Sweet Jesus! They've done it again...

Yep. It's the bobblehead thing. Again.

What is with this team? I know, I know... It's a bobblehead, it isn't supposed to look exactly like the player. But shouldn't it at least look a little like the player?

As you will recall, I have previously delved into the subject of Canes bobbleheads. And I've discovered that lately, they appear to be modeled after various political figures. The most glaring example was that of Cam Ward's bobblehead:

Well, as you can see, the Cam Ward bobblehead was clearly modeled after Barack Obama. There's just no denying it. But what the hell? Given Obama's popularity back then, I guess it helped marketing. But I wonder if there was not some backlash over this.

Let's face it: The South is generally a conservative area. And the Canes are located well below the Mason-Dixon line. So maybe modeling Hurricane bobbleheads after a black socialist wasn't such a hot idea after all. I know that sounds a bit harsh, but I am a conspiratorial kinda guy. So I am thinking that maybe the Ocama bobblehead might've drawn Gale Force Holdings some complaints. I suggest this, because what other explanation could there be for their latest foray into bobblehead-dom?

In case you haven't seen it, the Canes have now released their first soon-to-be-found-on-EBay chotchke of the year. It is an Eric Cole bobblehead. Of course, one has to wonder about the irony/symbolism of making a bobblehead of a guy that broke his neck a coupla years ago, but I digress...

The point of this diatribe/conspiracy theory is that apparently, the Canes have decided that they needed to be "Fair and Balanced". Maybe practice a little bobblehead fairness doctrine. Because they sure went the other way with the Cole chotchke. Yep, you guessed it. The Cole chotchke is the spitting image of George W. Bush:



Seriously. Maybe you think I am nuts, but this CAN NOT be a coincidence. Two bobbleheads - Two presidents. Think about it.

Of course, there are other possibilities. Given how bad this season is going for the Canes, maybe they had other subliminal messages in mind:



I'll let you decide...

Erik Cole traded back to Carolina - becomes 87th former player to return

So much for that Erik Cole to Boston rumor. (photo: Edmonton Journal)

I was never quite comfortable seeing him in this jersey and apparently neither was he. Today in somewhat of a surprise move, Erik Cole was returned to his comfort zone in Raleigh via a trade with the Oilers. In went down like this hee-aah:

CAR: Justin Williams to LA Kings for Patrick O'Sullivan and a draft pick.
EDM: Erik Cole and a pick to Carolina for Patrick O'Sullivan. Edmonton then used the pick that Carolina traded via LA and acquired Ales Kotalik from Buffalo.

That's not confusing at all is it?

I say that is was somewhat of a surprise move in that it was done at the last second before the 3:00 PM trading cutoff. Also, JR had said all along that nobody was expecting much to stir up in regards to trades before the deadline. What is NOT surprising at all is that an X-Cane is back with the team (see Vasicek, Cullen, Bayda, hell - even Coach Mo).

Why this trade might work out:

Erik Cole was Eric Staal's roommate on the road and usually was on Staal's wing. With the bull-rushing Cole back on a line with his BFF Staal - it could obviously increase both players production levels.

#26 is a rare Hurricanes system guy that was drafted and his play only got better as the team did.

Jimmy Boy Rutherford obviously thinks that Cole will re-sign in the summer with Carolina for LESS than the $4 million per he's been getting.

The grass isn't always greener on the other side is it? Although he was traded away over the summer - the general assumption was that Carolina couldn't afford to re-sign him as an UFA.

Why the trade might not work out:

Erik has been healthy all season as an Oiler - something that he rarely could do as a Cane. If he misses anytime in the remaining season due to injury than you could consider this a lost cause.

All of a sudden, Cole is 30 years of age and will be 31 in November. Being 31 in regards to the rest of the league's age is like being an antique.

His point production was down this year. Partly because he never fit in Oil Country and partly because of "off again - on again" effort that was one of his only downfalls.

Only time will tell how things will pan out. There will be a "Farewell Justin Williams" post within a few days time. For now, Welcome Home Erik and Go Canes!

