By Bruce Berlet

After 15 years playing and coaching in the University of Connecticut’s antiquated rink covered by an open dome, Bruce Marshall thought he was finished with outdoor hockey.

“Coaching outdoors wasn’t high on my list to do,” Marshall, a 1985 UConn graduate in his 23^rd season as head coach, said with a chuckle. “I’d already checked that off my bucket list. But I’m used to at least a roof (over a rink), so we’ll see what it’s like without a roof.”

Marshall was instrumental in helping the hockey Huskies open a new indoor rink for the 1998-99 season and replace a former UConn faculty dining hall that served as a Quonset warming hut.

“The shutters on the dining hall had SAC on it for Storrs Agricultural College,” Marshall said, chuckling again. “So we’ve made great strides.”

Now the Huskies will take another giant step forward on Feb. 13 when they host Atlantic Hockey Association foe Sacred Heart University of Fairfield as part of “UConn Day” in the “Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest” at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

The UConn football team plays at Rentschler Field in the fall, but the field has been transformed into a man-made, regulation-size rink to be used for more than 30 youth, high school, prep school and pro games from Feb. 11-23.

“We’re excited to be playing outdoors,” said Marshall, only the school’s third coach who earned his 300^th career win in the 2009-10 regular-season finale, a 3-2 overtime victory over Mercyhurst. “The kids think it’s great, and it’s a great opportunity for us to play in front of more people than we normally have, at least in our state. So it’s all a good thing, and we’re appreciative of the Whalers group to want to include us in this event.”

In May, Whalers Sports and Entertainment, which is overseeing the event, approached Marshall about playing in the first outdoor tournament in the state. The Huskies beat Sacred Heart 9-3 in their first meeting Dec. 10, and this is UConn’s home game.

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“Home games are precious, so I was kind of wondering if I should give it up,” Marshall said with a sigh. “I called C.J. (Marottolo, Sacred Heart coach) and said, ‘Why don’t we keep our home game and make this your home game outdoors?’ I couldn’t pull that one off, so we decided we wanted it for our event.

“It’s great for recruiting reasons, and the parents and kids in the program are excited and the alumni are excited and we’re going to have buses available to get the students there from Storrs. The students have been great about going out to the football games and enjoying themselves, so we’re hoping this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for them to do that they’ll jump on as well.”

“UConn Day” will start with an alumni game at 9-10:15 a.m., followed by a family skating session from 10:15-11 and then lunch in the club room in the stadium suites.

“All the guys who played in the outdoor rink with me and that I coached are going to be able to tell their kids, ‘Yes, I used to play outdoors all the time,’ ” Marshall said.

UConn plays Sacred Heart at 1 p.m., and the UConn women meet Providence in a Hockey East game at 4 p.m. Last season, Sacred Heart advanced to the league championship game, losing to Rochester Institute of Technology to finish at 21-13-4 in Marottolo’s first season. But both UConn and Sacred Heart have struggled this season, especially lately.

A 0-7-1 slide has dropped the Huskies to 7-15-4 overall and 7-10-2 in the AHA. The team has six freshmen and four sophomores, including No. 1 goalie Garrett Bartus, among the 21 regulars who play every game. Forwards Cole Schneider (seven goals, 15 assists) and Billy Latta (7, 12) are No. 1 and 3 in the league in scoring among freshmen and a major reason the Huskies have improved from last in the nation in scoring last season (1.59 goals per game) to 29^th this season (2.88). Other leading scorers are sophomore forward Sean Ambrose (9, 9), senior forward Andrew Olson (11, 6) and freshman forward Jordan Sims (8, 8), the son of former Hartford Whalers defenseman Al Sims, who is now the coach of Fort Wayne in the East Coast Hockey League.

“Jordan is not a defenseman like his dad, but he doesn’t like to get scored on, which is nice,” Marshall said. “He’s a good two-way forward.”

