A Fart of a Deal

March 4^th will forever be one of the biggest watershed moments in NHL history.  The infamous trade between the Penguins and Whalers handed the Penguins Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson, a Hall-of-Fame forward and a stud defender, and turned them into a championship caliber team; meanwhile, the Whalers received three mediocre players andentered into a downward spiral that resulted in an ownership change, declining attendance, and relocation to North Carolina.

            And yet, looking back at what information I could find from the time of the trade, it seems most experts and publications like The Hockey News thought that the Whalers got the better deal, or at least broke even with the Pens.  It’s hard to believe that such an obviously lopsided deal in favor of the Penguins was actually considered to be a win for the Whalersat the time.ZarleyZalapski, John Cullen, and Jeff Parker were evidently considered a pretty good haul for Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson, a suggestion that genuinely makes my brain hurt thinking about it.

            To be fair, the Whalers’ hand was kind of forced.  Based off the twenty year retrospective from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Samuelsson was threatening to leave for Sweden, and the owner Richard Gordon wanted rid of Francis.  I guess it wouldn’t be the Hartford Whalers without having an owner completely screw things up, though that does make a bit more sense as to why this would be considered a decent deal for them.  Three potentially good prospects for two guys surely on their way out would be a fair deal better than just straight up losing them for nothing, and this is the sort of dealing that Jim Rutherford has used to keep the Penguins machine churning in recent years.

            The problem is, Rutherford has yet to deal a true superstar player like Francis or Samuelsson, let alone two of them in one deal.Then again, he hasn’t exactly been on the verge of losing a star or two for free, and they’ve mostly been happy in Pittsburgh, although being a cup contender as opposed to a flaming pile of poo is certainly a bonus.  I can see why the Whalers made the deal, and I can understand why this was considered to be a decent haul at the time based on the alternative of losing one or both unhappy stars.  It’s just a shame that they were ever in that position in the first place and that it turned into such an epic blunder that effectively killed the team for good.

Karmanos’ Crap Keeps Killing Canes

Karmanos’ Crap Keeps Killing Canes

          It has been nearly a month since the first of two “Whaler Nights” for the Carolina Hurricanes, and I am still left dumbfounded that this was ever considered a good idea.Watching the Hurricanes pretending to be the Hartford Whalers was like watching a divorced woman speed dating in her wedding dress: a blatant attempt at drawing attention and approval from NHL fans while dressing up in their heart breaking past.  I guess it’s an improvement over completely ignoring their past, but surely there is a balance to be struck between complete denial and blatant publicity stunts.  All “Whaler Night” did was expose the Hurricanes as a franchise weighed down by their old identity while desperately seeking approval from their own fans.  It says something about a franchise that the best way to gin up support is to claim an altogether different identity they have tried to suppress for nearly a quarter of a century.

I don’t place all the blame on Tom Dundon.  Sure, it’s a massive popularity stunt to use the old Whalers’ persona to try and build support for the modern-day Hurricanes calamity, but at least he is acknowledging the past.The true villain in this whole charade is the same man it always has been:  Peter Karmanos.  The man who finally sold majority control of the team this past summer still has a massive impact on the current state of the Carolina Hurricanes, one that will take some time to rebuild from.

            Karmanos’ legacy will always be remembered for stabbing the people of Hartford in the back and moving the beloved Whalers to North Carolina, but perhaps he should also be remembered for being an utterly terrible owner.  During his twenty-four year tenure as owner of the Whalers/Hurricanes, Karmanos did manage some success with three separate playoff runs advancing further than the Whalers ever did, but otherwise spent nearly a quarter of a century building up an abject failure of an organization.  Out of twenty-four years under Karmanos, a whopping nineteen of them ended without a playoff berth.  Even the few bright spots, the three deep runs they had in the 2000s, were quickly followed each time by a significant regression.  In retrospect, they seem more like fluky outliers in a data set that shows a consistent lack of progress or achievement.  He even cast aside his GM Jim Rutherford and his own son Jason Karmanos, two longtime members of the Whalers/Hurricanes organization, only to witness them revitalize the Penguins into back-to-back cup winners.  Other than the 2006 Stanley Cup victory and the 2002 runner up finish, there has not been much tangible success at all since Karmanos took over.  No wonder Dundon decided to turn back the clock with “Whalers Night.”  There certainly isn’t much recent to celebrate the current team, nor has there been in a decade.

