OutKick Readers React To Carolina Hurricanes' 'Whalers Night'

Last week there was some controversy in certain corners of the internet over the Carolina Hurricanes' annual 'Whalers Night."

If you missed it, the Hurricanes threw on some phenomenal Whalers sweaters for their game against the Buffalo Sabres last week, as a way to honor the franchise's history dating back to its time in Hartford.

Of course, the team moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in the 1990s, and that's why some fans saw this as a slap in the face to the original Hartford Whalers and their fans.

I had no problem with it and think it's pretty cool to see the Canes acknowledge that part of their history, but I decided to ask the fine OutKick readers for their thoughts on the matter. And, as it turns out, I was far from in the minority on this one.

Let's get things started with Robert, one of those OG Hartford Whalers fans that critics said the Canes were slapping Hartford in the face:

As a Whaler fan, I think it is great that Carolina honors its heritage.

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Another Robert — this is a big topic with Roberts — happened to be at the game last week and checked in with his take:

I was at the game last night.   I grew up a big Whalers fan being from Connecticut.  I love that the hurricanes pay homage to the city of Hartford, and it’s something I look forward to every year. I can honestly say you can’t put a price on nostalgia. 

I support the Hurricanes and I saw a lot of fans there last night that support the Hartford Whalers. It was a beautiful site. 

I will no doubt be there next year.

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The Carolina Hurricanes held their annual Whalers night which saw them wearing Hartford Whalers jerseys which some loved, some hated. (Getty Images)

Of course, the real reason the Whalers moved south had less to do with sticking it to the fine people of Hartford, and everything to do with the reality of the sports biz -  that teams want arenas that will suit their needs.

If they can't get it, they'll leave.

Brandon — a Hurricanes fan — did a great job of summing this up for us:

I grew up in the Hilton Head Island area of South Carolina, about 45 minutes from Savannah, GA. As a kid, I loved going to see our minor league Savannah Sand Gnats. This minor league, single-A baseball team had many different big names pass through their system in their 30ish years at Grayson Stadium. You may have heard of Adrian Beltre, Jacob deGrom, and Brandon Nimmo.

The city of Savannah didn't want to significantly update their very, incredibly antiquated stadium, much less build an entirely new one. Attendance was okay, but with only 4600 seats (most of them sideline bench seats), it wasn't great for ownership. When the Sand Gnats left for Columbia, SC in 2016, they became the Columbia Fireflies.

To my knowledge, Columbia hasn't held a "Sand Gnats Gnight" where the players wear what are basically bugs smaller than mosquitoes on their jerseys. As someone who grew up nearby, I wouldn't blame them if they did. The arena, er, stadium was a large part of why the team was relocated, and the fans just had to get over it.

Am I making comparisons between a minor league baseball team in a small, southern city and a National Hockey League team in a traditional hockey market? Well, kind of? The point is, if a team doesn't love their stadium or arena situation and don't have the attendance to back it up, they have every right to find a new home.

Of course, the Savannah Bananas (much better mascot than a tiny bug that annoys people) took over Grayson Stadium and gained national attention when they started making up their own rules and making games fun and affordable for everyone in attendance.

The city of Hartford gained the Wolf Pack AHL team once their former team became the Hurricanes. The Wolf Pack tried to rename to The Whale and that didn't work. Should the NHL have stayed in Hartford until the Whalers became the disaster that was the Arizona Coyotes?

I now live in Raleigh and I love my Hurricanes. I don't mind Whalers night as I am too young to know that team existed (26 currently). The Hurricanes share Lenovo Center with NC State basketball, whose mascot is the Wolf Pack, funny enough. Hartford had a chance and, due to ownership and the city's reluctance to build an arena, lost their team to a city elsewhere. The same can be said for the Sand Gnats, although most Savannah residents barely give them a thought anymore due to the Bananas' popularity and the new ECHL team, the Ghost Pirates, renewing city excitement for local sports.

Did I spend way too long making an irrelevant comparison? Probably. Oh well. Thanks for hearing me out anyway!

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We'll let Chris land this plane because he gave a really interesting perspective that I hadn't considered.

He was also at the game last week as well, but says as a Canes fan, he'd prefer that they focus on their own history in Carolina:

I'm a huge Hurricanes fan and 10-year season ticket holder. I was at the game last night and loved it. Great game!

I hate the Whalers history and jersey night being forced on us. We're the Hurricanes. None of us can even tell you where Hartford is and, certainly, we want nothing to do with the disgusting history of whaling. My opinion, but let it go. 26 years in Carolina. 

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How about that one? He's right. The franchise has been in Carolina longer than it was in New England/Hartford.

I thought that was such an interesting take. Also, the first time I heard the take about not wanting to be associated with whaling.

Thanks to everyone who sent in their takes — and there were quite a few of you — maybe we'll need to revisit this topic next Whalers Night.