New Hurricanes coach

When we moved down from Ohio, we were in the midst of selecting our seats for season tickets to the minor league Cleveland Lumberjacks hockey team. Then, in November 1996 when we finally moved to Greensboro, we discovered the minor league Greensboro Monarchs, who then folded in favor of the Greensboro Generals, who then moved away when the NHL's Hartford Whalers relocated to North Carolina and became the Hurricanes. Their home in Raleigh was not ready, so the Hurricanes played in Greensboro for two years. The head coach who oversaw the move? Paul Maurice.

Maurice took the 'Canes to the Stanley Cup in 2002 and we lost 4-1 to Detroit. Still, it was thrilling to have a local team play for all the marbles. After an underwhelming post-finals stretch, Maurice was fired and replaced by Peter Laviolette.

Laviolette took the 'Canes to the Stanley Cup finals and actually won the whole damn thing over Edmonton in 2006. Hooray! Hockey fever gripped Dixie! It was pretty cool to see the celebrations and the general gaiety over Lord Stanley's Cup presiding in NC for a year.

Then, for the first time ever in the ancient National Hockey League, a reigning Stanley Cup champion misses the playoffs completely two years in a row. Two years. Ugh.

Things began to look bright for 2008-09: a promising team, some up and coming youngsters, a heady veteran to lead the way, and "Ronnie Franchise" Ron Francis as assistant GM. But an awful stretch in November leads to a paltry 12-11-2 record with a lackluster team that cannot score a power play goal and are always playing from behind.

So, gone goes Laviolette. The winningest U.S.-born coach gets the ax.

The new coach? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Paul Maurice. The story.

Odd.

Coaches are hired only to be fired. And sometimes, they get RE-hired.

Their 2nd game with their new old coach will be Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers and I will be there with tickets. I'll be interested to see if there's a marked increase in intensity.

Sing with me: Come on, come on, come on, let's go 'Canes!

Brutal hockey hit.

Saturday's Hurricanes/Islanders game saw an absolutely awful headshot on 19-year-old Carolina Hurricane Brandon Sutter.

Ouch.




Hospitalized overnight, and released today. More neurological tests will be completed in Raleigh. It was technically a legal hit. It's a fine line: Doug Weight's arm did not come up and rise to make the hit because Sutter's head lowered as he poked at the puck. But a headshot occurred anyway, knocking the kid out cold. A game this fast it's hard to stop that momentum. A shot to the head wasn't the intent, but it happened. Does the offender get penalized by the league even if malicious intent is not there? Whatever the outcome with the league office, it's a brutal hit.

2008 Stanley Cup champions pay a visit to the 2006 Stanley Cup champions.

An intense bout with clogged sinuses did not stop Chris for a visit 60 minutes east to the RBC Center. Many many drugs and a quick nap after work resulted in a drive over to Raleigh for the 2nd home game for the 2-0-0 Carolina Hurricanes (your 2006 Stanley Cup Championship team). The 1-1-0 Detroit Red Wings (your 2008 Stanley Cup champions) took the ice versus our local heroes. It was also the inaugural night for the new "alternate sweaters" for the 'Canes. Yes, hockey players wear sweaters, not jerseys. The marketing department certainly did their homework.

Black.

The usual suspects are:

Home red:





Away white:









And now, the alternate black:








Way cool. Instead of the usual logo with the puck as the eye of the hurricane storm comprised of two C's, the shoulder logo (Chris's favorite) takes prominence on the chest: a hurricane flag on a hockey stick over a triangle. Get it? Triangle? Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill? Triangle?

The home team lost 3-1, the third goal being an empty net variety with seconds remaining. Great seats, center ice behind the penalty boxes. Center ice as in, Chris's seat was directly on the red line. Sure it was a pretty penny, but Gordon appearances at Hurricanes games do not occur nearly as often as we'd prefer.

Figured the Monday Night Football game with the Browns and the Giants would be a Cleveland disaster, so the hockey game took precedence. Who knew the Brownies would end up victorious in the end? Chris was home for the 4th quarter of the football game, but the sinuses began their newest vicious onslaught and bedtime occurred early.

Regardless of a snot-filled buckethead, it was an enjoyable evening.