[Lincolnian]

Originally Posted by uconn99

The NHL can't not let him move a team to Hartford. Just look at the NFL when it came to the Rams.

Also, minor league attendance doesn't equal how a team would be supported in the NHL.

Like I previously said, most whalers fans won't go to Wolf Pack games, there is no appeal to them. Most of the Wolf Pack fans are new to the game or have young kids who like hockey.

Look at when the Whalers honored Kevin Dineen and Ron Francis at a Wolf Pack game, it almost sold out.

I went to the Wolf Pack games for awhile. However, the constant moving in and out of team members became annoying as it wasn't really a team but a practice venue for sorting out NHL players.

As much as promoters try to make it a similar experience it just isn't the same.

If the NHL is concerned about attendance perhaps they should look at some of the abysmal attendance figures of some of the southern franchises. And really what purpose is there in having hockey in the south anyway? It is a crime that northern teams, especially Canadian teams, with loyal fan bases are stripped of their teams to send the teams to a better TV market. Maybe a northern home team could have a satellite southern location where they played a portion of their home games.

Hartford was loyal to the Whalers with one of the highest percentages of season ticket holders in the league. Connecticut in general, and Hartford in particular, need a professional-level team to celebrate our independence.

[JiminCT]

Once Gary Bettman resigns...hopefully VERY soon, a Canadian commisioner would have a different view of Hartford, considering what happened to other natural hockey markets like WInnipeg, Quebec, and Minnesots (first one). People in the NHL know Hartford was a great market when the team did well. Ask Quennville...he said it was the loudest building in the NHL when they were good in the late 80s.

[uconn99]

The old mall sure could rock. I always thought the civic center was louder than gampel for UConn games. The sound system sure was a lot better.

Someone, I believe Dick Vital said the civic center was one of the loudest big arenas around back in the 90's before everyone expected uconn to blow out teams.

[Lincolnian]

Hartford won't be taken seriously until they get a professional acting mayor. Mayor Perez is too controlling and does not see the big picture nor take the responsibility for running our state's capital in a professional manner.

Hartford should be showcased to be the heart of Connecticut. For that to happen people have to stop picking up the paper or turning on the news each day hearing of another murder or shooting. A clear plan needs to be developed along with the major business and community stakeholders to identify exactly what needs to be done to bring more business development and middle class residents into the city.

This requires a true, educated leader, not a pandering, egotistic, micromanger who tries to eliminate opposing views through intimidation and public humiliation.

[uconn99]

I am not a Mayor Perez supporter, however he is making a push for a new arena and team.

[Ron.]

In order to create an economy you have to have the populatuion first. Businesses will not open up if the people are not there first. It does not make sense to open up a business if the traffic is not tere.

Once businesses see there is a viable economy in place than they will begain to move in. Housing has to be created first than incentives have to be given to get people to move into the housing. Once people move in than businesses will follow.

Originally Posted by mels

I completely agree. Hartford does have plenty of cheerleaders saying it is making a comeback and I think it will get there, albeit through a painfully slow process. It won’t be next year, it won’t be three years from now (Front Street anyone?). They want people to live downtown with no grocery stores in place. They want the hotels filled but downtown is a ghost town with no shops, nothing to showcase the riverfront in the evening…there is just a lot of wasted potential.

If they are pointing visitors to the suburbs, then Hartford has longer to go than I originally thought.