The top players for Sacred Heart (3-18-5, 3-11-5), which has lost five in a row and is 1-8-1 in its last 10 games, are senior forward Patrick Knowlton (5, 12), sophomore forward Eric Delong (5, 11), junior forward Matt Gingera (9, 6), senior forward David Berube (6, 8) and sophomore goalie Steven Legatto (3-14-4, 5.09, .879). Sophomore forward Kyle Verbeek (3, 4) is the son of former Hartford Whalers wing and captain Pat Verbeek, who is now a scout with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kyle wears his dad’s No. 16.

“We’ve been trying to put the pieces together,” Marshall said. “We still want to climb a little higher, but our younger classes are doing a good job, and our seniors are playing with that passion that you need seniors to play with.”

Schneider and Latta agree with their coach that seniors such as Olson, a captain, and Marcello Ranallo have been a stabilizing influence with half the team being freshmen and sophomores.

“The older guys have helped us get going and showed us the ropes, so we just do what we can help them out as well,” Schneider said.

Schneider, who was born in Williamsville, N.Y., played for the hometown Regals and then committed to UConn at Christmas, 2008 before playing two junior seasons with the Tier I Youngstown (Ohio) Phantoms of United States Hockey League, though he missed half of last season with a wrist injury. This season, he was named AHA Player and Rookie of the Week after getting three goals and an assist in an 8-5 victory at Niagara on Dec. 4. It was only the fifth time a UConn player recorded a hat trick since the Huskies went Division I.

Latta grew up in West Chester, Pa., played for the Junior Flyers out of Philadelphia, committed to UConn his senior year of high school and then played last season in the USHL for the team in Sioux City, Iowa, before being traded midway through the season to the Chicago Steel, where he skated once outdoors while hampered by three minor knee surgeries but played in 40 games.

This season, Latta was named AHA Rookie of the Month for December, has figured in the scoring in 10 of the last 13 games with six goals and nine assists and had a five-game scoring streak snapped in a 4-0 loss to Holy Cross on Saturday.

“You never know if you’re going to get up that high in scoring, but knowing the guys that you’re going to play with, you hope they can help you out, and you can help them out as well,” Latta said. “You have to give a lot of credit to the older guys on the team. They made the adaptation for the underclassmen pretty easy, kind of showed us how to take it day-by-day, how to manage your game, how to compete in practice and carry it into a game. The older guys have helped for sure, but it’s nice a young class that’s starting to produce and help the team.”

The underclassmen most responsible for keeping the Huskies in most games is Bartus, a sophomore goalie from St. Charles, Ill., who arrived in Storrs last year in mid-semester when homesick freshman Jeff Larson suddenly left the team. Bartus was 11-4-0 with a 1.91 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and two shutouts in 17 games with the St. Louis Bandits of the North American Hockey League when he left for Storrs.

“He’s pretty steady and consistent in net,” Schneider said of Bartus, who left the Bandits for a chance to play for a Division I school even if it was non-scholarship.

Bartus was 5-14-1 with a 3.26 GAA and .900 save percentage in 20 games with the Huskies last season, when he set an UConn record for saves in a Division I game with 57 in a 2-2 tie at Air Force on Jan. 9, 2010, just his third game with the Huskies. This season, Bartus is 7-12-4 with a 3.66 GAA and .902 save percentage, with at least 30 saves in 17 of 24 games. He leads the nation with 786 saves, including 50 in an 8-5 victory at Niagara on Dec. 4 and 40 in a 3-3 tie at No. 7 Maine in the season opener.

“He has played really well and solidified that position for us very well over the last year,” Marshall said.

If time away from classes permit, Bartus and the rest of the Huskies will try to get acclimated to the outdoor rink at a practice at Rentschler Field on Feb. 11, with the women’s team to follow.

Latta said he didn’t play outdoors as a kid except for “pond hockey.”

“I’m really excited because I’ve never competed at this level outdoors. Everything has been recreational,” Latta said. “I’ve played in front of big crowds (9,500 for a USHL game at Green Bay, Wis.) but never outdoors or in front of a school crowd. The University of Connecticut is known for their athletics, so hopefully people recognize the name and program and start coming to our games, too.”

Schneider got exposed to outdoor hockey when he was on the 18-and-under midget hockey Buffalo Regals, a travel team that played five times at the rink at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.

