Well, hello everyone. Despite what the lack of posts on this blog may lead you to believe, I have not dropped off the face of the Earth.
And, I hate to say it, but I wouldn't expect many posts upcoming for a while. The reason? Well, there's a lot that goes into it.
I had previously thought that the reason I didn't post as much was purely time related. The season always starts up right when school starts up, and since I've been getting into higher level courses I have little free time. But my addiction to Flash games always spoke against that, and I didn't post at all over winter break when I literally had nothing to do.
So what's the reason why I don't really post anymore? Is it because I don't spend time with computers anymore? Ha. No. My laptop is up and running when I am and only goes to sleep when I do. It is still on my to-do list to give this blog a nice template redo sometime in the near future.
Is it because I don't like to write anymore? The multiple drafts of stories and novels on my harddrive are proof against that. And to be honest, blogging is a lot easier to do than actually write (something about fully developed thoughts not being needed).
Is it because I don't like sports anymore? Heck no. ESPN is often the channel on my TV and I devour hockey facts like the Cookie Monster at the Chips Ahoy factory. No, I'm still a sports fanatic, and that will likely never change.
So what is it? Why does posting here not matter as much to me as it once did?
The only reason I can come up with is that I just don't care about this team anymore. No, not that I don't like the Hurricanes - I would have to throw out half of my wardrobe if that were to happen - I just don't care about these 2011-2012 Hurricanes.
But, you say, you've continually posted through horrible seasons before. You kept blogging through 14 game losing streaks and the misery that came with it. They don't even have Paul Maurice anymore and they're playing entertaining hockey again - why now?
And to that, good reader, I must say that I'm not really sure, but I think it's because there's absolutely no hope for this season. Win or lose, the Canes are going nowhere. And, unlike previous seasons, this isn't a new thing. Being a pathetic hockey team is old hat. What's new to post? Oh we have a horrible power play and penalty kill. Done before. Our captain has the worst plus/minus in the league. Yeah, that's nothing new. The only thing new and fresh about this season was Jeff Skinner, and he ended up getting injured.
There are a lot of players I like on this team. Jeff Skinner is one, Tuomo Ruutu another. Gleason and LaRose, of course. And I really do think that Kirk Mueller has things going in the right direction. But as a whole, this team is not inspiring enough to write about.
So what now? I'm not going away. Maybe after this I'll start posting regularly because I want to prove that I still love doing this. I'll definitely post about any trades or anything important like that. But I wouldn't expect much as a reader for a while.
You can, of course, always follow me on Twitter, as I never forget to update that.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Friday, December 16, 2011
I finally like what I'm seeing
Oh. My. Goodness. Best hockey of the season tonight.
I've been able to see two games so far under the Muller regime, and I have to say I love it. The hockey I saw was absolutely amazing. It was entertaining, it actually used our offensive talents, it's creating a chemistry within the team that I hadn't seen up to this point.
Love love love love love it!
Tonight's game was great. The Canes beat the Canucks 4-3 - and the Canucks are no slouch of a team this season. Drayson Bowman had two goals and the offense overall seemed to be clicking and getting legitimate chances. Cam Ward was amazing. Finally I see the Ward that Caniacs have come to expect - making the tough saves to keep his team in the game.
Everything would appear to be coming together for this team system-wise. Finally! If only this had happened before the Canes were deep into a 'rebuilding season'.
Unfortunately, everything isn't coming together on the injury front. Both Joni Pitkanen and Jeff Skinner are out with concussions - I'm very disappointed, as I always love to see Skinner do his work on the ice. I really hope that they both come back soon. There seems to be a rash of concussions in the league recently, especially those which put players out for long periods of time.
I'm still in awe about tonight's play though. For the first time in a very long while I felt excited watching this team play. I've definitely missed this look from my favorite team.
I've been able to see two games so far under the Muller regime, and I have to say I love it. The hockey I saw was absolutely amazing. It was entertaining, it actually used our offensive talents, it's creating a chemistry within the team that I hadn't seen up to this point.
Love love love love love it!
Tonight's game was great. The Canes beat the Canucks 4-3 - and the Canucks are no slouch of a team this season. Drayson Bowman had two goals and the offense overall seemed to be clicking and getting legitimate chances. Cam Ward was amazing. Finally I see the Ward that Caniacs have come to expect - making the tough saves to keep his team in the game.
Everything would appear to be coming together for this team system-wise. Finally! If only this had happened before the Canes were deep into a 'rebuilding season'.
Unfortunately, everything isn't coming together on the injury front. Both Joni Pitkanen and Jeff Skinner are out with concussions - I'm very disappointed, as I always love to see Skinner do his work on the ice. I really hope that they both come back soon. There seems to be a rash of concussions in the league recently, especially those which put players out for long periods of time.
I'm still in awe about tonight's play though. For the first time in a very long while I felt excited watching this team play. I've definitely missed this look from my favorite team.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
A new coach!
Finally!
Yesterday the Canes fired Paul Maurice, a decision that was greeted with much joy from this sector of the Caniac Nation - and that was without knowing the coach that was hired. Later in the day, the Canes announced that they had given the head coaching position to Kirk Muller, a former Montreal Canadiens assistant who Rutherford plucked from behind the bench of the AHL Milwaukee Admirals.
Everything I have read about Muller sounds very optimistic - he seems like he'll bring the fresh outlook that the Canes need behind the bench. This sounds like a great signing - although anything that wasn't some kind of Rutherford retread would probably sound like a great signing at this point. Muller doesn't have any NHL head coaching experience, but all reports were that some team would have picked him up soon.
Compare this enthusiasm to my reaction to the previous coaching change. This one is so much better!
I am still surprised that the Canes didn't move Jeff Daniels up from Charlotte to coach the big club - but they apparently didn't want to shake up the good thing he's got going in Charlotte. Which I can kind of understand, but I would not be surprised to see him getting interviewed by teams soon - he's had a good amount of success in Charlotte.
Muller's first game behind the bench was tonight, and was it a 3-1 loss to Florida. But honestly? Don't care. Just the fact that Maurice is no longer behind the bench is success enough for me.
...Not really. I would like to watch some playoffs with my own team in them this year. But I think this is one step to making that become a reality. Or at least not a total pipe dream.
Yesterday the Canes fired Paul Maurice, a decision that was greeted with much joy from this sector of the Caniac Nation - and that was without knowing the coach that was hired. Later in the day, the Canes announced that they had given the head coaching position to Kirk Muller, a former Montreal Canadiens assistant who Rutherford plucked from behind the bench of the AHL Milwaukee Admirals.
Everything I have read about Muller sounds very optimistic - he seems like he'll bring the fresh outlook that the Canes need behind the bench. This sounds like a great signing - although anything that wasn't some kind of Rutherford retread would probably sound like a great signing at this point. Muller doesn't have any NHL head coaching experience, but all reports were that some team would have picked him up soon.
Compare this enthusiasm to my reaction to the previous coaching change. This one is so much better!
I am still surprised that the Canes didn't move Jeff Daniels up from Charlotte to coach the big club - but they apparently didn't want to shake up the good thing he's got going in Charlotte. Which I can kind of understand, but I would not be surprised to see him getting interviewed by teams soon - he's had a good amount of success in Charlotte.
Muller's first game behind the bench was tonight, and was it a 3-1 loss to Florida. But honestly? Don't care. Just the fact that Maurice is no longer behind the bench is success enough for me.
...Not really. I would like to watch some playoffs with my own team in them this year. But I think this is one step to making that become a reality. Or at least not a total pipe dream.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Well that wasn't horrible hockey...
Going into my Thanksgiving break, I was not expecting to see anywhere near good hockey. The Canes were coming off of a 4-0 Montreal loss that was by all accounts absolutely horrendous. Paul Maurice's hot seat was positively scalding and it seemed as though the Canes had hit the hardest rock at the bottom.
Now that I'm two games in... well, the hockey I saw wasn't horrible. I won't go so far to say that it was good, but it wasn't terrible.
That being said, I still think Mo should go. Both games that I saw (Friday's 1-0 loss to Buffalo and today's 3-2 win over Toronto) consisted of some of the most boring hockey I've ever seen. There's nothing exciting about this hockey team, nothing spectacular. The offense is, at best, lackluster - consider that there were very few decent chances against Buffalo and that one of tonight's goals was a fluke, not to mention Toronto played bad hockey of their own.
Maurice said after the Buffalo game that "That was the best all-around team game that we've played this year" - if that was the best game this year, then I am certainly glad to have not seen any Canes hockey since opening weekend. I find it appalling that the best game of the year (so far, hopefully) can have the Canes score zero goals and look pretty pathetic on offense. Yes, they did battle a bit more and played defense - something they couldn't do previously - but that does not make them a good team. I saw a very mediocre team on the ice these past two games.
