This is what the Carolina Hurricanes did in 2006 when they won their franchise’s first Stanley Cup. They weren’t a favourite, but their regular season record of 52-22-8 for 112 points- 21 points above the league average- sure showed potential.

2006 Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes at the White House. (Wikimedia commons)

Two key factors in the Canes future heading into the 2006-2007 Stanley Cup Hangover season had to be a carryover for Eric Staal and Cam Ward. Their play not only in the regular season and playoffs was a major factor in the development and future success of this team.

In 82 regular season games leading up to the Hurricanes first Championship (2005-06), a 21-year-old Eric Staal impressed with 45 G and 55 A for 100 points. This was no fluke and his play in the playoffs only continued on the impressive road of production for such a young NHL talent. In 21 playoff games, Staal scored 9G, 19A, for 28 points. It is important to have not just 1, but many contributors during a Stanley Cup run. This success was not solely Staal’s. Justin Williams, Cory Stillman, and Rod Brind’Amour combined for 222 points on the regular season. The same guys showed up for a combined total of 62 points in the playoffs.

Stanley Cup Aftermath at the RBC Center (Bobby Schultz/Wikimedia)

When your own guys haven’t slowed down from the regular season to playoff time, it only means good things. Even more promise is shown when others contribute to a playoff run scoring points they didn’t in the regular season. Matt Cullen, Mark Recchi, Doug Weight, and Ray Whitney combined for 65 points during the 2006 Cup run.

Cam Ward was thrust into the role of starting goaltender playing 23 games for the Canes with a record of 15-8, a .920 save percentage, and 2.14 goals against. Martin Gerber started 6 games for the Hurricanes totalling only 1 win and 1 loss. A save percentage of .856 and a GAA of 3.53 tells that story.

All the pieces have to fall together at the right time. Unlikely heroes have to emerge. If one player goes down, another comes and takes his place possessing playoff powers you never knew he had. A great playoff run, or successful playoff run sets up the franchise for it’s future. Eric Staal took over Captaincy from Rod Brind’Amour during his last year in the NHL before retirement. Staal is still one of the most skilled and productive Hurricanes. Cam Ward remains the Hurriances number 1 goaltender, no controversy in sight.

What happens when you can’t find that success? The Vancouver Canucks happen.

The Carolina Hurricanes failed to make the playoffs from 2002-2004. When they made it the year they eventually won the Stanley Cup, they didn’t let that opportunity go by. Just three years before in the 2001-02 Stanley Cup Final, they lost 4 games to 1 to the Detroit Red Wings. The Hurricanes got themselves an Eric Staal and a Cam Ward, came back in 2006 and finished their business.

The Sedins aka twinsies.(Lava/Flickr)

The Canucks have been sitting on the edge of the pool, just dipping their toes in. Let’s only go back to the Alain Vigneault era to really hone in on what hasn’t gone right. Alain Vigneault became coach of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2006-07 NHL season. The core players that had dressed for the Canucks in 2006-07 have stayed with the team up until last nights 4 game sweep by the San Jose Sharks.

The core players in 2006′s season were Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, Roberto Luongo, and Kevin Bieksa. By far the most productive players on their roster scoring over 40 points each, the Sedin’s scoring a combined 165 points. Four of the six aforementioned players are still on the Canucks roster. That year, they finished with a regular season record of 49-26-7, winning in game 7 against the Dallas Stars to move on to the Anaheim Ducks in the playoffs. The Ducks would win that series 4 games to 1. The scoring leaders for the Canucks in that playoff run were Trevor Linden, Mattias Ohlund and Taylor Pyatt. None of the regular season contributors eclipsed the same level of play as in the regular season. Nonetheless, not a bad turnout for Vigneault’s first year coaching.

Next year would surely be the year they put it all together and, like the Hurricanes, seize the opportunity of a similar roster to make a legitimate run. Not so much… the Canucks missed the playoffs with a record of 39-33-10.

2008-2009 was the year the Canucks would be favourites to go deep into the playoffs. This prediction would continue for a few seasons. Their main contributors on the roster included Kevin Bieksa, Alexandre Burrows, Pavol Demitra, Ryan Kesler, and Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Roberto Luongo’s record was 33-13-7 with a 2.34 GAA. They finished the season 45-27-10 for 100 points.

