By Bruce Berlet
The untimely Arctic Invasion on Saturday aside, the historic Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 proved quite the bonanza for fans, hockey and Whalers Sports and Entertainment.
The 12-day, 45-game extravaganza at Rentschler Field in East Hartford survived all forms of Mother Nature, from record snowfall in January to 65-degree temperatures on Friday giving way to the sub-zero wind chill for the event’s featured attraction, the Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl, pitting the Hartford Whalers legends against the Boston Bruins legends followed by the AHL’s second outdoor game in its 75-year history between the Connecticut Whale and Providence Bruins.
To show The Great Hockey God in the Sky was loving things so much, the Whale-Bruins game went the distance, though a storybook ending didn’t materialize as Michael Hutchinson stopped five Whale shootout attempts and Maxime “Whale Killer” Sauve scored the only goal in the skills competition to give the Bruins a 5-4 victory.
Still, the 28,700 tickets sold and distributed for the game shattered the 21,508 sold and distributed for the AHL’s first outdoor game last year, when the host Syracuse Crunch beat the Binghamton Senators 2-1 on former Hartford Wolf Pack defenseman David Liffiton’s goal. A total of 15,234 hearty souls showed up for various amounts of time Saturday, with several thousand still around when the P-Bruins put a frozen damper on the close of Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl.
A public skate was canceled Tuesday because of poor ice conditions that caused construction manager Jim Hartnett to call it the most difficult of the seven rink projects he has done. But Hartnett and his crew managed to overcome the most trying problems, as did the Whalers Sports and Entertainment staff, some of whom worked more than 100 hours in the week leading up to Whale Bowl.
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“I just think it was a tremendous event – and it was cold,” Whalers Sports and Entertainment chairman and COO Howard Baldwin Jr. said Tuesday. “The people who came out were amazing fans, and what I’m most proud of is how we as an organization battled through to put on a great, great event.”
For those who braved the cold and wind, it was a hockey celebration, complete with plenty of “Brass Bonanza,” the Whalers’ famed theme song. Fans in Whalers shirts began tailgating in the parking lot hours for the 4 p.m. alumni game as a high school game was being played. A steady stream of hockey jerseys and hats filled the concourse and stands, and “The Zambonis,” a hockey-themed band from Bridgeport, performed during the legends and AHL games. Tony Harrington, who sang the national anthem at Whalers games for years, returned to belt it out again before the alumni game, and fireworks lit up the rink after the national anthem before the Whale-Bruins game.
The event’s original budget was $300,000, but it ballooned to nearly $400,000 because of the cost of extra snow removal required in the Rentschler Field stands and parking lots. Because WSE didn’t get the 32,000 fans needed Saturday to break even, it lost money, but Baldwin said it was money well spent.
“Even though we lost money, the public relations and the exposure for the American Hockey League and the Connecticut Whale was just amazing,” Baldwin said. “For the money we lost, it was definitely worth the investment.”
Despite the losses, WSAE donated $5,000 to the official charity of the Hockey Fest, “Sam’s Race for a Place,” a fund-raising effort spearheaded by West Hartford resident Samantha Udolf that benefits the Ronald McDonald House. Since Udolf, a successful competitive skier, founded Sam’s Race for a Place in June of 2008, it has generated donations of more than $43,500. For more information about Sam’s Race for a Place, visit www.samsraceforaplace.com. Donations also can be made through that web address.
Because of the adverse conditions, Baldwin Jr. said fans who purchased tickets but did not attend because of the weather could redeem them for a ticket to “Howe Family Night” at the XL Center on March 26 against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers or another game of their choice. The No. 9 of Mr. Hockey, one of seven numbers in the XL Center rafters, will be lowered and then raised and re-retired as his sons, Mark and Marty, whom he played with for seven seasons in Houston and Hartford, look on. The matriarch of the family, Colleen Howe, who died in 2009, will be honored.
“That old (jersey) is a little worn,” Baldwin Jr. said. “I think we’ll have a big crowd. I love Ronnie Francis (the only Hall of Famer to play mostly with the Whalers), but Gordie is the one who put the team on the map. He needs to have the respect of the people coming out to see him, and it’ll be a great opportunity for it.”
