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.
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