Dom Amore’s Sunday Read: Ask Chuck Kaiton, sounds of the Whalers still resonate; young campers get soccer, life lessons and more

HARTFORD — It has been 27 years since the Whalers and Chuck Kaiton, their inimitable radio voice, left town. But the sometimes star-studded, and usually star-crossed hockey team still matters around here.

And that brings Chuck Kaiton back every year.

“It’s unprecedented,” Kaiton was saying as he signed autographs for fans at Dunkin Park Friday. “I don’t think any relocated team would ever have the love that the Whalers have from people here, and I think it’s fantastic. The only think that will ever make it diminish is time.”

By that, Kaiton, 72, means is that the time will come when there are no longer fans old enough to remember the Whalers. But given the enduring popularity of the colors, green and blue, borrowed by the Yard Goats, who stage Whalers Weekend every summer, and Hartford Athletic, and the fluke-and-H logo, that time still seems far off.

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So why the enduring love affair with a franchise that had only one somewhat deep playoff run in its 18-year history?

“It probably stems back to the merger in 1979 ,” Kaiton said. “The other (World Hockey Association teams) that came in (to the NHL), they were all Canadian markets, all small-market teams. We were the only American team, and already had a track record of being in an area that was hockey-savvy because of New Haven and Springfield. It was a perfect situation. And another big reason, the players got out in the community and were among the people, and they appreciated that.”

Kaiton joined a host of former Whalers players for a visit to St. Francis Hospital on Friday, an autograph session before the Yard Goats game with Harrisburg, and a luncheon on Saturday.

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Reminders of the Whalers, too, continue to run through the veins of the league. Dean Evason, who played in Hartford from 1984-91, was recently hired as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. And Paul Maurice, the last Whalers coach, is still at it and, having just won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers after years of near-misses, is probably on his way to the Hall of Fame.

“I was ecstatic for Paul,” Kaiton said. “We’ve kept in contact. I was so happy for him. He had the advantage of being a coach early, 28 years old, and at every stop he’s had setbacks, but he always plowed forward and persevered. He was mature beyond his years, and as soon as he came here, he was different. A special guy right from the beginning.”

Kaiton called NHL games for 39 years, 18 in Hartford, where he raised his family, and 21 more with the franchise after it moved to Raleigh to be rebranded the Carolina Hurricanes.

The idea of the Hurricanes playing in Whalers uniforms hit Kaiton wrong at first, but it has grown on him.

“It’s one game a year,” Kaiton said. “At first, I saw it as a cash grab. When that organization first started doing it, it reopened the wound from moving. That’s how I felt. I thought the Whalers had their own NHL history, let’s leave it at that. As time has gone on, I’ve embraced it as much as the people there.”

Kaiton is retired now, spending most of his time playing golf in North Carolina, but being remembered as “the voice of the Whalers” is still the thing for him, he says. Now, the million, or $100’s-of-million dollar question: Will the NHL ever return ?

“No,” Kaiton said. “I have to be honest. I’m a realist, and under the financial conditions today, it would take a special set of circumstances. I think there is potential to have a successful team here, but the blocks are almost insurmountable, starting with the NHL.”

More for your Sunday Read:

Young soccer players get valuable lessons in Hartford

Had a chance to walk around Colt Park on a gorgeous summer day and watch some young people, boys and girls 8 to 18, enjoying soccer and learning all kinds of cool stuff at the Ucal McKenzie Breakaway Foundation camp. McKenzie died of sudden cardiac arrest as he played soccer in Boston in 2009, and his wife, Suzanne, has carried on his legacy with the foundation, which has run camps in Boston for 15 years, and in Hartford for the last seven. More than 100 children, mostly from Hartford and the surrounding towns, registered for the five-day camp this week.

“It’s very evident that youth sports has become unaffordable,” Suzanne McKenzie said. “That’s a huge thing we’re up against. All of our kids pay from zero to $99 for a full week of camp, something I’m very proud of and we’re able to do with our sponsors.”

The campers listened to guest speakers every day, from Connecticut Children’s Medical Center one day talking about preventing injuries, and they’ve learned about CPR, the importance of hydration, and other health issues.

