Heartbreak in Hartford: The Fall of the Whalers

The Hartford Whalers live on as one of the most iconic franchises in hockey and professional sports. Their signature logo, Brass Bonanza goal song, and list of legendary players - spanning Gordie Howe, to Bobby Hull, to Ron Francis - have forged a legend that, even 25 years since their departure, lives on in the memory of Hartford residents and the greater hockey community. But their stay in Hartford lasted just 18 years. What led to their almost sudden departure for Raleigh? This video will explore the Whalers' decline, from changes in ownership, to a revolving door of coaches & general managers, to costly trades. Stick around for more features on the NHL's rich history!
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[@TwistedWristerHockey]

Some of the details of the Whalers ownership & negotiations with the State of Connecticut vary by source, so I did my best with distilling the info and summarizing it succinctly here. What other topics in hockey history would you like me to cover? Lemme know your thoughts, and stick around for more videos on hockey history & culture. Thanks for watching! Oh, and if you're a Hurricanes fan...you can catch me at the March 28 game vs the Red Wings :)

[@mmonurdz9456]

Really enjoyed this video! How about documenting some of the oldest bloodiest rivalries in NHL history? Would love to see the history of the Bruins/Canadiens rivalry for instance

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

@@mmonurdz9456 Rivalry videos always gets lots of views, and I **love** producing them. So yes, there will be more! Not sure how I can capture 100+ years of Bruins-Habs, but I'm sure there's a way.

[@meekomouse]

How about a short documentary about the 77’ Charlestown Chiefs?

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

@@meekomouse ...I had never thought of something like that. That's really unique, gonna save this comment 😎

[@meekomouse]

@@TwistedWristerHockey BTW. Grew up in N.E. Miss the HW

[@brianhildreth9099]

47 year old, die-hard, lifelong, Bruins fan here ... I have a Whaler's jersey and proudly wear it from time to time. No, it doesn't mean I'm a secret Canes fan. It just means I respect the old Whaler's squad and the Adams division rivalry with Boston. That and I love hockey and hockey history. Great video, thank you.

[@yoholmes273]

Bruins suck. So do the "Canes". Pucky 4 Life

[@Davidjon1946]

​@@yoholmes273 he sounds like a disgruntled sabres fan like myself 😅 Except i don't hate on other teams

[@larrydanadavid2435]

A real Bruins fan would never wear another jersey, ever. Because of this, Bobby Orr will never be considered the greatest. Every time you wear that Whalers jersey Bobby goes further away from greatness. You have brought this burden on yourself by openly admitting your lack of allegiance.

[@brianhildreth9099]

@@larrydanadavid2435 it's called respect for a late rival. If the Whaler's were still going, had the city not been screwed over by many, I wouldn't own an old Whaler's jersey (a piece of hockey history).. Red Sox fans give standing ovations to the likes of Jeter, Rivera and others when they call it quits. Hartford and Boston alumni gather and reminisce. Bruins players go onto play for other teams and get ovations upon return. I miss the old games against the Whalers. Watching those games with my mother, through static, on a TV with rabbit ears are some of my favorite memories. Going to the old Garden for games, riding the back elevator, having lunch with Bob Lobel, ML Carr and others, because my uncle worked their and I was lucky are great memories too. Even today, if I can't sit and watch a game, I at least listen to it on the radio. Been a fan for over 40 years and nobody, not even Bobby himself (who I've spoken to 3 times) can tell me im not a Bruins fan. Nice try though.

[@rubberneckinc.8937]

I miss the Adams, Patrick, Norris, & Smythe divisions.

[@gr3mlin404]

I was born in raised in CT and the love and support for the Whalers is still very apparent. Many of the Hartford sports teams even show their love to the Whalers. Most notably the Hartford Yard Goats of the MiLB. They use the Whalers color scheme, play Brass Bonanza after every home run, and will even do a Whalers night where you can meet several former players. I unfortunately wasn’t around prior to their relocation. But even as a Rangers fan, I have a soft spot for the Whalers, and always will. It’s also very true that many of the Whalers fans don’t support Carolina, myself included. It’s just not the same.

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

Oh wow, I didn't know their home run song was Brass Bonanza!

