

Someone made a comment about Harford being larger; I just took that as city talk being that two cities were being compared. I am sure the metro is larger like most cities. Memphis metro is only ranked in the 40's.

Back to the topic, Which is Hartford trying to pursue the most, NBA or NHL? And why should Harford get a professional team?

Quite simply, it's the largest media market in the country w/o a professional sports team. In fact, there are many smaller markets behind us who have teams. Secondly, metro Hartford is one of the wealthiest areas in the country. Third, people here are still passionate about the Whalers, and we are also a basketball loving state.

The only thing we don't have is an arena suitable for a major league franchise.

[HartfordTycoon]

Quite simply, it's the largest media market in the country w/o a professional sports team. In fact, there are many smaller markets behind us who have teams. Secondly, metro Hartford is one of the wealthiest areas in the country. Third, people here are still passionate about the Whalers, and we are also a basketball loving state.

The only thing we don't have is an arena suitable for a major league franchise.

That's sums it up. We are the largest and richest metro area without a major league sports franchise. Like Socom said there are plenty of smaller markets with teams now. As far as TV markets go, we are much larger than many markets with teams since our TV market is Hartford and New Haven combined. Also, CT is a sports crazy state with no professional sports teams of our own, mainly due to our proximately to the behemoths of NYC and Boston.

[Luca Brasi]

An NHL team is the way to go. The state owns the rights to the Whalers name, so you can be sure that any team brought back here will be renamed the Whalers. There are a few crucial items that a new team would need to address where former Whaler management dropped the ball:

1. This needs to be Connecticut and Western Mass' team. When I would go home to Fairfield, I could watch the Rangers, The Bruins, The Devils or the Islanders - but not the Whalers. How ridiculous is that? You can't root for a team you can't follow. The new franchise would need to be very visible in the geographic areas that it never was before.

2. Speaking of TV, the new owners would need their own cable channel geared to CT and Western Mass. The new hockey franchise and UConn sports would be the flagship "tenants." Other DI colleges and teams like the Connecticut Sun could also broadcast games.

3. Obviously a new arena that would open up revenue streams that the new team would need to be viable. I think we are all in agreement on that one.

[blink55184]

Also, CT is a sports crazy state with no professional sports teams of our own

Well, we do have plenty of professional sports teams.

We are just talking about the biggest 4 (MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL)

All the minor league baseball teams, Connecticut Sun, and the late hartford hellcats/connecticut pride, were/are all professional sports teams

[HartfordTycoon]

Well, we do have plenty of professional sports teams.

We are just talking about the biggest 4 (MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL)

All the minor league baseball teams, Connecticut Sun, and the late hartford hellcats/connecticut pride, were/are all professional sports teams

You're right, but I meant big 4. Thanks for the clarification though. We have plenty of minor league teams.

[AmandaHugginkiss]

Building a new arena is the way to go, these days... Thats how those much smaller markets landed pro teams. If you really look at it, you can't blame Michael Heisley for relocating the team to Memphis if you look at demographics.. The nearest pro team near Memphis is, what, Nashville (which is 3 hours away, doing the speed limit) and not even the NBA.. The nearest NBA competitor is 6 hours away in Atl and 7 hours away in Indy.. In Hartford, you have NY Knicks which is about 1hour and 30 minutes away and Boston just an hour away. I could name at least 4 NBA teams within 3 hours (driving) away.. Heisley probably was trying to tap into an area that hasn't already been tapped into by the NBA market. Wether we want to believe it or not, but the South is growing in business and entertainment. Its a region thing not a local thing, IMO..

[uconn99]

Not sure how fast you drive but NYC is about 2.5 away in good traffic. Boston 1.45-2 hours.

Yes, the south is growing, however it isn't a market for the NHL.

[drc72]

Not sure how fast you drive but NYC is about 2.5 away in good traffic. Boston 1.45-2 hours.

Yes, the south is growing, however it isn't a market for the NHL.

Yeah Boston is like 1.5 to 2hours away. No way in hell is anybody making it to Boston in 1 hour.

[HartfordTycoon]

I've gotten to Boston in just under 1.5 hours plenty of times and to NYC in less than two hours plenty of times as well. One time I got to the Maryland line in a little over 4 hours from Hartford.

However, that means nothing when it comes to supporting an NBA and NHL franchise here in the heart of CT. Poeple here do like going to sporting events but do not regularly travel out of state to attend them. Build us a new Arena get the NHL and/or NBA and I highly doubt there would be any problems with the market.

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

TV: UConn is locked up six ways from Sunday with the Big East for TV, but how's this:

CTSC (Connecticut Sports Channel)

- Whalers

- UConn Non-Big-East (FB, MBB, WBB, Soccer, etc.)

- All Minor-League Baseball teams

- CT Sun

- Prominent HS games

- Golf program showcasing great CT courses, GHO history

- Foxwoods & Mohegan Boxing & Poker (I used to love TV poker but I'm so sick of it)

- CT Classic - show old Whalers games, old GHO's, Hartford Hellions, CT Pride, Blizzard - people love that stuff.

