With Hockey History, North Carolina and Connecticut Look to Baseball, Attendance Growth

North Carolina and Connecticut – two states forever linked in the cross-currents of sports by the Hartford Whalers relocation to the Tarheel State in 1997, are both using 2014 to heighten their professional baseball credentials. The City of Hartford has announced that the Double A franchise currently in New Britain will be moving to the Capitol City in 2016 in a soon-to-be-built $60 million, nearly 10,000 seat stadium. Just two months ago, the Triple A Charlotte Knights opened their newly constructed 10,200 seat $55 million downtown stadium. The Knights are an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Ground was broken on the new stadium in September 2012, about an 18 month construction schedule.

The first Knights game took place on April 11, 2014. (photo at left) The stadium features a two-level club with skyline views as well as a VIP, climate-controlled club with full service bar. In addition to corporate suites, there are 987 club seats at the new Charlotte stadium. Of those, 170 on the upper level sell for $41.50 per game, or nearly $3,000 per season. The remaining 817 club seats, at $21 per game, sell for about $1,500 annually.  All of the club seats were sold out 10 months prior to the season opener, according to the Knights website.  Season tickets require either a two- or four-year commitment. Naming rights to the stadium were sold to BB&T Corporation in 2012. Published reports also indicate that multiple new hotels are expected to open in the area around the stadium in the coming years, along with restaurants and retail.

The Charlotte team’s website reports that “National ballpark consultants conservatively estimate that in its first year BB&T Ballpark should draw at least 600,000 fans just for baseball.” In addition to obtaining corporate sponsorships, among the fundraising initiatives along the way in Charlotte were commemorative bricks sold to be placed in the stadium’s entrance, at a cost of between $90 to $195, containing individual messages determined by purchasers. A portion of the sales went to local charities in Charlotte.

Comparing Attendance Numbers, Possibilities

The Rock Cats drew more than 307,000 fans to their 6,100-seat stadium in New Britain last year, ranking sixth in the 12-team Eastern League. The Knights were last in attendance in the Class AAA International League last year, with an average of 3,803 per game, down from a high of 4,736 in 2006, according to the Charlotte News Observer. In 2013, the New Britain Rock Cats averaged 4,653 fans per game, which ranked 59th among baseball’s minor league teams. Charlotte ranked 80th. The top team in the league - and in minor league baseball - the Columbus Clippers, drew 9,212 per game.

The AAA Pawtucket Red Sox average attendance in 2013 was 7,827, ranked #10 in minor league baseball. The Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, also a Red Sox affiliate, ranked 47th, drawing an average of 5,096 per game. Among Double-A teams, Portland ranks tenth.

The top minor league teams, based on average attendance in 2013, are in Columbus, Lehigh Valley, Indianapolis, Sacramento, Dayton, Buffalo, Louisville, Round Rock (Texas) and Albuquerque. The top Double-A teams are in Frisco, TX (7,057); Richmond, VA (6,689); Reading, PA (6,321); Tulsa, OK (5,704); Birmingham, AL (5,669); Corpus Christi, TX (5,498); Trenton, NJ (5,373) and New Hampshire (5,125).

On July 12, 2008, the Rock Cats established a franchise record for single game attendance, with a crowd of 8,115 at New Britain Stadium. The record was broken on June 27, 2009, with a crowd of 8,212. The Rock Cats reached the 8,000 mark once again on May 31, 2014 with a crowd of 8,079.

For those who wonder if there is a Triple A future for a Hartford baseball stadium, the history of Pawtucket may be of interest. The first team to be named the Pawtucket Red Sox debuted in 1970 as a member of the Double-A Eastern League, according to Wikipedia. After three seasons as a Double-A Red Sox affiliate, Pawtucket's Eastern League franchise moved to Bristol, CT in 1973 to make room for the new Triple-A PawSox. And as most Connecticut sports fans recall, the Bristol franchise then moved to New Britain in 1983, first as a Red Sox Double-A affiliate (through 1994) and then as the farm team of the Minnesota Twins.