[@patersonplankrd]

I can se why Whalers fans would not support the Hurricanes. THere is zero connection there. I actually made a delivery to a home Near wildwood NJ, Husband was wearing a Whalers hoodie. THe family was originally from the Hartford area, I mentioned that I do go to Raleigh when the Devils play there. He said that when the Whalers left CT, he didn't have a favorite team anymore.

[@tjbanville]

I was born in 1987 right outside of Hartford in Vernon, CT. I remember seeing quite a few games the last two years of the club. But even as young as I was, it was easy to see that things weren't going well. Way too many empty seats. Good memories.

[@reedr7142]

I always loved the Whalers-one of the best symbols in all of sports.

[@Davidjon1946]

Was such a great logo you could do alot with especially those final years with that dark grey and that dark almost purple

[@Hoovie9596]

Thanks for posting this. I’m a 50 year old Winnipegger and remember the Whalers very well. I never really knew what happened in Hartford but of course I understand the loss as my beloved Jets left town the year before. I’d love to see the Whalers back along with the best nhl jerseys ever ! 🐳

[@yoholmes273]

Whalers played in a mall. That is what happened.

[@fastfootedone]

I agree -- would love to see the Whalers and Nordiques back in the NHL.

[@patersonplankrd]

@@yoholmes273 Yeah, they played in an arena with retail space wrapped around it. So what? I thought it was cool because it was different,

[@patersonplankrd]

@@fastfootedone Quebec City is never getting another NHL team. Period, The market is too small. The All French , no English thing is a non starter for many players that have kids in school. Plus, players will demand to be paid in US Dollars which puts Canadian cities at a disadvantage to begin with. The Canadians organization will demand a very high fee for territorial infringement, Reports say the number would top $750 million. No start up ownership without a TON of financial backing is going to simply give away that kind of money.

[@jasonboisseau409]

As a Bruins fan I always loved watching Boston/Hartford matchups. There was an obvious rivalry given how close the cities were and those late 80’s games were awesome. I still love the Whalers jerseys they’re so clean

[@mastersh0tgun664]

Great video man happy to come across this. My family on my dad’s side were Whaler season holders through the 90s. One thing to add to the story is Governor John Rowland who was a corrupt politician that wanted to get the New England Patriots from Mass because he thought it would be a better “investment” than the Whalers. What ended up happening was Robert Kraft just used Rowland to get what he wanted from Mass government. My dad always said that he knew deep down as soon as Karmanos took over the team they were moving. He had no intention of staying there to begin with

[@audrey3155]

native connecticuter here---my dad was a huge whalers fan, but unfortunately they were gone from hartford before my time. forever mourning the franchise

[@HappyBanjo-oc3pc]

I’m a lifelong and diehard Leafs. Having said that I’d love to see the Whalers come back to Hartford. I remember the Whalers and how passionate their fans were.

[@Rockhound6165]

The real deal was the NHL wanted to eliminate the WHA from history. You didn't mention this but at the time of the merger the NHL treated the WHA teams like expansion teams going so far as to throwing all players into a draft pool with the WHA teams being allowed to protect a few players which absolutely decimated the WHA teams. This is why they all finished at or near the bottom of their respective divisions. The next step was moving teams. First it was the Nordiques, then the Jets, then the Whalers. The only reason why the Oilers didn't move was because Gretzky turned them into a dynasty. If you don't believe me on this, last season was the 50th anniversary of the WHA's first season and there wasn't even a mention. Incidentally Ron Francis would return to the franchise in 1998 when he signed with the Hurricanes.

[@amatt2116]

Was just there Saturday for the Wolf Pack vs Comets game. They actually honored Kevin Dineen (comets head coach) for his time with the whalers. Cool to see. Was St Pattys day weekend so lots of whalers jerseys rockin

[@gavrilopricip11]

solidarity from a Quebecer ....plus we lost the expos too

[@stephen9302]

After the Jays back to back World Series in '92 & '93, I recall the Expos had less than 10 losses in their first 35-40 games and then the MLB lockout in '94! My father was SO MAD and was convinced it was an American conscrpiacy against Canadian teams "stealing their sport"..

