LEETCH, GERNANDER LEAD CT HOCKEY HOF CLASS

WHALE’S CT HOCKEY HALL OF FAME NIGHT IS THIS SATURDAY

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Includes Poster Giveaway, First-intermission Induction Ceremony, Autograph Session, Jersey Auction

The Connecticut Whale’s CT Hockey Hall of Fame Night is coming up this Saturday, March 10 at the XL Center, as the Whale host the Norfolk Admirals in a 7:00 game.

The night marks the enshrinement of a new class of 2012 inductees into the CT Hockey Hall of Fame, which has adopted eight members from the storied Hartford Whalers Hall of Fame.  The new inductees are: Connecticut-bred Hockey Hall of Famer Brian Leetch, ex-Hartford Whalers 56-goal scorer Blaine Stoughton, former Whalers goaltender Mike Liut, former Whalers captain Pat Verbeek, Connecticut Whale/Hartford Wolf Pack franchise icon, long-time captain and current head coach Ken Gernander, three-time Olympic medalist for Team USA and all-time NCAA women’s leading scorer Julie Chu, and one of the founders of the New England Whalers, William E. Barnes.

The honorees will be officially enshrined into the Hall of Fame in an induction ceremony during the first intermission.  The ceremony will feature the raising of a Hall of Fame banner and video tributes to each inductee.  Fans can take home a special souvenir of the night, as 5,000 Hall of Fame posters will be distributed, courtesy of SuperCuts.

The pre-game festivities will include a return appearance by the band “Scarlet Fade” and a free autograph session by Whalers Alumni Russ Anderson, Garry Swain, Norm Barnes and Yvon Corriveau.

There will also be an autograph session in the second intermission featuring selected members of the Hall of Fame class.  Those committed at this point are Brian Leetch, Mike Liut, Blaine Stoughton and Pat Verbeek.  The autograph session will be limited to 250 attendees, and a special autograph session pass, which can be purchased for $20, is required.  An application form for a pass can be found on the Whale’s official website here, and first priority in awarding the passes will be given to Whale full-season seat-holders.

Additionally, in Saturday’s pre-game warm-up each Whale player will wear a jersey commemorating the career of one of the inductees.  For example, one of the players will wear a Blaine Stoughton New England Whalers jersey, one will wear a Stoughton Hartford Whalers sweater and one will sport a Stoughton New Haven Nighthawks jersey, etc..  All of the jerseys are authentic, hand-crafted and of the highest quality.  A number of the jerseys will then be available for bids in a silent auction in the arena on Saturday night, and a portion of them will be auctioned on-line.  A full list of all the different commemorative jerseys is available here.  The pregame warm-up period runs from approximately 6:25-6:40 PM.

This will be the first class of Hall of Fame inductees since 1990, and further details are available at CTHockeyHOF.org.

An overview of the schedule of events:

5:30-7:00: “Scarlet Fade” band performs in the Atrium.

6:15-7:00: Four members of the Hartford Whalers Alumni — Russ Anderson, Norm Barnes, Yvon Corriveau and Garry Swain will sign autographs in the concourse (inside main entrance).

6:20 – 6:40: CT Whale players take the ice wearing classic CT hockey jerseys.

1st Intermission: HOF Banner Raising Ceremony.

7:00-2nd intermission: Classic jersey silent auction in Atrium.

2nd intermission:  HOF inductees sign autographs in Atrium.

Tickets to CT Hockey Hall of Fame Night, and all 2011-12 Whale home games, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at CTWhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats and mini plans, visit CTWhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

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

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