It's a chant that hasn't been uttered here in more than 10 years, but Tuesday afternoon "Let's Go, Whalers!" once again echoed through the Danbury Arena.
Hundreds of fans gathered there to welcome the city's newest professional hockey team, the Danbury Whalers, to town. This version of the Whalers will play in the new, four-team Federal Hockey League, according to the Danbury News Times.
This is the fourth time in the last six years that a team has attempted to set up in Danbury. The CEO and Managing General Partner of the Whalers, Herm Sorcher, believes the fourth time is the charm.
"The previous organizations, we have nothing but the highest level of respect for them and what they did to build this fan base. I applaud everything they did. They really paved the way for us," Sorcher told the News Times.
The Whalers' three predecessors included the Danbury Trashers, which were a big hit but lasted just two seasons in the United Hockey League, the New England Stars played one season in the North Eastern Hockey League, and the Danbury Mad Hatters played one season in the Eastern Professional Hockey League, where Sorcher acted as the vice president of sales and marketing.
So, why the Whalers? The reason is part business and part personal for Sorcher. He knows there are still plenty of Whaler fans franchise that played in the World Hockey Association from 1972-79 and then in the National Hockey League from 1979-97, and he hopes to tap into that.
Trying to prove their dedication to making the team work, the Whalers signed a 10-year-lease with the Danbury Arena, which is double what the Mad Hatters signed last year.
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"We wouldn't offer a 10-year lease to an organization unless we thought they had very long-term staying power," Kevin McCormack, the vice president in charge of arena operations for Floyd Hall Enterprises, which operates the Danbury Arena told the News Times. "That's the difference between how we feel about this organization."
Sorcher even gave out his cell phone number to the fans at the press conference -- 973-713-7547 -- and said they could call him any time with questions or concerns. The only time he might not answer his phone, the father of three told the News Times, is when he's "changing diapers, making bottles or doing business to try and promote this team."
And fans of the original Whalers will like this: The song "Brass Bonanza," which was the Hartford Whalers' theme song, will be played at every Danbury Whalers home game.
