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Hartford Whalers | |
---|---|
Founded | 1972 |
History | New England Whalers 1972–1979 (WHA) Hartford Whalers 1979–1997 (NHL) Carolina Hurricanes 1997–present |
Home arena | Boston Arena Boston Garden Big E Coliseum Springfield Civic Center Hartford Civic Center |
City | Hartford, Connecticut |
Team colors | Green, black, white (1972–1975) Green, gold, white (1975–1979) Green, blue, white (1979–1992) Navy, green, silver, white[1] (1992–1997) |
Stanley Cups | 0 |
Avco World Trophy | 1 (1972–73) |
Conference championships | 2 (1972–73, 1977–78) |
Presidents' Trophy | 0 |
Division championships | 4 (1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1986–87) |
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its 25-year existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to 1997.
Originally based in Boston, they were charter members of the WHA, known as the New England Whalers for all seven seasons. After their second season, the team moved one hundred miles (160 km) southwest to Hartford in April 1974;[2] five years later, the Whalers joined the NHL in the 1979 NHL–WHA merger and were renamed the "Hartford Whalers".[3]
After 25 years in New England, the franchise relocated to North Carolina in 1997 and became the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Whalers may be gone, but they will never be forgotten. Adapted for the Whalers' move to the NHL in 1979 from the World Hockey Association, the classic green-and-blue logo features a W with the tail of a whale on the top. While that alone would make for a great design, the H for Hartford, formed by the negative space between the W and the tail, puts this one over the top. Hartford used this logo until 1992, then modernized it and added silver for the 1992-93 season. The logo was retired following 1996-97, when the Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes.