In the 2019 NHL Eastern Conference Final who do Whaler fans consider the lesser of two evils
As the 2019 NHL playoffs have rolled on and the Carolina Hurricanes continue their lucky playoff run one question gets posed to me about how Whaler fans feel about the upcoming Bruins vs Hurricanes matchup. It's the most asked question of Hartford Whaler fans since the abysmal matchup became reality.
Are Whaler fans rooting for the Bruins or the Hurricanes for the right to play for Lord Stanley's Cup?
I've never been an expert on much but on this question it's very simple.
Neither.
Whaler fans who represent the largest fan base without a professional franchise would never root for the Boston Bruins, they also would never root for the Carolina Hurricanes. Now I know there are some Whaler fans who were Bruin fans before or after the Whalers moved and I know there were some Whalers fans who stayed loyal to the franchise but by and far most of the Whalers fan base holds hope that they both lose.
The Carolina Hurricanes receive no more love than the Bruins did from Whaler fans. Former Whalercanes owner Peter Karmanos made it a point to attempt to disenfranchise Whaler fans from their history and tradition not to mention it's nearly impossible for anyone to root for a team that took the worlds best logo and replaced it with the worlds ugliest one.
Around 80% of Whaler Nation would gladly sign on for an automatic cancellation of the Eastern Conference Final and just proceed to two Western Conference teams playing for the Stanley Cup. In any series you need a hero and a villain. This is a series with two villains for Whaler fans.
Are you having trouble understanding why there is such disdain for both teams? Let me clarify, if I gave you a choice of watching a battle between Ebola and Bird Flu who would you root for? Hard to pick between two things that are hated isnt it?
The Bruins were the perfect enemy and rival of the Whalers. The Bruins were the big brother of Whalers when they started in Boston. The rivalry began when both teams were in the same city but in two different leagues. The Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1972 and the Whalers won the WHA Avco Cup in 1973. It's a rite of passage that two teams born from the same city be destined to be rivals and they were.
The Hurricanes of North Carolina are certainly not a rival, it's the same franchise but there is a rivalry between the markets. The previous two seasons the Hurricanes finished dead last in NHL attendance, further proof that the team hasn't received better support then when the team played worse and was in Hartford. The Carolina Hurricanes even had to resort to switching tactics to draw fans. Playing two games this past season in Whaler jerseys against the Bruins only showed how the grass is nowhere greener than in Hartford with those jerseys.
It's been 22 seasons since the Whalers left Hartford and look how popular they still are. Whaler jerseys sales have ranked in the top 10 over active teams for over a decade. Let's say Carolina moves to Houston, which would be an upgrade, do you think Carolina Jerseys would sell well in 2041? I highly doubt there would be any demand.
If Whaler fans are watching this series here is your best case scenario since ECF cancellation is unlikely. Root for Carolina to knock of the bully boring Bruins and then root for whatever West Coast Confernce team emerges in the final. At least this way you can enjoy watching the Bruins and Hurricanes be eliminated and sent home.
