For Whom The Bridge Burns

So I got the following comment on me previous post:

I am all for honoring the Whale part of the team's history...something I wish the Canes would do more [of]...

There's actually a two-word answer to this:

They can't.

They can't honor the team's history very much, because of Pete Karmanos and that wonderful temper of his. The guy was in such a hurry to flee Hartford that he signed an exit agreement that not only dinged him to the tune of a few bills, but also gave up all rights to everything to do with the Whalers--the logo, the uniform designs, the 1986 Adams Division banner, and pretty much everything else (except, I think for "Brass Bonanza"). Everything Whalers that's been shown by the team has been stuff that's owned by the NHL--old video clips, file photos, and so on.

Does Uncle Pete regret it? I think so. He's commented that he liked the old Whalers color scheme (and, frankly, so did I--green is one of my favourite colours), and hinted that he didn't like having to give it all up--of course, my question is "If you didn't like giving it up, then why did you?"

In a nutshell, there's no going home again for this team--which makes me sad, because if there's one thing I hate it's a needlessly burned bridge.