FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET
BY: Bruce Berlet With a last name synonymous with hockey greatness, one would think Ryan Bourque has been a rink rat almost from the time he departed the womb. Well, think again. Unlike Hall of Fame father Ray and older brother Chris, Ryan left…
FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET
BY: Bruce Berlet With general manager Dale Tallon having added 11 new players to the Florida Panthers’ roster in less than a month, first-year coach Kevin Dineen has plenty of familiarizing and strategizing to do before the season opener Oct. 8 on Long…
FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET
BY: Bruce Berlet The Phoenix Coyotes continue to have a Hartford Whalers look behind the bench. Former Whalers and New Haven Nighthawks wing John Anderson has signed a multi-year contract to be a Coyotes assistant coach under former Whalers wing Dave…
FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET
BY: Bruce Berlet HOWE TO THE HALL Mark Howe was making the one-hour drive from his beach house in Beach Haven, N.J., to his home in Jackson, N.J., on Tuesday afternoon when his cell phone rang. Howe said reception in the area isn’t always good, but the…
FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET
BY: Bruce Berlet Hopefully NHL officials will again take notice of the Hartford market’s interest in hockey. As in the Eastern Conference finals, the Insurance City region ranked fourth in the overnight ratings for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals won by…
FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET
BY: Bruce Berlet Could there be a miracle comeback for Manny Malhotra in the Stanley Cup finals? The former Hartford Wolf Pack and New York Rangers forward has been cleared by doctors to participate in Vancouver Canucks practice, including taking light…
FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET
BY: Bruce Berlet Though NHL officials still deny a report the Atlanta Thrashers are about to relocate to Winnipeg, Manitoba, leading to the AHL’s Moose moving to St. John’s, Newfoundland, fans and officials in Atlanta might have already said and heard…
FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET
By Bruce Berlet In all my years covering the New England and Hartford Whalers, few players were smarter on or off the puck, more engaging or enjoyed themselves more than Brent Peterson. Whether the Whalers won, lost or tied, Peterson was always available…
FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET
By Bruce Berlet Former Hartford Wolf Pack wing Nigel Dawes was part of a Winnipeg native daily double for the Hamilton Bulldogs that was a large part of AHL history on Monday night. Dawes notched his team-leading ninth goal of the playoffs at 6:24 of the…
FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET
By Bruce Berlet HARTFORD, CT – June 2 will mark the first anniversary of Whalers Sports and Entertainment chairman and CEO Howard Baldwin announcing his group’s plans to assume business control of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack (now Connecticut Whale) with…