Howe’s No. 9 is in the XL Center rafters with the Whalers’ No. 2 (Rick Ley), 5 (Ulf Samuelsson), 10 (Ron Francis), 11 (Dineen) and 19 (John McKenzie). Whale coach Ken Gernander’s No. 12 is the only number to be retired in the 14-year history of the AHL team.
The Howes played together for the first time with the Houston Aeros in 1973 before coming to Hartford and signing with the World Hockey Association’s New England Whalers in 1977.
Howe ended his legendary 32-year career in the Hartford Whalers’ first NHL season (1979-80), when he had 15 goals and 26 assists and was named a NHL All-Star for the 23rd time while helping the Whalers make the playoffs at 52 years old. If fans want to redeem a ticket from Whale Bowl, they should contact Baldwin at hlb@whalerssports.com.
Baldwin’s most immediate goal is to help assure the Whale (28-22-2-6) reaches the playoffs in a tightly bunched Eastern Conference in which seven teams are vying for the final four spots. The Whale notched one of their more stirring wins of the season Monday when veteran defenseman Wade Redden scored his first game-winning goal in the minors, converting a shorthanded 2-on-1 with Tim Kennedy at 1:23 of overtime for a 2-1 victory over the Portland Pirates.
Kennedy, a member of the AHL All-Rookie Team in 2008-09 while with the Pirates, also assisted on Evgeny Grachev’s second-period goal, which stood up until Mark Mancari, the AHL’s leading goal-scorer, notched his 32nd in the third period. But Kennedy set up Redden after a steal, rush and pass that led to his seventh point in seven games against his former team. Two of his three goals were overtime winners in Portland in successive games Dec. 29 and 31.
“I like this rink and, when I played here two years ago, I really liked it,” Kennedy told the Portland Press-Herald. “When I play here, it’s almost not like a road game. It’s more of a home game for me. It just happens that when I’m playing here, things happen to be going my way.”
Pirates coach Kevin Dineen, the former Hartford Whalers star right wing and captain, has heaped lavish praise on Kennedy in the past, but he wasn’t speaking kindly of his team after the loss, the Pirates’ third in a row thanks largely to a season-low 16 shots. They were outshot 18-4 in the first period but escaped with a scoreless tie thanks to goalie Jhonas Enroth, whose handful of stellar stopped included one on Kelsey Tessier’s breakaway.
“It was our worst (game) of the year,” Dineen said in typically no-nonsense fashion. “We can’t get any worse than that in all aspects, from our structure to our work ethic. … More than anything else, we always have a strong work ethic, and we got outworked in our own building.”
The victory extended the Whalers’ points streak to 4-0-0-1 and gave them a 4-3 series lead on the Pirates after the sixth one-goal game between the teams this season. The Whale were off Tuesday and are back on the road Wednesday, when they fly to Charlotte, N.C., for games Thursday and Saturday against the Charlotte Checkers, their former ECHL affiliate. The Whale (then the Hartford Wolf Pack) beat the Checkers 4-2 in the season opener Oct. 9 at the XL Center. The Checkers (32-20-2-4), the new affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, are 15-11-1-4 at home, and the Whale is 16-9-0-4 on the road, where they have won four straight and six of seven.
The Checkers have won two in a row and are on a 6-2-1-0 run, which has moved them into third place in the East Division. Their leading scorer, All-Star right wing Jerome Samson (26, 28), is on recall to the Hurricanes. The top remaining scorers are left wings Jacob Micflikier (22, 23) and Chris Terry (22, 23), center Zach Boychuk (15, 28) and left wing Oskar Osala (13, 28). Zac Dalpe leads the rookie scoring race (17 goals, 21 assists) despite playing in only 39 games. The Checkers have used only two goalies, rookie Mike Murphy (17-9-2, 2.80, .911, one shutout) and Justin Pogge (15-13-2, 3.13, .906, no shutouts). Murphy has won six straight games and is 15-2-0 in his last 17 starts, capped by a 20-save shutout Sunday in a 5-0 victory over the defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears. Former Wolf Pack defenseman and 2011 All-Star Bryan Rodney had one goal and two assists in the romp.
