[bobo8192]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwzS_9cGk_k

Can't say that doesn't give you chills.

[FourCorners]

AHL or NHL I am even more excited to be moving to CT. I still remember my first NHL game Whalers vs Philly in Springfield. It was standing room only and we managed to find seats ice level. I beleive it ended 4:4. Hope to be able to give my kids the same experiance.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by bobo8192

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwzS_9cGk_k

Can't say that doesn't give you chills.

No they didn't!

Yes, actually it kind of does. 13K for an AHL game? Wow. I was downtown that night and there was definetly a buzz.

[mr2448]

Originally Posted by Joey Saint

Gee, I don't wanna be a wise guy...but... I prefer bringing back the New Haven Blades.... unfortunately the days of that kind of blood n' guts hockey in a beer soaked,cigar smoke filled small arena are long gone ...but missed. Why does everything have to go big time and corporate?

Nothing better than a Blades/Long Ilsand Duck game back in the 60's. Any of those Eastern League teams could have played in today's NHL. Going to Providence on a Sunday night to see them play a team like the Buffalo Bisons was also great.

[uconn99]

Whalers games were never blacked out. The full season was always on Sports Channel.

The only teams in the NHL that could dare black out games are the Canadian franchises where they draw very well. The NHL does not have a black out policy like the NFL does. If there was such a policy in the NHL there would only be 3-4 different teams that wouldn't black out every game. Do you think the Bruins sell out every game? How about the Coyotes?

Hartford never had a good team outside of the 85/86 years. For having a team on the bottom of the standings every year the team drew well enough in my opinion. What city doesn't have a tough time drawing sellouts when the team sucks? Look at the Bruins just up until a couple years ago. The team drew 12-13,000 fans a game. The team in Carolina sits at the bottom of the league in attendance when they aren't winning a Stanley cup. The league is full of fair weather fans.

The area has the income, population, and media power (23-26th largest media market combined with New Haven) to support an NHL franchise. It says something about a market when you can draw 4,000 fans to an event for a team that hasn't been around for 13 years.


Bottom line is the Hartford area does deserve a team. Cities like Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta, Nashville, and Raleigh do NOT.

[bobo8192]

The NHL returning to Hartford might be a long shot, but it's a shot worth taking.

[western mass and love it]

i think winnipeg will get the next NHL franchise,it is a real shame that southern U.S. cities have NHL franchises and there are only 6 franchises in canada.