AHL HISTORY MADE IN PHILADELPHIA

BY: Jason Chaimovitch, Vice-President of Communications

All-time attendance record set for outdoor AHL game at Citizens Bank Park

A crowd of 45,653 fans – by far the largest gathering ever in the 76-year history of the American Hockey League – packed Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Friday evening to watch the Adirondack Phantoms take on the Hershey Bears in the third AHL outdoor game ever played.

Game Box-Score: http://bit.ly/wzZw08
Photo Gallery: http://on.fb.me/wxadxw

FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET

BY: Bruce Berlet

Though NHL officials still deny a report the Atlanta Thrashers are about to relocate to Winnipeg, Manitoba, leading to the AHL’s Moose moving to St. John’s, Newfoundland, fans and officials in Atlanta might have already said and heard otherwise.

Only about 200 Thrashers fans showed up Saturday to tailgate outside Philips Arena for the team’s annual “select-a-seat” event held for current and potential season ticket holders to check out the seats, look at the ice and talk about the upcoming NHL draft. And it hardly helped that Harry the Hawk, the mascot of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks that are also owned by the Atlanta Spirit Group, rode up on a scooter, hopped off and handed out high-fives before stopping to put his mouth over the head of a bystanders wearing a Thrashers jersey.

FROM THE CREASE with BRUCE BERLET

By Bruce Berlet

Gordie Howe might be “Mr. Hockey” in the sporting world, but Howard Baldwin has held a similar title in Hartford seemingly forever.

Oh, there was about a two-decade sabbatical from the Insurance City that included the start of a filmmaking business in Hollywood that still consumes some of his time, though more of wife Karen.

But Baldwin returned to Connecticut about two years ago intent on reviving the pro hockey market in Hartford and bringing the NHL back to a city that he steadfastly believes it never should have left.

FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet

By Bruce Berlet

You’ll have to excuse the Connecticut Whale if they feel a bit lost at the XL Center on Wednesday night.

Other than a handful of practices, the I-91 rival Springfield Falcons have been in the downtown Hartford arena as many times as the Whale in the last 26 days: Zero.

WHALE BOWL BENEFITS

WHALE ANNOUNCES “WHALE BOWL APPRECIATION NIGHT” PROMOTION

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Whale Bowl Ticket Purchasers will be Offered Special Deals on Tickets and Merchandise at Wednesday, March 2 Whale Game

HARTFORD, February 24, 2011: Whalers Sports and Entertainment president and COO Howard Baldwin Jr. announced today a “Whale Bowl Appreciation Night” promotion for the Connecticut Whale’s next home game at the XL Center, which is this Wednesday, March 2 against the Springfield Falcons.

FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet

By Bruce Berlet

The untimely Arctic Invasion on Saturday aside, the historic “Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011” proved quite the bonanza for fans, hockey and Whalers Sports and Entertainment.

FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet

By Bruce Berlet

The countdown has reached zero.

The Whale Bowl arrives Saturday, and the Connecticut Whale and Providence Bruins are more than a little enthused about participating in the second AHL outdoor game before what will be a record AHL crowd at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

PUBLIC SKATE AT THE RENT

PUBLIC SKATE TO CONCLUDE OUTDOOR HARVEST-PROPERTIES.COM WHALERS HOCKEY FEST ON FEBRUARY 22

Last Event of Historic 13-day Outdoor Hockey Celebration at Rentschler Field

Hartford, CT – Whalers Sports and Entertainment announced today that the historic Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 will triumphantly conclude with a public skate held at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn. on Tuesday, February 22.

ZAMBONIS NOT JUST FOR CLEANING ICE

“THE ZAMBONIS” TO ENTERTAIN FANS AT OUTDOOR HARVEST-PROPERTIES.COM WHALE BOWL FEBRUARY 19

The World’s only and Greatest all Hockey Band will Play Before both Legends Game and AHL Outdoor Contest at Rentschler Field

Hartford, CT -  Whalers Sports and Entertainment announced today that “The Zambonis”, the most popular sports-rock band in North America, will perform at the historic Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl this Saturday, February 19 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

WHALE-FEST REPORT

By Bruce Berlet

EAST HARTFORD, CT – Like any sports program, the Trinity College women’s hockey team has written a history in its 13 years, though most of it wasn’t much to pass along for the first decade.

Then four years ago, 11 freshmen from around the country arrived on the Hartford campus hoping to rewrite that mostly forgettable history.