[@patersonplankrd]

@@stephen9302 Actually, on May 1st, the Expos were 17-15. They went ballistic from that day thru the season shut down , winning 57 of its next 82 games(.695)

[@1Yh8HH]

Watching your sport team leave is heartbreaking.. Still miss the Expos. I Hope one day they'll be back in Hartford

[@Justin_Coughlin]

This could become a series going through the history of defunct NHL teams. Next one could be about both Atlanta franchises with all the noise recently about 2 ownership groups wanting to bring hockey back to the city, one of them is lead by former NHLer Anson Carter

[@mmonurdz9456]

This is a great idea

[@user-jg5ws9gr8n]

Calgary Winnipeg Quebec cood bee neXXt

[@mrotman]

Fairly well done but he misses one of the major points that then Governor Weiker supported Karmanos to buy the team over local groups, and suddenly right after the team was awarded, Weiker began to receive 1 million dollars a year from Karmanos company as a "consultant." Also as Karmanos was trying to get out of the contract early, Rowland the governor at the time was also trying to force the team out because Kraft promised to bring the Patriots if the Whalers left.(Rowland later ended up in jail for other unrelated illegal payments) There was quite a few illegal political payoffs happening to force the team out. He did mention the partial season tickets but that was also part of Karmanos planned to force the team out of the contract early. And yes, I am one of those Whaler fans that had partial seasons since 1982 that Karmanos tried to screw. And yes, my entire life since 1997 is focused on bringing The Whalers back home.

[@DNSKansas]

Karmanos is one of the many people I see in my toilet when I go #2. 💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩

[@brendanlynch9062]

Wasn't the plot of land set aside for the Patriots too toxic to build an arena on?

[@ericfett9218]

I don't think it's a coincidence that three of the four teams that came from the WHA were relocated, and the one that didn't had won Stanley Cups and Wayne Gretzky on their roster from 1979 to 1988. Bring back the Whalers and the Nordiques 👏

[@TJ89741]

As a Bruins Fan I miss the battle of New England.

[@bigtimetimmyjim6486]

Was a Whaler's fan during my childhood and was devastated when they moved; I was still in elementary school and never got the chance to really enjoy them. There are not many people served by a CT sports team, but know that we are very loyal to the teams we do have, we are all watching March madness as we speak hoping that UConn brings home championship #6.

[@waterdive122productions6]

As a Hurricanes fan, this is definitely some great history about the Whalers. I've always wanted to know who they were and why they are always associated with our team, and now I know. What happened to the Whalers was just simply heartbreaking. I'm glad that we carry on the Whaler legacy, even if Hartfordiers don't care to root for the Canes these days. I want to get a Whalers jersey one day.

[@classic.cameras]

As a Oilers fan who ALMOST became the 4th WHA team to lose a franchise in the 1990's to Houston. I would be disgusted to see the "Houston Oilers" celebrating Gretzky, Messier and all the glorious past they had in Edmonton with "retro" Oilers jerseys as Carolina does with the Whalers. It was SO CLOSE that we nearly lost the Oilers. F U Peter Pocklington and Les Alexander for trying to take our Oilers.

[@DigbyOdel-et3xx]

One of the best team logos in sports history. The Hartford Whalers had good team colors too. The 80's uniforms were the best though.

[@stevenkoudanis5238]

The Whalers gear, esp the vintage original stuff is so INCREDIBLE

[@azwaza]

Don't understand how this channel doesn't get more views, your videos are excellent Nick! Got me into hockey from the UK where it may aswell not exist

[@mmonurdz9456]

Agreed! We can all help by liking videos and making lots of comments. The more interaction, the more attention the channel gets. Or so I'm told

[@gryfyn71]

A growing up just outside of Hartford in the 80s-90s I look back at how much a loved hockey and how the Whalers leaving really killed my love.

[@jcavenagh]

One of the all time great logos.

[@jamescoleman5317]

there will never be another Mall. You had to see that arena. Literally inside a Mall and connected to a hotel by a skyway/walkway tunnel. they also filmed the hockey movie - The Deadliest Season in the mall.

[@ThatGenXGuy8794]

Hartford Whalers fans know the pain and loss us North Stars fans felt in '93. It's really sad what happened to both teams.

[@uttasyda97]

As a New Englander,it was cool we had 2 NHL teams to root for and Whalers/Bruins were great rivals,tons of fights!!!😂🤣🤣

[@patersonplankrd]

The word out of Boston that the Bruins owner wanted the Whalers GONE, I forgot the principle owner's name back then, but he was an old school stick in the mud, typical of the owners of NHL clubs. Anyway, ...Ahh Jeremy Jacobs( 46 years owner of the Bruins) made it clear he thought Hartford was intruding on his territorial market.

