Out with the Old, In with the Familiar

Photo Source: Greatesthockeylegends.com

Well well well... the Canes off-season has been a little bit different this year.  Out with Kirk Muller and in with Bill Peters; out with Jim Rutherford and in with Ron Francis (and so forth).  The Hurricanes are preparing for a new season with a new staff and with high hopes that the team will get out of their playoff drought.  With Peters in the coaching position and Francis at the managing helm it could be a recipe for success...or disaster, but lets not make those end-of-the-season assumptions just yet.

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.

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.

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.   

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.