FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet
By Bruce Berlet CROMWELL – Winning has a way of curing a lot of ills, as the Connecticut Whale has discovered the past three weeks. After a 1-9-2-1 slide led to the worst start in the franchise’s 14-year history (4-10-2-2), the Whale is on a 6-1-0-2 run…
FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet
By Bruce Berlet HARTFORD, Conn. – On the one hand, Oren Eizenman was a typical pro hockey wannabee growing up in Toronto, skating on a rink in his backyard with older brothers Alon and Erez. On the other hand, Eizenman has about as atypical a background…
FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet
By Bruce Berlet HARTFORD, Conn. – Talk about a marriage made in heaven happening by happenstance. Two years ago, Juan Nunez was working his way toward a degree in business management at the University of Hartford while holding down two jobs in Blue Back…
FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet
By Bruce Berlet HARTFORD, Conn. – Howard Baldwin peered down from the XL Center’s directors suite at an arena three-quarters full and broke into a wide smile. “It’s a big night and a big step, but just one of many to come,” said Baldwin, the chairman and…
FOREVER THE FACE OF THE TEAM
By Bruce Berlet HARTFORD, Conn. _ Ken Gernander has been the face of the Hartford Wolf Pack for more than 13 years. He has been pro hockey’s torchbearer in the Connecticut capital since the Whalers left for North Carolina in 1997. Gernander was Wolf Pack…
FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet
By Bruce Berlet HARTFORD, Conn. – The first Connecticut Whale game Saturday night will have a bit of a Hartford Whalers feel. Former Whalers players Garry Swain, Norm Barnes, Yvon Corriveau, Gerry McDonald, and captain Russ Anderson will be signing…
FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet
By Bruce Berlet Before thanking Howard Baldwin for bringing the Whale back to Hartford and proclaiming this “Connecticut Whale Week” in the state, Gov. M. Jodi Rell had a special request: “Where’s Pucky?” Pucky? Who’s Pucky? Oh, he’s the mascot of the…
FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet
By Bruce Berlet Wise veteran defenseman Wade Redden put the Wolf Pack’s plight of one-goal losses this season into perfect perspective. “We have to find a way to win these games,” Redden said after a 4-3 loss to the Manchester Monarchs on Wednesday. The…
FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet
By Bruce Berlet A Hockey’s Future scouting report on Wolf Pack rookie defenseman Tomas Kundratek says he’s not expected to contribute much offensively but is responsible defensively and isn’t afraid to drop the gloves. The report proved right on in the…
THE WOLF AND THE HAWK
By Bruce Berlet One is “Mr. Wolf Pack.” The other is “Hawk” – thought whether it’s for his ample nose or being a fan of the reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks is open to debate. But there’s no debating the influence that Ken Gernander and…