The Whale Bowl was played yesterday and wind and cold are being blamed for poor attendance. The failure to turn out a decent crowd for the whole game sent columnists and reporters scrambling hoping to salvage whatever they could from the failed stunt cooked up by Howard Baldwin to convince the NHL to come back to Hartford.
This was a one and done thing. Something of this nature isn’t going to happen again. You’re not going to stage 40 plus games over thirteen days again. Baldwin probably won’t risk staging another game and having another miserable turnout and empty seats.
The Courant says Baldwin came away not wanting to send a message to the NHL, instead insisting “his group will build from the event and increase attendance for Whale games at the XL Center.” The dream Baldwin hoped was real has proven to be just that, a dream. Now one has to wonder how long Baldwin is willing to run an AHL team before he skips town and returns back to the sunny shores of Los Angeles.
Those who took part in the festival will have memories that will stay with them for the rest of their lives, right next to their Whalers memories.