Patrick Sharp of the Blackhawks on Roberto Luongo.

The team would see production in the playoffs from Henrik and Daniel Sedin, and Mats Sundin. Roberto Luongo also put up nice numbers with .914 SV% and 2.52 GA. The Canucks would be eliminated in the second round by their budding rival the Chicago Blackhawks 4 games to 2.

Getting past the second round would be an issue for the next season as well being eliminated again by the Blackhawks on their way to win the 2010 Stanley Cup.  2010-2011 was the year to make their move. They had been in the mix for years, and the window was starting to close on their opportunity to win the Cup.

Finishing their season first in the west with a record of 54-19-9 for 117 points, the Canucks were the cup favourite again, and the team to beat. The regular season was of course dominant seeing the Sedin’s score a collective 198 points, Ryan Kesler with 73, Mikael Samuelsson with 50 as well as Christian Ehrhoff, and Alex Burrows with 48. If they didn’t get past the second round this year, it would spell trouble for Alain Vigneault’s job.

All top 6 points leaders from the Canucks managed to carry over their regular season success into the playoffs. This spelled disaster for the teams they were to face. Chicago was a tough series, but they won in 7. The Nashville predators were next to fall to the Canucks in 6, and the San Jose Sharks were eliminated 4 games to 1. Stanley Cup Final: Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. The one factor going into this series was the play of Roberto Luongo. He posted similar numbers in other successful seasons, but had been pulled 5 times in favour of backup Cory Schneider. The Canucks would lose in 7 to the Bruins.

The next two seasons after their game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final saw them fail to move past the first round of playoffs. Losing 4-1 to Los Angeles- the eventual 2012 Stanley Cup Champions- and being swept just last night by the Sharks shows the time to win has come and gone.

All the tools were there, the production was there, and the coaching was there. It didn’t come together. Not everything works out the way it should, or the way you want it to.

Hey Alain Vigneault… We are available to help clean out your office when you are fired tomorrow. Just let us know what time.

— Green Men (@TheGreenMen) May 8, 2013

The Carolina Hurricanes switched coaches after losing the Stanley Cup Final to the Detroit Red Wings and missing the playoffs in back to back seasons. After the coaching change, Peter Laviolette coached the Hurricanes to their first ever Stanley Cup Championship. Maybe it’s time for a change in Vancouver. I can’t say Alain Vigneault’s job is safe, (although the lack of production in unsuccessful playoff runs is not his fault) I can’t see him staying considering the decline of the team since their game 7 Stanley Cup Final loss to Boston in 2011. But a change of system, scenery, or attitude may be what Vancouver needs to salvage the era they will lose if they don’t find a way to pry open the window that is closing and get back into a Stanley Cup Final. The Canucks could turn this into an era of firsts, instead of an era of “what ifs”.

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Katie Flynn

Katie Flynn is in her final year at U of T, pursuing a career in sports journalism while completing a Bachelor of Arts, English Specialist. Although the NHL is the apple of her eye, she enjoys MLB, NFL, and NBA, in that order.

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Hockey brothers Anthony (left) and Bates (right) search for the next clue on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the 22nd season finale of THE AMAZING RACE (Photo: Heather Wines/CBS ©2013 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved)

This season’s race spanned ten countries over five continents, with the contestants traveling over 30,000 miles.  Starting in Los Angeles, contestants traveled to exotic locales like Bora Bora, New Zealand, Indonesia, Botswana, Switzerland, Germany, and the United Kingdom before returning stateside.

Both brothers made their careers playing hockey.  Bates, originally drafted by the Ducks in 1994, spent ten seasons in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, and Toronto Maple Leafs.  In 580 career games, he has 80 goals and 198 points along with 385 penalty minutes.  He was a part of the Canes’ 2002 playoff run making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Anthony spent the majority of his career in the ECHL, suiting up for nine games in the Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL in 2002-03.  He won the Federal League Championship with the New Jersey Outlaws in 2012 and currently skates with the Huntsville Havoc of the Southern Professional Hockey League.

An extremely celebratory Bates and Anthony Battaglia joined us to talk about their Amazing Race victory.

