PNC Arena was packed with fans eager to watch the team play in old-school Whalers uniformsgetty images
For the first time in their history, the Hurricanes "wore Hartford Whalers uniforms" in a game, and it was "different, it was strange, it was exciting," according to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER. Before Sunday's game against the Bruins, Pucky the Whale, the old Whalers mascot, "sounded the warning siren -- a pregame ritual" for the Hurricanes (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 12/24). In Raleigh, Luke DeCock wrote the Hurricanes wore the "undead uniforms of their abandoned past" in a "tribute game to the borrowed nostalgia of the unremembered '80s." This was "good, because it would have been a surly crowd instead of one that partied its way through the 5-3 win to an equally retro playlist." There was something "unavoidably surreal about seeing those jerseys back on the ice." When the franchise moved to Raleigh in '97, the Hurricanes "did everything they could then to sever ties to their Whalers past and here they were, almost 21 years later, doing everything they could to leverage them." PNC Arena was "crowded and loud -- more than the Hartford Civic Center could ever hold -- and the lines for Whalers merchandise were long and lucrative" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 12/24).
MIXED FEELINGS: In Hartford, Mike Anthony wrote under the header, "Whalers Night Wasn't An Insult, It Just Fell Flat." For a "fleeting moment, if one were able to block out the other sights in the building and ignore the feelings of disenchantment solidified over 21 years, it was beautiful." The Whalers' "iconic logo never looked better." In a "temporary and twisted way, the whole scene and theme of 'Whalers Night' even felt good." But it "didn't feel right." The "good people at the Hurricanes" put on a "terrific show and were all in on creating a unique theme and scene, however misguided it turned out to be." But Hartford and Raleigh "must go their separate ways for good now" (HARTFORD COURANT, 12/24). Boston-based WBZ-FM's Bob Beers said of Whalers Night, "They're trying to do the right thing. I think it's fine. But I can see how people in Connecticut would be upset" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/24).
NUMBERS GAME: USA TODAY's Jace Evans noted one aspect of Whalers Night that "angered Bruins play-by-play man Jack Edwards" was that the Hurricanes let D Dougie Hamilton "wear No. 19." Hamilton has worn the number "all season since he was acquired in a trade" from the Flames, but the number was "retired by the Whalers" for John McKenzie. Edwards said that if the Hurricanes were "going to use the Whalers' history, they must pay full tribute to them by keeping McKenzie's number out of circulation." While Gordie Howe's No. 9 has "remained retired by the team," McKenzie's No. 19 and Rick Ley's No. 2 were "put back in use when the team moved to North Carolina" (USATODAY.com, 12/23).
