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Conference 2.301::whalers

Title:The Hartford Whalers Conference
Notice:Go Whale!
Moderator:CAM::WAY
Created:Tue Sep 19 1989
Last Modified:Wed Mar 26 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:155
Total number of notes:701

155.0. "Whalers leaving Hartford" by PATRLR::MCCUSKER () Wed Mar 26 1997 17:09

Its official, The Whale is leaving Hartford.

Announced at a press conference today at 1:00PM.

Peter Karmonos cited the extensive losses between now
and the opening of a new arena as the major stumbling
block to remaining in Hartford.

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155.1PATRLR::MCCUSKERWed Mar 26 1997 17:39221
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     		  Whalers shipping out           
            	  March 26, 1997
                                                        
                  HARTFORD, Conn. -- The
          	  Hartford Whalers say they
                  can't make it in Connecticut
                  and have agreed to pay the              
 		  state a $20.5 million penalty           
     		  to leave after this season.             
                                                   
            	  "Despite all our efforts, the           
           	  Whalers say they can no                 
         	  longer survive in Hartford,"
           	  Gov. John Rowland said. "This
       		  is a setback but the future             
          	  of Hartford does not depend             
                  on the Whalers or any other             
                  major league sports                     
                  franchise."                             
                                                          
                  The governor said Whalers
                  owner Peter Karmanos closed
                  the door to further talks               
                  that might keep the state's             
                  only major league sports                
                  franchise.                              
                                                         
                  Under their contract with the           
                  state, the Whalers were
                  committed to staying in
                  Hartford through the end of             
                  next season. An early exit
                  required a penalty.                     
                                                          
                  "Our hands were tied. Mr.               
                  Karmanos obviously feels                
                  there is a better deal out              
                  there," Rowland said.

                  Karmanos said the state's
                  offer was substantial but
                  still would have resulted in
                  continuing financial losses
                  for the team.

                  "The Whalers, with great
                  regret and reluctance, will
                  concentrate their efforts on
                  finding a new home for the
                  team," he said. "To our loyal
                  fans and the corporate
                  community, we want to say how
                  deeply sorry we are things
                  are working out this way."

                  Karmanos said the Hartford
                  market proved too small to
                  support the team. He said the
                  Whalers also were being
                  squeezed by competition from
                  the New York Rangers to the
                  south and the Boston Bruins
                  to the north.

                  "You have to be able to do
                  something in Hartford to
                  compete against those two
                  markets," he said.

                  Karmanos said he has not
                  negotiated a deal with any
                  other city yet.

                  Going into the negotiations,
                  the state apparently had more
                  leverage because other
                  markets weren't as interested
                  in the hockey team as
                  previously thought, a source
                  said. Possible markets
                  included St. Paul, Minn., and
                  Columbus, Ohio.

                  The Whalers came to Hartford
                  in 1975 and have struggled to
                  win and to fill the Hartford
                  Civic Center.

                  The team rejected a state
                  offer to build a $147.5
                  million arena and to
                  guarantee the club revenues
                  of $50 million a year, the
                  governor said.

                  The team wanted to play at
                  the arena rent-free and
                  refused to sign a long-term
                  lease. But the state balked
                  on both demands, having
                  already lost nearly $60
                  million in recent years.

                  The club also wanted the
                  state to pay the Whalers $45
                  million to cover projected
                  losses over the next three
                  years, while the new arena
                  was being built.

                  "There is no way we could
                  justify writing out a check
                  for $45 million," Rowland
                  said. "We've made a decision
                  we believe is in the best
                  interest of the Hartford
                  community and the taxpayers
                  of this state."

                  In a letter to Rowland dated
                  Friday, Karmanos said the
                  club hoped to limit the harm
                  to the state of Connecticut
                  in leaving early.

                  "Since matters such as this
                  are the subject of such
                  intense public interest, I
                  hope we will be able to deal
                  with this situation quickly,"
                  Karmanos said in the letter.
                  "I know you as a pro-business
                  governor have no desire to
                  inflict damage to the
                  franchise.

                  "Simply because of our
                  circumstances, under which we
                  now find ourselves, likewise
                  we want to do whatever we
                  reasonably can to limit the
                  damage to the community
                  caused by our leaving."

                  Karmanos was in town Tuesday
                  for final talks between the
                  team and the state and later
                  watched from his box at the
                  Civic Arena as his team lost
                  4-0 to the Colorado
                  Avalanche.

                  The state had abandoned a
                  plan earlier this year to
                  revamp the Civic Center.
                  Rowland has said he was
                  convinced the Civic Center
                  was a money-loser for the
                  team, but insisted a new
                  arena must be built in
                  Hartford and be backed by a
                  15- to 20-year commitment
                  from the Whalers.

                  The Civic Center seats 14,660
                  for hockey games. The
                  Whalers, formerly a member of
                  the World Hockey Association,
                  drew 14,191 for Tuesday
                  night's game against
                  defending Stanley Cup
                  champion Colorado.

                  Karmanos originally promised
                  to stay four years when he
                  bought the team in the summer
                  before the 1994-95 season. He
                  began threatening to find a
                  new market in the spring,
                  citing projections he would
                  lose more than $30 million in
                  his first two years of
                  ownership.

                  The state, in an attempt to
                  determine interest in the
                  club, then began an all-out
                  ticket crusade that nearly
                  doubled season-ticket sales
                  to about 8,500. The campaign
                  fell well short of its goal
                  but was enough to keep
                  Karmanos in Hartford for a
                  third season.

                  The Whalers haven't had a
                  winning season since 1989-90
                  and are trying to avoid
                  missing the playoffs a fifth
                  straight year. With nine
                  games remaining, the Whalers
                  have 65 points and are in
                  ninth place in the Eastern
                  Conference. The top eight
                  teams make the playoffs.

                  Copyright 1997 Associated
                  Press. All rights reserved.
                  This material may not be
                  published, broadcast,
                  rewritten, or redistributed.

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                  Copyright ) 1997 The Sporting News. All rights reserved.