The Whalers: The Rise, Fall, and Enduring Mystique of New England's (Second) Greatest NHL Franchise

The NHL's Whalers continue to inspire passion among fans more than twenty years after departing Hartford, Connecticut, for Raleigh, North Carolina. Pat Pickens book details the team's origin in Boston in 1972, WHA championship in 1973, roof collapse of their home arena, entrance to the NHL in 1979, stunning NHL playoff-series win against the Quebec Nordiques in 1986, and relocation south in 1997 as the Carolina Hurricanes.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 284 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2023
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

More than two decades after departing Hartford, Connecticut, for Raleigh, North Carolina, the National Hockey League's Whalers continue to ignite the passion of fans. As HartfordBusiness.com reported in 2015, Whalers merchandise still has a cult following not only among fans in Connecticut but around the country. However, Whalers devotees are not just clamoring for jerseys, hats, and t-shirts. They are nostalgic for a team that had New England roots for nearly 25 years, in Boston, Springfield, and Hartford, and featured some of the greatest players in NHL history, including Gordie Howe (with his sons Mark and Marty), Bobby Hull, and Ron Francis.

Pat Pickens' book delves into the origins of the Whalers in Boston in 1972, the team's WHA championship in 1973, the roof collapse of their home arena that indirectly led to their entrance into the NHL in 1979, their stunning NHL playoff-series win against the top-seeded Quebec Nordiques in 1986, the 1986-87 season when they claimed their first division championship, and their relocation south in 1997 as the Carolina Hurricanes. Pickens imagines a Stanley Cup delivered to hockey-crazed Hartford in 2006, when the Hurricanes instead brought it home to North Carolina. The book also explores the likelihood of an NHL team returning to the Nutmeg State.

Weight: 458g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781493073092