Hurricanes Go Whalers Formal

Make no mistake that this picture of the Hartford Whalers from an era that is long past today's NHL has some interesting quirks. The player wearing #8 in the image is Risto Siltanen, and you can see the classic European Jofa helmet that he wore. The Oilers signed him in 1979 before trading him with Brent Loney to Hartford for Ken Linseman in 1982, but he was an effective scorer no matter where he landed. The Penguins player behind him is Pat Boutette who is without helmet, but Boutette played with the Whalers in 1980-81 before being awarded to Pittsburgh as compensation for the Whalers signing Greg Millen. And the goalie behind Boutette? That would be Greg Millen!

Of course, the one thing that stands out the most in that image are the pants worn by the Hartford Whalers, loving referred to by hockey people as "Cooperalls" thanks to hockey manufacturer Cooper introducing them to ice hockey, ringette, and broomball players in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Promoted by Cooper as having lighter weight, greater freedom for movement, and a more comfortable fit than normal hockey attire, this led to several NHL teams outfitting their players in Cooperalls, one of which were the Hartford Whalers.

Of course, they were short-lived in the NHL after players found that the material didn't slow them down if they fell, making crashes with the boards or the net or other players on the ice more impactful. Players also complained about how warm they got while wearing Cooperalls, and there was an outcry that goalies couldn't pick up the puck when playing the Flyers as the Cooperalls they wore were entirely black. Prior to the 1983–84 season, the NHL mandated that teams had to wear the short pants - aka breezers - with home and road socks, essentially banning Cooperalls from the NHL. An asterisk is also needed because the Flyers and Whalers wore the CCM Propac model of pants, not the Cooperalls!

You might be asking why I'm offering a brief history of the Cooperalls, and the image to the right should fill you in as the Carolina Hurricanes introduced a white Whalers jersey today, but they also have their model clad in Cooperalls! While social media has a clear divide showing between those who like versus those who dislike, the Cooperalls will be worn with the white Whalers jerseys this season, but ONLY FOR WARMUPS as the mandated rule by the NHL is still in place. Nevertheless, the Cooperalls are back with the Whalers, and the Hurricanes are living like it's 1982 again.

For those who may be asking when this formal Whalers uniform will take to the ice, February 10, 2024 is the date where it will be worn. I find it strange that they'll don the Cooperalls with the New Jersey Devils in town when they could have done it March 2 against the Winnipeg Jets or March 21 against the Philadelphia Flyers who also won Cooperalls in their histories, but I don't make these decisions. People with fancy business degrees make these decisions, and I don't have one of those hanging on my wall.

I'll say it upfront: I can live with them in warmup, but if they were to be used in a game it would be a hard "no" from me. Hockey socks are part of the uniform that makes it feel complete whereas this mess of pantlegs removes that needed contrast. As much as I appreciate green in hockey, these pants feel like they miss the mark. Perhaps if they were darker, it might work, but this outfit should be limited to warmups and nothing else.

February 10, 2024 will look a lot more like February 10, 1982 when the Carolina Hurricanes take the ice as the Hartford Whalers clad in white jerseys and their distinctive green Cooperalls!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!