LOLStaal

Dinner Jackets 4, Canes 1.

Thanks to the wonderful LOLCats for the inspiration.

A Character Guy Plays for the Everblades

The FL Everblades, the Hurricanes' 3rd tier farm team in the ECHL, has a fellow on their team named David Cornacchia. He recently made a complete ass of himself and I'm sure that it won't go unpunished.

FanHouse: Hockey player accused of slapping male flight attendant, exposing himself to passengers

C'mon dude, you're a hockey player in the ECHL that noone's ever heard of. Quit acting like yr shite don't stink.

A/V Delight: Heeeeere's Your Enforcer

With Bret (at least it wasn't my hip) Hedican going down with a knee injury last night in a win over the B's, the Hurricanes have called up the one and only Wade Brookbank from Albany. He and his brother are known for their willingness to scrap over their careers. But as Cason says in his post regarding the issue, we've already got guys who will drop the gloves in defense. I'd be more concerned with his plus/minus and the whole, you know, actually playing D part than worrying about having him punish other teams players. He was a -2 last year in Wilkes-Barre in 39 games with 116 penalty minutes (!) and 1 point. So he's not our missing offensive defenseman, that's for sure. I'm just hoping he racks up those PIM by fighting, not by committing stupid penalties.

Wade Brookbank's Fight Card @ Hockeyfights.com

Vs. Chris Neil

Vs. George Parros and his Porn-stache

Wadey gets KO'd by Boooooooooogard

I'd be on the lookout for this cat tonight in Columbus, as the two teams will be out to avenge one another after the pre-season melee that saw endless brawls.

Blame It On Lohan!

Taking a page out of the Dallas Cowboys' celebrity distractions, this blogger is blaming last night's 4-2 loss to the Rangers on a beautiful deterrent in the crowd. Yeah, thats it! The Hurricanes lost because they were too busy oogling at the likes of this:


All jokes aside, despite the boys being outhustled, outhit and outscored - this was a great game to watch. Up until the 2nd half of the 3rd period, it was a close match featuring the "recognizable" names of each team scoring. Jagr scores two. Staal scores. Drury & Gomez show up on the sheet. Sean Avery pisses everyone off (surprise).

Also, a big +1 to Tripp Tracy with the quote of the year:
"Someone should stand up and just beat the crap out of Sean Avery."

Petey Friesen, the Canes head trainer, has had his work cut out for him here lately. Rosie, Avi & now even Matt Cullen are getting the flashlights to their eyeballs with concussions. It's a tough one to swallow, but it is just one game among several that are on tap for the Canes in the next few days.

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Canes At Kitties: News in pictures

The Craig Adams high-stick to Alex Steen

2 games for this. No game suspension for the Leafs after trying to take out Erik Cole.

WTF?

We stink, you almost ready to go?

Well, let's hang around for another minute.
(Stiller scores)
Awesome! We've got a chance. We're probably still doomed.
(Wizard scores)
AH!!!! Whaaaaaaat!?! YES!!
(OT - On the power play yet we haven't scored a PP marker since the Hartford days)
d00d - we've got to score here.
(Staal farts a shot towards the net, Walker tips in)
Awlriiiiite. Awesome. WE ARE THE BEST TEAM EVER!

The Kaberle family got to see both their sons play a decent game, with Frank getting a helper and Tomas getting an assist and a PP goal.

It was great to see the remaining crowd at the RBC all on their feet during the OT period.

Cory Stillman is a beast. BEAST!

Since this game wasn't televised locally, here's the YouTubeage

Canes get "Elfed"

Good chance you've already seen one of these:

But it was just too easy.

ElfYourself - featuring the Canes

What Makes It All Worthwhile

Wins are awesome. Effort is awesome.

I gave my 2 year-old nephew the Hurricanes jersey that I've wanted to give him since before he was even born over the weekend. He's rather shy, but he put it on (he'll have to grow into it of course) and I got a big hug and a "Go Canes!" out of him. Love it.

Mailing It In

If they can do it, well so can I.

Another Clever Ad From The Charlotte Checkers

Just What Am I Paying For?