[@RobotShlomo]

One thing you didn't mention was that the team's fan base was eroding due to a couple of different factors. One; the team had very little TV/media coverage outside of Hartford. The games were often blacked out in the New Haven area (where I'm from), and many times the only way you could see them is if they were playing the Rangers, Bruins, or the Devils. Two; the rise of UCONN basketball did more to hurt the Whalers in terms of perception than anything, especially when you had women's basketball out drawing NHL hockey. I remember going to a game against the Islanders in the latter days, and I had an extra ticket which I tried to sell. I was in the lobby and I said "Does anybody need one? I have a rink side seat". This guy comes up to me and says "I'll give you six dollars". To which I replied "Don't insult me". With women's basketball becoming popular in CT, the Whalers were now second class citizens in their own building. When you see more UCONN women's basketball jerseys than Whaler jerseys or even hats, there's a problem. So much so that the New Haven Register even ran a piece asking men's coach Jim Calhoun to weigh in on the Yankees Red Sox rivalry... in the middle of July, months after the basketball season ended. They treated UConn like they walked on water, and the Whalers were an after thought. Lastly; being sandwiched into a small market with very little coverage, with not one but FOUR other teams in two major metropolitan areas (the Bruins, Rangers, Islanders, and the Devils) within easy driving distance, did little in and of itself to help. As a life long Ranger fan I wasn't about to ditch my team for a team in Hartford. I remember there was a TV call in show with the late CT sportswriter Dave Solomon, Joe D'Ambrosio (whom you featured) and another writer that I for the life of me can't remember now, and they were throwing out ideas as to how to make the Whalers more popular. They were saying things like "Maybe play some games at the New Haven Coliseum?", and "Maybe change the name to the Connecticut Whalers?". I called in and said "Maybe this team isn't interested in winning, and owner Richard Gordon is going to pull what Norm Green did in Minnesota, and either sell the team or move them?". D'Ambrosio said "They want to win, they just don't know how". This was when they had FIVE different coaches in four years. That's not a recipe for winning. But sure enough a couple of months later the team was sold to Peter Karmanos, and they were eventually moved. I know many are hoping Phoenix is going to relocate to Hartford, but it's a pipe dream, and the league will not want a team to return to smack dab in the middle of the I-95 corridor between NY and Boston. Hartford I'm afraid is permanently out of the NHL.

[@Rodanguirus]

As a Red Wings fan who was 8 years old when the Whalers played their last game, they don't really factor into my hockey memories/nostalgia. But I do greatly appreciate their vital role in Gordie Howe's legendary career, and their logo being a contender for the best in sports.

[@mickjaguar242]

That 86 series against Montreal was one of the best ever.

[@tonibackman4486]

H.W had and still have the most beautiful logo and jerseys 💚 It is sad that they are gone.

[@GilesMcRiker]

Growing up in Montreal in the 1980s I have lots of fond memories listening to radio broadcasts of haves away games at the civic center, often on Thursday nights if I recall correctly. The Montreal broadcasters would typically meet up with and interview their Hartford colleagues during the intermission. Again, if I recall correctly, the Habs broadcaster would yield the mic over for a few minutes as a show of Goodwill. Either way, the city of Hartford and the hockey fans had so much charm and character, and we're great hockey fans overall, especially in their Noble expression of hate against the Boston Bruins. They had some pretty solid players over the years Mike Rogers, Mike Liut, Blaine Stoughton, Pat verbeek, Kevin dineen, Sylvain Turgeon, Ray.Ferraro, Zarley Zalapsky, etc

[@dc7468]

I miss the Whalers-Bruins rivalry. Whenever they would get together it was guaranteed fight night.

[@ucumari77]

Excellent video Nick. Once again it certainly shows how well researched and produced your videos are. A side note on the Whalers franchise; the first two seasons in Carolina they played in Greensboro (my hometown) while the arena was being built in Raleigh. Greensboro has a coliseum that seats 21,000. I think they reported an average of 7,000 +/- in paid attendance. That included the many no-shows as the actual attendance was around 3-4000. I attended many of those games and some you could easily count the number of fans. There were many reasons the attendance was poor but mainly it was the ticket prices. We went from an AHL team that was charging $20 for the best seats to $100 for the nosebleeds. I am glad that hockey is now thriving in Raleigh but sorry it had to come at the expense of Hartford.