And that's why I still think Maurice should go. I don't see this team getting any better under his reign - leading up to these past two games most of his quotes consisted of not knowing what was wrong, not knowing how to motivate the team... that's not the voice of someone I want leading my team. I suppose there might be some burgeoning optimism for him as coach after these games that didn't completely suck - but this team is going to have to rattle off about a six game win streak for me to feel anything other than doubt about this season.
Not everything is doom and gloom, however. Jeff Skinner still looks amazing - although he does seem to get beat up around the boards a lot. Tuomo Ruutu impressed me with his fire. And... well, that's all I can think of right now. But it's a start. I guess.
Tomorrow is another game, this time in Philly. We'll see if this 'better' play continues and if it can save Maurice's job.
Now that I'm two games in... well, the hockey I saw wasn't horrible. I won't go so far to say that it was good, but it wasn't terrible.
That being said, I still think Mo should go. Both games that I saw (Friday's 1-0 loss to Buffalo and today's 3-2 win over Toronto) consisted of some of the most boring hockey I've ever seen. There's nothing exciting about this hockey team, nothing spectacular. The offense is, at best, lackluster - consider that there were very few decent chances against Buffalo and that one of tonight's goals was a fluke, not to mention Toronto played bad hockey of their own.
Maurice said after the Buffalo game that "That was the best all-around team game that we've played this year" - if that was the best game this year, then I am certainly glad to have not seen any Canes hockey since opening weekend. I find it appalling that the best game of the year (so far, hopefully) can have the Canes score zero goals and look pretty pathetic on offense. Yes, they did battle a bit more and played defense - something they couldn't do previously - but that does not make them a good team. I saw a very mediocre team on the ice these past two games.
And that's why I still think Maurice should go. I don't see this team getting any better under his reign - leading up to these past two games most of his quotes consisted of not knowing what was wrong, not knowing how to motivate the team... that's not the voice of someone I want leading my team. I suppose there might be some burgeoning optimism for him as coach after these games that didn't completely suck - but this team is going to have to rattle off about a six game win streak for me to feel anything other than doubt about this season.
Not everything is doom and gloom, however. Jeff Skinner still looks amazing - although he does seem to get beat up around the boards a lot. Tuomo Ruutu impressed me with his fire. And... well, that's all I can think of right now. But it's a start. I guess.
Tomorrow is another game, this time in Philly. We'll see if this 'better' play continues and if it can save Maurice's job.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
A frustrating month of hockey
Hmm... it's been almost a month. I suppose I should write something about this team.
Overall, the Canes are 5-6-3 with 13 points - enough to gain them 11th in the Eastern Conference and 4th in the Southeast. This is slightly worse than last year around this time, where the Canes were 7-7-0 and 10th in the East. Oh boy.
I haven't been keeping up with the team as much as normal... but what I've been able to listen to and read about on the internet does not give me warm and fuzzy feelings. Eric Staal, our wonderful captain, is taking after the last captain in that he has the worst plus/minus in the league at -16. (Out of all the things to take after Brind'Amour in, he chooses the plus/minus...) He also only has 5 points through 14 games and hasn't gotten a point in the last five, which is not necessarily the rate that we want our star player to be producing at.
Another alarming trend for the Canes is that they seem to not have enough fire in the game (specifically the last two losses).
The above quote was taken from the recap from the Washington loss on Friday. The part that is concerning to me is the "I don't have an explanation for it" section - he's the coach, he ought to have a reason for why the team plays like crap. Granted, this is coming from someone who was hoping the Canes would completely tank so that Maurice was fired - but it really really frustrates me to be reading these sorts of quotes. Because what happened after the Washington game? The Canes turned around and lost to Dallas in a game that wasn't even really a game after going down early. You would expect to see some change, but apparently that's too much to ask.
I go back to a game two weeks ago, where the Canes lost in a shootout to the Ottawa Senators. The led the Senators in shots the first period, and I actually had a warm and fuzzy feeling about the team. They then allowed Ottawa to score two goals in the second and the team generally plays like crap from there on until five minutes left in the the third when Ruutu scored a fluke goal. I don't think I've ever been so frustrated at a game I wasn't watching. Listening to Chuck K call this game was like listening to every poor game from last season. The Canes can't score and only play at tops 20 minutes of good hockey, hoping that a last minute drive will pull them out of a hole.
Because this team seems like the exact same team as last year, with some cast changes. They're frustratingly inconsistent and seem to be going nowhere. I don't see anything changing, which is not good as the present is not looking particularly positive. I really really hope they get rid of Maurice - I hate to see anyone out of a job, but I really don't see what option the team has. Nothing is different. Nothing is exciting. Nothing is making me want to turn off Pandora and listen to the Canes while I work. I know that waiting for me is a team with a lack of passion, at least until the third period when it could be too late.
So, yeah, that's my bitter monthly update.
Overall, the Canes are 5-6-3 with 13 points - enough to gain them 11th in the Eastern Conference and 4th in the Southeast. This is slightly worse than last year around this time, where the Canes were 7-7-0 and 10th in the East. Oh boy.
I haven't been keeping up with the team as much as normal... but what I've been able to listen to and read about on the internet does not give me warm and fuzzy feelings. Eric Staal, our wonderful captain, is taking after the last captain in that he has the worst plus/minus in the league at -16. (Out of all the things to take after Brind'Amour in, he chooses the plus/minus...) He also only has 5 points through 14 games and hasn't gotten a point in the last five, which is not necessarily the rate that we want our star player to be producing at.
Another alarming trend for the Canes is that they seem to not have enough fire in the game (specifically the last two losses).
"I don't have an explanation for it, but we did not have the fire in order to win that game," Carolina coach Paul Maurice said. "And that's the bottom line. Whether it's your passing, your hitting, whatever it is."
The above quote was taken from the recap from the Washington loss on Friday. The part that is concerning to me is the "I don't have an explanation for it" section - he's the coach, he ought to have a reason for why the team plays like crap. Granted, this is coming from someone who was hoping the Canes would completely tank so that Maurice was fired - but it really really frustrates me to be reading these sorts of quotes. Because what happened after the Washington game? The Canes turned around and lost to Dallas in a game that wasn't even really a game after going down early. You would expect to see some change, but apparently that's too much to ask.
I go back to a game two weeks ago, where the Canes lost in a shootout to the Ottawa Senators. The led the Senators in shots the first period, and I actually had a warm and fuzzy feeling about the team. They then allowed Ottawa to score two goals in the second and the team generally plays like crap from there on until five minutes left in the the third when Ruutu scored a fluke goal. I don't think I've ever been so frustrated at a game I wasn't watching. Listening to Chuck K call this game was like listening to every poor game from last season. The Canes can't score and only play at tops 20 minutes of good hockey, hoping that a last minute drive will pull them out of a hole.
Because this team seems like the exact same team as last year, with some cast changes. They're frustratingly inconsistent and seem to be going nowhere. I don't see anything changing, which is not good as the present is not looking particularly positive. I really really hope they get rid of Maurice - I hate to see anyone out of a job, but I really don't see what option the team has. Nothing is different. Nothing is exciting. Nothing is making me want to turn off Pandora and listen to the Canes while I work. I know that waiting for me is a team with a lack of passion, at least until the third period when it could be too late.
So, yeah, that's my bitter monthly update.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Opening Weekend Recap
Hockey is finally here, which is great because it means the start of a brand new season, where fans all across the league can forget about the past and look forward to the future and a clean slate.
Or, if you're a Canes fan, you can be horribly reminded of exactly what kept you out of the playoffs last season. Namely the Tampa Bay Lightning beating the snot out of us in our own building.
Yep, it was the same old same old in Raleigh on Friday night, when the Canes lost 5-1 to the Lightning.
The good things:
- Tailgating is amazing, and Friday provided a great day for it. Warm temperatures, sunny skies, and absolutely delicious food on the grill. It was definitely nice to be back and tailgating before the game.
- Jeff Skinner is so awesome. He pretty much created the entire scoring play of the game by himself. He is the shining light among darkness when I think about this game and our chances for the season.
The bad things:
- Eric Staal played like crap. He didn't seem to really be pressing for the puck at all, ever.
- Jussi Jokinen took a stupid penalty that gave Tampa a goal. Unsportsmanlike conduct is always stupid, but shooting the puck at the ref is several kinds of stupid.
- The Canes appeared to give up after Tampa got their third goal. Actually, overall, this game did not have the effort I'd have liked to see from a team that was supposedly still fuming about being knocked out of the playoffs.
Luckily (I suppose), the Opening Night game was not the only one that the Canes played this weekend. They also played last night against the C[r]apitals, losing in overtime 4-3.
The Canes looked a lot better in this one, showing a lot of fire in parts. Eric Staal, for one, picked up his game significantly, scoring the first two goals for the Canes. I'm really glad the Canes were able to play so closely with Washington, as Washington is supposed to be one of the better teams in the East this year. That being said, stupid penalties did the Canes in again, the game winner coming off of a power play goal.