“I really like this camp,” said Aricella Vargas, 12, of West Hartford, who was in her fourth year here, while her brother, Armando, 8, was in camp for the first time. “The coaches are really determined to get you where you want to go. I told my brother it was going to be very on-point, you’re going to have to try your very hardest, hustle, be in the game, not to dilly-dally.”

Armando, a goalkeeper, wore a T-shirt signed by several Hartford Athletic players, “I love the camp. We’ve learned toe-touches, juggles, basically a lot of stuff.”

Hartford Athletic , one of the event sponsors, was training for its game at Trinity Health Stadium as the youngsters were working nearby, and the players also came by to interact with the kids.

“Ucal was really about the three Ds: discipline, determination and dedication,” Suzanne McKenzie said. “And I think he would impart that upon this generation. He would love to see they’re having fun, enjoying the game, enjoying their youth.”

Stars to come out for family of fallen state trooper

* Rob Dibble , the former big-league reliever from Southington and host of his afternoon sports talk show on Fox Sports 97.9, and retired state police sergeant Christopher Ganzer, are organizing a celebrity softball game Aug. 24 at Dunkin Park at 3 p.m., with a silent auction, to benefit the family of state trooper first class Aaron Pelletier, who lost his life in the line of duty, struck and killed on I-84 in May.

Among the celebrities lined up to participate are Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, former major-leaguers Carl Pavano and Shane Spencer, former NFL players Tebucky Jones and Jordan Reed, SCSU men’s basketball coach Scott Burrell and former UConn women’s basketball star Ashley Battle. Tickets ($15) can be purchased through the Yard Goats box office. All proceeds are to go directly to the Pelletier family.

“This event is not only about raising funds but also showing the Pelletier family they are not alone during this difficult time,” Dibble said. “The outpouring of support from our celebrity guests and the community has been overwhelming.”

For more information, contact Jodi Ganzer at JLGanzer@outlook.com

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Sunday short takes

*Summer reading: Author Karen L. Swanson from Westport, has written a book for young readers on Toni Stone, the first woman to play professional baseball. Stone replaced Hank Aaron on the roster of the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League in 1953, and later played for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1954. “ Swinging Into History, Toni Stone: Big-League Baseball’s First Woman Player, ” illustrated by Lauren Freeman, published by Penguin Random House, will be out Aug. 6.

*Nick Ahmed, the Gold Glove shortstop from UConn, released by the Giants, has hooked on with the Dodgers for a postseason chase. He homered to help beat the Giants in his second game as a Dodger. “I love that we’re a winning team here and will play for a championship hopefully in a couple months,” Ahmed told reporters afterward.

*I’m always fascinated by linguistic trends, so I’ve been wondering when and how “of course,” replaced “you’re welcome” as the response to “thank you.”

*A fun baseball fact you might not have known: Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg made his pro debut with the Hartford Senators as a 19-year-old in 1930. He went 12 for 56, then was sent to a lower league, but hit homers in each of his last two games at Bulkeley Stadium May 9 and 10. He debuted with the Tigers in September of that year.

*Dan Hurley, always superstitious, wants to stick close to repeating last offseason’s series of events as the UConn men go for a threepeat. This benefits Catholic Charities in Hartford, as the group was able to secure the coach’s return to its Help and Hope Breakfast. Hurley, who appeared last year, will be back at the Hartford Golf Club Nov. 15, 7:30 a.m. to help raise funds for the organization’s programs.

* Jack Cooper, from Berlin High and SCSU, has been promoted from senior defensive analyst to assistant secondary coach at Wisconsin. Cooper, who has coached at Yale, UCF and Nebraska, was Rhode Island’s defensive coordinator for three seasons before moving to Wisconsin in 2023.

*Did Bob Gibson or Don Drysdale or Nolan Ryan need a stop watch to tell if somebody took too long to trot around the bases?

Last word

Maybe an unpopular opinion: Now that it is clear the Yankees have numerous needs to address long-term, would it make any sense at all to give Juan Soto $500 million or more when that money could be spread to sign a half a dozen players? The question should be asked, especially when Soto, great a hitter as he is, plays the same position Aaron Judge is best suited to play.