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New Connecticut Whale logo designed to reap rewards of Hartford Whalers nostalgia

Nostalgia is a funny thing in the field of sports and entertainment. You have to toe the line between playing on people’s fond memories and beating a dead horse of memories.

At some point during the 2010-11 AHL season, the Hartford Wolf Pack will become the Connecticut Whale. Bob Connors of NBC Connecticut reports that the Whalers Sports and Entertainment Group unveiled the team’s new logo today, playing on the old Hartford Whalers logo while also emphasizing the mascot’s role reversal (as the team is now named after the hunted, rather than the hunters, so to speak).

“We wanted to not only incorporate our traditional Whaler green, but focus on the whale, the official animal of the state of Connecticut,” according to Howard Baldwin, chairman of the Whale franchise.

The team will also keep “Pucky the Whale” as the official “live” team mascot.

Here is the new Connecticut Whale logo:

Image (1) connectwhale-thumb-300x300-21569.jpg for post 15557

First, the good: The nostalgia-inducing nod to the Whalers’ old colors is a wise move. Unless your team mascot is a grizzly bear or some kind of fierce beast, it’s usually wise to go the “cute mean” route, which is certainly the case with the Connecticut Whale. I especially dig the water spewing from the whale’s blowhole.

Now, the bad: Well, for one thing, it’s not the Whalers logo. Some might settle for nothing less. Also, I’m annoyed by the recent trend of teams using singular nouns as their mascots. From the Heat to the Lightning to the Thunder, these team names are irritating. However, people still refer to the Hartford Whalers as “The Whale” so this is the most acceptable use of the single-noun mascot name. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s a little obnoxious, though.

Anyway, enough of my reactions to The Whale. How do you feel about it? Is it a shameless tug on the emotional heart strings of people who still cannot accept the existence of the Carolina Hurricanes or a shrewd business move? Do you find yourself compelled to buy one of their jerseys or cannot help but be indifferent? Let us know in the comments.