A Sports Dream Fulfilled On Hallowed Ice For Wethersfield Man

HARTFORD, CT — This could get long, but might be worth a trip down memory lane if you have the time. From a sports perspective, I consider myself to be very fortunate. I’ve been to the Masters, the Tour de France, Westminster and the World Series. I’ve ridden the roads of the Tour de France, skied on two Olympic mountains in Lake Placid and Innsbruck, Austria, and walked Pebble Beach and played some exceptional golf courses, including TPC of Cromwell. I’ve also skated on that famed arena in Lake Placid where the U.S.A. hockey team won the gold in 1980. Blessed for sure to have such experiences.

Growing up, I was a New England Whalers (WHA) fan and eventually a Hartford Whalers fan when they joined the NHL. I saw the best of the best come through Springfield (91 Club) / Hartford and of course was blessed to see the First Family of Hockey (the Howes) play together. I was there in Hartford for that final game before the franchise left town, and I was one of the last to leave the building.

Saturday after the UConn hockey game, I had the opportunity to skate on the Hartford Civic Center (a.k.a. XL Center) ice, in that same arena where Gordie Howe played his final NHL game and where the Whalers played. The moment I stepped on the ice and looked up into the stands and up at the banners, nostalgia flooded through me. I savored every minute on that ice as I looked into the stands at what all those players used to see.

The Whalers are long gone and the building is old, but the experience of skating in that arena ranks right up there with any sporting experience I have had. Long live the Whale!

By the way - sometimes people think old is bad, but do you know that in addition to Hartford, there are only two NHL arenas left standing (Madison Square Garden and Nassau Coliseum) that can say Gordie Howe played in their building?

And finally, you can bet I was the last one off the ice Saturday, and after I took off my skates and exited the building, I looked to my left and there was a sign that said “to shops.” Anyone who has ever been to the Hartford Civic Center knows there used to be a mall attached, but the shops have been gone for almost as long as the Whalers. A living museum to Hartford sports and NHL history lives on!

Steve Bordeau, an Enfield native and 1985 Fermi High School graduate, currently lives in Wethersfield. He wrote this story on his Facebook page, and it is published here with permission.

Photos courtesy of Steve Bordeau

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