            It is especially telling that the “Whaler Night” promotions have generated far more publicity and excitement than any events honoring the 2006 team.Here is a team with an actual notable achievement, and yet it is far more noteworthy to harken back to the days of being a loveable loser squeezed out by the Bruins, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils.  Those Whalers teams had some big names like Mark Howe and Kevin Dineen, but they were never anything more than fodder for the genuine contenders in the Adams Division.  And yet, they are far more fondly remembered than the actual championship team decades later simply because they had a certain charm to them.  One could conceivably forgive them for struggling in their cramped environment without the aid of revenue sharing or a salary cap to level the playing field.  It is far harder to justify the struggles in a much larger market with the aid of these balancing measures, especially with top talents like Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner playing for them.  There is just no reason to care about this hockey team right now other than the fact they were once a far better-looking hockey team with a cool logo and some great individual players.

            In a sense, this makes Karmanos especially culpable in the “Whalers Night” promotions that seek to appropriate the long-neglected Whaler legacy and build excitement for yet another mediocre Hurricanes team falling out of the playoff race.  Even though Peter Karmanos is no longer the main decision maker, his failures as an owner have tainted the Carolina Hurricanes in a way that Tom Dundonis only now beginning to remedy.  I just wish he didn’t appropriate Whaler culture to do it.

TH68

Why The Whalers ACTUALLY left Hartford

I'm going to cover several topics that I've covered before, but this is something that needs to be made known. This is the real reason why the Hartford Whalers left Connecticut. 

Peter Karmanos happened. That's it, folks. That's my answer. Peter fucking Karmanos. He purchased the team with the intention of moving it. "But Hartford never supported their team! That's why he moved them!" You say because you're wrong and you should feel bad for ever saying that. The Whalers attendance was never terrible even when the Whalers were. The Whalers attendance, even  at it's worst, was NEVER the worst in the league. Close, but never the lowest. On multiple occasions they outsold some pretty notable teams like the Bruins. You also have to keep in mind that management was trying to sell a losing team to fans year after year. Even in the most supportive of markets, with the most iconic of teams, people will stop showing up. Ask Detroit. Looking back at the numbers, the Whalers outsold several current teams by quite a margin including the Hurricanes...For several years running...The Whalers were also near the top of the WHA's attendance as well, averaging between six and nine thousand butts in seats per game. Which, as far as I'm concerned is impressive for a rogue league like the WHA was. If you don't believe me, look for yourself. I'll wait: http://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=6045   http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?page_id=4821

Again, Peter Karmanos happened. Honestly, that should be my only point. I could have ended this and gone to bed hours ago instead of sifting through articles, graphs, and all sorts of other shit. Pete never wanted to keep the team in Hartford. Ever. I don't care what he said, or what you've heard, he did NOT want to keep the team in Hartford. Prices for tickets were raised as much as twenty percent while the deposit amount on season tickets was raised by OVER SEVENHUNDRED AND FIFTY FUCKING PERCENT. On top of that, he canceled all season ticket packages that weren't full season packs. He set an 11,000 season ticket sales goal and then made it harder for the average fan to actually buy them. He complained about "lackluster" attendance, yet made it harder for people to afford tickets. 

Pete and the State's negotiations on a new arena were going well and nearly complete and going surprisingly well...Until at the last second he decided that he needed another $45 million to cover "losses" while the new arena was being built. Connecticut told him to pound sand, and rightfully so. It's bad enough that $147.5 million was already going to a new stadium, he then has the nerve to ask for more at the very last second. When things “fall through,” he blames the state. I’m sorry, but am I the only one that finds the suspicious? The man had no intention of keeping the team in Hartford, it's just that simple. 

My Thoughts on Carolina’s Throwback Plans

Recently Carolina’s new owner, Tom Dundon, has stated that he wants to start selling Whalers merchandise and potentially wear the old Blue and Green for throwback games. At first, I was honestly okay with it. Hell, I loved the idea. I thought it was awesome that the Hurricanes were finally embracing their history and the Whalers were finally getting the attention they’ve always deserved. At first. Then, an opinion piece by Jeff Jacobs hit the web and The suppressed feelings of loathing towards Dundon’s plans shot to the surface. Seriously, if you’re a Whalers fan and haven’t read it yet, here’s the link: http://m.ctpost.com/sports/jeffjacobs/article/Jeff-Jacobs-Whalers-jerseys-have-no-business-in-12547757.php he sums it up pretty damn well.

I talked with my father about this for a long while the other night. It’s very different from The Wolfpack holding Whalers themed events. At least The Pack are in Hartford and trying to win over Whalers fans. I can’t help but feel like Dundon and the Canes are trying to capitalize on the still heartbroken Whalers fans. You don’t see the Coyotes wearing Jets throwbacks and you don’t see the Avalanche wearing Nordiques throwbacks. A mention here or there would be nice, like the Stars did after their Stanley Cup win for Minnesota. A heartfelt nod, per say. This is not one of those things. If you do something nice but then use that nice thing to make money...Is it really a nice thing anymore? They played Brass Bonanza during a break in play the other night. Not only did Pete steal the team, HE STOLE OUR FUCKING GOAL HORN. So please, for the love of all that is holy, PLEASE don’t steal our logo. 

