IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY 

It was another big day for the Hartford Wolf Pack and the soon to be Connecticut Whale.

There were lots of announcements, not the least of which was that Bob Crawford, the only announcer the team has known for it’s 13 years has been resigned and will continue on into the future as the voice of the Connecticut Whale.

Congratulations are due not only for a terrific announcer but an even better human being. Bob has been EXCEPTIONALLY helpful to us and gave us a chance and treated us as he would have any other professional even when we didn’t deserve it. We’re grateful for that and wish Bob nothing but the greatest of everything moving forward.

Here’s that official release:

BOB CRAWFORD TO CONTINUE AS “VOICE” OF WOLF PACK/WHALE

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Has been at the Mike Since Wolf Pack’s Inception 
 
Whalers Sports and Entertainment announced today that it has reached an agreement with Bob Crawford to continue as play-by-play voice of the Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale.

“We are pleased that Bob Crawford will be with us as the play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack and Whale this season,” WSE chairman Howard Baldwin said.  “Bob is a real fan favorite and is one of the best broadcasters in the business.

“Bob’s return was one of our main priorities upon taking over management control of the Wolf Pack. We are looking forward to working with him this season and beyond.”

Crawford has been calling the action for the Wolf Pack for each of the team’s 13 seasons in the AHL and is a veteran of 22 years of AHL play-by-play.  A native of Chicago, Crawford came to Hartford from Binghamton, NY, where he was the voice of the Binghamton Rangers, the franchise that became the Wolf Pack, for two seasons.  Prior to that, Crawford called games for the Providence Bruins for one year, and he started his professional broadcasting career with the Adirondack Red Wings, broadcasting for six seasons, which included two Calder Cups.

Crawford gained his first broadcasting experience at Harvard University, where he announced Crimson hockey games on student radio station WHRB-FM before graduating in 1988.

Crawford will also maintain his role as the Wolf Pack/Whale’s public relations director with Whalers Sports and Entertainment.

But that wasn’t the only announcement to come out of Connecticut’s capitol today. Three signings filled out the remaining roster spots as the final squad was introduced to the media. Ryan Garlock returns for a second season and Chris McKelvie comes back after playing six games at the end of last season with the Rangers’ top farm team and Kelsey Tessier signs his first professional contract.

Here’s that release:

HARTFORD WOLF PACK/CONNECTICUT WHALE SIGN THREE TO AHL CONTRACTS

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Ryan Garlock Re-signs, Chris McKelvie and Kelsey Tessier Ink Deals 
 
Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has signed three forwards to American Hockey League contracts.

Veteran Ryan Garlock re-signed with the Wolf Pack/Whale, and the club also inked rookies Chris McKelvie and Kelsey Tessier.

Garlock, a fifth-year pro who originally signed with the Wolf Pack July 20, 2009, played in 59 games with the Wolf Pack last season and posted AHL career-high numbers of seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points.  His plus/minus of +10 was third-best on the Wolf Pack, and he also logged 38 penalty minutes on the season.  Garlock also appeared in four games with the Wolf Pack’s ECHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, scoring one goal and adding two assists for three points.

Originally a second-round draft pick (45^th overall) by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2004 out of the Ontario Hockey League, the 6-0, 202-pound Garlock has skated in 179 career AHL games with the Wolf Pack, San Antonio Rampage, Binghamton Senators, Springfield Falcons, Hershey Bears and Syracuse Crunch, registering a total of 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points, along with 109 PIM.  In 71 career ECHL games with the Checkers and Johnstown Chiefs, the 24-year-old Iroquois Falls, Ontario native has amassed 37 goals and 45 assists for 82 points, plus 85 penalty minutes.

McKelvie, a product of Bemidji State University (College Hockey America), joined the Wolf Pack last season on an Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement following the end of his college campaign, and had two goals and one assist for three points, along with two penalty minutes, in six games.  In 37 games with Bemidji State, the 6-1, 195-pound McKelvie notched eight goals and ten assists for 18 points and served 26 minutes in penalties.

In four years at Bemidji State, the New Brighton, Minnesota-born McKelvie, 25, suited up for 120 games, scoring 18 goals and adding 15 assists for 33 points and serving 88 minutes in penalties.

Tessier, 20, comes to the Wolf Pack/Whale from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he split last season between the Quebec Remparts and the Moncton Wildcats.  In 39 games with Quebec, the 5-9, 168-pound Tessier struck for 12 goals and 29 assists for 41 points and had 21 penalty minutes.  After being traded to Moncton, he registered seven goals and five assists for 12 points, along with 12 PIM, in 15 regular-season games, before exploding for a huge playoff.  Tessier led the Moncton squad in postseason points, and finished second in goals and assists, with 14-16-30 in 21 games.  The Fredericton, N.B. native finished second overall in playoff points among QMJHL skaters, and was third in goals, as the Wildcats captured the league playoff championship and earned a trip to the Memorial Cup.

In 249 career QMJHL contests with Quebec and Moncton, Tessier posted 103 goals and 141 assists for 244 points, as well as 189 penalty minutes.

Also on today’s agenda was the announcement of the new scoreboard that was brought in by AEG from The Staples Center in LA. Below you’ll find a time lapse video detailing the removal of the older more outdated board and the installation of the new one.