Numerous Hartford Hockey Alumni to Return to XL Center
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – On Jan. 11, 1975, the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) played the first professional hockey game at the Hartford Civic Center against the San Diego Mariners.
50 years later, on Jan. 11, 2025, the Hartford Wolf Pack will host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the XL Center. The game marks the official 50th Anniversary of professional hockey in Hartford.
The Wolf Pack will celebrate the milestone by welcoming back numerous Hartford Hockey Alumni. Alumni in attendance will include the former play-by-play voice of the Whalers, Chuck Kaiton; former Whalers players Andre Lacroix, Bob Crawford, Marty Howe, and Norm Barnes; former Whalers Head Coach Paul Holmgren, and former Wolf Pack captain and Head Coach Ken Gernander, and former Wolf Pack captains Vincent LoVerde and Ryan Bourque, among others.
Alumni are subject to change, with a complete list to be announced later this week.
Numerous Hartford Hockey Alumni from both the Whalers and the Wolf Pack will also be chiming in throughout the night via video messages.
The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a special 50th Anniversary pennant. The Wolf Pack will also be wearing specialty jerseys that night, with the jerseys tying together the different eras of professional hockey in the city.
Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:45 p.m. for a special pregame ceremony to celebrate the first 50 years of Hartford Hockey.
Select alumni will be signing autographs on the concourse until 6:15 p.m. Season ticket holder doors will open at a special time of 5:30 p.m., with general doors opening at 5:45 p.m.
Tickets for Saturday night’s game can be purchased here.
Full-season tickets, 20-game plans, 12-game plans, flex plans, and single-game tickets for the 2024-25 season are on sale now! Visit hartfordwolfpack.com or call 860-722-9425 for more details!
About Oak View Group (OVG): Oak View Group (OVG) is the global leader in live experience venue development, management, premium hospitality services, and 360-degree solutions for a collection of world-class owned venues, and a client roster of arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions. Founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015, OVG is the leading developer of major new venues, either open or under development across four continents. Visit OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers’ newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
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