So what do I think of these new 2011-2012 Canes? They look a lot like last year's Canes. Which isn't ideal. During the Washington broadcast I caught Tripp Tracy saying something along the lines of "that's the Cardiac Canes again". And honestly, I don't think that's a good thing. Is a little bit of consistency too much to ask? Apparently so.
So, yeah, I guess Opening Night didn't really put me in an optimistic mood for the Canes this season. But that's to be expected, when the first hockey you see of a team is the same kind of hockey that was a let down last season.
Or, if you're a Canes fan, you can be horribly reminded of exactly what kept you out of the playoffs last season. Namely the Tampa Bay Lightning beating the snot out of us in our own building.
Yep, it was the same old same old in Raleigh on Friday night, when the Canes lost 5-1 to the Lightning.
The good things:
- Tailgating is amazing, and Friday provided a great day for it. Warm temperatures, sunny skies, and absolutely delicious food on the grill. It was definitely nice to be back and tailgating before the game.
- Jeff Skinner is so awesome. He pretty much created the entire scoring play of the game by himself. He is the shining light among darkness when I think about this game and our chances for the season.
The bad things:
- Eric Staal played like crap. He didn't seem to really be pressing for the puck at all, ever.
- Jussi Jokinen took a stupid penalty that gave Tampa a goal. Unsportsmanlike conduct is always stupid, but shooting the puck at the ref is several kinds of stupid.
- The Canes appeared to give up after Tampa got their third goal. Actually, overall, this game did not have the effort I'd have liked to see from a team that was supposedly still fuming about being knocked out of the playoffs.
Luckily (I suppose), the Opening Night game was not the only one that the Canes played this weekend. They also played last night against the C[r]apitals, losing in overtime 4-3.
The Canes looked a lot better in this one, showing a lot of fire in parts. Eric Staal, for one, picked up his game significantly, scoring the first two goals for the Canes. I'm really glad the Canes were able to play so closely with Washington, as Washington is supposed to be one of the better teams in the East this year. That being said, stupid penalties did the Canes in again, the game winner coming off of a power play goal.
So what do I think of these new 2011-2012 Canes? They look a lot like last year's Canes. Which isn't ideal. During the Washington broadcast I caught Tripp Tracy saying something along the lines of "that's the Cardiac Canes again". And honestly, I don't think that's a good thing. Is a little bit of consistency too much to ask? Apparently so.
So, yeah, I guess Opening Night didn't really put me in an optimistic mood for the Canes this season. But that's to be expected, when the first hockey you see of a team is the same kind of hockey that was a let down last season.
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Hockey is almost here!
Less than a week until Opening Night!
I, for one, am really looking forward to the start of this season, if only because I'll actually be able to attend the Canes Opening Night game for the first time in two years.
Am I looking forward to this season's Canes? Eh... maybe. I've read a lot of team preview type things over the past month or so and they all seem to say the same thing - that the Canes didn't add much to their roster and defense still looks to be a weak point.
For example, a quote lifted from NHL.com's preview:
But let's look at what we have so far this preseason. The roster was recently chopped to 24, with a surprise (at least for me) in Zach Boychuk being sent to Charlotte. Admittedly, I haven't been able to catch much of the Canes preseason games/practices (I mean, really, it is football season), but I would have hoped that Boychuk would have had enough to stay with the big team - I really have liked what I've seen from him.
As for the actual preseason games and whatnot... the Canes have the spectacular record of 1-4. Which doesn't look good, but it is the preseason, and there's a reason I favor football over preseason hockey. Namely, the preseason doesn't really matter when comes to playing in games that actually matter.
Although, an interesting thought I just had... if the Canes start out horribly, will they get rid of Paul Maurice? Maybe starting out poorly wouldn't be too bad... but, actually, please, for the love of everything good, let's not have another 14 game losing streak. That was horrendous.
Really, I just hope the Canes are consistent this year. If you're going to be bad, be horrible. Get a good draft pick. If you're going to be good, have a solid place in the top 6 of the Eastern Conference. I really do not want to have to deal with another year of mediocrity that ends with disappointment when the Canes let a playoff spot slip through their fingers. That has happened far too much and it's getting kind of annoying.
Regular season starts next Friday, so all the speculation will end then. Let's play some hockey!
I, for one, am really looking forward to the start of this season, if only because I'll actually be able to attend the Canes Opening Night game for the first time in two years.
Am I looking forward to this season's Canes? Eh... maybe. I've read a lot of team preview type things over the past month or so and they all seem to say the same thing - that the Canes didn't add much to their roster and defense still looks to be a weak point.
For example, a quote lifted from NHL.com's preview:
Kaberle was the only defenseman that Carolina picked up in the offseason and defense is not his strongest suit.Yeah... that really doesn't invoke a lot of confidence in me. Especially considering how Kaberle didn't play the best in the playoffs for the Bruins.
But let's look at what we have so far this preseason. The roster was recently chopped to 24, with a surprise (at least for me) in Zach Boychuk being sent to Charlotte. Admittedly, I haven't been able to catch much of the Canes preseason games/practices (I mean, really, it is football season), but I would have hoped that Boychuk would have had enough to stay with the big team - I really have liked what I've seen from him.
As for the actual preseason games and whatnot... the Canes have the spectacular record of 1-4. Which doesn't look good, but it is the preseason, and there's a reason I favor football over preseason hockey. Namely, the preseason doesn't really matter when comes to playing in games that actually matter.
Although, an interesting thought I just had... if the Canes start out horribly, will they get rid of Paul Maurice? Maybe starting out poorly wouldn't be too bad... but, actually, please, for the love of everything good, let's not have another 14 game losing streak. That was horrendous.
Really, I just hope the Canes are consistent this year. If you're going to be bad, be horrible. Get a good draft pick. If you're going to be good, have a solid place in the top 6 of the Eastern Conference. I really do not want to have to deal with another year of mediocrity that ends with disappointment when the Canes let a playoff spot slip through their fingers. That has happened far too much and it's getting kind of annoying.
Regular season starts next Friday, so all the speculation will end then. Let's play some hockey!
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Remembering Joe Vasicek
Today was a horrible day for hockey. Early this morning a plane carrying the KHL Locomotiv team crashed, killing 43 on board. A selection of former NHL players were on board, including former Cane Josef Vasicek.
If you look at the archives of this blog (please don't, my writing was horrendous in high school), you'll probably find a lot of posts bemoaning his play as a Cane. But that neglects the person himself. Because when I heard the news this morning, and I thought about his time as a Cane I didn't think about the ice. I thought about the one season ticket holder event I went to, where I clearly remember my dad asking him about his knee rehab. I remember his big smile and how he softly answered that everything was well - a personalized response, despite the fact that he had probably been asked the same thing a hundred times already that night. A small moment for sure, but one that seems to sum up his personality. A much better remembrance is written here.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those on the plane. Hopefully happier times are ahead for the members of the global hockey family.
If you look at the archives of this blog (please don't, my writing was horrendous in high school), you'll probably find a lot of posts bemoaning his play as a Cane. But that neglects the person himself. Because when I heard the news this morning, and I thought about his time as a Cane I didn't think about the ice. I thought about the one season ticket holder event I went to, where I clearly remember my dad asking him about his knee rehab. I remember his big smile and how he softly answered that everything was well - a personalized response, despite the fact that he had probably been asked the same thing a hundred times already that night. A small moment for sure, but one that seems to sum up his personality. A much better remembrance is written here.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those on the plane. Hopefully happier times are ahead for the members of the global hockey family.
Friday, July 01, 2011
Goodbye again Erik
And so the Erik Cole era ends in North Carolina.
Cole signed with the Montreal Canadiens today for a four year contract at $4.5 mil per year. Considering the length of the contract, it's probably unlikely that the best power forward evah! will be back with the Canes.
Now, this isn't the first time that Cole has left the Canes, but I doubt that Rutherford will trade for him again - the contract is a little unwieldy, and I'm not surprised that the Canes weren't willing to shell out that much.
I seem to be taking the loss of my favorite player a bit better than I did last time. Yeah, last time, when I was a crazy psychotic high schooler, I got all upset and did crazy stuff like change the background of the blog to black. Oh, you all can see I've changed the background again? Guess I turned into a crazy psychotic college student...
Anyways, I wish Erik the best in Montreal - he always played extremely well in their arena, so hopefully that trend will continue - as long as he's not playing the Canes, that is.
Beyond that, the Canes were relatively active today, signing four free agents. They resigned Jiri Tlusty to a one year, minimum amount contract. They signed center Tim Brent, previously of the Toronto Maple Leafs, to a two-year contract. They signed Brian Boucher, rescuing him from Philadelphia goalie hell, to a two year contract for just under a million per. And, finally, they signed Alexei Ponikarovsky to a one year contract for $1.5 mil.
