Hartford Seeks NHL Franchise Again . .

New Hartford Arena-Could it help bring the NHL back to town?

Hartford Mayor Meets with NHL Commissioner
By DON LAVIANO


The XL Center, formerly the Hartford Civic Center, has not seen the Whalers skate on the ice since 1997. Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to explore the idea of the NHL returning to Hartford.

It has been nearly 12 years since the Hartford Whalers played their last game before relocating to Raleigh, NC, and once again there is the talk about whether or not the NHL could return to Hartford.

In a preliminary report from HOK Sport, who the city retained to develop a plan for a new arena, it stated that the present site of the XL Center was the most viable location.

"In light of these difficult financial times, this effort will take a considerable amount of work and partnership between the city, state, and corporate community to bring the plans for the development of a new facility to reality, but the benefits have the potential to be exponential," said Perez.

Perez also stated that all parties at the meeting agreed that there would be ongoing discussions about bringing an NHL team back to Hartford.

"To keep the momentum going in Hartford's renaissance, we must be prepared in the next three to five years to implement a redevelopment plan for a new multi-use arena facility that serves the entire state not only as a world class venue for concerts, family shows, and UConn basketball, but also as a potential home for a major league sports franchise," said Perez.


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THE BOTTOM LINE: I think there is a slim chance that the Whale could return to life but they would have to beat out bigger cities like Kansas City, Houston, & Las Vegas. Its possible, but its going to be a tall order to pull it off . . . The XL Center (formerly Hartford Civic Center) is ancient now, so now would be a good time to replace it, even if they don't get an NHL/NBA team to move there.

 

the money is there.

 

The Phoenix team is a prime candidate.

 

It looks like building that new arena in Glendale was too big of a financial bite for the Coyotes ownership group . . . . I would hate to see them leave; They are in a good market which early on showed strong support for the team . . . . I don't know if the NHL would wait 2-3 years it would take to get the new Hartford Arena built (the old Civic Center would have to be torn down first). I think the NHL would try to get a team into Kansas City 1st . . . Hey, Winnipeg has a new arena now. Wouldn't it be ironic if the team moved back home after 15 years ? ? ?


MTS Centre in Winnipeg

 

Winnipeg deserves a team IMO. The deal for the league is not that great to go there but it's hockey country and it would get fanatical support. How about Las Vegas ?