For the first time in 22 years, one month and one day, the Hartford Whalers will make their return to Boston on Tuesday night.
Well, sort of.
The Bruins host the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Garden on Tuesday night, and the Canes will be rocking their Whalers throwback gear for the second time this season. Carolina first wore the all-green duds against the Bruins on Dec. 23 in Raleigh, N.C., when they beat Boston 5-3.
The original Whalers, of course, moved to North Carolina and became the Hurricanes following the 1996-97 season, a move that still stings plenty of Connecticut hockey fans. Unsurprisingly, Hurricanes’ decision to bring back the Whalers in any shape or fashion has ruffled feathers in the Nutmeg State.
As for that most recent actual Bruins-Whalers game, Hartford won that game on Feb. 6, 1997, by a score of 5-3. Andrew Cassels scored a pair of goals for the Whale, while Sean Burke stopped 41 of 44 Bruins shots. For Boston, current general manager Don Sweeney scored a goal in the losing effort.