“That was fun, but nothing like on a stage like this (Rentschler Field),” Schneider said. “The atmosphere will be at a higher level, and playing in the football field will be a little bigger than just a regular rink.”

And his scouting report for his teammates?

“It’s going to be cold,” Schneider said with a chuckle.

Smart fella, that Cole.

The Huskies also hope some of the enthusiasm from the football team’s season will carry over to Rentschler Field late this month.

“Everyone is pretty excited about it, and hopefully we get a lot of people to come out and watch,” Schneider said. “Marketing is doing a good job of promoting it. There are flyers around the school, and I heard there’s a couple of billboards up in Hartford, so hopefully that helps to get people to come.”

Hartford, CT …  Whalers Sports and Entertainment president and COO Howard Baldwin, Jr. announced today that “Sam’s Race for a Place” has been chosen as the official charity of the Outdoor Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 at Rentschler Field.

“Sam’s Race for a Place” is a fund-raising push spearheaded by West Hartford, CT resident Samantha Udolf that benefits the Ronald McDonald House.  Since Udolf, a successful competitive skier, founded it in June of 2008, Sam’s Race for a Place has generated donations of over $43,500.

“Sam is such a great advocate for health and shows deep personal involvement,” said Jennifer Putnam, the Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald House.  “We are so excited and so thrilled.

“The kids are going to love it,” continued Putnam about the children whose families use the Ronald McDonald House. “I can’t wait until it all comes to fruition.”

The Ronald McDonald House is a non-profit charity that has been operating since 1991, helping hundreds of families and children enjoy the comforts of home while they await treatment at area medical facilities.

Udolf became familiar with Ronald McDonald House and its good works while volunteering there, and conceived Sam’s Race for a Place after learning that Ronald McDonald House is independently-funded, and must depend on grass-roots campaigns for nearly all of its support.

More information about Sam’s Race for a Place is available at www.samsraceforaplace.com, and donations can be made through that web address as well.

The Outdoor Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 will run from February 10-23 at Rentschler Field. The featured event is the “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl” February 19, which consists of the outdoor AHL game between the Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins at 7:00 PM, preceded by a Hartford Whalers legends vs. Boston Bruins legends classic at 4:00 PM.  In addition to that, the historic outdoor event will feature: five premier college games, at least 15 elite high school, junior and prep school games and a “Whale Town”, featuring exhibitors, games and the Whalers Mobile Hall of Fame.

Tickets for the February 19 Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl, which include admission to both the AHL game and the legends game, are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com., as well as at the Bushnell box office from Monday through Friday, 12 noon-5:00 PM.  Ticket prices range from $20 to $85 and can also be purchased by calling the Connecticut Whale at 860-728-3366.  Tickets purchased online can be printed immediately (via Ticketmaster).

By Bruce Berlet

No one – repeat no one – enjoyed/enjoys tough, physical, fan-pleasing hockey more than Kevin Dineen.

The former Hartford Whalers star right wing/captain, now coach of the Portland Pirates, thrived on the kind of play, earning endless plaudits from Connecticut fans and respect throughout the hockey community.

But Dineen sees a bad trend developing in the game he loves. And you need go no farther than the Pirates-Connecticut Whale game on Saturday night in which neither team backed down, jabbing at the opposition was commonplace and hits often ferocious. It hardly seemed appropriate behavior on Boy Scouts Night at the XL Center.

“It was a great game and hugely disappointing,” Whale coach Ken Gernander said after a heart-breaking 3-2 loss on Derek Whitmore’s power-play goal with 7.5 seconds left after an interference penalty on Dale Weise.

But Dineen expressed concern about the direction of the game.

“I thought there were some marginable hits on both sides,” Dineen said. “Hits are one thing, but blows to the head are really dangerous and getting too common.”

Boston Bruins officials and fans would emphatically agree with Dineen, one of their major antagonists during his playing days, after former Wolf Pack center Marc Savard took injurious hits from the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Matt Cooke and Deryk Engelland.

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Cooke’s blindside hit on Savard on March 7 knocked Savard out for the remainder of the regular season, then he returned for a first-round loss to the Philadelphia Flyers but was plagued by post-concussion syndrome and missed the first 23 games of this season. The hit led the NHL to outlaw blindside hits to the head, but Cooke didn’t receive any suspension. Then on Jan. 15, Engelland smashed Savard into the boards with a forearm to the mouth that left the feisty center “woozy” but he also didn’t’ receive a suspension.