Hockey <3's Baseball

G-dubs, aka Puck Daddy, posted last week about the Binghamtom Mets minor-league baseball team having a hockey night in conjunction with the Binghamton Senators (the Ottawa farm team). They had former B-Sens on hand as well as the IceGirls at the ball game. They showed clips during intermissions from the movies Slap Shot and The Mighty Ducks. The baseball players were wearing uniforms that looked eerily similar to the B-Sens uni's.

Seeing all this made me think of the Durham Bulls and the Hurricanes previous ventures together.

After the the Canes won the Stanley Cup, there was a night of celebration in Durham as several Hurricanes threw out the first pitch and the Stanely Cup was on site. Needless to say, it was a sold-out, packed house and it wasn't because of the Durham Bulls vs. Richmond Braves big match-up. It was a lot of fun and seeing the evening's festivities (from a Caniac standpoint) compensated for the fact that it was 101 degrees w/ 100% humidity.

Also, as recent as last week Chad LaRose himself was the guest of honor at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park to deliver the first pitch, albeit a dead duck of a throw. What hasn't Rosey done this summer? He's on hand for RBC Centura bank grand openings, Caniac Fun Fests, baseball games... I'm waiting for the announcement that he'll be an honorary scooper at Bruster's Ice Cream in North Raleigh for a day (or insert shameless promotion x.here).

Apparently there are some Durham Bulls fans that are also Carolina Hurricanes fans, contrary to what some will tell you.

Lowetide's Reasonable Expections for Erik Cole

(edmonton journal)

The outstanding Edmonton Oilers blog, Lowetide, has been doing a series of player previews for the upcoming season. LT's breakdown of where Erik Cole will fit in among the lines and personnel is worth a read.

He's spot on in his examining that Cole was constantly up against other team's top lines and didn't necessarily get paired with the top talent. Look for him to be an anchor veteran to the Oil's strong, young developing team. Best of luck to the classy Mr. Cole this coming season.

Freaky Friday: Erik Cole is covered in oil

(Edmonton Journal)
Weird. This picture is gonna take some getting used to.

If you folks want to follow Erik Cole's year in Edmonton - do yourselves the favor and check out the many outstanding Oilers blogs. My favorite one is Covered In Oil. He seems pretty darned happy up there.

H/t Kukla on the link.

Chad LaRose: The One that almost got away

Here's the highlights from the Jan. 12th game in Raleigh against the Colorado Avalanche.

If you watch the video, you'll notice that the Canes' goals come from an Erik Cole breakaway, a Keith Aucoin rocket-of-a-shot, Cory Stillman slapper and Chad LaRose sweeping up the trash. The irony here is that the first three will not be suiting up in a Carolina sweater come September and that the fourth was nearly lost.

I read mixed opinions that surfaced during the limbo time of not knowing whether the organ-eye-zation was willing to bring LaRose back. Some said that he would be easily replaced. Others threatened to ex-communicate with the team if he was let go (most of those folks added that they couldn't stand to see two fan favorites leave Raleigh in the same month).

Personally, I think Chad is just coming of age. Keep in mind that his third season with the Plymouth Whalers produced a team-leading 117 points in 49 games (including a team record 61 goals). Also keep in mind that he's a homegrown boy, being the only person to play in each level of the CompuWare hockey teams (Compuware AAA Ambassadors, Plymouth Whalers, Florida Everblades, Lowell Lock Monsters, and the Carolina Hurricanes). The Chuck Norris of Hockey himself has been Petey Boy's child prodigy since he was crapping thunder into his little diaper.

As much as I may have a man-crush on him, this could all be a wash as my boy Jimmy could trade him away tomorrow for all I know. But he will be needed if Earl Sleek's stat projections for the 08-09 season are at all accurate.

I'd like to take this time to offer a sneak preview to the Carolina On Ice CafePress store. Stay tuned for some additions over there, but here is the first design:

Farewell to Colesy, Hello Joni

I'd been clamoring for some kind of news out of the Hurricanes, well that clam opened up big time today. I've had some time to sit a spell and do some research on Pitkanen and think about the proper send-off for #26.