I like Tlusty's contract, if he doesn't pan out, the Canes didn't lose much in the process - maybe he will finally come into his own. I don't know much about Tim Brent, but he sounds like he could be a good fourth-liner with penalty killing ability. Brian Boucher will hopefully be a consistent backup to take some of the obnoxious load that the Canes always put on Cam Ward. And Ponikarovsky seems like a good winger addition. I also can't wait to hear Chuck Kaiton to say that name.
In the article on the Canes site summarizing the day, it sounds like the Canes still want to add another winger to replace Cole's loss (and a big loss that is, considering how he played last season and his chemistry with Eric Staal), but that the Canes are probably going to wait for a trade to make that happen. That probably means that the rest of the immediate summer will be rather uneventful, unless said trade occurs.
All in all, not too bad of a signing day... except of course for the gaping hole left in my heart for Erik Cole. No, I'm not being overdramatic at all.
Cole signed with the Montreal Canadiens today for a four year contract at $4.5 mil per year. Considering the length of the contract, it's probably unlikely that the best power forward evah! will be back with the Canes.
Now, this isn't the first time that Cole has left the Canes, but I doubt that Rutherford will trade for him again - the contract is a little unwieldy, and I'm not surprised that the Canes weren't willing to shell out that much.
I seem to be taking the loss of my favorite player a bit better than I did last time. Yeah, last time, when I was a crazy psychotic high schooler, I got all upset and did crazy stuff like change the background of the blog to black. Oh, you all can see I've changed the background again? Guess I turned into a crazy psychotic college student...
Anyways, I wish Erik the best in Montreal - he always played extremely well in their arena, so hopefully that trend will continue - as long as he's not playing the Canes, that is.
Beyond that, the Canes were relatively active today, signing four free agents. They resigned Jiri Tlusty to a one year, minimum amount contract. They signed center Tim Brent, previously of the Toronto Maple Leafs, to a two-year contract. They signed Brian Boucher, rescuing him from Philadelphia goalie hell, to a two year contract for just under a million per. And, finally, they signed Alexei Ponikarovsky to a one year contract for $1.5 mil.
I like Tlusty's contract, if he doesn't pan out, the Canes didn't lose much in the process - maybe he will finally come into his own. I don't know much about Tim Brent, but he sounds like he could be a good fourth-liner with penalty killing ability. Brian Boucher will hopefully be a consistent backup to take some of the obnoxious load that the Canes always put on Cam Ward. And Ponikarovsky seems like a good winger addition. I also can't wait to hear Chuck Kaiton to say that name.
In the article on the Canes site summarizing the day, it sounds like the Canes still want to add another winger to replace Cole's loss (and a big loss that is, considering how he played last season and his chemistry with Eric Staal), but that the Canes are probably going to wait for a trade to make that happen. That probably means that the rest of the immediate summer will be rather uneventful, unless said trade occurs.
All in all, not too bad of a signing day... except of course for the gaping hole left in my heart for Erik Cole. No, I'm not being overdramatic at all.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
An active week for the Canes
Quite a bit has happened over the last week and a half - and it doesn't look like the news is going to slow down anytime soon, so let's get caught up, shall we?
The amazingly wonderful Jeff Skinner won the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year. I heard the Awards ceremony was pretty horrible to watch, so I'm glad I wasn't quite that bored this year to suffer through it. But I am very happy for Skinner - us Caniacs knew how awesome he was this season, so it's nice to see him get some credit from the rest of the league as well.
The 2011-2012 schedule was released. I'm excited because I'll get to see the Opening Night game for the first time in a few years.
I think I'll take this opportunity to mention the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets move. In short, not a fan. I like the South. I like hockey. I get really really really tired of people cracking jokes about hockey not belonging in the South. So I feel for Atlanta because their fans got screwed and nobody really seems to care. I'll always remember the Thrashers playoff games I was able to attend back in 07 - definitely a lot of fun.
From a scheduling standpoint, the city change completely throws a wrench into the NHL's regional divisions, meaning the Canes and the rest of the Southeast are going to have to make huge trips to Winnipeg multiple times throughout the season. There are rumors that the NHL plans to rearrange the league after this season, which will make a lot of sense. Hopefully the current rivalries are preserved, but I guess we'll see what happens with that later.
The day after the schedule was released, the Canes selected Ryan Murphy with the 12th pick of the Draft. Apparently he's a steal at number 12, but I certainly wouldn't know. His stats show that he could be an offensive powerhouse on the d-line... but he's also a 5'11" d-man. Rutherford, apparently, dislikes drafting size. It worked out with Skinner last year, hopefully it will do the same this year.
Finally, the first day of free agency is approaching, and the Canes are wrapping up some of their players before they hit the market. The two notable signings are Joni Pitkanen at $4.5 million over three years and Chad LaRose for $1.5 and $1.9 mil for two years.
I like the Pitkanen signing - I do like him on the blueline and I think the contract is the going rate for defenseman. I don't think the Canes would have been able to get anyone much better for the same price through free agency, so I like the deal. Of course I like the Chad LaRose deal, and it seems like the right amount for him as well - hopefully he can rebound from this less than stellar past season.
The fact that Erik Cole has not yet been signed is very concerning for this Caniac. I would have thought that he would have struck a deal by now - in my last post it seemed like negotiations were coming along well... apparently not? I hope he and the Canes will still be able to work it out.
Whatever happens with that, we'll find out in a few days. I'll definitely update with what occurs during free agent signing day!
The amazingly wonderful Jeff Skinner won the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year. I heard the Awards ceremony was pretty horrible to watch, so I'm glad I wasn't quite that bored this year to suffer through it. But I am very happy for Skinner - us Caniacs knew how awesome he was this season, so it's nice to see him get some credit from the rest of the league as well.
The 2011-2012 schedule was released. I'm excited because I'll get to see the Opening Night game for the first time in a few years.
I think I'll take this opportunity to mention the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets move. In short, not a fan. I like the South. I like hockey. I get really really really tired of people cracking jokes about hockey not belonging in the South. So I feel for Atlanta because their fans got screwed and nobody really seems to care. I'll always remember the Thrashers playoff games I was able to attend back in 07 - definitely a lot of fun.
From a scheduling standpoint, the city change completely throws a wrench into the NHL's regional divisions, meaning the Canes and the rest of the Southeast are going to have to make huge trips to Winnipeg multiple times throughout the season. There are rumors that the NHL plans to rearrange the league after this season, which will make a lot of sense. Hopefully the current rivalries are preserved, but I guess we'll see what happens with that later.
The day after the schedule was released, the Canes selected Ryan Murphy with the 12th pick of the Draft. Apparently he's a steal at number 12, but I certainly wouldn't know. His stats show that he could be an offensive powerhouse on the d-line... but he's also a 5'11" d-man. Rutherford, apparently, dislikes drafting size. It worked out with Skinner last year, hopefully it will do the same this year.
Finally, the first day of free agency is approaching, and the Canes are wrapping up some of their players before they hit the market. The two notable signings are Joni Pitkanen at $4.5 million over three years and Chad LaRose for $1.5 and $1.9 mil for two years.
I like the Pitkanen signing - I do like him on the blueline and I think the contract is the going rate for defenseman. I don't think the Canes would have been able to get anyone much better for the same price through free agency, so I like the deal. Of course I like the Chad LaRose deal, and it seems like the right amount for him as well - hopefully he can rebound from this less than stellar past season.
The fact that Erik Cole has not yet been signed is very concerning for this Caniac. I would have thought that he would have struck a deal by now - in my last post it seemed like negotiations were coming along well... apparently not? I hope he and the Canes will still be able to work it out.
Whatever happens with that, we'll find out in a few days. I'll definitely update with what occurs during free agent signing day!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Hockey is over. Sadness ensues.
So the 2010-2011 season is over. Complete. And not the premature "over" that us Caniacs experienced in April - despite our team's failings, there was at least hockey to be seen. Not anymore - no more hockey games until October.
Congrats, I suppose, to the Boston Bruins and their fans. I was cheering them on throughout the playoffs, and it's nice to see them win. I would make some sort of crack about how I'm glad that Canada doesn't have the Cup for another year... but after seeing the riots in Vancouver, I'm beginning to think war might occur if they don't get one soon.
On the home front, there's actually been some Canes news since I last posted. The biggest news is the shuffling of the front office and who's behind the bench. Ron Francis is back at a desk, Tom Rowe is a scout, Brind'Amour is an assistant and newcomer Dave Lewis is also an assistant. Rather unfortunately, we're still stuck with Paul Maurice as head coach for another year. I'm thrilled, and by thrilled I mean that I really hope they don't re-up his contract. I am also sick of my team doing mediocre, so I would like them to do better this year. Just, maybe better because of Jeff Skinner or something and not because of the coach.
