Tom Dundon has only been the new owner of the Carolina Hurricanes for a few weeks now, but he’s already making his presence known to fans. On Tuesday, Dundon appeared on ESPN 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh to talk shop about the team, and, in the process, gave Hurricanes fans a potential glimpse at future promotions.
The Carolina Hurricanes may play games in throwback Hartford Whalers gear down the road
New owner Tom Dundon wants the franchise to honor the Whalers’ legacy.
Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images
According to Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, Dundon is open to using the Hartford Whalers logo and likeness to promote the team down the road. That includes merchandise and even playing games in throwback Whalers jerseys.
“I think we should have a store that sells that Whalers merchandise online and we should explore playing games in that jersey and selling that gear. It’s part of the legacy,” said Dundon. “And I just like cool stuff. If we don’t, it will mean something went wrong.”
The Whalers were an NHL club in Hartford, Connecticut from 1979 to 1997. The team is probably the most loved defunct team in league history, as their lettered logo that made a whale’s tail and their goal song — “Brass Bonanza” — remain iconic to hockey fans even today.
However, the Whalers ended up relocating to Carolina in 1997 after attendance sales dropped and arena talks with previous owner Peter Karmanos fell through.
While the NHL and the Hurricanes both jointly own the rights to the logo, not much has been done with the Whalers by the organization. Fans in Carolina and Hartford have been known to be passionate about celebrating the Whalers by wearing gear at games, though some fans are happy to be rid of the past with their ever-present rumors of relocation.
The National Women’s Hockey League currently boasts the Connecticut Whale as one of their four original teams located in Stamford. The Whale use the same colors as their former Hartford companions and have even used “Brass Bonanza” as a goal song.
The Whalers never found much success on the ice during their 18-year run in the NHL. Hartford made the playoffs just eight times and only progressed to the second round just once in 1985-86.
Dundon has already set a positive message for the Hurricanes and their fans in the first few weeks of his tenure. In his introductory press conference, Dundon made it clear that he plans on keeping this team around, and winning, for a long time.
“If we don’t sell more tickets, it’s not the fans’ fault. It’s our fault,” Dundon said.
Making the Whalers a part of the team’s current culture may just be a good first step.
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