After a great Thursday Night Football game between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns it’s time to look at the aftermath. What did the win mean for the Browns and rookie Baker Mayfield? What happened to the Jets who couldn’t capitalize on a 14-0 lead? All this and more on this episode of the podcasting including why fans shouldn’t be crushing Sam Darnold after last night and why he still has a bright future with the Jets.
Hartford has been without hockey since 1997
April 13, 1997 is a date that probably doesn’t mean much to you. Just another day that passed on the calendar without anything significant occurring. However, this was a day that would live in Connecticut infamy. After defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 2-1 the Hartford Whalers where history. These Whalers were just another casualty in a decade filled with more shuffling of NHL franchises then a card game at the casino. Hartford joined the likes of Quebec, Minnesota, and Winnipeg as cities that lost their beloved franchises to other cities. While hockey has returned to Minnesota and most recently Winnipeg, the fans of the Brass Bonanza are still awaiting for the Whalers to come home.
I guess you could say that the Whalers were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Victims of a new owner, who never intended on keeping the franchise in Hartford. A state whose Governor who was trying to lure the New England Patriots from Foxboro down to the insurance capital of America. Governor Rowland felt it was more important to try to lure a different team to the state instead of keeping the one it already had. Long story short, the Whalers were moved to Carolina, while Robert Kraft stabbed the whole state in the back when it was revealed that he just used the relocation to Connecticut as a ploy in order to gain leverage to build Gillette stadium in Foxboro. Now you know why Connecticut doesn’t have that many Patriots fans.
With the current state of the NHL with teams like Phoenix, New Jersey, Florida, and Dallas struggling to fill their arenas, the next great migration of teams moving might have just commenced. We may look back and say this movement was started by the Thrashers moving to Winnipeg. The biggest knock on Connecticut is the lack of an NHL arena. The current arena, the XL center, is old and incredibly outdated. A new downtown arena is essential for not just hockey, but for the well-being of the city. A city that desperately needs to revitalize its downtown community.
It’s an uphill battle but with the right course of action hockey could be back
The UCONN Huskies are without a doubt the biggest draw in Connecticut. No surprise there, with multiple National Championships the Huskies are a National power that gives us Nutmegers a sense of pride. With the UCONN hockey team entering the fold in 2014 couple with the declining XL center, it’s not if but when a new arena should be built. The goal of this new arena would not be to just bring in an NHL franchise but rather give UCONN a state of the art arena for years to come. This new arena would bring in more events such as NCAA regional tournaments while bringing money to a state that is cash strapped. Not to mention it could be a major tool to recruit top talent in order for UCONN to continue their dominance on the hardwood. The success of the MTS Centre in Winnipeg proves the arena wouldn’t have to be a colossal arena. A 15,000 seat arena would be a perfect size for both collegiate and professional teams to fill the seats.
While there are many other roadblocks preventing the Whalers homecoming, such as current teams affairs and television contracts, step one is to build a new arena. Remember Field of Dreams? If you build it they will come ! Money is a big issue with financing this arena but if the state realizes the benefits of the UCONN Huskies athletic programs it makes sense. Sure the ultimate goal is to bring in an NHL team, but it’s a process. The Whalers had one of the most loyal fan bases and left not because of poor fan attendance but because of a miser owner and a governor who gambled on the NFL and lost. Connecticut needs to improve its sports infrastructure for its college basketball
Whalers fans still miss their beloved team
teams. If they build an arena to help UCONN, then the pipe dream of NHL hockey could become a reality. Hartford was the Green Bay of the NHL in America and represented the unique passion and love that New Englanders have for the game. The NHL experiment in the Southern U.S. has had mixed to terrible results. Now maybe the best time for Gary Bettman to look north, where hockey belongs. With the success of the Whalers winter festival at Rentschler field over a year ago proved that their still is a strong fan base. While critics argue that minor league attendance has been poor in Hartford minor league hockey to the people of this great state is like beer without alcohol. Once you’ve had the real thing anything less won’t suffice. When the minor league team changed its named to the CT Whale instead of the Wolf Pack season ticket sales increased by 36%. Coincidence? I think not!!!
The Whalers have such a great history and arguably one of the greatest sports logos in history. What I’m saying is that the city of Hartford has the chance to kill two birds with one stone. Not only improve the playing arena for the UCONN Hockey and basketball teams but at least give the state a chance to get a NHL team back. The road ahead is without question going to be a long and hard one to get the NHL back. But if Hartford takes that first step by investing in UCONN, the state’s best asset who knows? Maybe the sounds of the brass bonanza will echo through downtown Hartford once again. Please fell free to comment and follow my blog. I would love to hear what suggestions you have for me and what you would like me to write about. You a Whalers fan? Would love to hear from you! Like the Whalers? click these links below Thanks !!
It’s not all fun in the sun on Revis island right now
Few things in this world are certain. The sun will rise in the east, the grass will grow, and star receivers will get stranded on Revis Island. However, this luxury island may be for sale sooner than later as the Jets may be looking to trade their best players. With new general manager John Idzik stating that no players were safe speculation and rumors out of Florham park just keeping adding fuel to the out of control fire the Jets have become this offseason. Despite the outcry from many Jet fans saying that the team would be foolish to trade Revis, I actually believe trading Revis would be a good thing. Hold on Jets fans I know your probably shouting expletives at me for saying that but hear me out. While Darrelle has been one, if not the greatest Jets players of all time the pros of the trade severely outweigh the cons. I do believe that the Jets should make every effort to lock up Revis to a long-term contract before the draft. However, if they cannot do this then they need to trade him. Revis will be a free agent at the end of the following season and we all know he will not take a home town discount. As a Mets fan it was painful to see Jose Reyes walk and the team not getting anything in return and I do not want this to happen to the Jets. Also Revis has been a pain in the you know what about contracts. It seems like every other year he wants a new contract and I don’t know about you but I’m sick of it. Revis isn’t a defensive leader and he is not a team player. He just covers his one receiver and at the end of the season asks for more money. While having the elite corner in the game is great it’s more of a luxury then a necessity. Having great corners helps your defense but it doesn’t automatically make you a championship team. Even last year without Revis the Jets still managed to have one of the better secondaries in the game. Heck you could argue Santonio Holmes is more valuable because the second he went down with his injury the offense collapse. Trading Revis would bring in multiple draft picks which the Jets desperately need right now and the Jets secondary is one of their strengths even without Darrelle. The list of needs for this team goes on and on quarterback, running back, tight end, fullback, offensive line, defensive tackle, outside line backer and safety. Wooo gotta catch my breath after that laundry list. While Revis definitely makes the Jets defensive units one of the best in the NFL, he does not, and do not believe what Rex Ryan says, does not make the Jets a super bowl contender. Just look at the Herschel Walker trade. With the multiple draft picks the Cowboys received they were able to build a perennial super bowl championship team. The Jets could have a similar situation by trading Darrelle Revis. While the draft is still months away, eyes will be on the Jets to see if they will make this trade. Whatever happens, no matter the outcome, the one certainty is that the way the New York Jets handle this situation will determine the future of this for years to come.
Rich Sports Talk 