The Ryan Reaves Effect

I know it’s been a while since my last post so I thought I’d pick an easy topic to start off. Work has been absolutely ridiculous, but I’ve finally found a way to start writing on my down time. 

Let’s get this shit show on the road with something I like to call “The Ryan Reaves Effect.” During the off-season, the Pens have picked up a piece of the puzzle that they have been severely lacking for a LONG time. That piece is Ryan Reaves. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Pens picked up Tom Sestito a few seasons ago and I really liked watching him play, but I feel like he isn’t and wasn’t the intimidating force that the Penguins needed on the ice. For those of you wondering, Tom is doing a nice job of reinventing his playing style in the AHL and is a really great guy. I had The pleasure of talking to him in Hartford on his way down the tunnel between periods. 

Back to Ryan. Although he’s a good four inches shorter than Tom, his playing style and willingness to throw hands anytime anywhere make up for the difference. A lot of fans were unhappy about the trade and what the Pens has to give up, but that type of player is exactly what I’ve been praying the Pens would sign or pick up. Watching the Pens stars get run and man handled with no response has been...embarrassing...to say the least. Players like Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang should not have to be plagued by concussions and I feel like Reaves will help solve that issue.

Why the Islanders/NHL in Hartford isn't a pipe dream.

I'm gonna start this one off with some pros and cons and break them down individually and attempt to debunk some long standing myths about the city of Hartford and the Whalers.

Pros:

The Hartford New Haven market is the largest without a professional team.

The XL Center in it's current state is still better than Barclays Center

Attendance

Cons:

Taxes, taxes, taxes, and Connecticut's economy

New York, Boston, and New Jersey

Gary Bettman and the NHL

                Okay, let's get this train wreck a-rollin' by talking about the market. As I stated above, the Hartford-New Haven market is the largest TV market without a professional team. Not only that, but our market is larger than several in the NHL including Buffalo and Raleigh to name a few... Speaking of markets, some people have brought up that it wouldn't make any sense for the Islanders to move from the massive NYC market to Hartford. I would like to take a moment to remind those people that the Isles are NOT NYC's team. Don't try to tell me that the Isles, the redheaded step child of the New York teams, commands more than a fraction of the NYC market.  No offense to the Isles diehard fans but just like the Yankees, The Rags are New York's team. The Mets and Isles have always sorta been that..."other" New York team.

                On the subject of markets, let's covers one of the major cons: Boston, New York, and New Jersey. One of the major hurdles for Hartford was, and will be their location. There are a lot of Rags, Bruins, and Devils fans in Connecticut to name a few and you'll be ramming a team into an "oversaturated" area. The silver lining to all this though, is that they're all within reasonable driving distance for out of state fans to follow their teams to away games in Hartford. (Just like they used to in the 80's-90's)

                On to the XL Center. In it's current state, the XL Center is operating at a loss. BUT, it's a hockey arena. The Barclay's Center is not and never will be, which is why it's such a mess. Hartford wants an NHL team. The Barclay's Center doesn't want the Islanders. They don't even want to fix the ice sheet, which...is kind of important for a sport that's played on ice. Many of the major complaints about the BC are obstructed views of the ice. A lot of reviews talk about great prices, but if you don't already know, there's a good chance you'll be paying to see a hockey game that you'll never actually see. I do have to say, there were a lot of happy posts on two major subjects. A lot of fans were very happy with the food selection and how clean the bathrooms were. Props to you, BC. It warms my soul to know that I can go to a game, take a dump, and have a less obstructed view of the ice from a CLEAN toilet.  Even as an interim arena while the Isles figure things out, the XL Center right now, today, is better for hockey than the Barclay's center. By next season the XL Center will have a new and up to date ice sheet, and as I'm typing this talks about renovations are in the works for a new arena.

               

                Now for another MASSIVE hurdle...Connecticut's taxes and economy. Anyone that tells you that there's nothing wrong with Connecticut's economy either doesn't live here, or they live under a rock. Connecticut doesn't have a revenue problem, Connecticut has a spending problem. What Connecticut really needs, is incentive to bring an NHL team home and I'm talking more than just a shiny new arena and some rabid fans. Both Connecticut and Hartford are going to have to cut a major deal with whoever they want to potentially bring in besides just dangling an arena in their face and hoping they bite. I do have to say, since I've started following hockey more and more (starting in 2010) and delving deeper into my home states beloved team, I've seen Hartford evolve. The city seems "brighter" and friendlier. At one point, you couldn't make it to any door without being panhandled or harassed to some extent. It's really hard for to explain how much the city has improved, but you can really see it when you walk through the streets at any given time. The price of this new arena is what's also killing the chances. $250 million is not a small bill and it's going to cost the taxpayers in the city a pretty penny. Taxpayers have already had to foot the bill for a baseball stadium that was VERY late to the party and will most likely not be willing to pay for another sports stadium. I'm not a businessman so I'm not going to try and solve the state's money problems , but I think you get my point.

