(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1971 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. Move South To Hartford While in Boston, the club played their home …