Belated Congratulations to the Whale

Congratulations, Hartford. Our biggest pro sports team since the Hartford Dark Blues has finally won it all... in another state. The Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup this week, and here's what a friend of mine, who was at the game only to look for a nice gift for his wife, had to say about it in a Miami Herald piece.

VIEW FROM HARTFORD

Though a number of fans were spotted in Raleigh wearing the distinctive Hartford blue-and-green jerseys during the playoffs, a majority of Hartford's fans swore off the team once it moved.

Anthony Gargano, a Hartford fan from Easton, Conn., traveled here for Games 5 and 7.

''I went to the last game in Hartford, and this is like a culmination, or even some sort of closure for me,'' Gargano said Monday night. ``Seeing them complete the circle, they have nothing more to prove.

``When they left, I said I would never root for them. I put everything I had into them and they didn't give me anything back. Then, Opening Day came in 1997, and I found myself rooting for them again.''

Gargano said watching the players lift the Cup was a thrill, but seeing Karmanos with it didn't make him happy.

''I wouldn't say it hurt a little bit,'' he said. ``It hurts a lot. I would like to see a parade on Trumbull Street in downtown Hartford and not one in Raleigh. But that's pro sports for you.''

I'll always miss the Whale.