And might the presence of a stadium in Hartford, rather than New Britain, cause the Red Sox to return with an affiliate in Connecticut? Apparently not any time soon. The Sox appear set in Pawtucket and Portland.

In January 2013, the Portland Sea Dogs announced an extension of their affiliation with the Boston Red Sox as the Double A minor league team. Their contract was set to end after the 2014 season but the extension through the 2018 season was announced during the Portland Sea Dogs Hot Stove Banquet by Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen and Sea Dogs president Charlie Eshbach. Eshbach served as Eastern League President for 11 years and is the league's longest serving active member  – dating back to his tenure as general manager of the Bristol Red Sox in Connecticut, not too many years after attending college at UConn.

“We are delighted to extend our relationship with the Portland Sea Dogs for an additional two seasons,” said Hazen at the time. “We are extremely fortunate to work with some of the best people in minor league baseball in Portland. The Burke family, Charlie Eshbach, and the entire Sea Dogs organization always go above and beyond to provide support to our players and staff. With the Sea Dogs, our minor leaguers experience the ideal environment to succeed and grow.”

The Sea Dogs are now in their 21st season at Hadlock Field, their 12th as an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox originally entered into an agreement with the Sea Dogs following the 2002 season, when Portland changed affiliations from the Florida Marlins.

 (photo credit: Rob Kavaler)

Northeast Utilities Becomes Title Sponsor of Hartford Marathon

The next Hartford Marathon, on October 11, 2014, will run under a new lead sponsorship banner, that of Northeast Utilities. Last October, more than 15,000 runners, tens of thousands of spectators, more than 1,200 volunteers, and 30 bands and local entertainers, flooded into the Capitol City  for the annual ING Hartford Marathon.  It was the last time they did so under the ING banner, as the company did not renew its sponsorship of the race following their sixth year as title sponsor. Prior to ING, United Technologies had been the title sponsor, following Aetna in the lead role in the marathon's early years.  The Hartford Marathon has served as an increasingly impactful economic stimulus to Greater Hartford, helping to fill hotel rooms, bars, restaurants, and other tourist attractions throughout the region. NU will be the new sponsor through at least 2016, officials said.

In 2013, the marathon - in its 20th year - brought in at least $14 million of economic value to the Hartford area, according to an analysis done for the Hartford Marathon Foundation by Avon-based Witan Intelligence Inc.  Race attendance was up 5.6 percent to 75,000 in 2013, based on police department estimates.

“We are thrilled to partner with Northeast Utilities, a New England company that shares our mission to support both the physical and economic wellness of our communities,” said Beth Shluger, Executive Director of the Hartford Marathon Foundation and Race Director of the 2014 NU Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon.

ING U.S., with major operations in Windsor, ended its association with the state’s signature running event as it separates from its Dutch parent and is rebranded into a new company — Voya Financial.  ING U.S. also ended its title sponsorships of races in New York and Miami. The Miami race was run earlier this year without a title sponsor.

The Hartford Marathon Foundation had originally hoped to have a title sponsor in place by the end of 2013, but the search and negotiations took considerably longer, and some race materials for this year's race have already been circulated, in print and on line.  They are being revised and updated, as bright green becomes the new bright orange, as NU succeeds ING.

In addition to more than a dozen major sponsors drawn from the ranks of Connecticut’s leading corporations in recent years (including United Technologies, Hartford Hospital, Power Station, legrand, Aetna, Travelers, Baribault Jewelers and Executive Auto Group), volunteers  include staff members from Connecticut businesses, community groups and organizations that devote volunteers as a group service effort.In past years, staff volunteers from the title sponsor have taken the lead in anchoring water stations, handing out material (including medals for participants), and assisting in various capacities.

Hartford’s Post-Race is “one of the best in North America,” according to The Ultimate Guide to Marathons. The event has also developed a national reputation for extensive greening initiatives, and was certified as a "green race" in 2009 by the Council for Responsible Sport.    New last year were collaborative efforts with the UCONN EcoHusky Club and EcoHouse Learning Community and Hartford’s Knox Park.  Officials indicated that increased support services for runners will be provided in 2014, including special accommodations for active military and veterans. This year’s event will introduce solar power in Bushnell Park, a mark of its continuing commitment to sustainability, an important platform for both the Hartford Marathon Foundation and Northeast Utilities.

