Professional ice hockey in Connecticut

Professional ice hockey in Connecticut has a rich tradition dating from the mid-1920s. Most of these teams were NHL minor league affiliates located in New Haven, though with the closure of the New Haven Coliseum, minor league affiliates now exist only exist in Hartford and Bridgeport. Hartford had its own Major league team, the Whalers team that existed in Hartford from 1974-97. Independent hockey leagues teams have also been gaining a foothold in Danbury starting in 2004.
This article concludes with a summary of all past and present hockey teams from Connecticut, listed by city and league for reference, and to provide links to main articles about each team.
==History==
===New Haven/Bridgeport===
:Minor League teams include player-development franchises affiliated with NHL teams, as well as independent (non-affiliate) teams
While New Haven has no currently active teams, New Haven has long been considered the birthplace of hockey in Connecticut. Teams have been hosted since the mid-1920s, first at the New Haven Arena until 1972 (demolished 1975), and followed by the New Haven Coliseum until 2002 (demolished in 2007). The New Haven Haven Blades (1954–72) and later the New Haven Nighthawks (1972–93) were the most popular franchises.Connecticut Public Television. The Last Days of the [New Haven] Coliseum. 11/8/2010. Official Website Since the Coliseum's closure in 2002, professional hockey has not returned to New Haven. The American Hockey League Sound Tigers have played in nearby Bridgeport since 2001.
In 1992, the Nighthawks signed a last-minute player-development affiliation with the Ottawa Senators, which required the team to be re-branded as the New Haven Senators for the 1992–93 season. Fans were ambivalent to the name change and attendance plummeted, making this the franchise last season in New Haven.
Hockey had a brief reboot with the arrival of former Hartford Whalers' affiliate, the Beast of New Haven (formerly the Carolina Monarchs), which were displaced from North Carolina by their parent team's relocation in 1997. They were followed by a two seasons of the independent New Haven Knights from 2000–02. Following the Knights' departure, however, chronic maintenance issues in the New Haven Coliseum, as well as competition from other southern Connecticut arenas, prompted state and city officials to permanently close the arena in 2002. Demolition of the Coliseum was completed in throughout 2006, concluded by the implosion of the signature elevated parking garage on January 20, 2007.
The Bridgeport Sound Tigers begin play in the AHL in 2001, in the newly constructed Arena at Harbor Yard. During the first season of play, the Sound Tigers won their division championship and played in the Calder Cup Finals, though ultimately losing to the Chicago Wolves four games to one. As of the 2009 season, the team had seven winning seasons. Located 20 miles west of the New Haven Coliseum, competition from the Arena at Harbor Yard was one of the factors in the coliseum's demise. In 2021, the team was rebranded the Bridgeport Islanders after their long time NHL affiliate the New York Islanders.
===Hartford===
:Major league teams are franchises that played in the National Hockey League or the World Hockey Association
Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, was bereft of a professional ice hockey team until 1974, when the Whalers franchise from the World Hockey Association came to town, occupying the newly built Hartford Civic Center. After the Whalers relocated to North Carolina in 1997, the minor league team the Hartford Wolf Pack relocated to the Civic Center. In the years since, various proposals for a new arena have been submitted with the hope of attracting a new major league hockey team.
====Major league====
The former Hartford Whalers were the first and only major league hockey team located in Connecticut, nestled halfway between the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers/Islanders hockey markets. The team was founded in Boston as the New England Whalers, one of the original World Hockey Association teams (from whose initials "WHA" inspired the Whaler's name). The WHA planned for a rival team to play in New York on Long Island, however the NHL created the Islanders franchise to fill the desired arena, shutting them out of the market.
The Whalers moved to Hartford in 1974, and entered the NHL in 1979, where it became the Hartford Whalers. Although it had losing seasons its first two years in Hartford, the team had won the 1972–73 WHA championship while in Boston and, never missed the playoffs while in the WHA. The team had mixed success in the NHL before relocating to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1997 due to attendance and revenue issues.
====Post NHL====
:Note: this section describes actions taken by third parties that are not affiliated with the Whalers/Hurricanes franchise
Years after the departure of the Whalers, the team remains a focus of civic pride among Connecticut residents. The retired jersey numbers still hang on green and white banner from the rafters of the former Hartford Civic Center (now called the XL Center) where the team played in Hartford. Aside from the jersey numbers officially retired by the team, the banners include former team members Ulf Samuelsson (#5), Gordie Howe (#9), Ron Francis (#10), and Kevin Dineen (#11), which were symbolically added by Hartford Wolf Pack management in honor of the players in 2006, nine years after the team departure.Hockey Broad: Hartford Whalers Alumni Reunited for Fan Fest in East Hartford. Whalerssports.com; retrieved May 22, 2015.
Many fans have continued to follow the team after its move to North Carolina, however some have boycotted the team as former players from Hartford were traded to other teams or retired.The Old Home Team, nytimes.com; retrieved 2011-06-04. Loyalty remains focused on the team's Hartford years, with new Whalers merchandise sales alone among the highest selling brands in the NHL as of August 2010.Whalers Merchandise: Even Though The Hartford Whalers Haven't Played In 13 Years, Merchandise Is Big Seller. Courant.com (2010-08-16); retrieved May 22, 2015. This continued popularity throughout the intervening years has led to many efforts to bring NHL Hockey back to Hartford by individuals such as Hartford real estate magnate and former XL Center operator Larry Gottesdiener and former Whalers franchise owner Howard Baldwin.
====Efforts to attract new NHL Team====
Several efforts have been made over the years to revive NHL hockey by promoting the Hartford market for a new or relocated NHL franchise.
