The Hartford Whalers were a North American professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.. Known as the New England Whalers when they were members of the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972–79, the club played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979–97. In 1997, the Whalers franchise was moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where it became the Carolina Hurricanes starting with the 1997–98 NHL season. As of 2009, the Whalers are the most recent NHL team to relocate.