Then on Jan. 22, Savard sustained a “moderate” concussion when he was slammed face-first into the boards by former teammate Matt Hunwick in a 6-2 victory over the Avalanche in Denver. Bruins coach Claude Julien called it a clean hit, but Savard is out indefinitely resting at his home in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, his season and career very much in question.

The NHL’s marquee player and leading scorer, Sidney Crosby of the Penguins, had to miss the NHL All-Star festivities this weekend after being out the last nine games with a concussion sustained when he was slammed into the boards head-first by Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman on Jan. 5. Crosby is feeling “a little bit better,” but it’s not known when he will return.

Penguins general manager Ray Shero had a terrific line when he said he supports “at least exploring” banning all hits to the head.

“We are a league where you can accidently hit a guy in the head with your shoulder and not be penalized,” Shero told USA Today. “But if you clear a puck out of your zone and it accidently goes in the stands they give you two minutes. Does that make sense?”

Last week, the Rangers sent down defenseman Michael Del Zotto and forwards Dale Weise, Evgeny Grachev, Kris Newbury, Chad Kolarik and Brodie Dupont. They all played in games Friday and Saturday, and then Del Zotto, Grachev and Newbury were called up Sunday and practiced with the Rangers on Monday in preparation for Tuesday night’s game at Madison Square Garden against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Newbury and Grachev are expected to play alongside Rangers captain/Trumbull native Chris Drury, while Del Zotto might watch as former Wolf Pack wing Ryan Callahan (hand) and defenseman Dan Girardi (rib cage) will return. Wing Brandon Dubinsky (stress fracture in left foot), another former Wolf Pack player, also might return, and forward Vinny Prospal (knee) is on track to make his season debut Thursday night at home against the New Jersey Devils. Center Erik Christensen is shooting for Feb. 11 against the Atlanta Thrashers, while Ruslan Fedotenko isn’t expected back until the middle of the month.

“It’s good to get the guys on the ice,” Rangers coach John Tortorella told the New York media after practice. “Cally (Callahan) does everything for us. He’s one of our leaders. I give our team a lot of credit because I was most worried when he was went out because I wasn’t sure how they would react because he means so much. He’s important in the (locker) room and on the ice.”

As for the Whale call-ups, Tortorella said: “We’ll have to see if Del Zotto gets in, but he has played really well in Hartford. I like Newbury’s grit and hopefully he can win some faceoffs. Grachev has played much better (in Hartford), but it hasn’t translated here yet (he is pointless in eight games). Now he has to protect pucks and score some goals. Weise played well, too, but we can’t take everybody.”

WHALE HOMESTAND ENDS FRIDAY NIGHT

The Whale (22-20-2-5) and the rest of the AHL are off until Thursday, and then they end a four-game homestand Friday night at 7 against another struggling team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (19-23-3-3). A last-second, 3-2 loss to the Portland Pirates on Saturday night was the Whale’s third in a row overall and fourth straight and sixth in seven starts at home after eight consecutive wins at the XL Center. It dropped the Whale into fourth place, one point behind Worcester, which beat Providence 3-2, and they are only three points ahead of the Bruins, who have two games in hand. The Whale is 11-12-2-1 at home and 11-8-0-4 on the road but 4-1-0-1 in the GEICO Connecticut Cup against the Sound Tigers, capped by Chad Johnson’s 22-save shutout in a 4-0 victory at Bridgeport on Dec. 26. Right wing Jeremy Williams, the Whale’s representative in the AHL All-Star Game on Monday night, leads the team in goals (22) and points (40). Newbury is second in scoring (5, 31), followed by right wing Chad Kolarik (17, 16) and center Tim Kennedy (9, 24).