A month ago, the Hartford Marathon Foundation added Oz Griebel, of the Metro Hartford Alliance, and Robinson & Cole lawyer Andrea Donovan Napp to its 15-member board of directors. The Hartford Marathon Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 to create and manage fitness events that inspire people to be healthy and fit. The Hartford Marathon Foundation organizes nearly 42 annual athletic events, including the Hartford Marathon, and 25 training programs.

Red Sox-Yankees Divides Connecticut, Down to the ZIP Code

Connecticut’s Yankees-Red Sox divide is legendary. Now, thanks to technology, it’s also hyper-local - down to the ZIP code. Fan interest in various Major League Baseball teams, based on Google searches, was recently released, highlighting the dominance of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. They are searched for 3.8 and 3.7 times, respectively, more often than the league average, and more than 10 times as often as the least popular teams. The New York Mets placed sixth in the number of searches for the team worldwide.

The Yankees and Red Sox each generate about 30 percent more Google searches worldwide than the most popular NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys, and almost 40 percent more than the most popular NBA team, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Montreal Canadiens, the most popular NHL team, aren’t particularly close to the most-searched teams in other leagues. The New York Times “The Upshot” took the data one step further, creating interactive maps using the data to develop estimates of team support based on how many Facebook users “liked” each team in a ZIP code.

A sampling of the results:

• Manchester (06040) - Red Sox 44%, Yankees 41%
• Bloomfield (06002) -Yankees 41%, Red Sox 40%
• Avon (06001) - Red Sox 41%, Yankees 39%
• South Windsor (06074) - Red Sox 44%, Yankees 40%
• Clinton (06413) - Yankees 41%, Red Sox 41%
• Windsor (06095) - Yankees 42%, Red Sox 42%

For his blog FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver investigated how each team does in Google search popularity compared to the size of its television market.  “The Yankees rank third even by this standard. But the Red Sox are a clear No. 1 and are about three times as popular as you’d guess from the size of the Boston media market. The Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Pirates and Reds also over-perform relative to their market size,” Silver observed.

Of course, the Red Sox primary market is much bigger than Boston alone, as the data highlight. They are also the “local” team in the rest of New England, except for western Connecticut. Steve Rushin of Sports Illustrated has called the line running through Connecticut that separates Yankee fans and Red Sox fans the Munson-Nixon line. The name, which he coined a decade ago, is in honor of the late Yankee catcher Thurman Munson and the retired Red Sox right fielder Trot Nixon.

The line may have varied slightly through the years, but as the new data indicates, hasn’t changed all that much. The close divisions within each town give some added texture to the divide.

Just in case Mets fans are wondering, they don’t fare well in the zip code search comparison. In the New York metropolitan area, they do not prevail in a single zip code. Even near CitiField, the Mets have a 28 percent to 48 percent deficit, with the zip code the stadium is actually listed in coming in at 53 percent to 25 percent. In New York, the Yankees win. In Connecticut, division reigns.

Connecticut's #1 Athlete Search: LeBron James

Which athlete is Connecticut most interested in?  Not Shabazz Napier, not Stefanie Dolson.  At least not according to Google, which analyzed the frequency of searches in each of the 50 states during the past 12 months.  Number one in Connecticut:  LeBron James. 

In fact, LeBron James dominates the competition, showing up as the most searched athlete in 23 of the 50 states. Next in line is Peyton Manning who claims seven states, then Adrian Peterson and Tom Brady who tie for 3rd with four states.

Andrew Wiggins (two states) and Johnny Manziel (one state) are the only athletes to win at least one state despite technically not having made the transition to professional sports yet. Tiger Woods (one state - Vermont) is the only athlete on the map who doesn’t play one of the “Big Four” North American sports.

Across New England, Tom Brady is number one in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire.

