Overview

More than twenty years after departing Hartford, Connecticut, for Raleigh, North Carolina, the NHL's Whalers continue to inspire passion among fans. As HartfordBusiness.com reported in 2015, ""Whalers merchandise...still has a cult following not only among fans in Connecticut but around the country."" But Whalers devotees aren't just clamoring for jerseys, hats and t-shirts. They're nostalgic for a team that had New England roots for nearly 25 years--in Boston, Springfield, and Hartford--and featured some of the greatest players in NHL history, including Gordie Howe (with his sons Mark and Marty), Bobby Hull, and Ron Francis. Pat Pickens’s book details the Whalers’ origin in Boston in 1972, the team’s WHA championship in 1973, the roof collapse of their home arena that indirectly led to their entrance to the NHL in 1979, their stunning NHL playoff-series win against the top-seeded Quebec Nordiques in 1986, the 1986-87 season when they claimed their first division championship, and their relocation south in 1997 as the Carolina Hurricanes. Pickens imagines a Stanley Cup delivered to hockey-crazed Hartford in 2006, when the Hurricanes instead brought it home to North Carolina. The book also explores the likelihood of an NHL team returning to the Nutmeg State.

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9781493044023

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Reviews

Hockey fans continue to have a fascination with the Whalers franchise, with good reason. From the rough early years, to the development of an exciting young team that thrilled one of sport's most underrated fan bases, to the final years of controversy and chaos, Pat Pickens's account of the team's colorful history is a terrific read. It's filled with memories from over a dozen figures who continue to have a powerful impact on the NHL to this day. --Rick Peckham, former play-by-play announcer for the Whalers and Tampa Bay Lightning Pat Pickens's book captured more than a historical account of a sports franchise but rather a story about the deep connection between Hartford and its Whalers. Through cheers and tears the characters in the book remain fondly connected to Hartford. --Mike Liut, Whalers goalie, 1985-90 We may not have realized how special the Hartford Whalers were at the time, but as I look back it was a privilege to play for the team. I still keep in touch and get together with many of my ex-teammates from those days, which were unlike any other in my pro career. The Whalers brought back fond memories of my time playing in Hartford. --Paul Lawless, Whalers forward, 1982-88 Pickens does a magnificent job in giving the bigger picture surrounding the franchise. No professional sports entity exists in a vacuum. There is always a wider context. Throughout The Whalers, one learns about the layers of external factors that impacted the franchise and ultimately led to its move from Hartford to Raleigh. Contemporaneous occurrences and trends within the NHL and other major sports leagues, the regional and national economy, demographic data, political realities, and statewide cultural realities and quirks are some among several outside factors that Pickens strategically and informatively weaves into his narrative and analysis. Lastly, the decisive and unambiguous conclusions by Pickens are appreciated, commendable, and refreshing.-- The New England Journal of History

""Hockey fans continue to have a fascination with the Whalers franchise, with good reason. From the rough early years, to the development of an exciting young team that thrilled one of sport's most underrated fan bases, to the final years of controversy and chaos, Pat Pickens's account of the team's colorful history is a terrific read. It's filled with memories from over a dozen figures who continue to have a powerful impact on the NHL to this day."" --Rick Peckham, former play-by-play announcer for the Whalers and Tampa Bay Lightning ""Pat Pickens's book captured more than a historical account of a sports franchise but rather a story about the deep connection between Hartford and its Whalers. Through cheers and tears the characters in the book remain fondly connected to Hartford."" --Mike Liut, Whalers goalie, 1985-90 ""We may not have realized how special the Hartford Whalers were at the time, but as I look back it was a privilege to play for the team. I still keep in touch and get together with many of my ex-teammates from those days, which were unlike any other in my pro career. The Whalers brought back fond memories of my time playing in Hartford."" --Paul Lawless, Whalers forward, 1982-88 Pickens does a magnificent job in giving the bigger picture surrounding the franchise. No professional sports entity exists in a vacuum. There is always a wider context. Throughout The Whalers, one learns about the layers of external factors that impacted the franchise and ultimately led to its move from Hartford to Raleigh. Contemporaneous occurrences and trends within the NHL and other major sports leagues, the regional and national economy, demographic data, political realities, and statewide cultural realities and quirks are some among several outside factors that Pickens strategically and informatively weaves into his narrative and analysis. Lastly, the decisive and unambiguous conclusions by Pickens are appreciated, commendable, and refreshing. -- ""The New England Journal of History ""

Hockey fans continue to have a fascination with the Whalers franchise, with good reason. From the rough early years, to the development of an exciting young team that thrilled one of sport's most underrated fan bases, to the final years of controversy and chaos, Pat Pickens's account of the team's colorful history is a terrific read. It's filled with memories from over a dozen figures who continue to have a powerful impact on the NHL to this day. --Rick Peckham, former play-by-play announcer for the Whalers and Tampa Bay Lightning Pat Pickens's book captured more than a historical account of a sports franchise but rather a story about the deep connection between Hartford and its Whalers. Through cheers and tears the characters in the book remain fondly connected to Hartford. --Mike Liut, Whalers goalie, 1985-90 We may not have realized how special the Hartford Whalers were at the time, but as I look back it was a privilege to play for the team. I still keep in touch and get together with many of my ex-teammates from those days, which were unlike any other in my pro career. The Whalers brought back fond memories of my time playing in Hartford. --Paul Lawless, Whalers forward, 1982-88

Hockey fans continue to have a fascination with the Whalers franchise, with good reason. From the rough early years, to the development of an exciting young team that thrilled one of sport's most underrated fan bases, to the final years of controversy and chaos, Pat Pickens's account of the team's colorful history is a terrific read. It's filled with memories from over a dozen figures who continue to have a powerful impact on the NHL to this day. --Rick Peckham, former play-by-play announcer for the Whalers and Tampa Bay Lightning Pat Pickens's book captured more than a historical account of a sports franchise but rather a story about the deep connection between Hartford and its Whalers. Through cheers and tears the characters in the book remain fondly connected to Hartford. --Mike Liut, Whalers goalie, 1985-90 We may not have realized how special the Hartford Whalers were at the time, but as I look back it was a privilege to play for the team. I still keep in touch and get together with many of my ex-teammates from those days, which were unlike any other in my pro career. The Whalers brought back fond memories of my time playing in Hartford. --Paul Lawless, Whalers forward, 1982-88

Author Information

Pat Pickens is a writer for NHL.com. Previously, he was an editorial producer for MLB.com and a freelance sportswriter for The New York Times. From 2008 to 2013 he was sports editor at the Fairfield Citizen in Connecticut.

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