So, what was it like to win?

ANTHONY: “100% last night, that was my Stanley Cup.  Bates played in the Stanley Cup Finals [in 2002 with the Carolina Hurricanes].  For me, it felt like I won the Cup last night.  I’ve never felt anything like that before.  Nothing else I can compare it to – that was my Stanley Cup.”

In the season finale, Bates shared his brother’s feelings, saying,  ”I can’t remember the last time I felt like this. It hasn’t come from hockey in a long time, so it’s pretty amazing.”

While they didn’t have any set plans on how to spend their winnings, Bates had some suggestions on how his little brother could use a portion of the prize money.

BATES: “Maybe he can get his teeth fixed  You know, he can eat corn on the cob through a picket fence.  He uses rope as dental floss.”   That’s some brotherly love, right there.

Bates Battaglia at a Carolina Hurricanes Alumni event (Photo: Jamie Kellner 2013)

What was your most frustrating moment in the Race?  

BATES: “[At the restaurant serving challenge in the season finale], I was bringing the thunder, delivering the food. Anthony didn’t know what chartreuse looked like. I didn’t know what chartreuse looked like.  What color is chartreuse?!  We figured out, though, and we were good to go after to that.”

So good, in fact, that Anthony even threw a bone to Roller Derby Moms Mona and Beth to help them along, giving them a key clue as to how the menu worked for the evening’s dinner service.

ANTHONY: “I was trying to be as vague as possible and still help them out.”

Did you see them making it as far as they did? Any surprises in the final three teams?

BATES: “Max and Katie, the country girls, and us – that would have been the perfect finale. The perfect sexy six. The Roller Girls, though, I think they were the strongest team out there, other than us.”

The Battaglia brothers won an impressive four legs of the race, taking home trips to London, Bora Bora, and Thailand.

Of all the different stops you made, which country was your favorite?

ANTHONY: “Africa was pretty cool. I just love being able to tell people that I’ve water-skied with crocodiles. I don’t care what anyone says. I saw the crocodiles. They were there. I was pretty scared. Bates is the worst water-skier anywhere. Worse than John Candy in ‘The Great Outdoors’.”

BATES: “I’m okay with that.”

ANTHONY: “You know what though, he did it.  I’m super proud of him.”

Hockey brothers Bates (left) and Anthony (right) water ski in crocodile infested waters. (Photo: CBS ©2013 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Was there ever a time when you thought you might be eliminated?

ANTHONY: “Berlin.  I really didn’t think that we were going to make it.”

Bates had his travel bag stolen on the train en route to the city. While performing a challenge that involved moving large neon letters through the streets, one of the boys’ letters fell and cracked, leaving them to go back and build a toy train track instead — somewhat reminiscent of the Hanson brothers with their slot cars in Slap Shot — before continuing on.

ANTHONY: “I was Debbie Downer the entire time and Bates was trying to keep us going.  I just thought we were last the whole time and then we saw the roller girls at the final challenge [a disturbingly creepy, underground funhouse maze], and we knew we could beat them in a foot race.”

They did.  Thankfully, it was a non-elimination leg of the race, so neither team was in danger of being sent home.

What about the toughest challenge you guys faced?

ANTHONY:  ”Getting my junk in that wetsuit [at the bog snorkeling challenge in Scotland].”

A debate ensued about the actual difficulty of the challenge and the amount of effort involved, as well as the actual space requirements needed to fit said junk in said wetsuit.   Brothers.

You guys seemed to get along pretty well with the other teams.  Did you get any time to hang around with them at the checkpoints or did you only get to talk while racing?

ANTHONY: “At the check points, we just have to hang out. We’re not allowed to talk to the other teams.”

BATES: “We do laundry and we work on our abs.  We’re shredded.  We have washboard abs, so we actually do our laundry on our abs.”

ANTHONY: “Mostly just lounging and doing laundry on our abs.”

Bates Battaglia (Photo: Jamie Kellner 2013)

Watching yourself play hockey on TV is one thing. Being followed by cameras tracking your every move around the world is altogether different. What was it like watching yourselves on TV?

BATES: “I couldn’t stand looking at Anthony. I wanted to kick a field goal between his teeth the whole time.”