The website Best Tickets also indicated that Google research shows that the NFL is far and away the most popular league in the United States. In almost every state, the NBA was the second-most popular league, but MLB and the NHL did make a few appearances in the number two spot.

New York is the only state in which the NBA is the most popular league. In Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon, the NBA and NFL tie for first.

Yankees - Red Sox: Battle Extends Off the Field, Atop Baseball's Finances

The Yankees and Red Sox, always the focus of attention, argument and controversy across Connecticut, can each claim some victories - on the field and off.  The Red Sox are defending World Champions, having won the 2013 World Series.  They Yankees are the most valuable team in baseball, having won the 2013 monetary championship, just ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News.

The New York Yankees are worth $3.3 billion, making them the sport’s most-valuable enterprise. The Los Angeles Dodgers rank second with a value of $2.1 billion. Ten teams are worth more than $1 billion. The Boston Red Sox and New York Mets each are valued at more than $2 billion, the data shows.

The Yankees ranked first in overall team value, and 1^st in the following categories:  Team Revenue ($570 Million), Gate Receipts ($265 million), Concessions $53 million), Sponsorship ($84 million), and Media Rights ($158 million).  The Yankees ranked 4^th in attendance during 2013, at 3.3 million.

The Red Sox ranked third overall, just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The Red Sox ranked 2^nd in Team Revenue ($405 million), Gate Receipts ($174 million), Concessions ($36 million).  The team was third in Sponsorship ($40 million), seventh in Media Rights ($89 million), and 9^th in Attendance (2.8 million).

In calculating team value, Bloomberg News examined revenue from ticket sales, concessions, sponsorships and broadcast rights, as well as interests in TV channels, radio stations and real estate.

The Yankees ranked 1^st in Team Value, 2^nd in the value of their Regional Sports Network, 2^nd in Related Business; the Red Sox ranked 3^rd in Team Value, 3^rd in Regional Sports Network and 3^rd in Related Business.

Revenue from national TV contracts and merchandise is split evenly among the teams, as is the value of MLB Advanced Media, a subsidiary that supplies content to Internet and mobile subscribers.

Fourteen teams have stakes in regional sports networks, according to the report. Of the 10 teams valued at $1 billion or more, only the Philadelphia Phillies don’t have one. The team and Comcast are in negotiations for a new TV contract. Their current deal ends in 2015.

The average value of a team’s interest in a regional network is about $360 million, with the Mets’ 65 percent stake in SportsNet New York having the biggest valuation of almost $1.2 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Kevin Ollie Made Believers of the Uncertain at UConn

In September 2012, the Kevin Ollie era at UConn began – with a short leash.  As Hall of Fame veteran  coach Jim Calhoun retired, Ollie – a former UConn and NBA player – was hired on a one-year trial basis.  The rest, as they say, is history.

But when it began, the view was far from unanimous that UConn had made the right choice.  The sports blog SB Nation posted a day one poll, and 30 percent of the respondents expressed the view that his selection was either a mistake, or that a national search for a new coach should still be pursued.  And NBC Sports website said this:  “Asking Ollie to win at the same level as Calhoun is incredibly unfair.”

Some criticized UConn Athletic Director Warde Manuel for putting Ollie in a tough position – especially in recruiting - uncertain if he’d be coaching for more than a single season.  Manuel, in November 2012, told the New York Times: “I understand the angst that a recruit would have. What I’ve said to them is we’re going to make a decision for UConn that we believe and I believe keeps us winning Big East championships and competing for national championships.”

Two months later, in December 2012, Ollie was given a new contract that runs through the end of the 2017-18 season.  The deal, the Associated Press reported at the time, is worth just under $7 million and began on Jan. 1, 2013.  Ollie, who played point guard for Calhoun from 1991-95, was his former coach's hand-picked successor, the AP reported. He had become an assistant coach at UConn in 2010, after 13 years playing for 11 different teams in the NBA.

That season – one in which UConn was banned from NCAA tournament play due to poor academic performance in previous seasons – some player-athletes departed the scene.  It’s doubtful that Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond, who entered the NBA draft, or Alex Oriachi, Michael Bradley and Roscoe Smith, who transferred, thought they were walking away from a National Championship team.