[@Gigalisk]

The history of our game and the long lost defunct teams of old MUST BE PRESERVED in any way possible. Thank you for taking on this task, and showing some of us something new!

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

^ Thanks so much, and yes I hope I can continue playing a part in preserving the history of this amazing game 😎

[@maxrcrypto]

These types of historic/story videos are some of my favorite. Thanks a lot

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

Thanks! They're my fav, too.

[@Toxic_Male_Minimalist]

Lucky enough to see the Whalers in 96. In town against the Blues. Shanahan scored for the Whalers, and Gretzky for the Blues Great night

[@yourroyalh]

I’d like you to continue the story to make it full circle. Talk about the move to Carolina, their time in Greensboro, losing a cup, winning a cup, the playoffs drought, Dundon buying the team, and the reSURGEance

[@coveythesadghost8585]

my grandma lived in connecticut and would talk about going to the games all the time (im a bit young to have watched them live hahah) but she just loved connecticut having a professional sports team. thanks for helping me learn more!!

Never was a fan of Karmanos. I'm from the Detroit area. We had a really good OHL team that played at Joe Louis, the Jr. Red Wings. Had some good talent come through. Bryan Berard, Todd Harvey, Pat Peake, and a few other NHLers played for them. You could get tickets for free and JLA had some pretty good crowds for them. Karmanos owned them from the start when they were the Compuware Ambassadors. He moved the Whalers, then he moved the Jr. Wings to a town about 30 miles west of Detroit to Plymouth and renamed them the Jr. Whalers. I never went and watched the Jr. Whalers. Always felt like a backhanded slap towards Hartford.

[@mattgogo2937]

I saw many whaler games in the 80’s, brass bonanza always gave me goose bumps. I saw an all star game one of those years. Great time with my dad.

[@josephwirtz8352]

It was a true pleasure seeing Francis play in Carolina after the transition.

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

Too bad he couldn't win a Cup with them, but he did so much for that franchise in both Hartford and then Raleigh.

[@josephwirtz8352]

@@TwistedWristerHockey Truly one of the legends of the game for all he did on and off the ice.

[@TheronAnderson-hy3lp]

Isn’t he the only retired # by the actual Hartford Whalers?

[@Davidjon1946]

I remember my Buffalo Sabres.Pretty much gave him a blink check to sign in Buffalo I think he used the excuse not at enough good schools to not sign here in the buffalo

[@Aforg209]

Great video man! Thank you for doing it

[@ajlee5733]

Another great one man I love these keep up the great work man

[@patersonplankrd]

Devils fan from Northern NJ. When the Devils played in Hartford, yeah we went to the games. It was a 2 hr drive. No biggie. And because I found the atmosphere and the fans of the Whalers so unique, plus the intimacy of the arena which was the polar opposite of the cavernous Meadowlands Arena, it was just a cool place to see a game. I thought it was a shame when the team was carpetbagged to North Carolina. Here's a dirty little secret as to why the move to Raleigh was made so easy. Aside from Atlanta, The NHLwanted to gain presence somewhere geographically in between the two Florida based clubs and Washington DC. Raleigh is just short of half way. Perfect. Away they went.

[@PerfectCell9]

What a great video, informative and entertaining. Keep up the great work 👍

[@Retronightvintage1993]

Nick fantastic video love this documentary style!

[@terprubin]

I grew up in Hartford in the 80s and 90s. I remember a lot of the things you talked about, but I remember it as a child remembers things. Thank you for making this video

[@BillyJoeMcallister]

You do some great work. Thanks for doing this.

[@Cwibacca]

Amazing video, Nick. Loved every second of it.

