Weekly Report: 10/18

Picture Source: hurricanes.nhl.com

After only eight games into the regular season the Canes are in a good (not great) spot.  Through eight games the Canes are 3-2-3, and have earned 9 points.  This decent record believe it or not has earned second place in the Metropolitan Division.  The Canes are 3 points back from the Pittsburgh Penguins. That being said hockey season is long and there is much room for improvement.  We must improve as I am sure the teams below us in the division will surely get better.

Opening Weekend Wrap-up

Picture Source: hurricanes.nhl.com

This past weekend marked the start of the regular season for the Carolina Hurricanes.  There were a lot of questions and concerns heading into this season.  For starters we were curious as to what kind of impression were the 2013-2014 Canes going to leave us with.  Well wait no longer the answer is just a "read more" click away.

Two Former Canes Coaches Fired Early

Picture Source: Miami Herald

In the span of a month two fromer Hurricanes coaches have been given the pink slip and are out of a head coaching job.  Tom Rowe was fired in September as the head coach of the Kontinental Hockey League's Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Peter Laviolette was fired from his coaching job yesterday after just three games into Philadelphia's season.

Game On!

Picture Source: hurricanes.nhl.com

Well Caniacs it's the most wonderful time of the year again.  No it's not Christmas, but it is hockey season.  It's time to brush up on our "Let's Go Canes!" chants and find where we hung our jerseys at the end of last season (which unfortunately was some time ago).  That's right, tomorrow night begins the 2013-2014 regular season with our Hurricanes hosting the Red Wings.

Former Canes: How Are They Elsewhere?

Picture Source: IIHF.com

One of the things my friends know about me is that I like to look at things on a global scale and that definitely includes following hockey leagues and teams from other parts of the world such as Sweden, Finland, Russia, and even Australia.  While this is indeed a Hurricanes blog, we will dedicate a portion of our blog towards how former Hurricane players are doing elsewhere in the NHL as well as in other leagues around the world.

The Hardships of Reporting Hockey News in the South

Picture Source: www.rookiedeveloper.com.au

There's a problem being a hockey fan in the South: the hockey news is extremely lacking.  The News & Observer  has an article once in awhile about the Canes and the Cane's (as well as the NHL's)  website doesn't offer much in news either.  I know the summer as a whole is slow in news, but at least in the northern states and Canada there is a constant flow of hockey news to satisfy even the regular hockey fan.

Eric or Jordan?

Picture Source: www.nydailynews.com

The National Hockey League's Facebook page yesterday posted a picture of Eric and Jordan Staal asking which brother is better.  That post from the NHL gave Andrew and I a very good idea for our next article (this article) and we actually have different opinions about which one is the better Staal.  Hopefully after reading this article you guys can decide for yourself which Staal, Eric or Jordan, is better.

Metropolitan Division: Sounds Like Fun

Picture Source: www.tomfulery.com

The Carolina Hurricanes open up the 2013 season in the same league and same conference, but in a different division.  With the new realignment plan the teams are now split into 2 conferences(East and West) and 2 divisions within each conference.  The realignment has moved Detroit and Columbus to the Eastern Conference and Winnipeg to the Western Conference.  The reasoning behind this is obviously so teams can play others in their time zone.  Above is a map of the new realignment to help illustrate this change.

New Uniforms, Good Change?

Picture Source www.nhl.com

On June 4th, 2013 the Carolina Hurricanes unveiled a "new" home and away jersey.  Why do I use quotations when I refer to the jerseys as new?  Well, as new as these jerseys are to us as fans I feel they are more of an old style.  This new uniform revamp is a change from head to toe.   

Gary Bettman Loves to Play the Villain

Picture Source: lenavet.ca

We all know that every time Gary Bettman is having to perform a public relations role at the Stanley Cup finals as well as at the NHL Entry Draft he gets booed.  It's not just a couple of people being angry at him, it's the entire arena.  If I remember correctly the only place that did not jeer him was in Los Angeles when they won their Cup.  I think if it was any other guy on any other day it would be pretty demoralizing knowing that you are hated by the majority of the league's fans.  I definitely would quit the job by the end of my first season if that were the case.

Elias Lindholm: The Versatile Swede

Picture Source: Hockey Sverige

In the 2013 NHL Entry Draft the Carolina Hurricanes selected Elias Lindholm as their first round selection (fifth overall in the entire draft).  On July 15th the Canes signed Lindholm to an entry-level contract.  Playing for Brynas IF during the 2012-13 Swedish Elitserien season he finished third on the team in scoring with 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 48 regular season games.  With that said, how will he be a fit for the Canes and will he produce?  C. Cole and A. Caldwell will give their opinions about the new acquisition.

Anton Khudobin: Trying to Solve the Backup Goalie Mystery

Picture Source: Boston Globe

I'll be honest, I didn't really know anything of the sort about Anton Khudobin.  Before he was with the Canes I always referred to him as "the goalie that nobody knows his name that is Tuukka Rask's backup," when he played for the Boston Bruins.  But now that he is a Cane I have done a little bit more research.

Social Media

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Thank you all again for reading.

Mike Komisarek: Ready For Action?

Picture Source: www.stratfordbeaconherald.com

In 2001, Mike Komisarek was drafted 7th overall by the Montreal Canadiens.  After playing with the Canadiens for 6 seasons Komisarek was snatched up by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2009.  Komisarek played for 4 seasons with the Maple Leafs.  Komisarek injured his shoulder in 2010 and required season ending surgery.  Many believe he had not fully recovered from this injury.  Komisarek's contract was bought out in 2013 by the Leafs and he became a free agent.  On July 5th, 2013, Mike Komisarek signed with the Carolina Hurricanes for a 1 year $700,000 deal.

Nathan Gerbe: Small Man, Big Surprises

Picture Source: booksbycassandracarr.com

On July 26th the Canes announced the signing of 5'5", 178 pound Nathan Gerbe from Buffalo for a pretty small sum: $500,000 if he plays the entire season with the Canes, $150,000 if he plays for the Checkers, and $250,000 if he plays for both teams.  In 188 games for the Sabres he scored 29 goals and 43 assists for 72 points, which is a far cry from his minor league (41 goals, 53 assists, 94 points in 101 games) and college (71 goals, 62 assists, 133 points in 123 games) career stats.  With that said, it seems that this left winger maybe turn out to be a career AHLer or have a prosperous European elite leaguer, but one has to remember that Gerbe is only 26 years old.  26 may seem old for a guy still trying to find a permanent spot in the big league, but he still has some development time left in him, not a lot of time mind you because if he is going to finally breakout he has at most two seasons to make his mark.

Welcome!

Welcome fellow Caniacs and other NHL enthusiasts to The Original Caniac blog.  This blog has been inspired by other hockey blogs out there on the interwebs.  My friend, C. Cole, and myself, A. Caldwell will be your authors for the foreseeable future.  Now that you know all about us it's time to let you know what you can expect from this awesome blog.