The tenacious and confident Ollie, 52-18 as UConn’s head coach over the past 18 months, said simply after winning the 2014 NCAA Championship game, “we did it the right way.”

Getting to the Final Four: $140 for Some UConn Students, Multiples Higher for Fans

For 51 UConn undergraduate students, $100 will provide a round trip to Texas for the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four as UConn pursues a National Championship.  For everyone else, the price tag is considerably steeper – and climbing.

UConn’s Undergraduate Student Government is sponsoring a bus to take students from Storrs to Texas this weekend. The bus will depart from Storrs at 6:00 AM on Friday and is expected to arrive in Arlington, Texas no later than 1:00PM Saturday – in time for the early evening game at AT&T Stadium.

The student government is not responsible for meals, lodging or other accommodations at any point during the trip, but will get the fortunate 51 (first come, first served, of course) within shouting distance of the Final Four.  For a shot at a bus ticket, however, students must have proof that they are already a NCAA student ticket holder for the Final Four, showing an email confirmation from the official NCAA purchase process. Student General Admission ticket price:  $40.

Why take the bus? Norwalk-based priceline.com is reporting that the national average airfare to Dallas/Ft. Worth is around $340, but the average round trip airfare from Bradley International Airport is $604.  By comparison, the average round trip fare from the home cities of the other Final Four are less - Jacksonville is $541, $584 from Wisconsin, and $385 from Lexington, priceline.com reported.  The average rate for an economy or compact rental car at the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport is $60 a day for the weekend dates.

Online ticket aggregator TiqiQ reports that the average ticket price for the two semi-final match-ups on Saturday, as of April 2, is $1,091.81.  (A ticket for just one of the semi-finals runs averages about $595.) The Championship Game ticket for next Monday night is going for an average of $580.70.  That’s a slight drop from earlier in the week, but an increase of about 20 percent over the ticket price a week ago, before the four contenders for the National Championship were determined.

PrimeSport, the Official Ticket Exchange of the NCAA Final Four, lists available tickets ranging from $335.75 in the upper deck of the AT&T Arena to $4,037.50 in Row U facing mid-court.  There remain tickets available.

Compared to the last four years, this is shaping up as the second-most expensive price for NCAA tournament tickets to the final four, behind only last years’ Final Four in Atlanta, Forbes magazine reported this week. Last year, the average price for the semi-final game was $887, which was driven up by three big programs in Louisville, Michigan, and Syracuse, in addition to Wichita State. The lowest price for final four tickets over the last four years was 2011, the last time UConn won the national championship, the magazine reported.

Students holding the prized $40 tickets will not be able to resell them on the secondary market, TIME magazine reported this week. Students from the Final Four competitors - UConn, Wisconsin, Florida and Kentucky - must provide valid student ID’s, verification of purchase, and the originating credit card to gain entry to the Final Four stadium.

The Final Four at AT&T Stadium is expected to bring the largest crowd ever to attend a NCAA tournament game college basketball game. The previous record was the 75,421 people that saw the 2011 Final Four semifinal games at Houston's Reliant Stadium. This year’s Final Four may also break the all-time college basketball attendance record of 78,129, Huffington Post reported.

As for the return trip for the 51 UConn students taking the bus from Storrs, there are two scenerios: should UConn lose on Saturday, the bus will depart from Arlington at 9:00AM on Sunday, April 5. If the Huskies advance to the championship, the bus will depart from Arlington at 8:00AM Tuesday, April 8.  Sleep deprived, at the very least.

Volleyball to Overrun CT Convention Center Twice in 2015; New Event Coming to Hartford

2015 is shaping up as a banner year for the Connecticut Convention Center.  For the second time in the span of a few weeks, the convention center  has announced a new event will be coming to town.  The New England Region Volleyball Association (NERVA) will bring its first-ever Northeast Junior Championships to Hartford over Memorial Day weekend in 2015.