There are many other things I could be doing right now. In fact, I should probably be in bed getting some rest right now. But I have to get this out of my system. What am I paying for this season?

My frustration is not with losing. I can handle that. In fact, the vast majority of the Canes fanbase can handle that. What I can't handle is watching games where it is readily apparent that the team isn't even making a serious effort.

I have never felt entitled to wins. Rather, I feel that I pay my money for a few hours of entertainment. And I've gotten my money's worth watching quite a few entertaining losses. But I can't help but feel cheated when I pay money just to watch a team not even bother to show up. And that's what I have seen a bit too often lately out of my beloved Canes.

I'm not gonna call for a trade. I'm not gonna call for a firing. In fact, I know that there is little to nothing I can do as a fan that is going to make a bit of difference in how the team is playing (or rather not playing) right now. But I can and will vent my spleen a bit. It's my one and only right as a fan. It's the one personal right and privilege to which paying my ticket money entitles me.

Now I don't pretend to know what it is like to play in the NHL. Or in any other major professional sports league for that matter. So maybe it is a bit arrogant of me to bitch or complain about athletes who do. But I'm gonna say this: There is no excuse whatsoever for a professional athlete to "take the night off" or "mail it in". None. As a paying fan, I deserve nothing less than total effort. THAT is what I pay for. Not wins. Not goals. Not saves. Not highlight reel plays. I simply pay for effort.

The players on any sports team are the champions of their fans. These fans shell out thousands of dollars to their favorite teams in an effort to vicariously live out their personally unattainable fantasies of battle, victory, fame and glory. As a consequence, athletes are paid HUGE (relative to their fans) salaries to be our surrogate egos for a few hours on the field of battle. As fans, we allow ourselves to emotionally connect and "identify" with players that we will probably never even meet, in order to escape for a fleeting moment, from the everyday stresses and strains of our lives. And in return for that investment, we may not be entitled to a "win", but I do believe we are entitled to effort. If the players do not want to play for themselves or their own pride, then they should still play for their fans (and their vicarious pride) nonetheless...

All we ask as fans is that our players give us an honest effort. All we ask is that our heroes play the game with the same amount of heart that we believe we would bring, were we lucky enough to pull that jersey over our head and step out onto that ice. They say that some of our older players still talk reverently about the 5 minute standing ovation the Canes received as they were getting bounced from the playoffs in that final game in 2001. And in that long past ovation, the nature of the true Canes fan was revealed. The true Canes fan does not cheer solely for a specific result. He/she cheers for the effort that the players expend on our behalf. We cheer for our love of the game.

So were I able to address the Hurricanes, I would say this: We were called the "Loudest House in the NHL" long before this team ever won that big old cup. And that particular title could only have been bought and paid for through the hearts of great players; and not by all the silver in Lord Stanley's cup. Now, that house is beginning to fall silent. Don't let the echoes die. Just give us a sign and we'll raise that roof like only we can. The only thing we are waiting on is you...

What To Do With An Extra Half Hour Before The Game

Canes square off at home against the Sens with a rare 1/2 hour to kill - 7:30 start. We here at COI thoroughly enjoy a weeknight tailgate just as much as anybody does, but what are we to do with the extra time? Here's a few ideas.

1. Drink a few more $1.50 beverages as opposed to $7.50.
2. Grill your own burgers as opposed to buying the delicious $6 Hardee's Thickburger.
3. Spend a few extra minutes doing your hair before leaving the house.
4. Make sure your seat is nice and warm.
5. Go to K-Mart and buy a $30 jersey instead of the $200 one at The Eye.
6. See suggestion #1.

Looking At Leighton: Puppies & Babies, Oh My!

Great reads about Albany goaltender & Hurricanes prospect, Michael Leighton.

Montreal Canadiens Goaltenders

N&O - Leighton Leaves An Impression

The fans make it possible for John Grahame to be paid that $1.6 million. If those same fans are clamoring for this guy to be called up to replace Crackers, why can't their wishes be heard? Granted, without an injury to Ward or Grahame, he would have to clear re-entry waivers - which wouldn't happen the way he's been playing. But just look at this guy!


