Former Hartford Whalers owner to open outdoor skating rink in bid for new Conn. NHL team

Ex-Hartford Whalers owner to open outdoor rink

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Former Hartford Whalers hockey team owner Howard Baldwin is trying to get fans behind his efforts to bring an NHL team back to Hartford, Conn.

Baldwin’s latest venture is an outdoor skating rink at the Rentschler Field sports and entertainment stadium in East Hartford.

A news conference has been scheduled for Wednesday to detail plans for the rink and various events designed to show Hartford is a hockey town.

The Hartford Whalers left Connecticut in 1997 for Raleigh, N.C., and became the Carolina Hurricanes. Hartford is one of several cities hoping to lure NHL teams.