Complex sentence: The Hurricanes franchise was founded in 1971 as the New England Whalers, and played seven seasons in the World Hockey Association before moving to National Hockey League and changing names to the Hartford Whalers.
Split into simpler sentences: The Hurricanes franchise was founded in 1971 as the New England Whalers, and played seven seasons in the World Hockey Association. The team moved to the National Hockey League and changed names to the Hartford Whalers.