Larry Gottesdiener, head of Northland Investment Group, has scouted for years for an NHL franchise to bring to Hartford. Northland, a firm heavily invested in Hartford real estate, jointly operated XL Center from 2007–10. Gottesdiener hoped to bring a new team temporarily to the XL Center until a modern arena could be built in a possible deal with the state.Hartford's Own Team Player – Hartford/New England Whalers Future. Hartfordwhalers.org, April 11, 2006; retrieved May 22, 2015.Field Hockey News and Photos, Courant.com; retrieved May 22, 2015. The new team would have likely been named after the Whalers, as at least some of the logos associated with the "Whalers" franchise were registered by Northland until 2009, when the registration with the patent office expired.Patent for "New England Whalers" logo. Serial#77302787. Held by Northland Sports Management LLC. Registered 2007, Abandoned 2009 Northland has since divested of its share in the XL Center, and appears to have abandoned its attempts to attract an NHL team.
Former Whalers owner Howard Baldwin has sponsored numerous events such the Whalers Reunion and Fan Fest in August 2010 featuring charitable events and appearances by former players. His company planned the Whalers Hockey Fest and Whale Bowl, a hockey festival in East Hartford, Connecticut at Rentschler Field held in February 2011. The festival featured over 20 outdoor high school and college hockey games and an AHL Outdoor Classic contest featuring the Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins.Ex-Hartford Whalers owner to take over business operations of Hartford AHL franchise. FoxNews.com (2010-04-07); retrieved 2011-06-04.
====Minor League====
After the NHL team, the Hartford Whalers, left for North Carolina in 1997, the minor league Hartford Wolf Pack relocated from Binghamton, NY to Hartford. The Wolf Pack had a previous relationship with Hartford in the 1980s as the Whaler's AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Whalers, until they started their current affiliation with New York Rangers in 1990. In 2010, the team announced it was changing its name to the Connecticut Whale, to honor hockey tradition in Hartford started by the Whalers.The CT Whale homepage , Hartfordwolfpack.com; retrieved 2011-06-04. The name reverted to the Wolf Pack in 2012.
===Danbury===
Danbury has a fairly short history of minor league hockey from mostly independent leagues (no affiliation with the NHL). Most of the teams succumbed to budget and management problems.Brown, Roger "Danbury franchise embraces Whalers' legacy", New England Hockey Journal, March 24, 2010; accessed May 22, 2015. Danbury teams played at the Danbury Ice Arena, built in 1999 and renovated in 2004 just before the Danbury Trashers began play.
The Danbury Whalers of the Federal Hockey League (FHL) were named in honor of the former Hartford Whalers NHL hockey team. The team and the FHL league have no affiliation with the NHL or any NHL franchise.Federal Hockey League website, thefederalhockeyleague.com]; retrieved May 22, 2014. The Danbury Titans replaced the Whalers in the FHL in the 2015–16 season but would also fold after two seasons
==Numbers that have been retired==
Connecticut retired numbers	Connecticut retired numbers	Connecticut retired numbers	Connecticut retired numbers	Connecticut retired numbers	Connecticut retired numbers	Connecticut retired numbers
N° 	Player 	Team 	Position 	Tenure 	N° Retirement 	Notes
12 	Ken Gernander 	Hartford Wolf Pack 	RW 	1997–05 	October 8, 2005 	Head coach, 2007–2017
2 	Rick Ley 	Hartford Whalers 	D 	1972–81 	December 26, 1982 	
9 	Gordie Howe 	Hartford Whalers 	RW 	1977–80 	February 18, 1981 	
19 	John McKenzie 	Hartford Whalers 	RW 	1977–79 	1979 	
==Summary of franchises by city==
===Bridgeport===
Name 	Years active	League	Venue
Bridgeport IslandersBridgeport Sound Tigers (2001-2020)	2001–present	AHL 	Total Mortgage Arena
PWHL New York 	2024-present	PWHL 	Total Mortgage Arena
===Danbury===
Name 	Years active	League 	Venue
Danbury Mad Hatters	2008–2009 	Eastern Professional Hockey League	Danbury Ice Arena
New England Stars 	2006–2007 	North Eastern Hockey League 	Danbury Ice Arena
Danbury Trashers 	2004–2006 	United Hockey League 	Danbury Ice Arena
Danbury Whalers 	2010–2015 	Federal Hockey League 	Danbury Ice Arena
Danbury Titans 	2015–2017 	Federal Hockey League 	Danbury Ice Arena
Connecticut Whale 	2019–20 	Premier Hockey Federation 	Danbury Ice Arena
Danbury Hat Tricks 	2019–present	Federal Prospects Hockey League 	Danbury Ice Arena
===Hartford===
Name 	Years active	League 	Venue
Hartford Wolf PackConnecticut Whale (2010–2013)	1997–present	AHL 	XL Center
Hartford Whalers 	1975–1997 	WHA (1975–1979) NHL (1979–1997)	Hartford Civic Center
===New Haven===
Name 	Years active	League 	Venue
New Haven Knights 	2000–2001 	UHL 	New Haven Coliseum
Beast of New Haven 	1997–1999 	AHL 	New Haven Coliseum
New Haven Nighthawks (1972–1992)New Haven Senators (1992–93)	1972–1993 	AHL 	New Haven Coliseum
New Haven Blades 	1954–1972 	EHL 	New Haven Arena
New Haven Nutmegs 	1952 to 1953	EHL 	New Haven Arena
New Haven Tomahawks 	1951–1952 	EHL 	New Haven Arena
New Haven Eagles New Haven Ramblers (1946–1950) 	1926–1951 	Can-Am (1926–1936)AHL (1936–1943, 1944–1950) EHL (1943–44)	New Haven Arena
==References==
Category:Ice hockey in Connecticut