HUGE NIGHT OF NEWS

It was a busy day for Hartford hockey Tuesday. There were players sent down and out which happens all the time in sports, but history was made Tuesday night as well in Hartford Wolf Pack, Hartford Whaler and Connecticut Whale country.

Howlings attended a meeting at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell along with writer Bruce Berlet and Mark Willand, Senior Vice President of Business Operations for WhalersSports and Entertainment (WS&E) as well as four members of the Board of Directors of both the Wolf Pack and Whalers Booster Clubs. Jerry Carroon, the only person to have been President of both fan clubs, headed up the meeting.

Berlet did such a magnificent job on the recap of it that we thought we would just add a couple of our observations.

First, it was a TERRIFIC thing to watch. Two former rival groups sitting across the table from each other laughing and having such a productive and positive assembly. It was clear that there were no problems; no egos; no hurt feelings. The groups are united to make this venture work…now if they could just get congress to work this way, we’d have something. But that’s another story for another day.

How was it best summed up?

When asked about the toxic relationship that has existed in the past, Al Victor, who was the President of the Hartford Whaler Booster Club for 13 years (1997-2010), said that the two groups hope to work in concert to show unity to those who might still hold ill will. “We will go back to the age old axiom that, “Actions speak louder than words.’ People will see that we’re together.” He said. “If you look at those message boards, I’ll bet you that no more than half-a-dozen people are responsible for all those (negative) posts…on both sides. Those people you’re never going to stop AND you’re NEVER going to see them. They’ll see us hand-in-hand working for the team. That’s going to send more of a message than you could ever put on a message board.” Victor then summed it up saying, “Some people on either side are never going to accept it. You can’t worry about that few people when we’re looking (to achieve) the numbers that we’re looking for. You just can’t worry about them.”

Speaking of numbers, Willand stated that even with the late start that WS&E got in getting things together, they are expecting close to 10,000 seats sold for opening night. The team is also expecting a lot of walk up traffic which could create VERY long lines. He strongly suggested to fans that they get to the XL Center good and early to get a seat and be in it by the time the festivities begin at 7pm. He suggested 5:30pm as a time to arrive as the doors open at 6pm.

Here’s Bruce Berlet’s story:

Barring an 11^th hour snafu, détente has officially come to the Hartford Whalers and Hartford Wolf Pack booster clubs.

Four members of each group’s board of directors chatted amicably for more than an hour Tuesday night at Champions Skating Center during their first tete-a-tete since the Wolf Pack replaced the Whalers as Hartford’s hockey team in 1997.

Childish behavior and disparaging remarks have unfortunately earmarked the back-and-forth between the clubs, which ironically are supposed to foster goodwill for hockey but have done just the opposite almost from the day Whalers owner Peter Karmanos took his skates, sticks and pucks and bolted for North Carolina.

But with Jerry Carroon, the only person to be president of both boosters clubs, appropriately sitting at the head of a table in a meeting room overlooking the lower rink at Champions where the Wolf Pack often practice, members from each club sat next to each other, the first symbolic gesture that the bloodshed had ended and a happy marriage was about to begin.

“Let’s cut to the chase,” said Al Victor, Whalers Booster Club president from 1997 to 2010. “I think we need to work on how we come together to support Hartford hockey. One of those things we need to do is develop plans as the Connecticut Whale Booster Club. I think we’re all sure we’re on board with this, and we want to fill the building and make Hartford jump and be active again as we know it can be. Restaurateurs and bar owners have been waiting long enough. And so have we.”

In order to form a booster club under one umbrella, the two groups first must get approval from the Wolf Pack Booster Club. While WPBC president Bob Wood and the other three board members heartedly support the idea, it must go before the executive board Thursday (10/7) and then be approved by the membership at a monthly meeting the following Thursday (10/14).

“Bygones are bygones, and we have to come together to do this for the good of hockey in Hartford,” Wood said. “I don’t think we’ll have a problem (from the members). I think we’ll come together, and we need to.”

Assuming the proposal passes, the clubs then need to get approval from the AHL, which also seems likely. Then the new booster club has to incorporate, formulate by-laws and elect officials once it has members and becomes an official club.

Those in attendance thought it would be appropriate that Carroon complete the hat trick by becoming Connecticut Whale Booster Club president for the first year. Carroon objected – kinda – before some light arm-twisting got him to agree.

“We’re all doing this because we all support hockey in Hartford and have for many, many years,” said Carroon, nicknamed, “The Ayatollah,” when he was chairman of the Harpoon Club. “This really opens up the whole hockey life to everybody. If we all join the Connecticut Whale Booster Club, we’ll be able to be part of the AHL experience. And if we also put our membership into the Hartford Whalers Booster Club, which is part of the same people, then we can all partake in the NHL experience. So it makes a lot of sense, but we need to be together and belong to the Connecticut Whale Booster Club.

“We should all wear the Connecticut Whale colors. I don’t care what the animal looks like,” He said pointing to the new Connecticut Whale shirt that he was wearing. “I want the blue, green and white together. But before we even talk about a merger, we’re faced with something coming down the track like a steamroller. We’ve got a season opening Saturday night, and we have so much to do if we want this to be successful.”

Members of the clubs agreed to dress in their favorite team’s jerseys and greet fans at the Wolf Pack’s 14^th season opener Saturday night at 7 at the XL Center against the Charlotte Checkers. The two clubs will have members at a single location at the top of sections 106 and 107. They will have a banner saying, “Hartford Hockey.” Not Wolf Pack Booster Club. Not Whalers Booster Club. Hartford Hockey. They hope to have all of the various Hartford hockey logos on the banner with the new Whale Banner in the center between “Hartford” and “Hockey.”