Players-wise, apparently contract negotiations have been going on. Today an article was put out on the Canes site about possibly trading for some people because it's not looking positive for Jokinen or Pitkanen returning. Chad LaRose and Erik Cole might be looking to test the market. If both of them go... man, there goes both of my favorite players.
For which I say to Jim Rutherford: Please Please Please Please Please SIGN ERIK COLE!!!! I honestly don't think I could stand him going to some horridly cold non-North Carolina place again. Hopefully he and the team can work something out.
And that's it for now I guess. I'll keep up with whatever little news trickles in this summer.
Congrats, I suppose, to the Boston Bruins and their fans. I was cheering them on throughout the playoffs, and it's nice to see them win. I would make some sort of crack about how I'm glad that Canada doesn't have the Cup for another year... but after seeing the riots in Vancouver, I'm beginning to think war might occur if they don't get one soon.
On the home front, there's actually been some Canes news since I last posted. The biggest news is the shuffling of the front office and who's behind the bench. Ron Francis is back at a desk, Tom Rowe is a scout, Brind'Amour is an assistant and newcomer Dave Lewis is also an assistant. Rather unfortunately, we're still stuck with Paul Maurice as head coach for another year. I'm thrilled, and by thrilled I mean that I really hope they don't re-up his contract. I am also sick of my team doing mediocre, so I would like them to do better this year. Just, maybe better because of Jeff Skinner or something and not because of the coach.
Players-wise, apparently contract negotiations have been going on. Today an article was put out on the Canes site about possibly trading for some people because it's not looking positive for Jokinen or Pitkanen returning. Chad LaRose and Erik Cole might be looking to test the market. If both of them go... man, there goes both of my favorite players.
For which I say to Jim Rutherford: Please Please Please Please Please SIGN ERIK COLE!!!! I honestly don't think I could stand him going to some horridly cold non-North Carolina place again. Hopefully he and the team can work something out.
And that's it for now I guess. I'll keep up with whatever little news trickles in this summer.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Not a happy ending
I guess it's about time I recap the end of the season?
The first round of the NHL playoffs is well under way, two teams having already been eliminated. The Canes are the lucky ones who get an even worse disgrace - not making the playoffs at all.
At the time of my last post the Canes needed to win both games to secure a place in the postseason. They did what was necessary in the game against Atlanta, stomping on the Thrashers 6-1.
Then came the Tampa Bay game. The Canes were required to win due to the Rangers winning earlier in the day. All they needed was a win.
They lost 6-2. And not just lost, they completely tanked, allowing Tampa to get a 4-0 lead to start off the game.
You might think I'm a pretty lame blogger for not posting about this until two weeks after the fact. But, honestly, I really couldn't bring myself to write about it unti now - I'm getting mad even as I think about it.
It's unfathomable to me how a team can lose under pressure so regularly. All they needed to do was win. And they didn't even play a close game. Barely put up a fight. I'm not sure how many teams could lose all the "must-wins" that the Canes had and still be in the playoff race in the last game of the season, but the cards continued to fall in the Canes favor - and they still managed to blow it.
I'm really frustrated with this team. I'm sick of missing the playoffs, sick of having to choose among other teams to hoist the greatest silver trophy in the world (Cheering for the Bruins, by the way). The Canes can't play consistently enough to get anything out of their seasons - they can't win enough to get into the playoffs and they can't lose enough to get a good draft pick.
I suppose I should say all sorts of good and moderately cheerful things about how it was great to see the young team grow and we have a good future, blah blah blah. But I'm not feeling it. I'm going to be bitter about this ending for a while. Because, really, if you're going to raise my hopes and get me to believe in you, at least do me the courtesy of trying to win.
Anyways, the playoffs are actually pretty entertaining. I've been paying attention to the Boston-Montreal one the most because it seems to have the most interesting storyline - man, those fans hate each other. And I'm seeing parallels in the Bruins' two game comeback to our own two game comeback against Montreal in 2006, and who doesn't like being reminded of that?
Unfortunately, I'm hitting that lovely stage of the semester called finals (this post is a break from me panicking about the end of the year), so I'm not sure how much I'll be posting. Maybe once I calm down a bit more I'll put up more analysis on the Canes. I will try and put up something, even something non-Canes related because, really, NHL playoff time is the best time of the year, and there are so many good games going on.
Erik Cole season stats: 26 goals, 26 assists
Chad LaRose season stats: 16 goals, 15 assists
The first round of the NHL playoffs is well under way, two teams having already been eliminated. The Canes are the lucky ones who get an even worse disgrace - not making the playoffs at all.
At the time of my last post the Canes needed to win both games to secure a place in the postseason. They did what was necessary in the game against Atlanta, stomping on the Thrashers 6-1.
Then came the Tampa Bay game. The Canes were required to win due to the Rangers winning earlier in the day. All they needed was a win.
They lost 6-2. And not just lost, they completely tanked, allowing Tampa to get a 4-0 lead to start off the game.
You might think I'm a pretty lame blogger for not posting about this until two weeks after the fact. But, honestly, I really couldn't bring myself to write about it unti now - I'm getting mad even as I think about it.
It's unfathomable to me how a team can lose under pressure so regularly. All they needed to do was win. And they didn't even play a close game. Barely put up a fight. I'm not sure how many teams could lose all the "must-wins" that the Canes had and still be in the playoff race in the last game of the season, but the cards continued to fall in the Canes favor - and they still managed to blow it.
I'm really frustrated with this team. I'm sick of missing the playoffs, sick of having to choose among other teams to hoist the greatest silver trophy in the world (Cheering for the Bruins, by the way). The Canes can't play consistently enough to get anything out of their seasons - they can't win enough to get into the playoffs and they can't lose enough to get a good draft pick.
I suppose I should say all sorts of good and moderately cheerful things about how it was great to see the young team grow and we have a good future, blah blah blah. But I'm not feeling it. I'm going to be bitter about this ending for a while. Because, really, if you're going to raise my hopes and get me to believe in you, at least do me the courtesy of trying to win.
Anyways, the playoffs are actually pretty entertaining. I've been paying attention to the Boston-Montreal one the most because it seems to have the most interesting storyline - man, those fans hate each other. And I'm seeing parallels in the Bruins' two game comeback to our own two game comeback against Montreal in 2006, and who doesn't like being reminded of that?
Unfortunately, I'm hitting that lovely stage of the semester called finals (this post is a break from me panicking about the end of the year), so I'm not sure how much I'll be posting. Maybe once I calm down a bit more I'll put up more analysis on the Canes. I will try and put up something, even something non-Canes related because, really, NHL playoff time is the best time of the year, and there are so many good games going on.
Erik Cole season stats: 26 goals, 26 assists
Chad LaRose season stats: 16 goals, 15 assists
Friday, April 08, 2011
The Canes are zombies. In a good way.
The Canes are apparently like the undead of the hockey world this season. Just when you think they're gone, they come back craving your brains. Brains meaning playoffs, in this extended metaphor.
So, last post it pretty much seemed that the Canes didn't have a snowball's chance in a furnace on the equator if they didn't win against Buffalo. They lost 2-1 in OT. So, therefore, it should pretty much be over, right?
Nope. Guess again. Turns out, by freak circumstances including the Hurricanes shutting out Detroit (Crazy, right?) and the Rangers laying an egg in their game against the Thrashers, the Canes now control their own destiny.
HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?! WHY MUST THERE BE SO MUCH DRAMA?!
Essentially, if the Canes win out (but not in shootouts!) they're in, due to the fact that they have a tiebreaker in the season series over the Rangers. Other, more complicated, scenarios are listed here, but for simplicity's sake I like the first one.
Now there's not much else you can say here. If the Canes want to be in the playoffs, they'll win. If they don't, they'll lose. Simple as that. Yes, somehow the 82 game season boils down to these last two games. Either the Canes find a way to victory and an extended postseason or they don't. Period. End of story.
Do they deserve it? Questionable, considering their repeated inconsistent play. But now is the time to prove that they won't crumble under pressure and that they do deserve a shot in the postseason.
Two games. Atlanta tonight, Tampa Bay tomorrow. Two wins? We'll just have to see. Maybe this team isn't quite dead yet.
So, last post it pretty much seemed that the Canes didn't have a snowball's chance in a furnace on the equator if they didn't win against Buffalo. They lost 2-1 in OT. So, therefore, it should pretty much be over, right?
Nope. Guess again. Turns out, by freak circumstances including the Hurricanes shutting out Detroit (Crazy, right?) and the Rangers laying an egg in their game against the Thrashers, the Canes now control their own destiny.
HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?! WHY MUST THERE BE SO MUCH DRAMA?!
Essentially, if the Canes win out (but not in shootouts!) they're in, due to the fact that they have a tiebreaker in the season series over the Rangers. Other, more complicated, scenarios are listed here, but for simplicity's sake I like the first one.
