On the NHL expansion/relocation front, most of the news during the past year has been coming from Winnipeg and Quebec.
Winnipeg's strategy has been to play up how bad the condition of certain American franchises are (most noticeably Phoenix) and hope that its two main investors, Mark Chipman and Dave Thomson, will be able to purchase a team in default of anyone else.
That's led to wild speculation and self-delusion in Winnipeg, including a period where it was claimed that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was actually in Winnipeg, ready to make the big announcement.
Actually, Bettman did make a tour of the three cities whose franchises he moved in the 1990s and gave them unofficial terms on which their cities might get back in the NHL.
Unlike Winnipeg, Quebec has taken several practical steps in this direction, and a practical business plan, including construction of a new NHL-size arena, may be unveiled in June.
But what has happened to the third city on Bettman's tour, Hartford?
In the spring of last year, Bettman met with Hartford's mayor, Eddie Perez, who was interested in bringing back the Hartford Whalers as ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Thompson
What Has Happened to the Hartford Whalers?
May 18th, 2010 by Steve Thompson Leave a reply »
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