Danbury Whalers
The Danbury Whalers were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the Federal Hockey League that began play in the 2010–11 season. Based in Danbury, Connecticut, the Whalers played at the Danbury Ice Arena, located in CityCenter Danbury. Their name comes from the Hartford Whalers, who were a professional ice hockey team based in Connecticut and played in Hartford from 1975–1997 before relocating to Carolina.
| Danbury Whalers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Danbury, Connecticut |
| League | Federal Hockey League |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Home arena | Danbury Ice Arena |
| Colors | Green, white, navy |
| Owner(s) | Danbury Whalers LLC (Alan Friedman - Senior Partner, President, CFO Herm Sorcher - CEO/Managing Partner Lawrence Sorcher - Chairman Jarrod Moses - Partner, Chief Marketing Officer Sam Tobias - Partner Gregg Konopaske - Partner Michael Barnes - Partner) |
| Head coach | Phil Esposito |
| Media | The News-Times |
| Website | thedanburywhalers |
| Franchise history | |
| 2010–2015 | Danbury Whalers |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1 (2013–14) |
| Playoff championships | 1 (2012–13) |
Until the 2014–15 season, the Danbury Whalers were an affiliate of the Evansville IceMen of the ECHL.[1]
History
On March 22, 2013, the Whalers won their first FHL Commissioner's Cup Title by sweeping the Dayton Demonz in front of a home standing-room only crowd of 3,116 fans.[2]
On April 3, 2015, the Danbury Ice Arena announced that it did not want to renew its contract with the Danbury Whalers and gave them a notice to evict by April 17, leaving the team homeless.[3] Prior to their eviction, the Whalers led the FHL home attendance for the league's first five seasons.
On June 3, 2015, due to the eviction of the Danbury Whalers, the Federal Hockey League announced a new team based in Brewster, New York, to be called the Stateline Whalers, and would play at the Brewster Ice Arena under former Danbury Whalers CEO and managing partner, Herm Sorcher.[4][5] The team was announced as being owned by Barry Soskin, who also owns the Port Huron Prowlers, the Danville Dashers, and the former Dayton Demonz. The Danbury Whalers were officially considered to be on hiatus for the season by the FHL, but gave up their naming and territorial rights to Brewster.[6]
On June 27, it was reported that the FHL had approved of a new team in Danbury, Connecticut, to replace the departed Whalers.[7] Local businessmen, Bruce Bennett and Edward Crowe were announced as the ownership group. Bennett would announce the new team as the Danbury Titans and had signed a six-year lease to play at the Danbury Ice Arena.[8]
On July 15, during the team's inaugural booster club meeting, Danbury Titans ownership confirmed that the league had re-organized and they will own the new Brewster team (formerly announced as the Stateline Whalers); Barry Soskin will continue to own the Danville Dashers and Port Huron Prowlers but no longer be involved in Brewster. On July 18, Bennett announced the team would be called the Brewster Bulldogs and would have no connection to the former Whalers franchise.
Season-by-season record
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | 47 | 24 | 18 | 5 | 53 | 184 | 173 | 4th of 6 FHL | Lost in 1st round series (2-3 vs. New York Aviators) |
| 2011–12 | 51 | 30 | 20 | 1 | 89 | 207 | 185 | 3rd of 8 FHL | Lost in FHL Finals series (0-3 vs. New Jersey Outlaws) |
| 2012–13 | 51 | 28 | 17 | 6 | 86 | 218 | 188 | 2nd of 4 FHL | Won FHL Championship Series (3-0 vs. Dayton Demonz) |
| 2013–14 | 56 | 37 | 11 | 8 | 117 | 241 | 160 | 1st of 4 FHL | Lost in FHL Finals series (2-3 vs. Dayton Demonz) |
| 2014–15 | 54 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 84 | 204 | 186 | 4th of 6 FHL | Lost in FHL Semifinals series (1-2 vs Watertown Wolves) |
See also
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2015-02-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://www.newstimes.com/sports/article/Whalers-win-FHL-title-4378130.php
- "Arena ends agreement in evicting Danbury Whalers". The News-Times. April 8, 2015.
- Haggerty, Nancy (June 3, 2015). "With Danbury team gone, pro hockey comes to Brewster". LoHud. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- "Stateline Whalers Join the Federal Hockey League". FHL. June 13, 2015. Archived from the original on June 29, 2015.
- "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report". Our Sports Central. June 29, 2015.
- "FHL approves new Danbury franchise". News Times. June 27, 2015.
- "'Danbury Titans' newest team to play in the FHL". WDAQ. June 27, 2015. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.