OUTDOORS HERE WE COME 

CT WHALE AND PROVIDENCE BRUINS TO PLAY OUTDOORS AT RENTSCHLER FIELD FEBRUARY 19

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Howard Baldwin Issues Challenge to Break AHL Attendance Record

Whalers Sports & Entertainment chairman Howard Baldwin, in conjunction with the American Hockey League, announced today that the Connecticut Whale’s home game February 19, 2011 vs. the Providence Bruins will be played outdoors at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT.  That game will be the marquee attraction at Whalers Hockey Fest 2011, which runs from February 11-20 at Rentschler Field.
“Whalers Hockey Fest will be the biggest, and greatest, hockey event in Connecticut’s history, and this AHL game featuring the re-branded Whale vs. the arch-rival Bruins will be the crowning touch,” said Baldwin.  “I feel that this game will be the best attended in AHL history, and I challenge the hockey fans of Connecticut to smash the all-time AHL attendance record, to set a league standard that will stand for a long time.”

This will be the third outdoor game in the history of the AHL, and the current league single-game attendance record was set at the first, a contest between the Syracuse Crunch and the Binghamton Senators February 20, 2010 at the New York State Fairgrounds, which drew 21,508.  The Wilkes-Barre Penguins will host the second outdoor AHL game vs. Hershey on December 3oth in Giant Center in Hershey, PA.

“High-level hockey played outdoors has been a huge hit, both at the NHL and AHL levels,” said Baldwin, “and for this game, we have a first-class facility and two great regional rivals going at each other on the ice.  With that, and extremely reasonable ticket prices, I think we are going to see a big demand for tickets to this game, and every hockey fan in the area will want to enjoy this unique experience.”

The Whale-Bruins tilt at Rentschler on February 19 will face off at 7:00 PM.  Ticket packages for Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 are available now through the CT Whale web page at www.ctwhale.com or by calling (860) 728-3366.

Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 will run from February 11-20 at Rentschler Field.  In addition to the AHL game, the historic outdoor event will feature: a Hartford Whalers alumni vs. Boston Bruins alumni classic, an NHL Legends game commemorating the 25^th anniversary of the 1986 NHL All-Star Game being played in Hartford, five premier college games, at least 25 elite high school and prep school games and a “Whaler Village”, featuring exhibitors, games and the Whalers Mobile Hall of Fame.

The AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack/CT Whale is operated by Whalers Sports and Entertainment, a Hartford-based sports marketing and event firm founded by Howard Baldwin.  The team is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers.

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