Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Friday he's planning to meet with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman about the possibility of moving the Arizona Coyotes to Hartford.
Lamont told reporters during a news availability that he has reached out to the NHL and hopes the meeting can take place sometime next week.
“Governor Lamont has reached out to the NHL and requested a meeting with Commissioner Gary Bettman because he wants to emphasize how serious Hartford and Connecticut are about hosting a team," the governor's senior press secretary, David Bednarz said in a statement. "The governor believes this is a great market for the NHL, particularly because Connecticut has thousands of hockey fans who remain passionate about the beloved Whalers and are ready and eager to support and rally behind a team. The governor looks forward to highlighting these points with league officials.”
Talk of a relocation for the Coyotes has taken on steam since voters in Tempe, Arizona this week rejected referendum for an $2.3 billion entertainment district that would allow the franchise to build a new arena there.
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Connecticut has not had an NHL team since the Hartford Whalers left for North Carolina in 1997.
“I loved the fighting, that it was Hartford, and we were professional,” Leonardo Santana of Windsor tells us.
There’s still some Hartford Whalers envy in the capital city as memories of the team remain fond with some fans.
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“Back then, I had young kids, so it was nice to go to the Whalers games with the kids and watch the games,” Tina Hyatt of Manchester explained.
Whether it was hearing Brass Bonanza after every goal or seeing the iconic logo, the nostalgia brought fans back.
“It made the whole town seem more vibrant when they were playing. It was sort of like when the Celtics would come into town,” one area resident said.
Connecticut has just one top-tier professional sports franchise, the WNBA's Connecticut Sun, which plays at the Mohegan Sun Arena, a 10,000-seat facility that is not built for hockey.
The possibility of a move to Connecticut is considered a long shot. Hartford's 48-year-old XL Center, where the Whalers once played, is in need of a major renovation. Its operator, the Capital Region Development Authority, is expected to begin taking bids soon on repairs that it has estimated will cost at least $107 million.
A number of other cities have already been named as potential landing spots for the Coyotes should the franchise choose to move. Those include Atlanta, Portland, Oregon, Kansas City, Houston, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, Quebec City and Hamilton, Ontario.
