Confirmed: Wolf Pack Coming Back
Tuesday · Apr 23 · 2013 | 8:59 PM PDT
It was first speculated two months ago. Now multiple sources are reporting that the AHL's Connecticut Whale will once again become the Hartford Wolf Pack next season.
The news turned up online Tuesday morning, via WTIC's Scott Gray, who cited team sources saying the league has approved the name change. Later, the Hartford Courant said Connecticut Wolf Pack was a possibility for the club's rebranding, but the Bridgeport Sound Tigers didn't like the idea.
Apparently an official announcement could be coming within a week.
Neither report was clear on whether they'd also go back to the old Wolf Pack logo, created in 1997 with the team's arrival from Binghamton, New York. But if you ask me, they'd be insane not to. (It was on my list of the best AHL logos last year.)
What do you think of the imminent return of the Wolf Pack?
Reader Comments (19)
Uhhh, what's to become of Pucky the Whale?!!!
Good. So much for Baldwin's failed stunt lol. Never again will we have to suffer those monstrosities.
Fuck. This. It makes me want to go to the XL center much much less. I'm glad that Hartford is back in the team name but it comes at a terrible price. Why did Howard Baldwin have to ruin anything with his irresponsible handling of finances? I am thoroughly dissapointed.
I still don't think the Wolf Pack logo was all that great.
In my honset opinion, the monstrosity that was the Whale logo is one of those scarce few that could only have come from the deepest and most horrible pits within Hell itself, and I am delighted to learn that it is finally being put to pasture. Hallelujah.
Being from the Hartford area, I wasn't totally on board with the re-brand to the Connecticut Whale to begin with but still supported the team. Even bought a jersey (White with powder blue from first year). I like the idea of going back to a brand that brought Hartford it's first league championship in 2000. I also think hockey fans in Hartford need to let go of the Whalers. I'm not saying they have to forget them but they need to move forward with what's here. Not to keep bringing it up, but Winnipeg did it. They supported a team that weren't the Jets (the Manitoba Moose), that was also a Vancouver Canucks affiliate. Now the NHL is back in Winnipeg.
Perhaps they could go back to Hartford Wolf-Pack - but incorporate a Whalers (not those Godawful Whale jerseys) color scheme?
I'm hearing that the players want the colors to be back to the Rangers scheme because they are sick of having to have to sets of equipment. The goalies don't even incorporate the logo or colors into their equipment. When it was the Wolf Pack, Cam Talbot had a Wolf Pack logo and a Werewolf on his mask. The city and state suggested the team should be called the Connecticut or Hartford Rangers. Bridgeport said they didn't want the team to use Connecticut anymore, and were mad that Baldwin used it in the first place. MSG said it would just be easier to go back to the Wolf Pack since they still own all of the branding and copyrights.
That Wolfpack logo isn't much better in my opinion...
The Whalers live! (in Dabury, CT) and they have just won the Championship! And have better jerseys than half the AHL....(I know it's low level "A" professional hockey, but seriously, these guys have awesome jerseys and serve the Whalers name well...
http://www.thedanburywhalers.com/
glad to see the back of the terrible whale name and jersey and like the idea of using the old whalers colors for the wolf pack, just need to use the same jersey set as the plymouth whalers of the OHL, will save money on employing a designer!!
I hope they use their own jerseys instead of simple ranger clones.
All I have to say is, thank god! Sayonara crappy name and whale logo.
I think they could have just came up with a better Whale logo, but, I do like the Wolf Pack logo a lot. Well, I like the Wolf + Waves, the word mark is sorta weak. Perhaps if they removed the Star between Wolf & Pack it wouldn't look so awkward.
Love it! Perhaps it means they will eventually move the team to Nassau Coliseum after the Islanders move to Brooklyn......... speculate speculate speculate.
I hope at the very least they continue to use Brass Bonanza as their goal song.
@Biggie1083 "I'm hearing that the players want the colors to be back to the Rangers scheme because they are sick of having to have to sets of equipment. The goalies don't even incorporate the logo or colors into their equipment."
I don't have too much sympathy with that. Guys who are skating the fine line between the ECHL and AHL have to deal with that pretty frequently.
That sucks. I went down to Hartford this season and it was great seeing the city get behind the color green. I have no problem with the Wolf Pack but their jerseys were awful. If they can come up with something other than wanna be Rangers uniforms that will be ok.
I am extremely excited for the return of the Wolf Pack. I am not surprised the Whale did not catch on considering Whaler fans did not support the brand or Howard. Let's Go Wolf Pack!!