Whale to host outdoor game Feb. 19

Whalers Sports & Entertainment chairman Howard Baldwin announced today that the Connecticut Whale’s home game on February 19, 2011, vs. the Providence Bruins will be played outdoors at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.

That game will be the marquee attraction at Whalers Hockey Fest 2011, which runs from February 11-20 at Rentschler Field.

"Whalers Hockey Fest will be the biggest, and greatest, hockey event in Connecticut’s history, and this AHL game featuring the re-branded Whale vs. the arch-rival Bruins will be the crowning touch," said Baldwin. "I feel that this game will be the best attended in AHL history, and I challenge the hockey fans of Connecticut to smash the all-time AHL attendance record, to set a league standard that will stand for a long time."

This will be the second outdoor game in the history of the AHL, and the current league single-game attendance record was set at the first, a contest between the Syracuse Crunch and the Binghamton Senators on Feb. 20, 2010, at the New York State Fairgrounds, which drew 21,508.

"High-level hockey played outdoors has been a huge hit, both at the NHL and AHL levels," said Baldwin, "and for this game, we have a first-class facility and two great regional rivals going at each other on the ice. With that, and extremely reasonable ticket prices, I think we are going to see a big demand for tickets to this game, and every hockey fan in the area will want to enjoy this unique experience."

The Whale-Bruins tilt at Rentschler on Feb. 19 will face off at 7:00 p.m. Ticket packages for Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 are available now through the CT Whale web page at www.ctwhale.com or by calling (860) 728-3366.

Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 will run from February 11-20 at Rentschler Field. In addition to the AHL game, the historic outdoor event will feature: a Hartford Whalers alumni vs. Boston Bruins alumni classic, an NHL Legends game commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 1986 NHL All-Star Game being played in Hartford, five premier college games, at least 25 elite high school and prep school games and a "Whaler Village", featuring exhibitors, games and the Whalers Mobile Hall of Fame.

The Hartford Wolf Pack will be re-branded as the Connecticut Whale on Nov. 27.