ANTHONY: “I can’t stop looking at myself on TV.   But the camera adds about two or three inches on my nose.”

With an “The Amazing Race” victory in hand, where do you go from here? What’s next for the Battaglia boys?

BATES: “As soon as they get us on Survivor, we’ll crush it.   Or Dancing With The Stars.  I’ll bring the thunder.”

Just make sure you remember to bring your teeth, boys.

Follow Josh on Twitter: @joshsmith29

And check out Bates (@batesbattaglia) and
Anthony (@fazo11) Battaglia while you’re at it.

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Josh Smith

Josh is a life-long hockey fan. He grew up as a fan of the New York Rangers, but thanks to their general mismanagement and years of mediocrity, developed a great appreciation for every team across the league. He’s been writing about hockey on various sites since 1995. Follow him on Twitter at @joshsmith29 or reach him via email at joshuasmithTHW@gmail.com.

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(Photo: Andy Martin Jr)

If your team didn’t make the playoffs this year, every cap to the season will start by saying it was a disappointing season. It was. There were expectations, there was hype, there was a blockbuster trade; that doesn’t secure wins. More often than not, blockbuster trades don’t live up to their expectations. Fans and analysts set themselves up for failure when they expect nothing but greatness from a team that looks unstoppable on paper.

The New York Rangers have struggled to put together a dominant season that would see them cruise right to the Stanley Cup Final. Expectations are a dangerous thing to have. Rick Nash came in after receiving a get out of jail free card from Columbus. Marian Gaborik struggled after this addition, and was eventually moved to Columbus in exchange for some grit. It seemed to work out well for both teams.

The Minnesota Wild squeaked into the playoffs this year after acquiring both highly touted free agents in the offseason. Zach Parise from the New Jersey Devils, and Ryan Suter from the Nashville Predators. I guess it worked, because throwing all that cash at Parise and Suter just got them by and into the playoffs. As Don Draper would say to skeptics, “That’s what the money is for!”.

The Trade

It was 22nd day of June when Jordan Staal was married, traded, and rewarded with a large contract all in the same day. Moving from his draft town of Pittsburgh where he was a fan favourite and productive centre for 6 seasons- winning the Stanley Cup in 2009- Staal was now starting a new chapter of his NHL career. He would join his older brother Eric, current captain of the Hurricanes, and his youngest brother Jared who is in the Hurricanes system.

It was a Staal invasion on the state of North Carolina that was welcomed with open arms. The Canes did give up talented centre and proven producer Brandon Sutter, but the trade off seemed equal. Both players are still so young. Jordan’s injuries the past few seasons seemed to be a spell of bad luck as he cut his foot in the playoffs, which became infected, required surgery, and a ton of recovery time. Next, while joining the team in practice, he blocked a shot and broke his right hand. Absolutely frustrating for a young NHL all-star just trying to get back to work.

All injuries aside, Jordan was healthy when he was traded, and made his return to play in the Winter Classic, along with the playoffs in a bizarre series with the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Staal-vasion

Could my dreams of all the Staal brothers playing on one team at the same time come true? Well, almost. I don’t see the Rangers giving up Marc Staal anytime soon (which would be a great help to the Canes defense, by the way) which leaves me with one option: all the Staal forwards playing together! And it happened.

With the Hurricanes officially eliminated from the playoffs and not a snowballs chance they could get there, Jared Staal was called up from the Charlotte Checkers- the Hurricanes AHL affiliate. He is the youngest and fourth Staal brother whose rights were acquired from the Phoenix Coyotes in 2010.

One of the coolest things for these four brothers has to be the fact that they not only have watched each other grow, be drafted, and pay their dues in many leagues; but they all made it. They all had the same goal – be an NHL player. They have all made their own dreams come true, and as a professional athlete, nobody can do it for you. Henry and Linda Staal are often pictured at games when their boys are playing each other. Now with three of their boys playing with the Hurricanes, it will be much easier for them to see them all play.

One of the greatest feats for any hockey family is the ability to play together, not against each other. No example is greater than that of Gordie Howe and his sons Mark and Marty. They are the only father-son-son combination to play in the NHL together. After retirements, charity games, and a lot of research, Gordie admits his wife Colleen did all the leg work for making his dream of playing with his sons come true. It is the one achievement he is most proud of when he looks back at his career.