Erik Cole, from his 2002 rookie year until April of '08, was a true power forward. From his legendary days with the BBC Line, to his extremely frightening and career dangering neck injury, to his triumphant return in games 6 & 7 before the Cup win and through last season - you couldn't have asked for a classier guy.

Whether he was charging up the ice or laying out the opposition, living a quiet Southern lifestyle or raising money for his home town's library; Cole was the player that you could always look to set the example.

Caniac Nation will certainly miss him but the timing was right and the situation was necessary for him to move on. Take care up there, Erik.

I'm sure that there is a near-endless amount of clips to choose from, but I'm picking this one as his C.O.I. swan song:



On to Joni Pitkanen.

Is it pronounced "Yo - nee"? I heard a radio talking head say it as "Yanni" today. Let's hope it's not "Yawn-nee".

Covered In Oil offered a pseudo-scouting report on him in their post the other day after speculating that he might indeed be traded:

"Joni Pitkanen is probably gone, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Actually, wait, no, I really love somewhat chaotic, flaky Finnish defenceman, especially 24-year-old ones who are capable of skating an entire lap with three effortless, platonic strides. " - DMFB

Back in 2003, The Sporting News had this to say on the budding young Finn:

" His ability to handle physical play is a concern. He has had shoulder and knee surgeries and will have to shake off a reputation of being injury-prone. "He can be overaggressive sometimes and take risks that don't work," says the scout. His shot has force but is not very accurate." - Kara Yario

I'm gonna have to trust in my boy Jimmy on this one. Judging from his propensity to scout and eventually sign former Philadelphia Flyers, he's obviously had his eye on Pitkanen for quite some time. Oh yeah, and he's an offensive defenseman - in case you haven't heard. My main concern is bringing in another injury-riddled player after what the Canes have been through in the past two seasons especially.

I do think that he will be a good compliment to one Joseph Corvo seeing as Joni shoots left and Corvo right. He should also be a good compliment to the suddenly very Euro-friendly Hurricanes squad. Only time will tell.

UPDATE: per TSN, Joni Pitkanen is signed to a 3 year deal, total of $12 Million. About as close as expected. He's now our highest paid defenseman, BTW.

Joni Pitkanen - Meet the newest Carolina Hurricane

Rather than start spewing, I will wait until later today to post my thoughts on the Erik Cole trade for Joni Pitkanen.

Voros on Staal: You Be The Judge

Well, you can probably guess which side of this hit the folks around here at COI are on, BUT some other views and opinions are always welcomed. At the end of this post is the YouTube of the hit and what happened in the aftermath. I think Voros' hit was nasty. If I wasn't entirely sure on seeing it the first time, the replays made it clear that he put in a nice extra shove at the end to make sure Staal went barreling into the boards. I'll leave the berating of the refs to anyone who wants to leave a comment.....I want some creative material here, folks.

Cory Stillman Scores Goal On Panthers From Cuba

With the NHL spreading its wings and offering regular season games in London (with rumors of an opening game in Prague or Sweden next year), Cory Stillman casted his support for the ongoing league travel by nailing a slapshot from Guantanamo Bay to Sunrise, FLA last night.

“Our commitment to grow the game globally has never been stronger,” said NHL Deputy Commissioner, Bill Daly. “The NHL is extremely proud to be represented in Cuba by a great hockey organization like the Hurricanes .”

In other news from last night, our thoughts and prayers are with the Erik Cole family today as he tried to score a goal with his helmet but crashed into Tomas Vokoun and laid motionless for several minutes before being carted away on the stretcher. As Versus cut to a commercial break, all of Caniac Nation held their breath as they showed a flattened Cole. If you and I were nervous during that commercial, imagine how his family must have felt?

All in all, a great night for the Canes smashing up on their divisional foe and putting silence to the "Divegate scandal".

ESPN Game Recap with Video Highlights

Canes Drop Opener To Some Eh-Holes

Continuing on with my luck of attending Hurricanes games - they dropped last night's game to Montreal in overtime. What is it about my presence at the RBC Center that makes our favorite team want to lose? Out of the 15ish games I attended last year - the only Ws I witnessed were early on vs. the Thrash and late in the season vs. the Craps.