The table will include sign-up sheets to receive information about what will become the “all-for-one” Connecticut Whale Booster Club when the Wolf Pack is rebranded around Thanksgiving.

“We just want people to feel like they’re being asked to participate,” Carroon said. “We want there to be a feeling that we’re all part of this.”

The meeting was the end product of Whalers Sports and Entertainment CEO, and former Whalers owner and managing general partner, Howard Baldwin trying to revitalize pro hockey in the Hartford area and then hopefully bring another NHL team in the Capitol City.

Mark Willand, Whalers Sports and Entertainment senior vice president of business operations and former assistant public relations director for the Whalers, said WS&E is ready of facilitate anything needed to get the clubs to live in harmony.

“We don’t want to eliminate the Hartford Whalers Booster Club or the Hartford Wolf Pack Booster Club,” Willand said. “But obviously there can’t be three booster clubs.”

Tony Harrington, longtime musical voice of the Whalers, will sign the national anthem, and a 5-minute video of highlights of Whalers and Wolf Pack hockey will include the voices of announcers Bob Neumeier, Chuck Kaiton and Bob Crawford and cameo appearances by Wolf Pack coach Ken Gernander and five players – captain Dane Byers, Dale Weise, Brodie Dupont, Chad Johnson and Justin Soryal — preaching the theme, “It’s all about hockey.”

“It’s to celebrate our 35 years of hockey history,” Willand said, “but looking forward, we can agree on one thing that it’s all about hockey. That’s what we’re here for. That’s the game that we all support and love, and that’s what matters in the end.”

Three former Wolf Pack players and three former Whalers players will drop the ceremonial first puck. The Pack players will be Gernander and hopefully Todd Hall and Stefan Cherneski, all of whom live in Connecticut. The Whalers will be represented by Bob Crawford, no relation to the Wolf Pack announcer, Norm Barnes and possibly Garry Swain, who scored the winning goal in the Whalers’ first game at the Hartford Civic Center in 1975.

“We have to make opening night as successful as we can make it, showing unity to the people,” Victor said. “Handing out something at the doors together will speak volumes. Side-by-side, working together for Hartford hockey. It’s our first chance to show the world that we’re coming together. Anything less than 10-12,000 people, and I’ll be utterly disappointed.”

Willand said WS&E is hoping for 10,000 fans because the group wasn’t able to do any group sales because it assumed control so late.

The Whalers’ legendary theme song, “Brass Bonanza,” won’t be played immediately, perhaps not until the Wolf Pack becomes the Connecticut Whale.

“I think we kind of over-killed it back in the day playing it after every goal,” Willand said. “But there will be ‘Brass Bonanza’ in a little while.”

The clubs also will have a combined website in November. By then, the merger of the clubs will have reached fruition and any lingering animosity between the clubs has ended.

“I bet if you look closely at those (booster club) message boards, you’ll see there’s only a half-dozen people responsible for those (negative) postings on both sides,” Victor said. “You go back to the age-old axiom of actions speak louder than words. People will see that we are together. If people see us hand-in-hand working for the team, that’s going to send more message than anything you can put on a message board.”

Willand said a large walkup is expected Saturday night, especially with $15 tickets for that game and another Sunday at 3 p.m. against the Worcester Sharks. So Willand is encouraging fans to arrive early so there won’t be a major logjam at the box office. The XL Center atrium will open at 5:30 p.m., and the doors will open at 6.

Willand hopes the pow-wow leads to another successful step this weekend.

“I’ve had a chance to meet with both clubs individually, and I’ve been very encouraged by their willingness to work together for one goal because in the end it’s all about hockey,” Willand said. “We all have that one thing in common, and I could feel the spirit and camaraderie in the meeting tonight and look forward to going forward this season to be sure.

There was more news in Wolf Pack / Whale country. They do have the business of getting down to a team and as a result, cuts were made. Here’s that release:

Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today the following changes to the team’s training camp roster:

Reassigned by NY Rangers from Wolf Pack to Greenville (ECHL):
Forwards (1):         Chris Chappell
Defensemen (1):  Sam Klassen

Loaned by Wolf Pack to Greenville (ECHL):
Defensemen (2):     Trevor Glass, Blake Parlett

Released by Wolf Pack and Joining Greenville (ECHL):
Goaltenders (1):     Dov Grumet-Morris
Forwards (3):          Brendan Connolly, Marc-Olivier Vallerand, Mark Voakes          

Released by Wolf Pack:
Forwards (1):          Bretton Cameron
Defensemen (1):     Steve Black

The following 23 players remain on the Wolf Pack roster:
Goal (2):            Chad Johnson, Cameron Talbot
Defense (8):       Lee Baldwin, Tomas Kundratek, Ryan McDonagh, Jyri Niemi, Jared Nightingale, Wade Redden, Pavel Valentenko, Nigel Williams
Forwards (13):   Dane Byers, Devin DiDiomete, Brodie Dupont, Ryan Garlock, Evgeny Grachev, Chris McKelvie, Kris Newbury, Justin Soryal, Kelsey Tessier, Dale Weise, Jeremy Williams, Brandon Wong, Mats Zuccarello

The Wolf Pack open the 2010-11 AHL regular season this Saturday, October 9 at the XL Center vs. new AHL members the Charlotte Checkers.  Faceoff for the gala season opener is 7:00, and tickets for that and all 2010-11 home games are available now at the XL Center box office, through Ticketmaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.

Season tickets for the Wolf Pack’s 2010-11 AHL season are also on sale now. For information on season seats, and all of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com, or call (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today