Playing two full seasons with the Hartford Whalers of the WHA – which are now known as the Carolina Hurricanes- Gordie, Marty, and Mark helped changed the course of NHL history allowing 18-year-olds, which is now the norm, to be drafted starting in 1974. The previous draft age was 21- and without this rule change, Gordie and his sons would not have been able to play with each other because Marty was underage at the time. Not only will the feat of father-son-son most likely never be repeated because Howe was 52 when he retired after the 1979-80 season, the ability to play with your family members professionally will always trump a contract.

Injuries 

Cam Ward doing his job. (Greg Thompson)

Every season comes with its fair share of injuries that contribute to struggles, slumps, or in some rare cases- like the Pittsburgh Penguins when Sid goes down-  a resurgence of energy to push on.

The Hurricanes lost Cam Ward in March to a knee injury that saw him miss the rest of the regular season. Concussion issues hampered the season of Jeff Skinner for a handful of games. These are two huge losses to the Canes, and their record without these two players shows the impact they had on their team when in the lineup. Most recently Jay Harrison took a nasty wrist shot to the face, all while not wearing a visor (Didn’t the Staal’s talk to you about safety?) and left the game bleeding profusely. All in all, the Canes were quite fortunate on the injury front this year.

Holes On Defense

It’s no secret the Hurricanes have a pretty solid few lines up front that include three Staal brothers, a Skinner, and a Semin. That’s some scoring power. What they don’t have is an experienced defensive core that can bolster the team and really help veteran and proven goaltender Cam Ward.

The current roster lists four defenseman at the age, or over the age of 30- Marc-Andre Bergeron, Joe Corvo, Tim Gleason, and Jay Harrison. The most elite defenseman playing for the Hurricanes is Jamie McBain. In 40 games, he scored 8 points and racked up 46 shots on net. For a defenseman, that’s not too bad. Next in line is rookie Justin Faulk. In 38 games played with 5 goals and 10 assists for 15 points and 76 shots on goal, Faulk has shown the beginning of a long NHL career. That being said, this is where the wealth ends in terms of defenseman for the Canes.

Keegan Lowe (WHL Images)

Defenseman Keegan Lowe, son of Kevin Lowe is in the Hurricanes system drafted in the 3rd round 73rd over all. His stats are quite standard for a defenseman playing in the WHL. He has had a lot of trouble with his ankle which kept him out of a handful of games for his junior team the Edmonton Oil Kings. With 31 points on the season and a +38, he has shown steady improvement since his first season with the Oil Kings. He also appeared in 15 playoff games with a goal and 6 assists for 7 points.

A first round 12th over all selection of the Hurricanes in 2011 was defenseman Ryan Murphy. In an emergency call up he played 4 games with the Canes this season with 2 penalty minutes, 0 points, and a -4 rating. The stats don’t say what they should about the talent he possesses and the potential he has to be an elite defenseman. His style of play makes him a liability but if he can really hone his skill set and become a disciplined defenseman he could be a great addition to the lineup.

Best case scenario for the Hurricanes? They win the draft lottery and are able to build from the back out starting with Seth Jones. He is the most highly touted prospect coming into the 2013 NHL draft, and there are reasons why. He is a 6’4″ 206 pound 18-year-old defenseman from Plano, Texas. He’s massive, and productive with nothing but room to develop and grow. He has also never been a minus in his career. In 61 games for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, he is a +46. In 15 playoff games, he is a +13. Let’s win the lottery.

Coaching

It’s a bit of a sore subject to the people of Carolina, but it must be looked at considering the amount of talent that laces up the skates for the Canes. John Tortorella’s job is on the line if he can’t get the Rangers past the first round this year. They’ve had success with him before, including playoff success. Something has changed, and nobody will know exactly what it is, but he is hanging on to his job by the skin of his teeth if the Rangers fail to be competitive in the playoffs.

