• Whalers Banner 1974

    New England Whalers Team Formation

    The Whalers franchise was born in November 1971 when the World Hockey Association awarded a franchise to New England businessmen Howard Baldwin, John Coburn, W. Godfrey Wood and William Edward Barnes, to begin play in Boston.

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  • Gordie Howe Whalers

    Move South To Hartford

    While in Boston, the club played their home games at the Boston Arena and Boston Garden. However game scheduling at Boston Garden owned by the rival NHL Bruins became increasingly difficult, and the owners decided to relocate the team to Hartford, Connecticut beginning with the 1974 – 1975 season. The area, aside from various minor league teams in New Haven, had been largely bereft of pro hockey until the team’s arrival. While waiting for their new arena in Hartford, the Whalers played the first part of the 1974 – 1975 season at The Big E Coliseum in West Springfield, MA.

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Originally based in Boston, the team joined the WHA in the league’s inaugural season, and was known as the New England Whalers throughout its time in the WHA. The Whalers moved to Hartford in 1974 and joined the NHL in the NHL–WHA merger of 1979.

Established
1972

City
Boston – Hartford – Raleigh

League History
1979 – Present / National Hockey League
1972 – 1979 / World Hockey Association

Team History
1997 – Present / Carolina Hurricanes
1979 – 1997 / Hartford Whalers
1972 – 1979 / New England Whalers

Nickname
Whalers – Whaling is a major industry in Massachusetts seaport towns. The Whalers is a perfect name for this north city.

Championship
Stanley Cups  0
2006
Avco Cup  1
1973

Arena
2013 – Present / PNC Arena
2002 – 2012 / RBC Center
1999 – 2002 / Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena
1997 – 1999 / Greensboro Coliseum

*Hartford*
1975 – 1978, 1980 – 1997 / Hartford Civic Center
1978 – 1980 / Springfield Civic Center

*Boston*
1974 – 1975 / The Big E Coliseum
1972 – 1974 / Boston Garden
1972 – 1973 / Boston Arena

Owner
2017 – Present / Thomas Dundon
1994 – 2017 / Peter Karmanos, Jr.
1972 – 1993 / Howard Baldwin, John Coburn, W. Godfrey Wood and William Edward Barnes

Who is the greatest New England Whalers?

Retired Number
2 Glen Wesley
9 Gordie Howe
10 Ron Francis
17 Rod Brind’Amour
99 Wayne Gretzky

Mascot
1997 – Present / Stormy
1975 – 1985 / Pucky the Whale

*Blue is this team’s history

Whalers History Comments

 

 

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