The Whale finally returns to the XL Center on March 2 to face Springfield, then are at Springfield, Worcester and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to end a brutal stretch of 10 road games in 12 starts. They will finish the season with 10 of their last 16 games at home, starting March 11 against Hershey.
By then, Baldwin might have decided if the Whale will try to host the AHL All-Star Game or another Whalers Hockey Fest in 2012. Baldwin is putting together a bid for the All-Star Game and will decide by March if there will be a Hockey Fest next year.
“I think we’re a little late in the game (for the All-Star Game), so I don’t think that we’ll get it,” Baldwin said. “But I told (AHL executive vice-president of marketing and business development Chris Nikolis that I have to fill out the packet, but I know they’ve got other teams ahead of us that have already put in a bid. We had to put that on the back burner because of Hockey Fest, but I think it would be great to have. Twenty-five years ago, we hosted the NHL All-Star Game, so it would great to have an All-Star Game back. It’s not a NHL All-Star Game, but we would be one of only a few cities OR the only city to have a WHA, NHL and AHL All-Star Game.”
Baldwin said WSE would rather do an All-Star Game rather than another Hockey Fest.
“That outdoor game was really a tremendous, tremendous undertaking,” Baldwin said. “I had no idea how big it really was.”
The Whalers Reunion and Fan Fest in August wasn’t nearly as extensive or time-consuming, but both demonstrated the determination and resolve of the Baldwins and Whalers Sports and Entertainment to revive the local hockey market.
MONTOYA FINALLY MAKING HIS MARK
After years of frustration languishing in the minors, former Wolf Pack goalie Al Montoya, the Rangers’ first-round pick (sixth overall) in 2004, got in the record book for a second organization last week and nearly registered a second consecutive shutout Monday.
Mike Santorelli’s power-play goal with 9:26 left denied Montoya another goose egg, but a hat trick by fellow castoff Matt Moulson made it easy for Montoya and the New York Islanders to rout the Florida Panthers, 5-1.
“This is something neat, this group here,” the 26-year-old Montoya told reporters after the game. “I’ve been waiting for this chance my whole career, and I’m going to take advantage of it.”
Two days earlier, Moulson scored twice against his brother-in-law, Milford native Jonathan Quick, as the Islanders beat Los Angeles 3-0, ending the Kings’ 11-game points streak.
“No talking today,” Moulson told reporters. “We had dinner (Friday night), but he didn’t let me cook. He thought I was going to put something in there. So we went to our in-laws, went to neutral ground and had a good dinner. (I was) lucky to get a couple on him.”
Moulson promised not to gloat about any bragging rights.
“He wasn’t bragging when he shut me out,” he said, “so I think I’ll just keep it low key.”
No one could blame Montoya about being excited after he made 35 saves in his first NHL start since April 9, 2009 with the Phoenix Coyotes and became the first goalie in franchise history to post a shutout in his first start as an Islander. But that was nothing new for Montoya, who became the first goalie in Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets franchise history to record a shutout in his NHL debut. On April 1, 2009, Montoya stopped 23 shots in a 3-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
“I had nothing to lose,” said Montoya, named the No. 1 star. “I play the game with nothing to lose. Maybe I should have more (NHL) starts under my belt, but I don’t look at it like that. I come out here to give the team a chance, and I don’t want nerves to get the best of me. I left it all out on the ice, and that was my mindset going into the game.”
Monday’s game was the continuation of a remarkable turnaround for Montoya, Moulson and the Islanders. Moulson leads the Isles with 26 goals, one more than rookie Michael Grabner, claimed off waivers from the Panthers in training camp. The Islanders are 8-3-0 in their last 11 games and 18-12-2 since a 1-17-3 slide in mid-December appeared to ruin their season.
“Obviously, you look back at that, and what could’ve been,” said Moulson, a ninth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2003 who signed a free-agent deal with the Kings on Sept. 1, 2006 and was often a pest to the Wolf Pack while with the Manchester Monarchs. “But it’s not over yet. We still have a lot of games to play.”
It seems inconceivable the Islanders have a chance to make the playoffs, but if they do, Jack Capuano, elevated from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to interim coach on Long Island on Nov. 15, should be NHL Coach of the Year.