How can you look at those puppy dog eyes and not feel sorry for him? Come on, Come on! He's been passed around the leagues like Anson Carter - one of these days - he'll hopefully be doing some solid goaltending for one lucky team.

The Bag Skate For Monday, December 10th

Sweatin' To The Oldies: On Sunday, Hurricanes played Detroit (the two oldest teams by average age) a 1/2 hour after their previous MTL beatdown, end up losing a game, 5-2, that was more competitive than expected. They will sleep like babies today. (Canes Country)

Erik Cole is back on the scoresheets and he's baaaaaad. (Lord Stanley's Blog)

Must-read: Sherry of Scarlett Ice translates the recently struggling Senators play through the sock-puppet medium. (Scarlett Ice)

East Coast Eagles are now the junior affiliate of the NCSU Wolfpack Hockey team. (ACCHL)

Appalachian State ends a frustrating 2007 with a big win over NC State. (App State Mountaineers)

Charlotte Checkers have an in-house blogger now on their official site, and she ain't half-bad! (Charlotte Checkers)

The SPHL Champion Fayetteville Fireantz (with an intimidating website intro), are .500 at home but undefeated in regulation on the road. (Fayetteville Fireantz)

East Carolina Pirates have their media guide available for download. (ECU Ice Hockey)

The Acid Queen sounds off on her love of Detroit Red Wings fans. (Sweet Tea, Barbecue & Bodychecks)

Stephen A. Smith mouths off on blogs, makes us all stupider for having listened to him. (ThePensBlog)

NHL.com's been following the undrafted rookie Hurricanes prospect, Jerome Samson, up in Albany. (NHL.com)

X-Hurricane Bates Battaglia waved by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Good luck, Bates. See you downtown. (CasonBlog)

Skin 'N Bones Ward Still Owns The Bell Centre

Cam Ward stood on his head making 35 of 36 saves during a 5-1 win in Montreal, where the Habs have laid a goose egg against him since pre-lockout. Tonight he comminced to stand on his head, his skates, his gloves, Alex Kovalev, Mark Streit, the glass, and then just for fun, he went and stood on David Tanabe.

A nice and lengthy prose write-up from Luke at LSB.
D-Lee (possibly the most old-school Caniac) reviews the game and issues his 3 stars.

Four Habs Fans & A Caniac

With the final regular season game against Montreal on Saturday, C.O.I. has crossed streams joined forces with Four Habs Fans - Our NSFW friends to the North.. Enjoy!

Hey there! We are the fine yet perverted folks from Four Habs Fans. All you need to know about us is we seek to unite Montreal's two greatest institutions - Les habitants and strippers.

Thanks to wufpirate for proposing this little cross-posting experiment. We apologize in advance for any Hartford Whalers jokes. We really miss The Whale.

Why are you a Habs fan?

HabsFan10: Well, my father was a Habs fan, and his father, and I suppose if there was any way my grandfather's father was getting game results he would have been a Habs fan too. Born in the 70's, when the Habs played steamroller to the rest of the league's random bike left on the curb. Plus my Dad made it quite clear that any cheering for the Leafs would result in immediate banishment from the family. That's a pretty heavy thing to lay on a four-year old.

HF29: This post explains it.

What do you like / dislike about Carolina?

HF10: I dislike that they aren't still in Hartford. I miss the Whale. I dislike that terrible logo and the not so great uniforms, and I dislike Justin William's errant stick that nearly blinded Koivu. I dislike Erik Cole with a head full of steam bearing down on our goalie, Rod Brind'amour winning every faceoff, and Cam Ward standing on his head.

I like Carolina's crazy, loud, tailgating fans. I really like the Ice Girls. I like that your most famous season ticket holder is the Nature Boy Ric Flair, and I love the "Whooooooooo!!!!" after Canes goals (except against Montreal, of course). I like that your rink is sponsored by a Canadian Bank.

Favorite moment as a MTL fan?

