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Hartford Wolfpack to return?


DropkickMurphy8

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Just saw an interesting read on Icethetics, and while there isn't much information it seems like the CT Whale name could be going bye-bye. The old Hartford Wolfpack domain is apparently still owned by MSG and they apparently still have uniforms. I'd be very happy to see the Whale become the Wolfpack again.

The Connecticut Whale brand was created by Howard Baldwin's Whalers Sports & Entertainment in 2010 and that company no longer runs the business side of the franchise, although it allowed current XL Center operator AEG to use the name and logo this season. The franchise is owned by MSG, but Global will run the team's day-to-day operation in Hartford and handle the marketing.

Unless MSG and Global decide to work out an agreement with WSE, the team's name will likely change. The team could return to the Hartford Wolf Pack, the name of the franchise from 1997 until it was re-branded in 2010. MSG has kept the brand alive by retaining uniforms and has even renewed the hartfordwolfpack.com domain name, updating data base information on the domain name Saturday.

Another possibility is to simply call the team the Rangers — Hartford or Connecticut preceding the name — although that could be a public relations risk. Returning to the Wolf Pack would be simple, especially with the still visible around the team and the XL Center.

http://www.icethetics.info/blog/2013/2/17/connecticut-whale-to-be-no-more.html

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Yeh I posted this a couple days back in the old The Whale dies again ... thread.

Honestly I couldn't be more happy. While it will probably make the few CT Whale jerseys out there to increase in value (and I still don't have one) it will be much better in the long run.

Baldwin destroyed the team's reputation and even alienated their parent club the Rangers with Reebok and others due to not paying their bills.

Bring back the Wolf Pack!

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  • 2 months later...

Yeh, I'm thrilled the Wolf Pack are coming back, but a little bummed I was never able to get a CT Whale gamer or even authentic.

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Hopefully they don't do anything drastic with the uniforms when they switch back to the Pack. With any luck they'll just go back to the previous sweaters.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Any word on what the "new(?)" Wolfpack jerseys will look like?

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My guess would be that they'll go back to the jerseys from just before the switch to the Whale, at least initially, because of timing issues.

340-f.jpg334-f.jpg

I do hope that they take the opportunity to change up the style a bit sooner rather than later.

I did notice on their new website, red seems to be a much more prominent color than in the past. Perhaps that's a hint of the new direction they are going in, or perhaps I'm just trying to hard to find something in nothing :lol:

Something similar to this Kitchener Rangers alternate could work, and the Pack did use red as an alternate for their 5th anniversary.

ThirdJersey0455.jpg

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That would be great, and that they do something special for a third/alternate jersey.

I am so glad that they are more inventive than some AHL teams that just warm over designs from their parent club(s). I like the navy blue, and a touch of silver/gray. That kind of goes back to the Rangers Liberty jerseys which were a definite departure from the Royal Blue/Red/White traditional colors.

Looking forward to seeing what actually hits the ice.

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I wasn't trying to infer they'd litterally be wearing their old jerseys - just the style. I'd assume Reebok still has the old style available to crank out some new ones and that'd be easier than starting over with a new design for the time being.

Reebok is probably just happy to know they'll get paid this time since Baldwin isn't around anymore.

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Haha. Gotcha. Im hoping for a style change. The only team that should have a wordmark on their jerseys is the Rangers. I liked the angry Wolf person thinggy on their early 2000s. They should go back to those

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Haha. Gotcha. Im hoping for a style change. The only team that should have a wordmark on their jerseys is the Rangers. I liked the angry Wolf person thinggy on their early 2000s. They should go back to those

Personally, I liked the logo/crest with the star surrounding the head of a wolf and the body of a submarine.

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Personally, I liked the logo/crest with the star surrounding the head of a wolf and the body of a submarine.

That's exactly what is should be. They had a couple of jerseys like those. It's badass

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Saw this on PuckDaddy, if MSG wins the bid to renovate Nassau Coliseum after the Isles move to Brooklyn, they may move the Wolf Pack there:

http://msg.com/msghubvision/proposal.html

Professional Sports Franchises To Be Committed To Nassau: One or more professional sports franchises will play at the Coliseum, from among the New York Liberty, Rangers-affiliated Minor League Hockey, and/or Knicks-affiliated NBA D-League team.

I vaguely recall that I heard that rumor somewhere else as well. Of course they say "minor league" so it could just be an ECHL team, but as far as I know MSG doesn't own the Rangers ECHL affiliate the Greenville Road Warriors.

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I had actually read this months ago, and Isles pitched the same idea, plus also playing about half a dozen Isles games there a year, but Dolan would have to give the okay on that, which he won't if it means losing the bid.

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Having the Wolf Pack on Long Island would be great, I'd love to go to a game but there's no way I'm driving to CT for minor league hockey.

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Saw this on PuckDaddy, if MSG wins the bid to renovate Nassau Coliseum after the Isles move to Brooklyn, they may move the Wolf Pack there:

http://msg.com/msghubvision/proposal.html

I vaguely recall that I heard that rumor somewhere else as well. Of course they say "minor league" so it could just be an ECHL team, but as far as I know MSG doesn't own the Rangers ECHL affiliate the Greenville Road Warriors.

That would be SICK!!!
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That would be SICK!!!

Yeah real sick :noway:

From what I have been hearing is that the rangers really really really want to move the Wolf Pack to Bridgeport (which is a beautiful minor league stadium -- huge scoreboard, clean, great sight lines). However, if Dolan/MSG get the bid for the Coliseum, they'll move the Wolf Pack here. If Ratner wins, the Sound Tigers would likely be the team that goes to the Coliseum, and the Wolf Pack go to Bridgeport

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Yeah real sick :noway:

From what I have been hearing is that the rangers really really really want to move the Wolf Pack to Bridgeport (which is a beautiful minor league stadium -- huge scoreboard, clean, great sight lines). However, if Dolan/MSG get the bid for the Coliseum, they'll move the Wolf Pack here. If Ratner wins, the Sound Tigers would likely be the team that goes to the Coliseum, and the Wolf Pack go to Bridgeport

I vote we keep the Isles out of my borough all together. I'm gonna start seeing too much Islanders crap around here once they move and it might cause me to go postal.

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