HARTFORD, CT — They arrived in full force, from eight different states and three Canadian provinces. There were 20 of them – 17 former Whalers players, plus three special guests – seated at a long table in the concourse at Dunkin’ Park, part of the seventh annual Whalers Alumni Weekend as presented by the Hartford Yard Goats, the Double-a affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.
The former hockey players mingled with patrons at a luncheon, took batting practice on the diamond, and signed hundreds of autographs, many for fans who were not yet born when the Hartford franchise uprooted in 1997 to head for North Carolina and become the Carolina Hurricanes.
Most of the players reminisced about their days in the Connecticut capital city. Their stints in Hartford were varied, from the 587 games played by former captain Kevin Dineen to the eight contests in which Wethersfield resident Gerry McDonald skated.
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Returning for the second straight year, Dineen was among the most popular attractions for fans. Many recalled he scored the final goal in Whalers’ history in 1997.
Several ex-players made their first appearances at Alumni Weekend, most notably Joel Quenneville. The longtime defenseman, who suited up for 457 of his 803 career NHL games in a Hartford jersey, became a highly-successful coach following his playing days, winning three Stanley Cups behind the bench for the Chicago Blackhawks. His 969 victories as a head coach rank second all-time in the National Hockey League, trailing only legendary Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman.
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Other first-timers in attendance crossed the border from Canada: Stewart Gavin and Kent Manderville, who both came in from Ottawa, and former tough guy Archie Henderson, from the Edmonton area. Former 54-goal scorer Wayne Babych, making his second consecutive foray back to Hartford, came from the furthest distance; he resides in Winnipeg.
Andre Lacroix, the leading scorer in World Hockey Association history, made his annual journey from Ohio to be in attendance. Former Whalers public relations director Mark Willand said, “I met him when I was still in college. The “Magician” is a special man. What a great talent he was, and was it ever a thrill to travel around Connecticut with Andre and Gordie Howe and the alumni on Friday nights in the winter.”
Connecticut was well-represented, as Nutmeg State residents in addition to McDonald were Norm Barnes (Simsbury), Mike Corrigan (Windsor Locks), Yvon Corriveau (Newington) and Bob Crawford (Middletown).
Corrigan never played for the Whalers, but enjoyed a 10-year NHL career spanning 594 games with Los Angeles, Vancouver and Pittsburgh. He netted 152 goals, including 37 for the Kings in the 1972-73 season.
“Gordie Howe called me up and asked me to play in an alumni game when they were short, and I’ve been an honorary Whaler ever since,” Corrigan said.
Another former iceman who never skated in Hartford – in fact, he never played in the NHL – was minor league defenseman Mark Bousquet. He gained fame by portraying Syracuse Bulldogs goon Andre “Poodle” Lussier in the classic Paul Newman hockey movie, “Slap Shot.” Many visitors greeted him with the line Mo Wanchuk, played by actor Brad Sullivan, uttered during his introduction before the championship game: “Not Poodle!”
On the diamond, the Yard Goats wore specially-designed hockey-style jersey uniforms, and Dineen threw out the first pitch.
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