HF10: So many to mention, but here's a unique one: I remember watching Lafleur's retirement ceremony with the "Guy" painters caps they handed out to the crowd. I would have killed for one of those beauties. It was before those types of things became the norm, so the whole thing was surreal ... but the Forum was rocking with "Guy! Guy! Guy!" chants coming down from the rafters through the cigarette smoke haze. Awesome.

HF29: Rioting in the streets.

Lowest moment as a MTL fan?

HF10: The Dark Ages of the 90's and early 2000's, when Savard, Houle, and Corey got rid of Hall of Fame talent in trades and whiffed on a decade's worth of picks, symbolized by the abominable decision to side with Mario Tremblay, a mediocre, hotheaded, confrontational buffoon/coach over the greatest goalie of his generation. The franchise is still suffering the effects.

HF29: Whatever the last loss is.

When I'm not following my team, I'm...

HF10: following my one-year old daughter's path of destruction through the house, hoping she doesn't swing her latest toy/weapon anywhere near the china cabinet or pull down the Christmas tree.

HF29: at a strip club. Duh.

My interview with them is now posted over there. Head over to their comment section for live-blog-ish trash talking!

Thanks, eh!

THIS IS RALEIGH!

Congrats to Scottie Walker and Matt Cullen on their 700th career NHL game played!

Goalie Holmqvist Is Godzilla Stature Against Carolina (again)

Why is it that their goalie can be so fluky against everyone but Carolina?
Oh wait, we always lose to Tampa.

Overused Natural Cliche: Hurricanes vs. Lightning

Big test tonight for the Hurricanes at the St. Petey's Forum in TB.

Which team shows up? One that can't beat a bottom feeder Caps team or the one that stomps through Canada kicking ass/taking names?

To make things tougher for the Canes, some minor-leaguer named Mathieu Darche is on a 3-game goal streak. The former Dinner Jacket's farm-teamer has a career high in that span. He is -2 in two games played against Carolina (out of the 400th time the teams have met this season). He apparently is causing a stir with his on-ice antics prompting Sugar Ray Emery to take a shot at his leg the other night.

Puck drops at 7:30 tonight on FSN South. Prepare for pure adulation of Vinnie Lecavalier from Tripp Tracy.

Lets. Go. Canes.

The Sit-ee-ashun In Goal This Weekend

Mer got me going on this over at Paperwhites In Season this morning.

An interesting dilemma here for the goal tandem this week:

Tampa Bay Thursday - we saw how well that went starting Crackers last time, plus as a former Bolt - they've got the book on him.

Montreal Les Habs Saturday - Cam Ward historically plays lights-out in the Bell (Molson!) Centre.

Winged Wheels (the best team on ice right now) the following day.

Cam Ward should get used to being #1 - and that includes the ability to win back-to-back games, regardless of the opponent.

Leighton is rounding in to good trade bait. Considering all that any other team would do with Mikey is trade him, why not? If it can bring in the elusive "puck-moving defenseman", let him roll.

Canes Play So Well, David Tanabe Scores A Goal

Cheers!

Hurricanes 4, NY Rangers 0

Canes At Rangers

Hurricanes interns are searching the NHL by-laws this morning to see if farm teams are allowed to play in place of the big boys. If the same squad shows up that got annihilated Saturday, the Albany River Rats would fare a much better chance tonight against the Blue Shirts.

First chance at seeing E. Staal vs. M. Staal tonight.

Tonight is Matt Cullen's chance to show NY something. Ditto for the rest of team.

GameDay Previews:

PaperWhites In Season
Rangers Review

If Ron Francis Came Back...

He could use his banner as a cape! (Lord knows the Canes could use him right now)

Face Time With the Washington Capitals Blogs

My favorite thing about that team is their quality blogs.

Congrats Guys!

Sometimes The Windshield. Sometimes The Bug(s).

Buffalo 8, Hurricanes 1

A rested streaking Sabres crew awaited a tired struggling Hurricane bunch.

They made it rain on Johnny Grahame and a hapless Carolina.

They can have it. Sometimes this is going to happen. We've had our games of putting up football numbers on opposing goaltenders.

BfloBlog

Red & Black Hockey