Kirk Muller behind the Canes bench. (Photo Credit: Andy Martin Jr)

The same goes for head coach Kirk Muller.I wrote about the possibility of Muller losing his job this summer, and we’ve already seen a hasty firing of former Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Guy Boucher. He experienced success, but when the team plummeted, he wasn’t given much time to turn things around. In a small market like Tampa, they need to win and have fans come to the games in order to be competitive and successful. The same goes for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Kirk Muller came in replacing Paul Maurice early on in the 2011 NHL season. He finished that season with a record of 25-20-12. A new season meant all the players would be accustomed and willing to adapt Muller’s systems. This season ended with a record of 19-25-4. This is a significant change compared to what he was able to do with a team that did not use all of his systems.

I believe Kirk Muller deserves more time with the team, but Guy Boucher would be the first to tell you, you don’t always have time.

Six to The Worlds

The talent on this team cannot be denied. What happened when this team came together for the shortened season in January and started playing, nobody really knows. It didn’t quite come together for an extended period of time. The Hurricanes lead the Southeast division in March. A different team lead in that division for every month of the season.

Now official. End of Jan, #Bolts led SE Division. End of Feb, #NHLCanes led SE. End of March, #NHLJets led SE. End of April, #Caps clinch SE

— Ben Raby (@BenRaby31) April 24, 2013

That being said, six Hurricanes are headed to the IIHF World Championship from May 3-19 in Finland and Sweden. Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, and Jeff Skinner will be representing Canada. Justin Faulk and Jamie McBain will be representing the United States. Jiri Tlusty will represent the Czech Republic.

The Record

The final record of the 2013 Carolina Hurricanes through their 48 game shortened season is 19-25-4. This is the opposite of many expectations, and as a non playoff team it is a disappointing end to the expectations NHL fans had.

Carolina managed to finish the season below .500, and couldn’t put together a streak of enough games to compete for a playoff spot. This marks the fourth year they have missed the playoffs and have missed with a record below .500 two out of four times.

There could be a major off season shake up for the Hurricanes, whether that is defensive, through the draft, or with coaching. One thing is for sure- the Staals are staying, and so is Alex Semin.

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Katie Flynn

Katie Flynn is in her final year at U of T, pursuing a career in sports journalism while completing a Bachelor of Arts, English Specialist. Although the NHL is the apple of her eye, she enjoys MLB, NFL, and NBA, in that order.

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Fresh new season for Head Coach Kirk Muller to work with, a couple new studs working up front in Jordan Staal and Alex Semin- sounds pretty good.

It’s safe to say this roller coaster season turned out to be a pretty big disaster by the end. I would relate it to the Parkour episode of The Office. Hey, it was pretty funny at first when Michael, Andy, and Dwight were running around the office pretending to be elite traceurs. (I actually did some research to find out what you call someone who practices the art of Parkour. You’re welcome for being enlightened on this imperative subject.) The amateur stylings of The Office characters doing their best to make a legit parkour video made it a classic episode. But what was even better, and relates back to the Hurricanes so well, was the fact that there were plans. Plans to do great things: “Truck, to refrigerators, to dumpster, 360 spin… into the trash can.”

The plans the Hurricanes had for their season didn’t include losing Jeff Skinner and Cam Ward early on. They also didn’t include watching a different team lead the Southeast division every month. The changes in division leaders from month to month can only speak to the streakiness and struggle that was the Southeast division of 2013.

Were the Hurricanes ever in discussion before the season as a cup favourite? Absolutely. How could you deny two NHL all-star brothers being united on the same team to lead the Hurricanes to the promised land? Dramatics, it’s a gift. The third season of Jeff Skinner- Calder Trophy recipient in 2011 – and addition of signing Alex Semin to a low-risk contract created high expectations for this team. We all know when Cam Ward is healthy, he’s a pretty decent goaltender. His career stats include a .910 SV%, 2.74 GA, and 21 shutouts.

The season started on top of that truck, planning the future, seeing greatness, overcoming obstacles… But things went awry. Jeff Skinner missed 5 games due to an injury from February 18 to February 27th. Through that period, the Hurricanes went 1-5, losing to Montreal, Winnipeg, Tampa Bay, and Washington. Before his absence, the Canes were 8-4-1. After his return on February 28th, the Canes beat powerhouse Pittsburgh 4-1 in regulation. Soon after this resurgence into the line-up, Cam Ward would go down with a season ending knee injury which occurred against the Panthers on March 3rd.

(Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE)

Since Cam Ward’s injury on March 3rd, the Hurricanes started down a path of destruction. Their record for the month of March was 6-7-1, which spiralled into a record of 3-9-1 for the month of April. Once looking at all the possibilities on top of that box truck, now the Canes sit inside that fridge box with Andy Bernard, and sigh “Parkour” as they look at their either third or fourth place division finish.

Where does the organization go from here? Only place to go is up. They don’t exactly sit at the bottom of the league standings, but let’s be honest, not making the playoffs was a huge disappointment based on the expectations of this team.

Maybe next year they’ll actually make it to the point where they do a 360 spin and land themselves in a conference final for the first time since 2008-09. And maybe after that they’ll land in the trash can- the planned final destination, aka the Stanley Cup Final. Who knows, but anything has to be better than the season they put together this year.

Author information

Katie Flynn

Katie Flynn is in her final year at U of T, pursuing a career in sports journalism while completing a Bachelor of Arts, English Specialist. Although the NHL is the apple of her eye, she enjoys MLB, NFL, and NBA, in that order.

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Cam Ward and Eric Staal (Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE)

It may not be over yet, but the seven games the Hurricanes have left to play won’t be putting them in position to continue their season past April 27th- game 48.

The hype surrounding this team before the season was warranted. They had acquired Jordan Staal from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the draft and gave up a young skilled centre to do so in Brandon Sutter. This signing along with Alexander Semin’s one year deal- on paper- drastically improved their offense.

Starting the season with a healthy Cam Ward was also a plus, and a strong sophomore year from Jeff Skinner would feed the hungry expectations fans and analysts had. Rookie Defenseman Justin Faulk made an impression early as well as four year NHL veteran Jamie McBain.

The Hurricanes first twenty games proved to be a test to their new coach Kirk Muller and their new surroundings. They went 11-9 over their first 20 games securing them at the top of the southeast division.

The next twenty games from March to present day suggest a lack of cohesiveness and an inability to play without their veteran goaltender Cam Ward in net. Since March 3, the Hurricanes have gone 6-14. They have plummeted in the standings from top 3 in the east, to playoff position, and now battling in the basement with the Florida Panthers for 15th place in the East. To put that slide in perspective, they are tied with 36 points with the Calgary Flames and sit two points up on the Colorado Avalanche.

What has gone wrong? It’s not an easy question to answer. Any time a team full of talent and promise cannot continue to produce, or struggles to produce, it falls immediately on the coaching staff.

Kirk Muller. (Photo Credit: Andy Martin Jr)

Kirk Muller paid his coaching dues and was ready for a new step. He started his coaching career with the Golden Gaels of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. In 2005-06 while coaching the Golden Gaels, Muller also assisted in coaching two Team Canada teams; The Lotto Cup Tournament in Slovakia, and the U-18 World Championship. After these coaching stints, Muller was hired by the Montreal Canadiens in 2006 as an assistant coach. This is the position he filled for five years before becoming head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL in June 2011, and the Carolina Hurricanes Head Coach in November 2011, replacing Paul Maurice.

Nobody has a bad thing to say about Muller. A very likeable guy, one who worked his way through the NHL as a player and continued his career as a great leader until retirement in 2003. The hockey world was excited to see a great guy and fan favourite finally get a head coaching job in the NHL.

The talent level of the Hurricanes far surpasses the talent level of any of the teams they are partying with in the basement of the NHL standings. The Calgary Flames have experienced offensive and defensive woes, and goaltending consistency issues for years and have refused to start a rebuild. With the loss of Captain Jarome Iginla, the team is without an identity, and just floating along until the end of April.

(Dustin Bradford/Icon SMI)

The Colorado Avalanche started their season in the headlines holding out of sophomore Ryan O’Reilly’s contract extension. Not exactly the kind of thing you want hanging over your team. Their goaltending has not been spectacular, and a recent outburst from Jean-Sebastien Giguere showed the effort and want level has disappeared from the team.

