HARTFORD — The Whalers have been gone from Connecticut’s capital city longer than they were in it, but for the first time in 21 years the team’s sweater will be worn in an N.H.L. game — when the Carolina Hurricanes host the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

The Hurricanes’ new owner, Tom Dundon, has been embracing the franchise’s heritage since last January, when he purchased controlling interest from Peter Karmanos, who had moved the team to North Carolina from Hartford in 1997. Almost immediately, the Hurricanes began selling Whalers gear at PNC Arena in Raleigh. In September, Dundon announced the team would celebrate a Whalers Night, which will happen Sunday, and would also wear Hartford sweaters on March 5 in Boston, 100 miles from the team’s old home.

In and around Hartford, there have been conflicted reactions to the rapprochement. Resentment lingers from the team’s move, and some people believe the new interest in the Whalers is tied to an opportunity for Carolina to sell merchandise.

“The jersey belongs to Hartford and the hockey fans in Hartford,” said Joseph Bajorski, 52, a real estate broker in Berlin, Conn., and a member of the Hartford Whalers Booster Club.