CT WhaleHARTFORD, February 1, 2011:  Whalers Sports and Entertainment president and COO Howard Baldwin, Jr. today issued the following statement on the incident at Saturday’s Connecticut Whale game in which Pucky, the Whale’s mascot, was attacked:

“We are extremely thankful that our beloved mascot was not injured, nor were any fans or game staff, as a result of this regrettable action by one individual of a great crowd of nearly 12,000 fans.  We are also very grateful to the terrific XL Center arena staff, and the Hartford Police, for their swift and appropriate action in apprehending the offending party and barring that individual from future XL Center events.  While we are confident that this was an isolated incident, we will continue to work diligently with our XL Center partners to ensure that the safety of our fans and staff is never compromised during a Whale game.”