The Sound Tigers will come to the XL Center on a four-game losing streak that ended the worst calendar month in franchise history (1-9-2-1) and dropped them into the division cellar. Like the Whale, the Sound Tigers have had to try to battle through countless call-ups, including on Monday, when goalie Kevin Poulin and defensemen Ty Wishart and former Wolf Pack Dylan Reese were recalled by the parent New York Islanders. Poulin and Reese returned to the Islanders after spending two games with the Sound Tigers during the NHL All-Star break. The Rangers recalled Del Zotto, Newbury and Grachev after they played two games with the Whale. Reese had a goal in a 3-2 loss at Worcester on Friday, when Poulin made 45 saves. The Sound Tigers’ leading scorer is right wing Rhett Rakhshani, who has three of his 10 goals and two of his 24 assists against the Whale and is tied for first in AHL rookie scoring. Center Rob Hisey (7, 18) is second in scoring, and center David Ullstrom (6, 17) is tied for third with Wishart (4, 19). Left wing Micheal Haley (12, 10) leads the team in goals. Rookie Mikko Koskinen (5-14-0, 3.67 goals-against average, .882 save percentage) has played the most games in goal for the Sound Tigers.

After the Sound Tigers game, the Whale will play a home-and-home set with Portland, Saturday at 7 p.m. in Maine and Sunday at 3 p.m. at the XL Center. The teams have split their first four games, with both Whale victories coming on overtime goals by former Pirates center Tim Kennedy, on Dec. 29 and 31. The Pirates (29-14-4-1) have won five of their last six games to move within a point of Atlantic Division-leading Manchester.

HOWE, PROPP AND HANGSLEBEN VISITING

Former Hartford Whalers and 1986 NHL All-Stars Mark Howe and Brian Propp, and ex-Whaler Alan Hangsleben, will be at the XL Center on Friday night. They will hold a private, “meet and greet” reception with Whale season ticket holders and outdoor Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 ticket purchasers before the game (4:30-6:30 p.m.) and then drop the ceremonial first puck. Hangsleben also will sign autographs in the XL Center atrium during the second intermission with selected Whale players.

Friday is the 25^th anniversary of the 1986 NHL All-Star Game at the Hartford Civic Center. Howe and Propp were with the Philadelphia Flyers and played on the Wales Conference team that beat the Campbell Conference 4-3 in overtime. Propp, who finished his 15-year NHL career with the Whalers, scored the first Wales goal. It was one of four All-Star appearances for Howe, the son of hockey legend Gordie Howe who was at the XL Center on Friday night scouting for the Detroit Red Wings, a job he has held since retiring from the Red Wings in 1995.

Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m., the Grand Rink at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods will host a skate with Hangsleben and former Whalers Doug Roberts and Garry Swain, former Bruins Bob Miller and Tom Songin and Whale mascot Pucky. Fees are $10 for adults with a $5 skate rental, and $6 for children with a $2 skate rental. Hot beverages and photo opportunities are included, as well as the chance to win tickets to the “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl” on Feb. 19.

WHALERS AND BRUINS LEGENDS FACE OFF FEB. 19

Hall of Fame defensemen Brian Leetch, a Cheshire native, and Brad Park headline the Boston Bruins legends team that will play the Hartford Whalers legends on Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. in the opener of the doubleheader that’s part of the “Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest” on Feb. 11-23 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. The Whale and Providence Bruins will play at 7 p.m., and in case of bad weather, that game will be played Feb. 20 at the XL Center.

Other commitments for the Bruins team are Enfield native Craig Janney, former captain Rick Middleton, who played 12 seasons in Beantown and two with the Rangers, Reggie Lemelin, Ken Hodge, Don Marcotte, Rick Smith, Bob Sweeney, Lyndon Byers, Cleon Daskalakis, Jay Miller, Bob Miller (no relation) and Ken “The Rat” Linseman, who was a member of the Whalers for a few moments as he passed through in a multi-player trade with Philadelphia and Edmonton that included Mark Howe leaving Hartford for the Flyers. Derek Sanderson will coach the Bruins team.

