This is always the response from some people and it's complete and utter bs, The Whalers had a good fan base despite almost always putting a horrible product on the ice, in 87-88 which was probably their best year they outdrew The Blues, Sabres, Canucks, Kings, Jets, North Stars, Devils and Bruins. They never had the worst attendance despite putting an atrocious product on the ice because they had an owner who never had intentions of keeping them in Hartford despite all of his lies throughout the years.
The Bruins played in the Old Boston Garden in 87-88 which crammed 14,000 for a sellout and The Bruins went to the Stanley Cup Finals that year. Don't you think if the Old Garden could support it they would have held more?
Throw out numbers from the last century. They do not apply. Also, nothing of the sort will happen of the sort under Commissioner Bettman. He bought Karmanos' relocation reasons hook, line and sinker. In retrospect though, Karmanos wasn't completely wrong. In the current ballgame (which is a whole new one compared to 1998), the XL Center is not a major league venue. It cannot even pass itself off as a charming throwback like Fenway could. The suites are more expensive and have worse sightlines than the worst seats in general admission. The bathrooms use the same door for entrance and exit, the concourse is cramped during intermissions (of AHL games that draw barely 2,500 people)/halftime, and the beer has this rust/metallic taste like the lines haven't been flushed since the days of Gordie Howe.
My wife and I took in a preseason game at the Pepsi Center (which was finished in 1999 and holds 18,000 for hockey) when we were in Denver for the Red Sox last September. The boxes are just behind the lower bowl and barely any seat looks like it is further than even halfway up the 200's at the XL Center. Don't even get me started on the concourse
s (ALL major arenas have at least two) and concessions. The Pepsi Center was built for about $190 mil back then and if the CRDA didn't take Howard Baldwin's proposal to refurbish the building seriously (clocked in at around $105 mil), how are they going to approve 3x that amount for a brand new building?
No one said that Mr. Baldwin was mistake-free and he needs take responsibility for them (which by all accounts, he has), but if an NHL insider cannot convince the current state governor and commissioner, I don't see it happening while either of the two are still around. I wouldn't mind being wrong, and I hope Mr. Baldwin is involved. It will provide easy access to watch Bruins games in person a few times a year.
