Yet but out of the dozen or less states in the country that even develop hockey players, why are we out?
For probably the same reason that Connecticut does not have a major professional football, baseball, or basketball team and why UConn is not in the Big Ten.
Howard Baldwin used to say that The Whalers provided a solution for the NHL, when the WHA was absorbed 1979, but that was when cable was barely a thing, let alone sports entertainment "superstations." Even in the mid/late 80s when the Sox went to the ALCS every other year, NESN was still a premium add-on.
Boston is 100 miles northeast and the three NYC area franchises are no more than about 130 miles. NESN reaches every Connecticut County except Fairfield...who wish against wish that they could be part of New York and are are mostly Ranger/Island/Devil fans anyway.
Bottom line is that the Whalers would not open the Northeast Market substantially further.