Comments on: Ahoy – It’s the NHL’s Great Green Whale http://grossmisconducthockey.com/2009/03/02/ahoy-its-the-nhls-great-green-whale/ Making fun of the hockey establishment since 2007. Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:21:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Shaun @ Major League Wiffleball http://grossmisconducthockey.com/2009/03/02/ahoy-its-the-nhls-great-green-whale/comment-page-1/#comment-280 Shaun @ Major League Wiffleball Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:56:08 +0000 http://grossmisconducthockey.com/2009/03/02/ahoy-its-the-nhls-great-green-whale/#comment-280 Highly-priced merchandise! You're not kidding. Glad I held on to some of my old Whalers items. Of course, now may be a great time to sell them! I agree, the Whalers are better off as a distant memory, but if Hartford gets another shot at an NHL team, I'll be rooting for them. It might work. The Cleveland Browns pulled it off. Highly-priced merchandise! You’re not kidding. Glad I held on to some of my old Whalers items. Of course, now may be a great time to sell them!

I agree, the Whalers are better off as a distant memory, but if Hartford gets another shot at an NHL team, I’ll be rooting for them. It might work. The Cleveland Browns pulled it off.

]]> By: tam http://grossmisconducthockey.com/2009/03/02/ahoy-its-the-nhls-great-green-whale/comment-page-1/#comment-279 tam Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:52:17 +0000 http://grossmisconducthockey.com/2009/03/02/ahoy-its-the-nhls-great-green-whale/#comment-279 I worked for the Whale as an intern the summer before they packed up and left town. I can tell you that they practically sold out every game. That's not so bad for a team known as the "Forever .500". What Hartford had going for it - which no one seems to recognize - is the incredible fan support. The problem is that Hartford rests squarely in the sports / TV market that is shared by NY & Boston. This results in a smaller market share (and smaller piece of the revenue pie), for sure, but I think there were options that everyone chose to ignore. Instead the state dumped all their resources into chasing the Pats and when that fell through, they gave UConn a football field 45 minutes from campus. (The marching band is constantly asking for money to help transport them back and forth from Storrs, BTW. EPIC FAIL!!!) No one supports the Wolfpack AFAIK, because they're the Rangers' farm team. If you go to a Wolfpack game, I believe that you will see more Whalers jerseys than 'Pack. At least it seemed that way to me when I went. Bringing the Whale (or any NHL team) back to Hartford is not the answer. The team will fail miserably, for the same reasons it did in the first place. Sell the merchandise all you want, but let the Whalers hockey team rest in peace. PLEASE! I worked for the Whale as an intern the summer before they packed up and left town. I can tell you that they practically sold out every game. That’s not so bad for a team known as the “Forever .500″.

What Hartford had going for it – which no one seems to recognize – is the incredible fan support. The problem is that Hartford rests squarely in the sports / TV market that is shared by NY & Boston. This results in a smaller market share (and smaller piece of the revenue pie), for sure, but I think there were options that everyone chose to ignore. Instead the state dumped all their resources into chasing the Pats and when that fell through, they gave UConn a football field 45 minutes from campus. (The marching band is constantly asking for money to help transport them back and forth from Storrs, BTW. EPIC FAIL!!!)

No one supports the Wolfpack AFAIK, because they’re the Rangers’ farm team. If you go to a Wolfpack game, I believe that you will see more Whalers jerseys than ‘Pack. At least it seemed that way to me when I went.

Bringing the Whale (or any NHL team) back to Hartford is not the answer. The team will fail miserably, for the same reasons it did in the first place. Sell the merchandise all you want, but let the Whalers hockey team rest in peace. PLEASE!

]]> By: Anonymous http://grossmisconducthockey.com/2009/03/02/ahoy-its-the-nhls-great-green-whale/comment-page-1/#comment-56 Anonymous Thu, 12 Mar 2009 05:01:00 +0000 http://grossmisconducthockey.com/2009/03/02/ahoy-its-the-nhls-great-green-whale/#comment-56 Your wrong! Your wrong!

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