Now there's not much else you can say here. If the Canes want to be in the playoffs, they'll win. If they don't, they'll lose. Simple as that. Yes, somehow the 82 game season boils down to these last two games. Either the Canes find a way to victory and an extended postseason or they don't. Period. End of story.
Do they deserve it? Questionable, considering their repeated inconsistent play. But now is the time to prove that they won't crumble under pressure and that they do deserve a shot in the postseason.
Two games. Atlanta tonight, Tampa Bay tomorrow. Two wins? We'll just have to see. Maybe this team isn't quite dead yet.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
The life of a bubble team...
This team just can't make up it's mind, can it?
Last post I was talking about how crappy the Canes were looking, and how I didn't really think that the playoffs were possible. Right now they're ONE POINT behind the Rangers who are in eighth, and two behind Buffalo, all three teams with four games left to play. And OBTW, the Canes play Buffalo tomorrow.
And, they actually seem to be playing pretty well. I was able to watch part of the Washington game this Tuesday and the Canes definitely had a bit more pep in their skate than they had previously. Not to mention - they've gone 6-1 in their past seven games.
The question, of course being, is this a case of too little too late? It's nice, I suppose, that the Hurricanes aren't giving up on their season and sitting back - but I can't help that feel that play like this would have helped had they started it a week or two earlier. The chance is still there for a playoff spot, but the fact still remains that the Canes are on the outside looking in and have to both play amazingly and get help from some of the other teams. (Check out Sports Club Stats for a nice breakdown of the percentages.)
Obviously the game tomorrow against Buffalo is key. All of the remaining games are must-wins, but it would seem that the Sabres game is the must-win of the must-wins. If they can't win this one, well, they probably don't deserve to be in the playoffs anyways - a playoff team needs to be able to deliver under pressure, after all.
Is it too much to ask to not be on the bubble one year? Like, just decide that you're going to tank or win at the beginning of the season and stick with it. This is far too much uncertainty at the end of the season for my liking.
Season ends in four games... at the end of this week we'll see if the Canes are going to play more games than that.
(By the way, check out Erik cole's statline from the past seven games below. Dude is en fuego. Much to this Caniac's delight, of course.)
Erik Cole stats (18th): 1 goal
(22nd): 1 assist
(25th): 2 goals
(26th): 1 goal
(30th): 1 assist
(1st): 1 goal
On the season: 24 goals, 26 assists
Chad LaRose stats (22nd): 2 goals
On the season: 15 goals, 13 assists
Last post I was talking about how crappy the Canes were looking, and how I didn't really think that the playoffs were possible. Right now they're ONE POINT behind the Rangers who are in eighth, and two behind Buffalo, all three teams with four games left to play. And OBTW, the Canes play Buffalo tomorrow.
And, they actually seem to be playing pretty well. I was able to watch part of the Washington game this Tuesday and the Canes definitely had a bit more pep in their skate than they had previously. Not to mention - they've gone 6-1 in their past seven games.
The question, of course being, is this a case of too little too late? It's nice, I suppose, that the Hurricanes aren't giving up on their season and sitting back - but I can't help that feel that play like this would have helped had they started it a week or two earlier. The chance is still there for a playoff spot, but the fact still remains that the Canes are on the outside looking in and have to both play amazingly and get help from some of the other teams. (Check out Sports Club Stats for a nice breakdown of the percentages.)
Obviously the game tomorrow against Buffalo is key. All of the remaining games are must-wins, but it would seem that the Sabres game is the must-win of the must-wins. If they can't win this one, well, they probably don't deserve to be in the playoffs anyways - a playoff team needs to be able to deliver under pressure, after all.
Is it too much to ask to not be on the bubble one year? Like, just decide that you're going to tank or win at the beginning of the season and stick with it. This is far too much uncertainty at the end of the season for my liking.
Season ends in four games... at the end of this week we'll see if the Canes are going to play more games than that.
(By the way, check out Erik cole's statline from the past seven games below. Dude is en fuego. Much to this Caniac's delight, of course.)
Erik Cole stats (18th): 1 goal
(22nd): 1 assist
(25th): 2 goals
(26th): 1 goal
(30th): 1 assist
(1st): 1 goal
On the season: 24 goals, 26 assists
Chad LaRose stats (22nd): 2 goals
On the season: 15 goals, 13 assists
Friday, March 18, 2011
The playoff forecast is not looking too sunny...
Well, the Canes have tanked, haven't they?
Currently they're 9th in the East, two points behind Buffalo with one more game played. 3-4-1 since I last posted, they're not looking too hot.
I was on spring break last week, enabling me to catch a few of the games, both in person and on the television. Let me say, they don't look good. Honestly, they don't look like a playoff team. I'm not sure they have the 60 minutes of passionate play that is required of them each game night. They definitely don't look like a team playing with the season on the line. I was fairly optimistic that the Canes would get into the playoffs, but after seeing them play, I feel like it's a pipe dream.
I mean, really. What playoff-caliber team goes 0-for-28 on the powerplay? The Columbus game was some of the most depressing hockey I've seen in a very long time. 0-for-9 in that one, with long two man advantages. Playoff teams do not do that. Period. End of story. The Canes have had chances, but it seems they want to blow them and miss the playoffs again.
Granted, while the prospects are looking slimmer with every loss, the Hurricanes still do have hope to get into the playoffs. They did beat Buffalo twice in the past three weeks - gaining them precious points on a rival for a playoff spot. But, honestly, with the way this team is looking, I think it'll be a first round exit if they do manage to make it in. This is coming from me, the perpetual optimist - that's how bad of an impression this team left on me last week.
But, I don't want to be too much of a Negative Nancy, so to lighten the mood this clip describes exactly how I feel about the playoffs:
Obviously the Canes have to win most of their remaining 11 games to make it in. It's gut-check time, to use a cliché, and all we can do as Caniacs is wait and see what happens.
Erik Cole stats (1st): 1 assist
(4th): 1 assist
(9th): 1 goal
(12th): 1 assist
On the season: 19 goals, 24 assists
Chad LaRose stats (3rd): 1 goal
(15th): 1 assist
On the season: 13 goals, 13 assists
(16th): 1 goal
Currently they're 9th in the East, two points behind Buffalo with one more game played. 3-4-1 since I last posted, they're not looking too hot.
I was on spring break last week, enabling me to catch a few of the games, both in person and on the television. Let me say, they don't look good. Honestly, they don't look like a playoff team. I'm not sure they have the 60 minutes of passionate play that is required of them each game night. They definitely don't look like a team playing with the season on the line. I was fairly optimistic that the Canes would get into the playoffs, but after seeing them play, I feel like it's a pipe dream.
I mean, really. What playoff-caliber team goes 0-for-28 on the powerplay? The Columbus game was some of the most depressing hockey I've seen in a very long time. 0-for-9 in that one, with long two man advantages. Playoff teams do not do that. Period. End of story. The Canes have had chances, but it seems they want to blow them and miss the playoffs again.
Granted, while the prospects are looking slimmer with every loss, the Hurricanes still do have hope to get into the playoffs. They did beat Buffalo twice in the past three weeks - gaining them precious points on a rival for a playoff spot. But, honestly, with the way this team is looking, I think it'll be a first round exit if they do manage to make it in. This is coming from me, the perpetual optimist - that's how bad of an impression this team left on me last week.
But, I don't want to be too much of a Negative Nancy, so to lighten the mood this clip describes exactly how I feel about the playoffs:
Obviously the Canes have to win most of their remaining 11 games to make it in. It's gut-check time, to use a cliché, and all we can do as Caniacs is wait and see what happens.
Erik Cole stats (1st): 1 assist
(4th): 1 assist
(9th): 1 goal
(12th): 1 assist
On the season: 19 goals, 24 assists
Chad LaRose stats (3rd): 1 goal
(15th): 1 assist
On the season: 13 goals, 13 assists
(16th): 1 goal
Friday, March 04, 2011
A Handy Guide to Dealing With Non-Sports Fans
So I don't do anything like this normally, but I wrote a little guide about dealing with non-sports fans for the univeristy radio station sports show blog, and I figured I'd cross-post a snippet of it here.
The most frustrating thing in the entire world is to be a sports fan trapped among non-sports fans.
Imagine this scenario: You happen to be with your guy friend, discussing the difficulties of beginning a courtship. You make a quick remark about making sure your friend doesn’t send the lucky lady a picture of himself in Crocs.
Aaaaannnnnddddd cue blank stare.
You then begin to explain the whole Brett Favre sexting controversy, only to have your friend respond:
"Wait, is that the guy who plays for the Packers?"
You then hastily change the subject, trying to resist the urge to crawl into the nearest corner and weep.
Welcome to my life.
