Hurricane Hat Trick

On Friday night DH and I went to see the Carolina Hurricanes play the Phoenix Coyotes.  Friday morning we had snow flurries, which is somewhat unusual for Raleigh and quite unusual for Raleigh on November 21. With tickets to a hockey game in the evening, it certainly felt like winter is coming in a big way.

We arrived early and I took some pictures during the pre-game skate when both teams come out to warm up.  I got a few good shots including one of Eric Staal (number 12, upper right) and one of Tuomo Ruutu (number 15, lower left) As usual for a weeknight, it was a late arriving crowd and I got right up against the glass.

The Hurricanes haven't been playing great and Eric Staal, one of our star forwards, was in a slump going into the game. I am happy to report that he had a hat trick -- scoring three goals during the first two periods. That was really nice to see. The Hurricanes won the game 5-2 on the strength of the Staal's hat trick despite getting clogged up in the neutral zone by the Coyotes' defense.

DH have been mini-season ticket holders for the Hurricanes for several years now and this was not the first hat trick that we've seen but it's always fun to see people fling their hats on the ice in celebration.

Hurricanes end season

The Carolina Hurricanes ended their season on Friday night. DH and I were in attendance. Had the Hurricanes defeated the Florida Panthers, they would have gone on to the playoffs. As it turned out, they are on the outside looking in.

Tuomo Ruutu during the pregame skate


Just before the opening face off


DH and me after the second period.

Thoughts on the season opener

I was disappointed in last night's game but not surprised, really. Cam Ward looked good as did Mike Commodore. Unfortunately, Commodore was one of the few players making hits -- along with Cullen and Ladd. Hedican had his good and bad moments. He seemed a bit, well, old. Early in the game I turned to DH and said, "This is his last season." He made a few really smart plays and then he scored. After that, he really had a fire lit under him.

I think that the team needs a few games under their collective belts to get some communication issues worked out. The passing was kind of bad.

Thanks to Cam Ward's excellent goaltending, the Canes came out of the game with a point.

Opening Night

Tonight, the Carolina Hurricane's are hosting the Montreal Canadiens to open their NHL season.
I'm really looking forward to the game. To say that last season was a bit if a disappointment after winning the Stanley Cup in 2006 would be an understatement.

Matt Cullen is back after a year that I choose to view as a sabbatical, Cam Ward seems to be on track and I'm excited about some of the new players that have joined the team. I'm also glad that we kept Spock, aka Scott Walker!

Go Canes!