Cold, wind didn't dampen nostalgia at Whalers-Bruins alumni game

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – Some believe it'll be a cold day in hell before the NHL returns to Hartford.

Well, Saturday came close to the former at the outdoor Hartford Whalers-Boston Bruins Legends alumni game at Rentschler Field.

One fan summed it up thusly: "When you are in danger of having food ripped out of your hand and into the air, that's windy."

The event is the latest staged in an effort to tap into Whalers loyalty and rekindle hockey interest in Connecticut. And despite the weather, the game itself and various other bits of nostalgia surrounding it were entertaining; actually, spots in sun when little wind was blowing were downright pleasant.

But those warm moments were few and far between, as the wind and shade made the 30-something degree temps feel more like 132 below. Actually had my hat blown off my head once – despite the fact that it was under my hoodie.

At times, conditions were borderline intolerable – this coming from someone who grew up in the Northeast and went to college at a place that had wind chills of -80 overnight. The weather led to only 10,000 or 15,000 fans in the seats for Saturday's co-main event of the Whale Bowl – which also included an AHL game between the recently renamed Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins on Saturday night, plus a college game between Army and AIC earlier in the day – the primary attraction at the two-week outdoor Whalers Hockey Fest.

"I'm thrilled with [the turnout], how could you not be?" Whalers Sports and Entertainment chairman and CEO Howard Baldwin told the Hartford Courant. "A lot of people braved this weather. I don't have any complaints."

The huge outdoors store across the parking lot was the surprise beneficiary of the day's conditions, as fans trekked over to buy hats, ugly yet affordable blankets, ski masks and these odd adhesive-type pads which purportedly produce heat when mixed with the air.

Freezing cold 1, heat pads 0.

As for the other final score:

Whalers 4, Bruins 4. No OT, no shootout. And in this cold, no problem.

(The final might have actually been 5-4 B's, but one late goal was disallowed. "No goal – [expletive] the Bruins," said mic'd-up referee Paul Stewart, who provided amusing commentary throughout the game.)

The action was slow-paced and occasionally dry, but there also was plenty of entertainment and even moments of exciting hockey across the two 25-minute halves, with many of the former NHLers at least showing decent stick-handling skills. Heading in I wondered about the relative lack of players from the team's later years (Pat Verbeek and Nelson Emerson were among them for Hartford, while CT natives Brian Leetch and Craig Janney were among those who skated for the Bruins). Without knowing the full invite list, one answer became clear watching the pace: A team full of guys closer to 40 than 50 or 60 would have dominated - especially considering the number of out-of-breath, "first time I've skated in 10 years" in-game interviews the players gave.

Got to wait a few years, Geoff Sanderson and Jason Allison ...

41-year-old Yvon Corriveau was a star for the Whalers on Saturday, scoring two goals but also getting stuffed by Cleon Daskalatis on a late penalty shot – which was awarded after Stewart said to the offending Bruin, "Did you put your stick in his crotch? Penalty shot!"

Corriveau is most famous among Whalers folk for a breakaway shot in double OT of a first-round Game 7 matchup (after his OT winner in Game 6 extended the series) with the Canadiens in 1992. The would-be game- and series-winner hit the crossbar, and the Habs' Russ Courtnall scored moments later to send the Whalers home.

Some observations:

• Verbeek – who also scored in the game – and Leetch arguably received the biggest ovations from this crowd, which alternated between displays of enthusiasm and weary dashes for coffee and hot chocolate.

There were plenty of pro-Whalers chants, along with, of course, repeated blarings of Brass Bonanza. A young fan – probably 4 – even was goaded into chanting "Go home, Bruins!"

But there also were handfuls of fans annoyed that the items at the merchandise table were Connecticut Whale-centric (and focused on this event specifically) rather than Hartford Whalers, despite the latter becoming more and more available in retail outlets all over the state. This sentiment also manifested itself in several fans yelling at Pucky, one of the Whale's mascots, to get off the ice during the alumni game because "your team isn't even out there yet."

It all touched on the issue of nostalgia vs. reality vs. hope. The Whalers are gone. Maybe someday some incarnation will come back. In the meantime, you have these alumni events and solid AHL hockey. That's the balance. Most here seemed to embrace that Saturday, but some did not.

• There were vuvuzelas. Fortunately not so many that they sounded more like, well, Whales on Saturday rather than the World Cup-esque hornet swarms.

• Baldwin - the event's organizer and the Hartford Whalers' former owner, also has had a career as a movie producer. Among his credits are "Ray" and "Mystery, Alaska" – the latter culminating in an outdoor hockey game. So it was only natural that Baldwin called upon a few Hollywood friends to join the game. In addition to some actors from that hockey flick, Neal McDonough (Lt. Hawk from "Star Trek: First Contact," but sans Borg implants on Saturday) was among those playing for the Bruins, while writer/director Bobby Farrelly of the Farrelly Brothers ("There's Something About Mary," "Dumb and Dumber," "Shallow Hal") minded net for the Whalers. Farrelly, who was standing on his head out there for much of Saturday's game, played collegiately at RPI and was the MVP of the Bruins' Legends Game at Fenway park last year.

But the "celebs" with the most "impact" clearly were the Hanson Brothers. No, not the band. Yes, the troika from "Slapshot." In character, the Hansons showed up in the second half (to huge applause), decked some refs, attacked some Bruins, knocked over a goalie and spent most of their time in the penalty box with a couple of mascots.

• Memo to Rentschler Field management and/or Baldwin: Get outdoor patio heaters. Lots of them. Stat.

The most popular area of respite from the freezing wind? The restrooms. They were indoor. And heated. And blocked from the wind. And heated.

Sure, it was odd walking in and seeing a couple dozen guys just standing around on their phones or drinking beer, and it wasn't always the most, um, aromatic spot in town, but did we mention it was heated?

• In all, this was a solid, fun event. The weather played a major role in dampening fan enthusiasm and attendance, preventing this from being any sort of statement that Hartford is deserving of the NHL. And while the attendance was a bit disappointing (practically nobody filled the seats on the far side of the stadium), at least there is ample reason to blame the weather rather than an apathetic would-be fan base, as Baldwin notes that more than 21,000 tickets were sold.

"Why would somebody buy a ticket and not come?" Baldwin told the Courant. "The biggest reason of all is it's cold out there, guys."

Frankly, seeing skaters don the Whalers sweaters again - both the Hartford and New England variety - was pretty damn cool.

Ideal world sees names like Dineen, Bourque, Francis and Neely (and, pie in the sky, Howe and Esposito) – and temperatures above freezing – at the next incarnation of this event, if there is one. After Saturday, such a gathering doesn't seem imminent, but it by no means seems impossible.

Put it this way: Baldwin and Co. didn't necessarily score a huge victory like last summer's shindig here, but they absolutely held serve.

Mila Kunis Samaire Armstrong Selita Ebanks Michael Michele Marisa Tomei