Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: Hartford was home to the NHL 's Hartford Whalers from 1979 to 1997 , before the team relocated to Raleigh , North Carolina and became the Carolina Hurricanes .
Simplified: Hartford also used to have a National Hockey League team called the Hartford Whalers that played in the NHL from 1979 to 1997 .