The Florida Panthers have struggled to put together wins all season, and starting with a few banged up guys would prove to be anything but helpful. Their goaltending issues have been apparent, proving not one of the guys in their system is good enough, or ready to carry an NHL load as a number one starter. Their offense has been non-existent at times, and their defense has been lacklustre to put it lightly.

The real problem with the Hurricanes is the same one the New York Rangers are trying to figure out. With all the superstars and talented pieces, both teams were projected to not only make the playoffs but go deep and in some cases be in the Stanley Cup Final. At this point, the Rangers could be left out of the playoffs and see the Islanders squeak in.

John Tortorella’s name has been floating around as a possible pink slip recipient in the future if the Rangers miss the playoffs. This can only be the same fate for Kirk Muller this summer. With 7 games left on the Hurricanes schedule and a record of 17-22-2, the writing may be on the wall for GM Jim Rutherford.

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Katie Flynn

Katie Flynn is in her final year at U of T, pursuing a career in sports journalism while completing a Bachelor of Arts, English Specialist. Although the NHL is the apple of her eye, she enjoys MLB, NFL, and NBA, in that order.

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Stormy The Pig, Mascot for the Carolina Hurricanes. (Flickr/Captsinslack)

I have nothing against mascots and no mascots were harmed in the writing and research of this article. That being said, I’m not a fan of them either. Who is in there? They don’t speak, sometimes they’re annoying, and ultimately they’re there for the kids, no? Mascots are a little creepy and an NHL mascot has to be one of the most useless.

This brings me to something Jo Innes of the Score’s Backhand Shelf blog brought up last night on twitter. The Carolina Hurricanes mascot is Stormy the pig. Yes, a pig. Some mascots make complete sense like S.J. Sharkie for the San Jose Sharks, and Iceburgh the penguin for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Now, one would say eating a mascot would be wrong, disgusting, in some cases illegal, but in North Carolina barbecue rules. Smoked pig? Bingo, let’s make that our mascot. I’m sorry, what?

I understand what you’re thinking – How do you give a hurricane a mascot? I have some ideas. Frankly, a hurricane would be hard to personify or anthropomorphize as an animal. Let’s just consider the options, then, because there has to be a better alternative for a mascot than using an animal that is frequently eaten.

Raleigh, I am very disappointed in you. Mascots are for hugging and photo ops and dumb promos NOT FOR EATING.

— Jo Innes (@JoNana) April 8, 2013

Raleigh is the capital city of North Carolina with the second largest population. We can work this this. Raleigh is known for its oak trees as the “City of Oaks”. Well, a pig has to be better than an oak tree as a mascot. I’m having technical difficulties thinking of something that makes sense for Raleigh, that can’t be eaten.

Alas, the official bird of the state of North Carolina is the Cardinal. That’s a better option. There are also three types of bats, a flying squirrel, and a red wolf that are all endangered animals in North Carolina.

Townsend’s Big-Eared Bat. This thing is absolutely terrifying. (Wikipedia)

These have to be much more viable options. A bat is weird and creepy, and they’re blind so let the jokes roll in when an unfortunate goal slides in or a defensive play goes awry. Not to mention one of the bats is called the “Townsend’s big-eared bat” which is concerning considering you’d think aerodynamics would be important to a bat… Although, if anyone remembers the movie FernGully: The Last Rainforest, where Robin Williams played a long eared bat “Batty” and did a rap it could be awesome. My mascot raps, what does YOURS do?

So maybe a bat isn’t the best thing, or an oak tree. How about a flying squirrel? They’re quick, they can jump, they fly – from tree to tree – and they’re also quite scary. But a squirrel, right? Road kill. I can see the headlines now.

Maybe the best thing for a mascot would be a beaver… stay with me on this one. The pelt trade in North Carolina was very important to their economy well into 1800s. They were hunted to extinction and have now been reinstated into the state with a thriving population. A HA! They made an entire species extinct, and brought them back to life. Might as well make a beaver the mascot of the Carolina Hurricanes, right?

I’m sold. Just… no pig, it’s wrong.

Author information

Katie Flynn

Katie Flynn is in her final year at U of T, pursuing a career in sports journalism while completing a Bachelor of Arts, English Specialist. Although the NHL is the apple of her eye, she enjoys MLB, NFL, and NBA, in that order.

Twitter

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.