Rarely does a day goes by without some sort of sports reference creating an awkward space in a conversation, or a blank stare at the latest news from the trade deadline. It's tough, because generally my friends are really fun intelligent people - they just happen to not like sports.
Using my vast experience dealing with the unenlightened, I've created a handy-dandy guide to dealing with the three most common types of the non-sports fan.
Want to read more? Of course you do. Check out the full post here. Or get the link from my Twitter. I'm not picky.
The most frustrating thing in the entire world is to be a sports fan trapped among non-sports fans.
Imagine this scenario: You happen to be with your guy friend, discussing the difficulties of beginning a courtship. You make a quick remark about making sure your friend doesn’t send the lucky lady a picture of himself in Crocs.
Aaaaannnnnddddd cue blank stare.
You then begin to explain the whole Brett Favre sexting controversy, only to have your friend respond:
"Wait, is that the guy who plays for the Packers?"
You then hastily change the subject, trying to resist the urge to crawl into the nearest corner and weep.
Welcome to my life.
Rarely does a day goes by without some sort of sports reference creating an awkward space in a conversation, or a blank stare at the latest news from the trade deadline. It's tough, because generally my friends are really fun intelligent people - they just happen to not like sports.
Using my vast experience dealing with the unenlightened, I've created a handy-dandy guide to dealing with the three most common types of the non-sports fan.
Want to read more? Of course you do. Check out the full post here. Or get the link from my Twitter. I'm not picky.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Trade deadline recap
Well, the NHL trade deadline has come and gone. Not too exciting this season - most of the trades had occurred before today, and there weren't too many superstars being tossed about as in previous years.
Canes-wise, Rutherford continues his mantra of "reduce, reuse, recyle" by bringing back Cory Stillman from the Florida Panthers for Ryan Carter and a fifth round pick. I mean, I guess there are worse former Canes that could come back into the fold. Stillman did manage to score a goal in his first game back with the team, and the Canes didn't really give much up for him, so I guess there's not too much that can go wrong with this trade.
Today the Canes picked up Bryan Allen from the Panthers (I think Florida traded away their whole team over this past week - seriously, there was barely a trade they weren't involved in) for Sergei Samsonov. I think it's a good move, giving some more support on the back end and hopefully giving Samsonov a location where he can be a little more consistent and get more playing time.
Since my last post, the Canes have gone 2-2-1, giving them an overall record of 29-25-9 which is good enough for 8th in the East and 3rd in the Southeast. So, yes, they're just barely squeaking in the playoffs at this point, two points above Buffalo in 9th.
It seems like this team is playing mediocre right now. They have good games (beating Pittsburgh) and bad games, and they often have to have comebacks or let the opposing team get back into the game. Not the most confident of play going into the playoffs. Just the fact that they had a chance to steal 7th place from the Rangers in their game on Tuesday and they failed doesn't give me too much of a warm and fuzzy feeling.
But who knows, with this team, it seems that as long as they can get into the playoffs they'll have a decent shot. This week presents another close to a must win game, in Thursday's game against Buffalo. A victory over them could go a long way to securing that playoff spot.
Erik Cole stats (18th): 1 goal
(22nd): 2 assists
(25th): 1 goal, 1 assist
Chad LaRose stats (18th): 1 goal
(26th): 1 assist
Canes-wise, Rutherford continues his mantra of "reduce, reuse, recyle" by bringing back Cory Stillman from the Florida Panthers for Ryan Carter and a fifth round pick. I mean, I guess there are worse former Canes that could come back into the fold. Stillman did manage to score a goal in his first game back with the team, and the Canes didn't really give much up for him, so I guess there's not too much that can go wrong with this trade.
Today the Canes picked up Bryan Allen from the Panthers (I think Florida traded away their whole team over this past week - seriously, there was barely a trade they weren't involved in) for Sergei Samsonov. I think it's a good move, giving some more support on the back end and hopefully giving Samsonov a location where he can be a little more consistent and get more playing time.
Since my last post, the Canes have gone 2-2-1, giving them an overall record of 29-25-9 which is good enough for 8th in the East and 3rd in the Southeast. So, yes, they're just barely squeaking in the playoffs at this point, two points above Buffalo in 9th.
It seems like this team is playing mediocre right now. They have good games (beating Pittsburgh) and bad games, and they often have to have comebacks or let the opposing team get back into the game. Not the most confident of play going into the playoffs. Just the fact that they had a chance to steal 7th place from the Rangers in their game on Tuesday and they failed doesn't give me too much of a warm and fuzzy feeling.
But who knows, with this team, it seems that as long as they can get into the playoffs they'll have a decent shot. This week presents another close to a must win game, in Thursday's game against Buffalo. A victory over them could go a long way to securing that playoff spot.
Erik Cole stats (18th): 1 goal
(22nd): 2 assists
(25th): 1 goal, 1 assist
Chad LaRose stats (18th): 1 goal
(26th): 1 assist
Friday, February 18, 2011
Rather delayed recap
I suppose I should start off this post with a sincere apology for not writing about the Hurricanes over the past few weeks. Truth be told, I have had a crap-ton of schoolwork (not just a ton, mind you, a crap-ton) and I honestly haven't paid too much attention to the team.
Let's start with the most recent news. First of all, tonight is Rod Brind'Amour Night, where his number is being raised to the rafters before the Flyers game. In fact, it's probably occurring as I type this. Kind of a bummer that I'm not present for the night, as I had seen both Wesley's and Francis' numbers go up, but unfortunately school schedules don't revolve around hockey.
Also occurring today is the Canes making trades with the San Jose Sharks. They first received defenseman Derek Joslin for future considerations, then traded Ian White for the Sharks' 2012 second round pick.
Looking at what we got, Joslin is a young defenseman who has appeared in a few NHL games over the past three seasons. Rutherford sounds pretty confident that he'll be battling for ice time, so hopefully Joslin will pan out as a good defenseman for the future.
As for what we sent to the Sharks, I honestly barely noticed Ian White when I was able to see a game. Granted, for a defenseman that might mean you're doing your job because that means I'm not noticing your glaring mistakes. But I don't think the Canes lost a key asset in the trade, which is always a good thing.
So, the playoff stretch. The Canes currently have a record of 27-23-8, good enough for 62 points and eighth place in the East and third in the Southeast. The past three weeks they've gone 2-4-2, which isn't that hot, but they've definitely been helped by a tanking Atlanta team. What worries me are the losses to teams like the Maple Leafs and Devils (twice!) - we definitely should be beating them around this time of the season.
What's awesome? Erik Cole. Check out the statline at the bottom of the post and this video of the game-winning OT goal against Atlanta. Certainly makes this Caniac happy to see her favorite player playing well.
The trade deadline is February 28th this year, which seems really early. Perhaps it was just the Olympics pushing everything back that makes me say that. Anyways, I will not profess to have any clue about what the Canes will do. I wouldn't imagine that they'd be sellers in 8th place, but with the Ian White trade occurring today it will be interesting to see if anything does happen - getting rid of his contract does open up some room for the Canes to make a move.
So, to recap, the Canes are in a much better place than they were earlier in the season, which is to say that they're finally holding steady in a playoff spot. As long as they can keep that up, well, not too much else matters.
Erik Cole stats (Feb 1st): 2 assists
(Feb 5th): 1 goal
(Feb 12th): 1 goal, 1 assist
(Feb 13th): 1 goal
On the season: 16 goals, 18 assists
Chad LaRose stats (Feb 10th): 1 assist
On the season: 10 goals, 11 assists
Let's start with the most recent news. First of all, tonight is Rod Brind'Amour Night, where his number is being raised to the rafters before the Flyers game. In fact, it's probably occurring as I type this. Kind of a bummer that I'm not present for the night, as I had seen both Wesley's and Francis' numbers go up, but unfortunately school schedules don't revolve around hockey.
Also occurring today is the Canes making trades with the San Jose Sharks. They first received defenseman Derek Joslin for future considerations, then traded Ian White for the Sharks' 2012 second round pick.
Looking at what we got, Joslin is a young defenseman who has appeared in a few NHL games over the past three seasons. Rutherford sounds pretty confident that he'll be battling for ice time, so hopefully Joslin will pan out as a good defenseman for the future.
As for what we sent to the Sharks, I honestly barely noticed Ian White when I was able to see a game. Granted, for a defenseman that might mean you're doing your job because that means I'm not noticing your glaring mistakes. But I don't think the Canes lost a key asset in the trade, which is always a good thing.
So, the playoff stretch. The Canes currently have a record of 27-23-8, good enough for 62 points and eighth place in the East and third in the Southeast. The past three weeks they've gone 2-4-2, which isn't that hot, but they've definitely been helped by a tanking Atlanta team. What worries me are the losses to teams like the Maple Leafs and Devils (twice!) - we definitely should be beating them around this time of the season.