If the Islanders complete an improbable run to the postseason, it could be on the shoulders of Montoya, who won 86 games in three years at the University of Michigan but needed nearly seven years to win six NHL games. And half of them resulted after the misfortune of others.
Rick DiPietro, who has been injury-prone since being the first overall pick by the Islanders in 2000 and signing an unprecedented 15-year contract, was sidelined 4-to-6 weeks when he sustained facial fractures when hit in a fight with Penguins goalie Brent Johnson on Feb. 2. Six days later, rookie goalie Kevin Poulin, recalled from the Sound Tigers on an emergency basis, sustained a season-ending dislocated kneecap when he stepped in a rut during warm-ups before a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Islanders general manager Garth Snow, a former NHL goalie, went into immediate scramble mode and acquired Montoya for a sixth-round draft pick the next day.
“To tell you the truth, I was excited,” Montoya told NHL.com. “This is unbelievable. This is an opportunity that I’ve been waiting for however many years I’ve been pro … six years? I’ve had a couple of injuries that set me back a couple of years, but at the same time, I’m excited. I knew I’d get a chance here.”
Montoya, buried behind Henrik Lundqvist with the Rangers and especially inconsistent after being upended after racing to the blue line to clear a puck, thought he might finally get a shot at the NHL when traded to the Coyotes on Feb. 26, 2008. But what Montoya hoped would be a fresh start soon became more of the same as he got only a brief look in the 2008-09 season, going 3-1-0 with a 2.08 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in five appearances.
But injuries limited Montoya to 45 games with the Rampage between the fall of 2008 and spring of 2010. Before the trade to the Islanders, Montoya split time with Matt Climie in San Antonio, where he was 11-8-0 with a 3.19 GAA and .891 save percentage and no shutouts in 21 games. In one relief appearance and two starts with the Islanders, he’s 3-0-0 with a 1.34 GAA, .950 save percentage and one shutout.
“I wish things would have gone differently,” Montoya said. “I came back from a shoulder surgery and I probably played consecutive nights one time. It’s just putting it together. The other goalie I was working with was a good goalie. Even the year before I got hurt, it wasn’t a good situation for me. It’s just a matter of getting my game back and going out there and doing what I can do and knowing what I can do.
“This is a good situation for me. I’m going to take full advantage of this, and I thank this organization for giving me that chance. I’m still young. I still feel good, and I’m still learning to this day. It’s time to run with it.”
It’s also time for something good to finally happen to someone who deserves a few good breaks.
POTTER AMONG AHL’S BEST PLUS-MINUS GUYS AGAIN
Former Wolf Pack defenseman Corey Potter is again in the chase for the plus/minus title with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Potter is plus-24, one behind Sean Collins of Hershey. Former Wolf Pack defenseman Brian Fahey of Hershey is seventh at plus-21, one ahead of teammate and former Wolf Pack wing Boyd Kane. In fact, eight of the top nine in plus-minus are from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or Hershey. The Whale leader is Grachev at plus-13, which is tied for 41st in the league. … Wilkes-Barre/Scranton continues to sit atop the AHL standings (42-15-0-0, 84 points) and entered the week on a 7-1-0-0 run despite recently playing without its top seven scorers – Dustin Jeffrey, Nick Johnson, Brett Sterling, Eric Tangradi, Ryan Crag, Tim Wallace and Joe Vitale – who were on recall to the NHL Penguins. No. 1 goalie Brad Thiessen (24-5-0, 1.77 goals-against average, .930 save percentage) returned from injury Feb. 7 and has allowed only four goals on 164 shots in seven games (.976), posting six victories and three shutouts. Meanwhile, two newcomers have carried the offensive load. Ben Street arrived Feb. 3 and has eight goals and two assists in eight games, and former second-round draft pick and fellow rookie Keven Veilleux has a point in five of six games (two goals, four assists) from Feb. 7-18. … The AHL’s Clear Day deadline, when all 30 teams must submit their 22-man Clear Day lists, is March 7 at 3 p.m. Only those players listed on a team’s Clear Day roster are eligible to play in the remainder of the AHL regular season and in the Calder Cup playoffs, unless emergency conditions arise as a result of recall, injury or suspension. Teams may also add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts, but only after their respective junior or college seasons are complete.