The tournament, featuring junior teams from throughout the Northeast, is expected to bring over 2,000 players, 400 coaches, 75 officials and volunteer tournament staff, and 3,500 family members and fans downtown, from Friday, May 22 through Monday, May 25, 2015.

Better yet, NERVA has committed to holding the event at the venue for the next three years, through at least 2017, with over 3,000 overnight rooms and 1,100 rooms anticipated for the new annual event.

Tournament organizers are planning to fill the facility with 200 teams playing on 25 courts set up inside the Convention Center’s exhibit halls. They have experience in turning the space into an enormous multi-court facility, having held its annual Mizuno New England Winterfest at the facility in January over the long Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, for each of the past five years.

Also on the docket at the Connecticut Convention Center in 2015 is the Museum Store Association national conference, to be held in Hartford for the first time next April.  It is the organization’s first conference in the Northeast in a decade.  They met in 2003 in Philadelphia, and will meet next month in Houston.

Other multi-year contracts continue.  ConnectiCon, which has been hosted at the Connecticut Convention Center since 2005, will return this year and next.  Mary Kay will return to the facility in 2015 and 2016.  And the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA), which has gathered at the Convention Center annually since 2007, will do so again this year and in 2015. The STITCHES-East regional knitting enthusiasts will be back every year through 2017.

“We have always valued our partnership with the Connecticut Convention Center and the Connecticut Convention and Sports Bureau,” states David Peixoto, NERVA Commissioner. “Our partnership has grown to develop Winterfest as the Premier Volleyball tournament in the Northeast. We look forward to making the Northeast Junior Championship just as successful.”

The new four-day event does not require teams to qualify to participate. While it will serve as a season-ending tournament for some, the event will allow for additional preparation to teams continuing on to nationals. Participants are 12-18 years old, as NERVA follows USA Volleyball age guidelines.

Winterfest, which is the largest volleyball tournament held in New England, is designed to showcase female high school volleyball players to college coaches and recruiters from throughout the Northeast.  The event brings in around 6,000 visitors to the area every year.

The New England Region is one of many Regions in the United States that aid in the governing of the sport of volleyball. Regional Volleyball Associations (RVAs) are member organizations of USA Volleyball (USAV). The RVAs serve as the grassroots function for the USAV and individually and collectively serve as a catalyst for USAV functions.

The Connecticut Convention Center is the state’s premier meeting venue and the largest full-service convention facility between New York and Boston. Overlooking the Connecticut River, it features 140,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 40,000-square-foot ballroom and 25,000 square feet of meeting space, as well as ample sheltered parking.

Concern Over Concussions Changes Playoff, Practice Plans in CT High School Football

Concern over concussions is impacting the high school football playoff calendar, and the practice regimen throughout the season.  The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference has voted to increase to one week the minimum time between playoff games a high school team can play.  Previously, high school football games could play two games in less than a week, at times with as little as three days between games.  In making the revisions, which eliminated a quarter-final round next season, the CIAC indicated it would “continue to evaluate possibilities for changes to the regular season and postseason schedule for the 2015 season and beyond.”

In addition, the organization’s Sports Medicine Committee approved policy changes that cut back on “permitted allotment of person-to-person contact time in practice” and are “intended to limit live action,” including:

• Prior to the start of the regular season a coach may conduct person-to-person contact drills up to 120 minutes during practice plus conduct one full scrimmage or seven-on-seven scrimmage per week under game-like conditions.  If a second scrimmage is conducted the time (60 minutes) must be deducted from the 120 minutes allowed.
• From the start of the regular season through Thanksgiving a coach may conduct person-to-person contact drills up to 90 minutes per week.
• During the post season a coach may conduct person-to-person contact drills up to 60 minutes per week.

The Hartford Courant reported that “for the first time, there will be limitations on contact drills in practice throughout the season.”

Guidelines on the Web

The CIAC website includes an 8-page document developed  by the National Federation of State High School Associations, “A Parent’s Guide to Concussion,” which includes the admonition  (in bold type) “when in doubt, sit them out!”.  The policy was revised and approved in April 2013. CIAC is a member of NFHS, which also offers a free on-line course on the subject for coaches and administrators.

