WHALE BOWL UPDATE 

INDIVIDUAL GAME TICKETS

FOR “HARVEST-PROPERTIES .COM

WHALE BOWL” ON FEBRUARY 19 NOW ON SALE

Outdoor Whalers Hockey Fest Highlighted by February 19 games featuring celebrities, Whalers vs. Bruins Legends game and an AHL battle between the CT Whale and Providence Bruins

Hartford, CT …  Whalers Sports and Entertainment announced today that individual game tickets for the February 19, 2011 outdoor AHL game between the Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets for the AHL game, which begins at 7:00 PM at Rentschler Field, also include the Hartford Whalers legends vs. Boston Bruins legends game at 4:00 PM that day.

The two games comprise the February 19 “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl,” the featured event of the two-week outdoor Whalers Hockey Fest spectacular that will feature numerous collegiate, high school, prep school and youth hockey games.   Additional teams and events are still being added to the schedule, which can be found at CTWhale.com

Ticket prices range from $20 to $85 and can be purchased online via Ticketmaster or by calling the Connecticut Whale at 860-728-3366.  Tickets purchased online can be printed immediately (via Ticketmaster).

According to WSE President Howard Baldwin, Jr, ‘The Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl’ will be one of the greatest hockey events in Connecticut history.  Our goal for the AHL game remains clear:  We aim to break the all-time AHL attendance record and show the world that Hartford is still a premier hockey market.”

This will be the second 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.

Baldwin also noted other key changes and additions to Whalers Hockey Fest:

*   The Whalers vs. Bruins Legends game, originally scheduled for February 12  has been consolidated with February 19 event.  This game will also feature Hollywood celebrities.

Baldwin stated, “Many fans indicated to us that it would be challenging and expensive to attend two marquee games played within a week of one another.  By consolidating these two games, CT Whale and pro hockey fans can experience all the excitement of these events in one day, saving them travel time and expense (gas, parking concessions, etc.).”

*   The ice surface has been moved closer to the stands.

The ice surface, originally located in the center of the Rentschler Football Field, has been moved closer to the north side of the Stadium.  A diagram can be found at CTWhale.com

According to Baldwin, “The Hockey Fest has certainly been a learning experience for all of us – the magnitude of the event is unprecedented and we have learned a lot in the past few months. After closely examining the sight lines at Rentschler Field, we determined that our fans would be better served by moving the ice surface slightly toward the north side (same side as the press box and skyboxes).

“In this new configuration everyone gets a better view of the action,” Baldwin continued  “We are in the process of relocating people who had tickets on the south side of Rentschler to comparable seats on the north side.  We will be contacting these ticket holders individually.  Meanwhile, fans can contact Hockey Fest Ticket Manager Bob McCaffrey (bmccaffrey@whalerssports.com) with any questions.

“One additional advantage to this re-configuration is that there are now more affordable seats located on the south side of the stadium, where the tickets have been discounted due to the increased distance from the ice surface.”

*    Public Skating will be Featured on Tuesday February 22^nd.

On February 22, the Rentschler Field ice surface will be made available for public skating.  Full details will follow, but CT Whale season ticket holders and fans who purchased Hockey Fest all access “Festival” tickets will skate for free.

In addition to the above, WSE also announced several more items of interest related to Hockey Fest:

*    Due to strong demand, Whalers Hockey fest has been expanded from its original 10-day schedule to 14 days.   There are still a few open time slots available.  For info contact Jocelyne Cummings (jocelyne@whalerssports.com).

*   All CT Whale season ticket holders and all-access Hockey Fest Festival ticket holders will be invited to a special February 4th hockey event featuring several ex-Whalers and hockey legends in celebration of the 1986 NHL All Star game, which was played on February 4, 1986 in Hartford.  Details are forthcoming.

*  All “all-access Festival” Ticket holders will be mailed their tickets by January 10.

*  All amateur hockey groups will be mailed their fundraising tickets and packages by January 6^th.

*   Ice Rinks Events – the icemaker for such high profile outdoor events as the first-ever NHL Outdoor Classic in Buffalo, NY and the recent “Big Chill” in Michigan — has been chosen to produce the ice surface for Whalers Hockey Fest.

*   The Hanson Brothers, from the cult classic movie “Slap Shot,” will be participating in the February 19 Whale Bowl.

*   There will be a gala event featuring players and celebrities being held on February 18^th at Rentschler Field.  Details to follow.

*   A wide array of celebrities and hockey legends will participate in the “Whale Bowl.”

The current Hollywood celebrities list will be released on Monday December 27.

Announcements on Whalers and Bruins legends rosters will begin on December 28.

About Whalers Hockey Fest:

Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 will run from February 10-23 at Rentschler Field. In addition to the AHL game, the historic outdoor event will feature: a Hartford Whalers alumni vs. Boston Bruins alumni classic, five premier college games, at least 15 elite high school, junior and prep school games and a “Whaler Village”, featuring exhibitors, games and the Whalers Mobile Hall of Fame.

About Whalers Sports and Entertainment

Founded by Howard Baldwin, Sr., Whalers Sports and Entertainment is a full-service sports marketing and event marketing company located in Hartford.  The company manages the off-ice operations of the AHL’S CT Whale and will produce the Whalers Hockey Fest, slated for February 10-23 at Rentschler Field In East Hartford.

Contacts and Key Links

Hockey Fest web site: www.ctwhale.com

Harvest Properties web site: www.harvest-properties.com

Tickets: Ticketmaster.com