[@terririnella4032]

so, i was a young hockey fan when Hartford left for Carolina ( became a fan around 1991, which is why i have a small nostalgia for the Penguins back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992), i don't remember Gordie playing for them, i don't remember Ron Francis playing for them (but i do have a memory of the trade cause the name John Cullen stuck in my memory for some reason)...back then people just made fun of Hartford, wasn't sure why, they just did, so i did too..... then they left and instant regret, like immediate, and it still exists today, anyone who remembers them still misses them, which is why (and i sell Hockey merchandise), Hartford is still one of the best sellers, up there with Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Rangers, Quebec (yes), and anything with Gretzky, Bedard, McDavid, and Crosby on it....not just anything Gordie related, anything with Hartford on it (the blue/green/white colour combo is amazing) it's like we know we F'd up when they left and want to go back

[@jeffreybanks0519]

I still remember Hartford beating Edmonton in 1984 by the score of 11-0

[@aidan30_]

What a video channel deserves more recognition what work 👏

[@kkacperowski]

Really well done dude. I learned a lot from this! As a Devils fan it would be cool to learn more about the the path to the team coming to NJ. Looking at the history of the Scouts then Rockies. Atlanta hockey history would be cool too.

[@bonn1771]

as a former season ticket holder this had some great items the trade of ronnie franchise kind of hurt them..

[@eirikrdberg1161]

Oh the memories! My first game was watching whalers beat bruins 3-2 in 1981. Went to five games there from 81-84. Had the single bonanza song.

[@davidmcphail5897]

Great job Nick. Really enjoyed that! Subscribed!

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

Thanks David, welcome to our family of Twisters!

[@rewing84]

very well done and researched video

[@BigBlack81]

Grew up in New Haven, went through the agony of losing the hockey culture there when the coliseum fell apart. Never got to be a part of the great Nighthawks tradition, but had friends who did. AHL was a way of life in New Haven, at a time. So to see Hartford leave too still hurts to this day. I live in Charlotte currently, and I will NEVER go to a Canes game, especially wearing the old logo. It's still sacrilegious to me, even more so when I think that Winnipeg is back in the league and it seems like Hartford is out for good. Connecticut has been the butt of a lot of jokes recently through Joe Rogan and others, and this video reminds me why, a true Connecticut man, I get very annoyed at that kind of sentiment. They just don't KNOW our state, nor it's sporting culture. The Whalers were one great, but sad example of that, the good and the bad of it.

[@paulbarron9745]

They had one of the cooler logos and uniforms in sports.

[@lgg7347]

Love this video. Can’t find the information anywhere else. Thanks

[@strungoutkid]

I didn't realize there was an "H" in the symbol until a few years ago. It blew my mind!!

[@colefreer]

the way the Whalers connected with the community sounds a lot like how the Golden Knights have in Vegas, just interesting to see

[@MikePurdue-ky9pm]

Were the Whalers just there to be used for gambling? Cause that's why the Vegas Golden Knights exist.

[@vaporduckwave]

I love learning about defunct teams I think a series about this subject would be great (if you want to of course)!

[@narwhalnawel8023]

Great video! I was always curious about what happened to them

[@myklaaron7879]

As a fan since '97......I'm glad they relocated to Raleigh(Greensboro the 1st 2 years😬)......i would not have become a fan of this awesome sport had they not moved here.

[@PenguinNote67]

Do a video on the Kansas City Scouts. They get very little attention, even for a defunct team that lasted for two years

[@kkacperowski]

yeah it would be cool to see the path of this team to NJ through colorado. Sounds like it was some tough years until they got to NJ.

[@gregnicholson9810]

Great video, great watch.

[@stlfatman]

This team was before my time, but as a St. Louis native who lost the Rams, I definitely feel Hartford's pain.

[@FunnyBone]

fun fact, the rams almost relocated from la to hartford in the early 90s, but later favored st. louis

[@myklvee]

Thanks for adding the Dan Nolan part … I grew up in Windsor and graduated with his sister !!❤❤❤

[@sjlawson3708]

Great job on this video! I’ve been a Blues fan since the mid-70’s. I now live in SC and have adopted the Canes as my 2nd team, largely because of the warm way I was treated by the fans while wearing a Blues sweater for a game there in March ‘19. Liut is my favorite Blues goalie of all time. I was pi$$ed when the Blues traded him (and still am, LOL). I am trying to figure out how I can get a Hartford game sweater with “LI-UUUUT” on it. Pronger wasn’t well received at first in St. Louis because Shanahan was very popular and we had given up Scott Stevens when we signed Shanahan (a really bad ruling that stifled the free agency structure at the time). Pronger benefitted from the brief Gretzky appearance as the focus was off of him and he was allowed to flourish more. My wife got me a Whalers hoodie with Howe on it, I love it. The Blues will always be my #1 team, but I have enough room in me cheer for the Canes/Whalers as well.

