Ensconced (at last) in their spanking
new home, the Raleigh Entertainment and
Sports Arena, the Carolina Hurricanes
have come of age.
Twenty-two years is hardly a lifetime,
but by settling into their new Raleigh
digs, the Hurricanes have effectively
ended a hockey odyssey that began in Hartford,
Conn., continued in Springfield, Mass.,
revived again in Hartford, moved to Greensboro,
N.C., for two years and is finally starring
in Raleigh.
The Hurricanes are the descendants of
the Hartford Whalers, who entered the
NHL for the 1979-80 season and started
an 18-year love affair with Connecticut's
Capital City region. The Whalers built
an extremely rabid (and noisy) fan base
that supported the club through thick
and (mostly) thin.
Prior to joining the NHL (along with
the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and
Quebec Nordiques), the Whalers played
seven seasons in the World Hockey Association,
and treated their fans to three of the
most famous names in hockey history -
Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull and Dave Keon.
Howe (all 80 games at age 51!), Keon (76
games), and Hull (9 games) all played
for the Whalers in their first NHL campaign.
Howe and Hull even played on the same
line.
The Whalers, despite a woeful road record,
finished fourth in the Norris Division
in their first NHL campaign, made the
Stanley Cup playoffs, but were summarily
bounced in three straight games by the
Montreal Canadiens, who were the defending
Cup champs. Buy
Carolina Hurricanes Tickets.
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