Commitments for the Whalers team are WHA Hall of Famer Andre Lacroix, John McKenzie, whose No. 19 is retired in the XL Center rafters, Blaine Stoughton, Pat Verbeek, John Anderson, Garry Swain, Bob Crawford, Chris Kotsopoulos, Jim Dorey, Jordy Douglas, Ray Neufeld, Gordie Roberts, Darren Turcotte, Nelson Emerson, Mark Janssens, Bill Bennett, Jeff Brubaker, Fred O’Donnell, Terry Yake, Scott Daniels and the Babych brothers, Dave and Wayne. Emile “The Cat” Francis, a coach and general manager with the Rangers and Whalers, will be back behind the bench again, and Norm Barnes and former captain Russ Anderson will be assistant coaches.

Celebrities scheduled to play with one of the legends teams include Michael Keaton, Alan Thicke and David E. Kelley, son of New England and Hartford Whalers coach and general manager Jack Kelley and the writer of the 1999 hit film “Mystery, Alaska,” which was produced by Whalers Sports and Entertainment president and CEO Howard Baldwin and his wife, Karen. “Mystery, Alaska” cast members slated to appear are Michael Buie, Scott Richard Grimes, Jason Gray-Stanford and Cameron Bancroft, along with Neal McDonough, Kevin Zegers, Bobby Farrelly, David Henrie and the Hanson brothers – Steve, Jeff and Dave –  who were the comedic linchpins of the classic movie “Slap Shot.”

Tickets ($20 to $85) for the doubleheader can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the Bushnell box office in Hartford on Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. or by calling the Whale at 860-728-3366. They also can be purchased online and printed immediately at Ticketmaster.com.

WAY TO GO, NHL!!!!

Kudos to the NHL for making its All-Star Game more interesting than any other sport with the creation of the Fantasy Player Draft.

It was interesting – and fun – to watch center Eric Staal of the host Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom pick their respective teams as captains.

After winning the toss, Staal smartly made Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward the first overall pick, much to the delight of the thousands of Carolina fans in attendance. Lidstrom started with young Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos, who has taken over the NHL scoring lead while Crosby recovers from his concussion.

Staal soon had some fun at the expense of younger brother and Rangers defenseman Marc Staal, who had given Eric some grief while being interviewed on TV during the early stages of the draft. So in the fifth round, Eric leaned into the microphone and said, “Team Staal selects … from the New York Rangers … Henrik Lundqvist.”

As the Rangers goalie approached the stage to put on his Team Staal jersey and sit with his new teammates, Marc Staal mugged to the camera, jokingly showing how angry and upset he was that his brother hadn’t selected him.

“I expected to be taken in the first round,” Marc Staal said in mock jest. “I am not happy with this.”

But a round later, Eric ended the snickering as he chose Marc, assuring they would play together for the first time. Until then, it had always been Eric and Penguins center Jordan against Marc and youngest brother Jared in their pickup games in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Jared, the Phoenix Coyotes’ second-round pick in 2008, was traded to the Hurricanes on May 13 for a fifth-round pick. He began the season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, was assigned to the ECHL’s Florida Everblades on Nov. 19 and then recalled on Dec. 17. He is the cousin of former Wolf Pack wing Jeff Heerema, who plays for the Nottingham Panthers in the Elite Ice Hockey League in England.

Unlike the Staals, brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks were the fifth and sixth picks, so they played against each other for the first time for Team Staal and Team Lidstrom, respectively.

Toronto Maple Leafs wing Phil Kessel had to hang around nearly an hour waiting to be the 46^th and final pick.  But the wait was worth it for Kessel, who received a new car and a $20,000 donation for his favorite charity.

Team Staal won the SuperSkills competition 33-22, as Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara won his fourth consecutive fastest shot title with a record-breaking blast of 105.9 mph.

The All-Star Game pregame ceremonies Sunday included 12 local youngsters picking their own teams via sticks on the ice. The last sticks belonged to two surprise entries, former Hurricanes stars Rod Brind’Amour and Ron Francis, who received rousing ovations from the sellout crowd of 18,680. Francis holds virtually every franchise offensive record set mostly with the Whalers, and when he appeared, one of the youngsters in the center circle said, “No way, Ron Francis.”

“Ronnie Franchise” then was interviewed during Versus’ telecast that included Ward wearing a microphone while in goal in the first period. Team Staal was coached by former Whalers defenseman Joel Quenneville, who guided the Chicago Blackhawks to the 2010 Stanley Cup.

