Can Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont Return the Whalers to Hartford?

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has been making the rounds in the media saying he hopes to bring the Whalers back to CT.

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The Arizona Coyotes franchise is on its last legs in the NHL and Governor Lamont is asking NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman for another shot. During a June 11 interview with News 8, the Governor spoke about the mission, saying:

Look, I'm working it hard, don't get ahead of ourselves but I've talked to Gary Bettman, he's the Commissioner of the NHL. Right now the Coyotes don't have a place to play on a permanent basis so they're looking around trying to find options and Connecticut is definitely on the radar screen.

What does Connecticut need to do to prove it's worth to the NHL? Lamont said:

We're going to have to step up, we're going to have to show that we can sell the luxury suites, we're going to have to show that we've got a buyer group if they want to make a change, we've got to show that we're ready to upgrade the XL Center and make sure it's NHL ready, I think we can do all three of those things.

 

Lamont did say he has an ownership group ready to go but wasn't ready to name them publicly. He also believes the Hartford XL Center could be retrofitted to current NHL standards. It all sounds wonderful, we would go nuts for this but can he actually pull it off?

Cue Brass Bonanza, Let's Goooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I so badly want this to be real, I did not grow up a hockey fan, but my time at the Danbury Ice Arena has infected me with the hockey bug. Connecticut needs something to rally around and I look good in green.

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