On This Date
Players
Goalies
Coaches
Uniform #'s
Records
Where are they now?
Memorabilia
Games
Nicknames
Awards
Credits
Why this site?
It's all Relative!
Comments

Why this site?

The Short:

I wanted to teach myself some basic HTML, ASP, and Database manipulations. I combined that with my interest in (some would say obsession with) Hartford Whalers Hockey, to give fans a "one stop shopping" site for Whalers information.

The Long (if you're really interested):

The seeds were sown way back in 1980. Being 10 years old and having one TV in the house (3 network channels plus whatever you could tune on UHF) we watched as a family. Being the youngest of five, I didn't get much say in what we watched. Like many other American households, the winter Olympics were on almost every night. Not being a big sports fan, I remember catching bits and pieces of Team USA's play. However, like most people, I do remember vividly the game vs. the Russians. Who could forget the crowd chanting, the countdown, Al Michael's now famous call, the ecstasy on the players faces, the utter dejection of the Russians, goalie Jim Craig searching for his father. Talk about leaving an impression on a kid. Now my interest in hockey might have went no further after that had it not been for my future brother in law. About a year later my sister started working at a local fast food restaurant. It seems the manager had the hots for her. They started dating. The parent company of this fast food place had season tickets to the Hartford Whalers. Needless to say at the time they sucked. (Foreshadowing?) Since they were not doing so well my future brother in law was privy to getting the tickets now and then. Of course he asked my sister to go. My sister (always looking out for her little brother, Thanks Coke!) insisted that I go along. I don't remember much from that first game. I know they played the Blackhawks and found a way to loose 3-2. I should have walked away right then. The next time my future brother in law got the tickets he of course asked my sister to go. She, having no interest in sports, and having sat through one game already, was done. She suggested that he take me. Now I doubt that he wanted to take along a little punk kid. But still having the hots for my sister (and wanting to stay on her good side) he went along with it. That was it. We went to many games after that, and I was hooked on the Whalers! (Thanks Bill, or should I say you Bastard!) As the Whalers started getting better (finally) the tickets were harder to come by. I would buy tickets when ever I could. If that didn't work, I would watch as many games that were on TV, listen to Chuck Kaiton on the radio, and read the Courant every day. In 1987, I went away to college in Columbus, OH. It seemed like hockey didn't exist there. The only mention in the newspapers was the box scores. Remember that the Internet hadn't become what it is today. I was going through hockey withdrawals. I had to get newspaper clippings sent from home to keep up with what was going on with the Whale. (Thanks Mom!) Of course now Columbus has their very own NHL team with former Whalers Kevin Dineen, Geoff Sanderson, and Andrew Cassels. After school I moved to New York, and would drive two hours one way to catch a few games on the weekends. After about a year there I moved back to CT and became a Whalers season ticket holder. It turns out the only year I had season tickets they won only 12 home games. That year I was able to get my brother hooked as well. (Sorry Billy!) He held season tickets until the end. Soon I headed west to San Jose and started watching the Sharks, but still rooting for the Whalers. I attended my last home game on January 4, 1997. I saw my last Whalers game in Anaheim vs. the Ducks on January 31, 1997, (Thanks Glo!) not knowing that the team had a little more than two months to "live". And to think that I almost bought a season ticket during the "Save the Whale" ticket drive. I listened to the final game over the Internet. Once they left Hartford they were no longer my team. I'm a Sharks fan now, but will always bleed green!