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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.
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