In the usually wide-open, no-checking game, Team Staal scored the first four goals in only 5:41, but Team Lidstrom made the biggest comeback in All-Star Game history when it rallied for an 11-10 victory. The winner was an empty-net goal by Dallas Stars forward Loui Eriksson, his fourth point of the game, because Eric Staal scored with 33.6 seconds left, making it the third All-Star Game in which both teams reached double digits in goals.

The Bruins’ Tim Thomas set a record by becoming the first goalie to win three straight All-Star Games. Blackhawks center Patrick Sharp (one goal, two assists, plus-2) was named MVP and received a new Honda, though Lidstrom certainly was deserving. His plus-7 rating in his 12^th All-Star Game appearance was the highest since Adam Oates was plus-7 for the Wales Conference in 1991. Lidstrom’s defense partner, Shea Weber, was plus-6 with four assists.

So the league that has made the Winter Classic a New Year’s Day staple the last four years and gave even marginal fans an inside look at the game with HBO’s “24/7” with the Penguins and Capitals now also offers a All-Star player draft that drew rave reviews.

Congratulations, NHL. And to show people were paying attention to something really good, ESPN First Take had Jon Ritchie and Lomas Brown hold a Fantasy Player Draft of Super Bowl teams Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers on Monday. Not surprisingly, Ritchie and Brown made quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers and the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers the first two picks.

Yes, in this copy cat world of sports, you know you’ve arrived when ESPN, the Worldwide Leader in Sports headquartered in Bristol, has two in-house residents copying what you did with the granddaddy spectacle of the granddaddy of modern sports.

An unusual event occurred at the Connecticut Whale game on Saturday night at the XL Center in Hartford.

Trying to fulfill a bet with his buddies an alleged drunken d-bag Kevin O’Connell of East Hartford was arrested for assaulting the team mascot Pucky the Whale in front of a group of families and children. After bystanders pulled O’Connell off of poor Pucky, others pointed him out to the Hartford cops on duty.

O’Connell was not only arrested and charged with second degree breach of peace; he has been banned from the XL Center.

There were no other arrests made but the rumor going around is that an unnamed UConn donor was allegedly in on the beating but pulled the funding when he was told he wouldn’t be able to pick the new mascot.

Photo credit: flickr

Hartford, CT … Whalers Sports and Entertainment announced today that filmmaker Bobby Farrelly and actor David Henrie have been added to the list of celebrities who will skate alongside ex-Whalers and Bruins in the Hartford Whalers legends vs. Boston Bruins legends game February 19, 2011, at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

The legends game comprises part of the “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl,” the featured event of the two-week outdoor Whalers Hockey Fest spectacular at Rentschler Field that will include numerous collegiate, high school, prep school and youth hockey games. The legends game will face off at 4:00 PM on February 19 and will be followed by the outdoor AHL game between the Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins at 7:00 PM.

Along with his older brother, Peter, Bobby Farrelly has written and directed such smash-hit films as “Dumb and Dumber”, “There’s Something About Mary”, “Kingpin”, “Me, Myself and Irene”, “Outside Providence”, “The Heartbreak Kid”, “Stuck on You”, and “Shallow Hal”. The Rhode Island-born Farrelly is an accomplished goaltender, having played collegiately at RPI, and was MVP of the Bruins’ Legends game at Fenway Park last year.

Henrie, a Mission Viejo, CA native who bills himself an avid hockey fan, is best known for his Disney Channel roles as Justin Russo on “Wizards of Waverly Place” and as Larry on “That’s So Raven”. He has also had a TV co-starring turn in “Providence” and has guest-starred on such popular shows as “How I Met Your Mother”, “Without a Trace”, “NCIS”, “Cold Case”, “House” and “Judging Amy”.

Tickets for the February 19 Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl, which include admission to both the AHL game and the legends game, are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com., as well as at the Bushnell box office from Monday through Friday, 12 noon-5:00 PM. Ticket prices range from $20 to $85 and can also be purchased by calling the Connecticut Whale at 860-728-3366. Tickets purchased online can be printed immediately (via Ticketmaster).