                Gary Bettman...Gary isn't much of a hurdle or an obstacle...He's more of a speed bump...As in he'd be fun to run over at high speeds and see how much air we get. Gary and the NHL as a whole are much more interested in spitting on the dumpster fires that are Arizona and Florida and claiming nothing is wrong than he is in doing anything of use. Constantly denying that teams are moving or going bankrupt when the ownership flat out says the opposite. Now, I totally understand that he can't just run around screaming the sky is falling...but come on. He acts as if he's not interested in Hartford and then gets seen talking with the Governor and Malloy confirms it. I'm not sure how much say he has in relocation, but I can guarantee he'll never allow an expansion team in Hartford. Tinfoil hat time: I'm still not convinced that he didn't help push the Whalers out of Hartford to go along with his odd fetish for putting teams in terrible hockey markets. Okay, you can remove your tinfoil hats now, it's safe.

                Okay, last but not least is attendance. Attendance is important. Yuuge.  It doesn't matter if you're selling tickets, it's how many butts you're putting in the seats every night. Now every mouth breathing  naysayers  first argument is *insert sarcastic tone here* "EEEHHH NO ONE EVER WENT TO THE GAMES ANYWAYS."  You're stupid and you should apologize to everyone for using up our precious air. Looking at the attendance in the NHL as of today (02/12/17) the Whalers at their peak in 87-88 had a higher average attendance per game than Carolina, Arizona, The Isles, and Florida do and the Civic Center had a lower capacity. Attendance had little to do with the Whalers relocation, although it was (supposedly) a factor.  As I said in my open letter to Raleigh, it had to do with piss poor management  and Karmanos wanting to move the team at all costs. Now, let's bring up the mouth breathers second argument: "NO ONE GOES TO THE WOLFPACK GAMES SO WHY SHOULD THEIR BE AN NHL TEAM?" Because no one likes the Wolfpack. Not even the Rags fans like the Wolfpack. Relevance this is something that plagues minor league sports as a whole. "Why go see them play when I can travel a little ways and go so pros play?" Now I do have to say, the two years that The Pack were The Whale, attendance spiked considerably and haven't reached average highs like that again. Go figure, they lost a majority of the Whalers fans once again. What The Pack lacks in attendance, The Huskies make up for it. A majority of the diehard Whaler fans can be found at UCONN games supporting The Huskies, because...well...They're not The Wolfpack.

                So, final thoughts. Although I'm positive that Hartford can and will support an NHL team, I think that some serious changes need to be made before it can happen. I DO feel, however, that the XL Center is a PERFECT short term fit for the Islanders in it's current state. Long term? I'm not sure, it'll depend on the above factors. Regardless, keep the faith and continue to Bleed Green.

An open letter to Raleigh North Carolina

                Dear fans of the Carolina Hurricanes,

               

                According to Gary Bettman and his lapdog Peter Karmanos Jr, The Carolina Hurricanes will NOT be relocating. Karmanos has stated that he would be willing to sell the team if they stayed in Raleigh. Sorry Canes fans, but I'm here to warn you that this is a crock of shit. This is coming from a man who did everything he could to justify ripping a beloved team from its rightful home. In 1994 when he purchased the Whalers he promised they would remain in Hartford for the next four years, but after just two seasons, he'd changed his mind. If the Whalers were unable to sell at least 11,000 season tickets for the 96-97 season, he would move the team. Understandable. Hockey, like all sports, is a business. 11,000 season tickets in a small market like Hartford is...nuts, but doable. But Good Ol' Pete didn't stop there! Instead of giving people incentive to buy season tickets...Ownership eliminated the very popular six, ten, and twenty game packs and raised prices for tickets as much as twenty percent while also raising the deposit amount on season tickets by OVER SEVENHUNDRED AND FIFTY PERCENT. On top of that, at the very last second, Pete decided he needed an additional forty-five million in taxpayer dollars to cover "losses" while the proposed new arena was built. Do you see where I'm going with this? Do I need to keep going?  Eh, why not.

                He'd already made plans to relocate before he'd even had a place to relocate to. Your team is owned by a man who is about as trustable as a fart after Taco Bell and it's future is in his hands. As much as I would truly love to see Pete's "Legacy" destroyed and the team moved to Quebec or elsewhere, I hope for the sake of the TRUE hockey fans in Carolina, that he's telling the truth and they do stay. Although I never got to see them play, I will always remember the devastation I felt when the Whalers left. The promise that when I was older, I'd get to see them play still sticks with me. Keep the faith, and continue to support the team that you love.

                Sincerely,

                The alienated fans of the Hartford Whalers.