[@CalTheHogNosedBat]

I'd be interested in hearing about the Quebec Nordiques too, especially how the province of Quebec has put themselves in this whole weird situation separate from the rest of Canada to even potentially get back either the Nordiques, heck even the Montreal Expos again too.

[@JJ-Himself]

Fantastic work. 😊The NHL is not the same without the whale. And one of the best throwbacks in All of sports.

[@dmspangler44]

I’m the biggest Rangers fan you’ll meet, but prior to that I was a Whalers fan. Started watching hockey when I was a kid in the late 80’s and immediately latched on to the Whalers, then when they skipped town I started rooting for the Rangers and have to this day. Still haven’t forgotten my roots though! LFG Whalers.

[@Rockhead2000]

Lifelong Rangers fan and graduate of UHA In late 80s. Was around for the Whalers best run. Those games were fun against the Rangers. Great crowds, Whalers fans were great. UHA bball played in the Civic center so we felt a slight allegiance to the arena anyway. Sad that they moved, Whalers fans deserved better.

[@Tomatohater64]

Great video. My poor California Golden Seals. A great goalie - Gilles Meloche - and utterly horrific ownership. 😭😭😭 I knew things were bad in Hartford, but not this bad. Your detail here is superb. And I love when Carolina wears the old Whalers uniforms.

[@Klb818]

The white whalers jersey will always be my favorite

[@Iguana-Power]

I’m not a Canes fan but I live in Raleigh. Whenever the team announces that they’re going to have a Whalers night the whole area gets excited, but I just can’t help but feel uncomfortable. I just find it disrespectful to the people of Connecticut. I get the reason why they do it though: to sell more jerseys. It’s all about the money. As far as a video suggestion, might I suggest a look back at the 1999-2000 Flyers team. A lot happened for them that season. From Lindros’s concussion troubles, to the emergence of rookie goalie Brian Boucher, to their coach getting cancer, to overtaking my NJ Devils on the final day of the regular season for the #1 seed in the eastern conference, only to blow a 3-1 series lead against them in the Conference Finals.

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

That's a great suggestion! I like the idea of producing a video (ideally a series of videos) on "what could have been" for teams like those Flyers.

[@Iguana-Power]

@@TwistedWristerHockey That sounds like a really interesting concept. I always like exploring that kind of alternate history.

[@TARRS1]

Great video! A similar video about the San Jose Sharks!? I need some history info on my team 🦈

[@FrankJSelkeIV]

Habs fan here but love The Whale, miss the Adams Division, subscribed.

[@jasong1397]

i grew up in C.T. and can tell you when Francis was traded the vibe changed.In 1992 after the trade i was at a game when they intraduced the whalers the fans booed.Then they had a mascott named wally the Whaler and some old guys gave him the bird and yelled up yours wally.

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

Wow, what a polar opposite from a few years prior. I think I read they had also changed the goal song around that time, when Brian Burke came in.

[@thomasgallagher7092]

Yes, the Ron Francis trade in 1992 , along with Ulf Samuelsson , was the beginning if the end for the franchise. Brian Burke finished it off

[@TheeSM]

Everyone knew the Ron Francis trade was bad at the time despite there being news footage of people waffling over it. Ed Johnston was the GM who presided over that trade, he had come from the Penguins and then the next year went on to be head Coach for them after the trade. It always stunk, the same way the 96/97 season ticket sales proposal played as a bait and cash out scam with the added bonus of being leverage in the deal with N.C.

[@mariovaccarella6854]

Chicago & Detroit ended up losing 2 excellent players, as Bobby Hull & Gordie Howe had gone to The WHA. Great Video, as usual.

[@TickleSalty]

I attended a Whalers game at the Civic Center when my son was a student at University of Hartford. A very unique venue.

[@FaintKarmatic]

I live in that area during 1985 season and went to 4 games (BOS, WAS, VAN, QBC) . That series vs QBC was the ONLY series the team EVER won. It's was bad. Also, the stadium was inside the Hartford mall, it was weird, all around the outside of the stadium were shops on both sides. Then every so often on the inside was the doors to get into the stadium. The whalers invented a super stadium before anyone else, Forget Jerry World.