The guidelines indicate that “following a concussion, many student-athletes will have difficulty in school.  These problems may last from days to months…”   The guidelines also explain that “At this time we do not know the long-term effects of concussions (or even the frequent sub-concussive impacts) which happen during high school athletics.”

The CIAC website includes a link to the “Sports Medicine & Concussion” information under two drop-down menu categories on the organization’s website: “CIAC for Students & Parents” and “CIAC for Administrators. “  It is not listed among the “CIAC for Coaches” links.

Regarding the schedule changes, Ledyard head coach Jim Buonocore, who serves on the committee that approved the revisions, told the New London Day, "You had teams playing three games in 10 days, which is not healthy." The Day reported that quarterfinal and semifinal games were played the Tuesday and Saturday after Thanksgiving because the playoffs had to be completed in two weeks. The CIAC didn't want to extend the season another week due to weather concerns, and because it would further interfere with winter sports.

The CIAC has changed its high school football playoff format in 2010, and intends to revisit the issue, balancing the traditional Thanksgiving conclusion of the regular season with the health interests of students on teams reaching the playoffs, the realities of New England winters, and the academic and school sports calendars.

Additional information about concussions and high school sports is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Whalers Return to Connecticut - On Lottery Tickets

If you’re wondering why you’re seeing and hearing more advertising featuring the logo and theme song of the defunct Hartford Whalers than the tryin’-to-survive Hartford Wolf Pack, the Connecticut Lottery is the reason.

The lottery is in the midst of a very visible media campaign prominently featuring the sound of “Brass Bonanza,” the former team’s distinctive anthem, and a computer animated rink with the Whalers logo glistening at center ice.

The television and web promotions for the scratch tickets come, coincidentally, as Gov. Dannel Malloy indicated in recent weeks that he’s spoken with “at least two groups” that are interested in acquiring an NHL team about the possibility of relocating or expanding to Hartford.

The Whalers were moved by their owner to North Carolina in 1997, despite solid attendance and a successful season ticket sale drive, after two decades in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League, first in Boston, then Hartford.

Last month, the State Bond Commission approved funds for improvements at the 34-year-old XL Center (formerly the Hartford Civic Center, rebuilt after a roof collapse three decades ago). Improvements will include an upgraded videoboard, a new fan club area, renovated bathrooms, concession stand upgrades, a new bar area within the arena bowl, renovated locker rooms and improvements in handicap accessibility. Construction is expected to take place in the summer and be completed by the start of the 2014-15 hockey season.

The CT Lottery received permission to use the Whalers logo for this promotion from the National Hockey League (NHL), which retains rights to the logo.  The scratch game tickets cost $3 and the maximum winning prize is $30,000.  It is anticipated that 1,200,000 tickets will be sold, and the overall odds of winning a monetary prize is 1 in 3.67.  The game launched at the start of the hockey season last fall, and will continue “until the last top prize in the game is claimed” according to lottery officials.

As of last Friday, there remained two $30,000 winning tickets, 15 tickets with  a prize amount of $1,979, 105 tickets worth $500, and 300 tickets worth $250 yet to be claimed.  More than 7,500 winning tickets between $25 and $100 have also yet to be claimed.

The CT Lottery's use of the Hartford Whalers® logo is a first for Connecticut, according to lottery officials  Other CT Lottery sports branded scratch tickets have included the NY Giants®, NY Yankees® and the Boston Red Sox®.  The last time that the Whalers were front and center on a CT Lottery ticket was in 1992, when the team was still in town.  At the time, “Whalers Power Play” tickets cost $1, with prizes ranging from  $2 to $1,000, including some drawings between periods at Whalers games.

“I have encouraged at least two groups that have expressed interest in acquiring a team to do so and that we would be active participants should they acquire a team and win the rights to that team,” Malloy said last month.  In the meantime, die-hard Whalers fans in Connecticut can buy lottery tickets - as they hope that an even bigger bonanza is in the cards.