Karmanos, Hartford go separate ways

Karmanos, Hartford go separate ways
By Jim Iovino, Ace Reporter

Team relocation is not just for Canadian franchises anymore.
On March 26, the Hartford Whalers proved that the NHL isn't biased against Canadian teams when Whaler owner Peter Karmanos announced that he would shell out a $20.5 million default payment on the final year of his team's lease with the city of Hartford, enabling the team to move after this season.
The Whalers will join fellow former WHAers, the Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets, in transplanting an entire team to greener pastures. The Nordiques went to Colorado; the Jets moved to Phoenix.
NHL fans in Hartford will be the latest city in North America to lose a professional hockey team. And by all accounts, Hartford will not have an NHL franchise at any time in the near future. Karmanos believes that Hartford is too small a venue for an NHL franchise. It is nestled in between big city franchises in Boston and New York, which detracts from the fan base that could support the Whale.
The Hartford Civic Center was also part of the downfall of the NHL in Hartford. Better known as "The Mall" because it is half hockey rink, half shopping mall, the Civic Center only holds 14,660 people for hockey games. Not only was the capacity of the rink small, the Whalers received no part of the arena's luxury boxes, which is crucial for any team in any sport in any city.
The Whalers and Connecticut officials tried to work out a deal to keep the team in Hartford for good, but the two sides could not agree on what was to be done. Governor John Rowland agreed with Karmanos on the fact that the team could not make money at the Civic Center (Karmanos claimed he lost more than $30 million during his first two seasons as owner) and offered to build a new arena and even guarantee projected revenues of $50 million per season. However, if this was to happen, the Whalers would have had to agree to a long-term lease of 20 years or more before the new arena would be built. Karmanos didn't want to back himself into a corner without any options, so he declined on the offer.
The team also made some rather bold requests as the talks heated up. Karmanos wanted the state to let the team use the new arena without paying rent, a lease no longer than 10 years, and to have the state pay all of the team's losses while the new arena would be built (reportedly in the $20-40 million range).
Well, the state and city looked over the offer and said, "It was fun while it lasted." And with that, the mighty sea mammals were in need of a new place to call home. At this point in time, there's no official word on where the team will play next season, but several cities seem to be potential candidates -- Columbus, Ohio, St. Paul, Minn., and Nashville, Tenn., all have a shot at beaching the Whale.
So what about the fans of Hartford? Just like Winnipeg and Quebec, there are plenty of minor league teams that would love to call the Insurance Capital of the World home. Both the IHL and the AHL have been in touch with city and state officials, inquiring about a possible deal. Actually, the IHL has been in touch with the city for a while, and news of a "prominent local businessman" submitting an application for a team was confirmed by league officials. IHL officials did say that it would be tough to place a team in Hartford and have it compete in the 1997-98 season.
However, at the same time IHL investors want into Hartford, former Whaler owner Howard Baldwin is interested in replacing the Whale with an AHL team. Baldwin, the current owner and chairman of the board of the Pittsburgh Penguins, owns a dormant AHL team which used to be in Cornwall, Ontario. Baldwin can relocate the team and activate it all before next season, depending on whether the league approves of it.
Considering the fact that the Penguins' current lease with their minor league team in Cleveland runs out after this season, it might make sense for Baldwin to pursue placing a team in Hartford.
Whether it be the IHL or AHL, it's still not the NHL. Sure, minor league hockey could do very well in Hartford. It's just a shame that the National Hockey League couldn't.