[@oilersridersbluejays]

Hartford should never have lost the Whalers. I’m happy that Winnipeg has the Jets again, but I sorely miss the Whalers and Nordiques. The NHL is better with those teams returning.

[@arthurpasseri4590]

I was a Whalers fan for my younger years, now im a Lightning fan, since I live in Tampa. I still have the Whalers in my heart and my John Anderson signed hockey stick. I walk around Tampa with my Whalers jersey on when I see the Lightning playing the (ugh) Hurricane (Thou, since Karmorons sold them, i dont hate the Canes as much as i did). The state died when the Whalers left, but mostly it was mismanagement of Connecticut.

[@mikeanzalone5612]

An easily missed piece of this story is that at the same time the State (and Governor's office) was negotiating with the Karmanos ownership, they were also in talks with the Patriots, who had announced they were moving to Hartford, and even had signed agreements for a massive stadium and hotel complex. Some have said the Governor was more focused on bringing the Pats to CT and didn't seriously believe the Whalers would leave.

[@WarioSaysSo]

0:00 - That intro... I was so waiting for hearing UrinatingTree burst out with LOOK OUT NHL, A HURRICANE IS COMING THROUGH! 🤣

[@qaradigm]

This video was amazing, do you think you could continue the series? Maybe the Thrashers or the team that Gretzky grew up watching, the Seals? Keep up the great content too!

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

Gretzky watched the Seals? With them, I always think about how they traded away a draft pick that would've given them the opportunity to draft Guy LaFleur.

[@qaradigm]

@@TwistedWristerHockey Yeah, it was the first team he ever saw play live, it was them vs toronto. Also they truly did miss out with that

[@torstenscholz6243]

The Nordiques and the original Jets would also be interesting. They both relocated around the same time as the Whalers.

[@kenjackson6256]

Best hockey logo. Evah!

[@burningblue1254]

Gordie Howe, best overall hockey player ever. Finesse or the rough stuff, Gordie could do it all. Didn't need protection like Gretsky, didn't need 82 game schedules like Ovechkin to rack up goals. I remember when he mopped the ice with Keith Magnusson of Chicago.

[@dannygrinuk6420]

The original season ticket goal was much lower than 11000. When the lower goal was met, they increased it to 11000. There was never any intention by Karmanos other than moving him to Raleigh, were his businesses were located.

[@greatsave31]

I drove that zamboni at the 0:39 mark, coincidentally it was sold to a rink in North Carolina

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

My jab didn't age too well, did it 😆...but I'm glad he's picked it up.

[@greatsave31]

All good man, I grew up in Philly, played junior in Hartford, now live in NC.... I'm all sorts of conflicted 😂 I just wanna see a Cooperalls game again 😊

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

@@greatsave31 Oh shoot, somehow my response to a comment on a different video got posted on here instead 😆 But yeah, I can see the conflict there. About to visit Raleigh for the first time next week.

[@greatsave31]

If your looking for some decent food or if you like small craft beer I can share some spots I am a big fan of

[@TwistedWristerHockey]

@@greatsave31 I'll gladly accept tips, thank you! I'm only there 48 hours, but at least I'll have an idea or two for the next time. All I know is I should go to Beasley's for fried chicken 🤤

[@psb5221976]

grew up watching the whalers and the new haven nighthawks.

[@Relaxlifeisshort2]

One of the best jerseys

[@darrencole97]

I am and always have been an Islanders fan but I do love the Whalers. I own a jersey and many more including The Northstars.

[@bemindful3315]

It's criminal that Karmanos went back on his word and moved the team. The Whalers won't ever be back, but they were and still are a more respectable market than North Carolina... they just needed more success on the ice and less turmoil behind the scenes. So many poor decisions made by management. I get angry when I think about it. Those beautiful green jerseys should still take to the ice in Hartford to this day. It's also sickening that the Hurricanes parade around in Whalers jerseys and profit off the popularity of that team. Same franchise via the relocation, sure, but it doesn't make it okay. I loved the Whalers. Cannot stand the Hurricanes.

[@angusmackaskill3035]

Ron Francis is the most underrated player in hockey

[@Davidjon1946]

Absolutely!!! I remember my hometown Buffalo sabres tried anything to bring him here he toured the city and schools with his wife we gave him a blank check he would have been a perfect teammate at that time