A Whale of a Debut - CT Whale Opens to 13,089

HARTFORD — — As the green-and-blue uniforms hit the ice a few minutes before 7 p.m. Saturday, "Brass Bonanza" filled the XL Center and 13,089 fans reveled in the nostalgia of the moment.

"It feels like old times," Howard Baldwin said.

And there was indeed a sense that Hartford's downtown arena was in a time warp on the night when the AHL team was re-christened as the Connecticut Whale. With green jerseys throughout the stands, fans roared during a pregame video that interspersed Whalers from the past with Whales of the present — a shot of Kris Newbury followed by the image of Pat Verbeek.

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