Maybe Ned Lamont will pick this up now that he has some time

[JimSawhill]

There are many posters in the Hartford forum who think the city can support an NHL team, as before. My question to them is how can the city do so when they've only drawn 4,048 per game so far this season for the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack? What was the attendence like when the Wailers were in town? Is this what drove the team outta town?

Frankie811:

The Wolfpack is NOT the NHL! That would be like - if George moved the Yankees to LasVegas - and the Mets put a Triple A team in Yankee Stadium, do you think people would go to those games? You'll only see die-hards there.

When your team was moved -- BECAUSE OF GREED -- and a team you hated put their farm team in its place, you don't want to see them play!

JimS

[JimSawhill]

TV: UConn is locked up six ways from Sunday with the Big East for TV, but how's this:

CTSC (Connecticut Sports Channel)

- Whalers

- UConn Non-Big-East (FB, MBB, WBB, Soccer, etc.)

- All Minor-League Baseball teams

- CT Sun

- Prominent HS games

- Golf program showcasing great CT courses, GHO history

- Foxwoods & Mohegan Boxing & Poker (I used to love TV poker but I'm so sick of it)

- CT Classic - show old Whalers games, old GHO's, Hartford Hellions, CT Pride, Blizzard - people love that stuff.

Maybe Ned Lamont will pick this up now that he has some time

T B:

I like that idea - CTSC! Maybe we could show UConn ice Hockey games, along with CCSU football games.

Prominent HS games? Like a Bloomfield - New Britian game? That would be something! Here, we have HS football games on a local sports channel.

I'd add to the programming -- ECSU baseball games, Junior Hockey (Gary Dineen's team that's based in Enfield), a fishing show (the fishing shows I see are beautiful, but off the coast of Mexico? I'd like to see LeRoy Bailey hosting a fishing show on Connecticut lakes and River.), an outdoor show (boating and or camping) and maybe -- AOF sports.

JimS

[HartfordTycoon]

TV: UConn is locked up six ways from Sunday with the Big East for TV, but how's this:

CTSC (Connecticut Sports Channel)

- Whalers

- UConn Non-Big-East (FB, MBB, WBB, Soccer, etc.)

- All Minor-League Baseball teams

- CT Sun

- Prominent HS games

- Golf program showcasing great CT courses, GHO history

- Foxwoods & Mohegan Boxing & Poker (I used to love TV poker but I'm so sick of it)

- CT Classic - show old Whalers games, old GHO's, Hartford Hellions, CT Pride, Blizzard - people love that stuff.

Maybe Ned Lamont will pick this up now that he has some time

He may be short on cash right now. I would love to see a CT Sports Channel though. Like you guys have said it could do a lot for the high schools and other colleges. Central, UHart, and Quinnipiac Basketball, High School Football and Basketball would be great as well.

[JimSawhill]

He may be short on cash right now. I would love to see a CT Sports Channel though.

Tycoon:

Lets see... Rasmussen started ESPN with a satellite and a dream. Look at it now! CTSC is on the air. (I'd love to have to program on it!)

JimS

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

It should pretty much be a NESN but for CT only - honestly, NESN does almost NOTHING on CT. I like the other ideas like fishing too!

[MadVlad]

I was thinking about this the other day, maybe a CT sports channel would be too small in scope. We would really need some support from western Mass, and even into VT and maybe Albany, so how about calling it something like NorSports (like Northern Sports) and having the Whalers, College Hockey, local College Football, snowboarding, shows about climbing Everest, etc....

[blink55184]

We've gotten to the Boston city line in an hour twenty plenty of times(from Manchester).

NESN does do things for Connecticut!!!

They have done outdoor fishing shows here.

This year, the 70th annual Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving, the 2nd largest road race in New England, second only to The Boston Marathon, will be televised on both NESN and YES.

It is always filmed for local access TV, and the WFSB news clips, but this year Salmini Films of Fort Lee, New Jersey will videotape the Road Race for broadcast in December on the NESN and YES cable sports networks.

www.manchesterroadrace.com

anyone else running?!!?

[Luca Brasi]

TV: UConn is locked up six ways from Sunday with the Big East for TV, but how's this:

CTSC (Connecticut Sports Channel)

- Whalers

- UConn Non-Big-East (FB, MBB, WBB, Soccer, etc.)

- All Minor-League Baseball teams

- CT Sun

- Prominent HS games

- Golf program showcasing great CT courses, GHO history

- Foxwoods & Mohegan Boxing & Poker (I used to love TV poker but I'm so sick of it)

- CT Classic - show old Whalers games, old GHO's, Hartford Hellions, CT Pride, Blizzard - people love that stuff.

Maybe Ned Lamont will pick this up now that he has some time

There are also many other Div 1 schools in the area that could be used as "filler"... U of H women Bball have been extremely successful and Howie Dickenman's CCSU men's team is always competitive. Don't know what kind of deal UMass has with NESN, but they may also be available. Yale/Harvard football is a tradition. There is plenty to broadcast in southern New England.