Erik Cole did look good last night, scoring the games first goal. Cam Ward was standing on his head, skates, ass, hands, you name it. He was spectacular. Staal looked like he is ready to play this season. Our D looked shaky all night. Gleason was like a pylon with skates all night. The cross-checking call on Wallin in OT was garbage.

Oh well, at least the beer was good.

Reviews:

Canes Country Game Review

Lord Stanley's Blog - Montreal 3, Canes 2

850 The Blog - So Much For Another Stanley Cup

Opening Night In 1 Day:

How many points will Erik Cole get against Montreal tomorrow?

I'm gonna stick to the conservative side and go with 12.

Quick Rundown

The Blue Ridge Hockey Conference website has a team preview for the UNC-W Seahawks up.

Clemson has this years new roster and schedule up.

The ACC Hockey League has a shiny new website.

Former Hurricanes' Coach Maurice is talking all kinds of smack.

Canes training camp started today.

Erik Cole can kick your ass.

The SPHL Presidents' Cup Champion Fayetteville Fireantz have their schedule out.

Heating Up In Raleigh

To re-hash this past week in Caniacism, I'll let two excellent bloggers fill you in:

red and black hockey: Carolina gets a Sutter, (sort of) unveils new sweater

Bubba discusses the NHL draft weekend and hints at the Erik Cole trade rumors in his post, "Long Day"

Colesy has been a defining player, a top power forward and excellent member of the Hurricanes community in his time here. Although somewhat brittle, injury prone and tub-ridden in recent years, when he is on his "A-Game" he is hard to stop. (See "Damn I'm Glad..." post) How would you like to try and do what he does/did after breaking your neck only 15 months ago?

I'd certainly admit that it will be a sad day the Cole family has to leave NC. As the saying goes:

"For once, I'm glad I'm not the General Manager" (thanks C)

Though the Canes certainly need the sexy, big-named free agent pickup of a blue line stud this summer, at what cost will it be? Stalker Face Babchuk is returning to Kiev and JR hasn't thrown in the towel on Hutch & Seidenberg.

(above) that's odd, I don't remember ever seeing or running into Kid or Cuba Gooding Jr. other than in the Cup Finals. Damn Fairweathers!

If Erik must go, I hope our return is worth it. Stay tuned...

*Update*: Flyers, Canes talking trades

Damn I'm Glad This Guy Is Coming Back For At Least 2 More Seasons

How Convenient Is That?

In a matchup of two of the best teams at the World Championship of Hockey, Team USA & Team Canada played this afternoon in Russia. In a moment that ironically was similar to the Canes season, Erik Cole skated into another player awkardly, collapsing to the ice and leaving the game in writhing pain. At least it wasn't a Hurricanes player that injured him.

LINK TO STORY

Soon-to-be Headlines for Carolina Hurricanes:

-In other news, Ray Whitney suffered what appears to be a tailbone injury while going down a waterslide. The Whitney family was on vacation in the Caribbean, and Ray came off the slide "kinda funny". No word on what kind of recovery lead time so far.

When contacted, the only comment from "The Wizard":




-Cory Stillman is listed as day-to-day after an alleged "drive-by sneezer" attacked the 2-time Cup champ in Cary yesterday. Mrs. Stillman, when contacted, said Cory is "in good hands" and making a recovery from bouts of measles, whooping cough and flu-like symptoms.



-Anton Babchuk unexpectedly was a no-show for a local charity event last weekend. It seems there were some thunderstorms that knocked his electricity out. "My Choco-Taco melted. It was in freezer. Don't deserve this. Won't go." (Anton muttered in rough Ukranian/English.)
Babchuk's agent, Jay Grossman, said, "Babs will show up. We just didn't feel that the Ronald McDonald house was the right place for him, and we have requested a trade for something else."

Hurricanes History: The BBC Line

If you don't know what the BBC line is, I'll let you figure it out.