What's awesome? Erik Cole. Check out the statline at the bottom of the post and this video of the game-winning OT goal against Atlanta. Certainly makes this Caniac happy to see her favorite player playing well.
The trade deadline is February 28th this year, which seems really early. Perhaps it was just the Olympics pushing everything back that makes me say that. Anyways, I will not profess to have any clue about what the Canes will do. I wouldn't imagine that they'd be sellers in 8th place, but with the Ian White trade occurring today it will be interesting to see if anything does happen - getting rid of his contract does open up some room for the Canes to make a move.
So, to recap, the Canes are in a much better place than they were earlier in the season, which is to say that they're finally holding steady in a playoff spot. As long as they can keep that up, well, not too much else matters.
Erik Cole stats (Feb 1st): 2 assists
(Feb 5th): 1 goal
(Feb 12th): 1 goal, 1 assist
(Feb 13th): 1 goal
On the season: 16 goals, 18 assists
Chad LaRose stats (Feb 10th): 1 assist
On the season: 10 goals, 11 assists
Friday, February 04, 2011
ALL-STAR GAME!!!!
I always tell my dad, generally while eating a plate of waffles at 11:30am after staying up to three the previous night, that college kids operate on a different schedule than the rest of the world. This apparently applies to blog posts as well. When other places have wrapped up their All-Star recaps and gone on to that thing called the "regular season", here I am with still the whole weekend to go over.
Well, hopefully the wait will be worth it? Here we go...
First off, it was AWESOME! In fact, I might just stop typing right now and leave it at that. There is seriously not one thing that I can think of that hit a sour note throughout the entire weekend.
One of the biggest reasons for that? The new format. I think the fantasy draft aspect got rid of a lot of the stale hockey aspect of years past. It seemed to give the players something to play for more than just the Conference they happen to play in - they had to prove that they deserved to be taken at the slot they were, or why they should have been taken higher (I laugh at Phil Kessel being taken last - but the dude got a car out of it? Um, can I be picked last?). I mean, they were actually playing defense (or as close to defense as you'll get in an All-Star Game) in the third period - because neither team wanted to be the ones that were picked to lose.
Below I've posted a slideshow thing of all my pictures (well, the good ones at least) from the weekend. And, yes, I did manage to get a picture of Ovechkin's stick shattering from the upper level.
Let's see, what else was awesome about the weekend? The NHL Fan Fair was spectacular - tons of fun going around to each of the booths and trying your hand at various hockey skill games. I believe I registered a 27 mph slapshot - watch yourself Zdeno Chara, I'm gunning for you!
The Skills Competition was great as well. In fact, it might have beat out the actual All-Star game on the awesomeness scale. I mean, how can you compete with seeing Chara beat his own hardest shot record?
It was really cool to see the best of the best compete against each other. It's pretty hard to believe that some of these guys are so talented - Sedin in the accuracy competition, anyone? I mean, the guy was like a sniper, methodically knocking out those targets.
The only thing I disagreed with was Ovechkin winning the breakaway competition. Honestly, it didn't really live up to my expectations - almost none of the guys could actually get the puck in the net while doing all the fancy work. And, I don't care, that's what really matters when it comes down to it.
While the Skills Competition may have been the more exciting part of the weekend, the All-Star Game itself wasn't without it's charms. First, the opening ceremony of sorts featuring Rod Brind'Amour and Ron Francis was amazingly well done. The game was definitely exciting, with Team Staal gaining and losing a four goal lead, and of course I loved the offensive skill that abounded on each side of the ice.
And what about Ovechkin throwing his stick at Duchene for the penalty shot? Ovechkin may be annoying, but you can't deny that at some points he is an entertaining character.
The only annoying point was the amount of passes these guys were taking - it seemed sometimes like they didn't want to take a shot and get a goal.
Wait, did I say the only annoying point? No, it was also annoying that Jeff Skinner didn't score and that Team Staal lost. I find it to be a shame that Staal's team couldn't manage to win in such a friendly venue for them.
Honestly, this was one of my favorite hockey events that I've attended in a while. I thought the atmosphere was great and that the game was entertaining. Now, if only Raleigh could host it every year...
Well, hopefully the wait will be worth it? Here we go...
First off, it was AWESOME! In fact, I might just stop typing right now and leave it at that. There is seriously not one thing that I can think of that hit a sour note throughout the entire weekend.
One of the biggest reasons for that? The new format. I think the fantasy draft aspect got rid of a lot of the stale hockey aspect of years past. It seemed to give the players something to play for more than just the Conference they happen to play in - they had to prove that they deserved to be taken at the slot they were, or why they should have been taken higher (I laugh at Phil Kessel being taken last - but the dude got a car out of it? Um, can I be picked last?). I mean, they were actually playing defense (or as close to defense as you'll get in an All-Star Game) in the third period - because neither team wanted to be the ones that were picked to lose.
Below I've posted a slideshow thing of all my pictures (well, the good ones at least) from the weekend. And, yes, I did manage to get a picture of Ovechkin's stick shattering from the upper level.
Let's see, what else was awesome about the weekend? The NHL Fan Fair was spectacular - tons of fun going around to each of the booths and trying your hand at various hockey skill games. I believe I registered a 27 mph slapshot - watch yourself Zdeno Chara, I'm gunning for you!
The Skills Competition was great as well. In fact, it might have beat out the actual All-Star game on the awesomeness scale. I mean, how can you compete with seeing Chara beat his own hardest shot record?
It was really cool to see the best of the best compete against each other. It's pretty hard to believe that some of these guys are so talented - Sedin in the accuracy competition, anyone? I mean, the guy was like a sniper, methodically knocking out those targets.
The only thing I disagreed with was Ovechkin winning the breakaway competition. Honestly, it didn't really live up to my expectations - almost none of the guys could actually get the puck in the net while doing all the fancy work. And, I don't care, that's what really matters when it comes down to it.
While the Skills Competition may have been the more exciting part of the weekend, the All-Star Game itself wasn't without it's charms. First, the opening ceremony of sorts featuring Rod Brind'Amour and Ron Francis was amazingly well done. The game was definitely exciting, with Team Staal gaining and losing a four goal lead, and of course I loved the offensive skill that abounded on each side of the ice.
And what about Ovechkin throwing his stick at Duchene for the penalty shot? Ovechkin may be annoying, but you can't deny that at some points he is an entertaining character.
The only annoying point was the amount of passes these guys were taking - it seemed sometimes like they didn't want to take a shot and get a goal.
Wait, did I say the only annoying point? No, it was also annoying that Jeff Skinner didn't score and that Team Staal lost. I find it to be a shame that Staal's team couldn't manage to win in such a friendly venue for them.
Honestly, this was one of my favorite hockey events that I've attended in a while. I thought the atmosphere was great and that the game was entertaining. Now, if only Raleigh could host it every year...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Quick Canes weekly recap
A quick briefing on the Canes finishing out the month of January before we go into ultimate All-Star mode here.
Over the past two weeks the Canes went 3-3, leaving them at 25-19-6 on the season. Still 9th in the Conference and 4th in the Southeast. Still one point behind Atlanta for the last playoff spot. No, I did not copy and paste this from the last weekly recap, things just haven't changed much standings-wise.
Things have changed since my All-Star preview. There's been a lot of people dropping out because of injuries and whatnot, Sidney Crosby being one of the offenders. But bad luck for some is good luck for Jeff Skinner and Jamie McBain - Skinner was bumped up from the rookie only team to the regular All-Stars, and Jamie McBain was added to the rookie squad. The Canes are definitely well represented now - and I think I might change my team allegiances from "Team Staal" to "Team Skinner".
The All-Star festivities begin tomorrow! I cannot wait!
Erik Cole stats (24th): 1 goal
(26th): 2 assists
On the season: 13 goals, 15 assists
Chad LaRose stats (18th): 1 goal
(20th): 1 goal, 1 assist
On the season: 10 goals, 10 assists
Over the past two weeks the Canes went 3-3, leaving them at 25-19-6 on the season. Still 9th in the Conference and 4th in the Southeast. Still one point behind Atlanta for the last playoff spot. No, I did not copy and paste this from the last weekly recap, things just haven't changed much standings-wise.
Things have changed since my All-Star preview. There's been a lot of people dropping out because of injuries and whatnot, Sidney Crosby being one of the offenders. But bad luck for some is good luck for Jeff Skinner and Jamie McBain - Skinner was bumped up from the rookie only team to the regular All-Stars, and Jamie McBain was added to the rookie squad. The Canes are definitely well represented now - and I think I might change my team allegiances from "Team Staal" to "Team Skinner".
The All-Star festivities begin tomorrow! I cannot wait!
Erik Cole stats (24th): 1 goal
(26th): 2 assists
On the season: 13 goals, 15 assists
Chad LaRose stats (18th): 1 goal
(20th): 1 goal, 1 assist
On the season: 10 goals, 10 assists
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