The Hartford Whalers may have left Connecticut in 1997, but fans in the state have gone to great lengths to keep their memory alive.
Now, one famous fan, the Toronto Blue Jays’ George Springer, has even taken the Whalers back to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Springer has been wearing Whalers-themed batting gloves this season, which were custom-made by Nike and are Kelly green and blue with a ‘W’ on the front.
The Hall of Fame, located in Toronto, asked Springer if they could have the gloves to display after the Blue Jays season ends, and Springer obliged, according to Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet.
Springer has long had a connection to hockey, and the Whalers, having attended games with his father when he was young. The 36-year-old grew up in New Britain and played baseball at UConn. He also attended Avon Old Farms in high school, getting a chance to watch future NHL players up close.
“I’ve always loved hockey, simply because Connecticut had the Hartford Whalers at the time, and they had really, really cheap seats, and my dad would always go,” Springer told Sportsnet in an interview after he joined the Blue Jays in 2021. “He would bring me and we would sit by the glass, I loved it.”
“I went to Avon Old Farms for high school, which is one of the best hockey schools in the northeast, and probably the country. I got to watch guys like Nick Bonino, Cam Atkinson, Jonathan Quick, Tommy Atkinson was there. There’s a ton of guys who I graduated with and went to school with who are now in the NHL,” he said. “If I could play another sport, it would be hockey for sure. … I think hockey is one of the most impressive sports on the planet. To do what those guys are doing on basically a blade of grass is beyond impressive to me.”
Springer’s love for hockey has undoubtedly helped endear him to fans in Canada. After a down year in 2024, he’s had a bounce-back season, batting .309 with a .399 on-base percentage and racking up 32 home runs and 84 RBI.
The Blue Jays will face the winner of the Yankees and Red Sox in the American League Division Series beginning Saturday.
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