MVN - Most Valuable Network

‘Canes announce players to skate at World Championship Hockey games

After the Carolina Hurricanes season ending on a low note because of the Capitals winning their final game. It’s given them a lot to think about, and it gave the world the time to think about which ‘Canes should be seen at the World Championship Hockey games. There are a total of seven Hurricanes players, and one of the Hurricanes very own prospects.

The players that will be in the World Championship Hockey games will be, Tim Gleason, being from Michigan he will then represent the U.S.A. Team Canada will be most pleased with the players they’re getting from the ‘Canes. They are receiving Eric Staal, who took over the Hurricanes leadership role after team Captain Rod Brindamour got injured with a tore ACL. There is also the contributions of Ray Whitney, who is a strong part of the Hurricanes offense, then last but not least our pride and gold Cam Ward. The goaltender who made saves at the Stanley Cup against the Edmonton Oilers, this will be a great help to team Canada. TeamFinland will be joined by Tuomo Ruutu with the great forward skills that he brings to the ice, Niclas Wallin will be contributing to team Sweden, and Dennis Seidenberg will be playing for his home country of Germany. The surprise although is the young Hurricanes prospect who will be defending Switzerland’s net, he goes by the name of Daniel Manzato!

Caniac fans were so excited about the play offs, the Hurricanes despite a plethora of injuries had held onto first place with a mixture of graceful offense supported by a new found toughness and powered with youthful energy. During warm up before the game on Tuesday night I saw Ray Whitney and Justin Williams taking shots, this could only be good news for the Canes as they prepared for the biggest game of the season, or could it? Caniacs will debate over the summer whether or not Peter Laviolette made the right call in rushing Chad LaRose, Justin Williams, and Ray Whitney back into the lineup. How would you not want the aforementioned Stanley Cup vets back in your lineup? But on Tuesday the Caniacs looked out of synch against the Capitals, while lacking the energy and toughness that they had in previous games. More simply put they appeared to lack the things that Wade Brookbank and Tim Conboy had brought to the Canes, both benched so the veterans could return. Should Laviolette have made these changes to the Hurricanes when the team was playing so well? Two years in a row now the Carolina Hurricanes have just missed the Stanley Cup play offs; this makes them the first team in NHL history to fail to reach the play offs two seasons in a row following a Cup win. Failure to reach the play offs this year frustrated fans more than the previous year because of how well the team played since Rod Brind’Amour injured his knee. Luke Decock of the Raleigh News & Observer stated:

At the All-Star break in January, with 30 games to play, Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette said the Canes would need 20 wins to make the playoffs. They won 19.

Had the Canes made the play offs, I that believe Peter Laviolette should have been the winner of the Jack Adams Trophy, but after the final two games of the season I question the lineup changes Laviolette made, changes to a team that was running so well.

Chad LaRose’s return to the team I believe was a great move, he had enough time and the team had enough time to adjust to his return to play. Whitney, Williams, and the team did not have time to adjust as they had with LaRose; regardless Whitney, Williams and LaRose had little impact on the outcome of the game against the Capitals. Despite the fact that the Hurricanes are not in the play offs it certainly was an exciting and interesting season. Caniacs witnessed the growth of Eric Staal into a real team leader. With all the injuries fans watched the team get younger and tougher; these changes combined with the likes of Staal and Cole made the Hurricanes not only a smooth passing team but also a hard hitting team. Now the Hurricanes have to decide what kind of team they want next season.

My hope is that Glen Wesley and Bret Hedican will retire so that the Hurricanes can build in the direction they were moving from the All Star game, younger and tougher. Signing Samsonov Aucoin, Bayda, Brookbank would be good and affordable moves. But we have a long off season to muse on what the Hurricanes should look like. In the meantime enjoy the play offs and your summer.

Anderson and Panthers end 13 game loosing streak

A year ago Carolina finished the season against these Florida Panthers and the Hurricanes played simply for pride or for their jobs. Tonight the Hurricanes had a chance to make the play offs for the Stanley Cup to play for; while the Panthers all they had to play for was pride. Craig Anderson, goalie of the Panthers, played like a play off goalie. the Canes’ controlled their own play off destiny tonight, but let it slip away with a 4 to 3 loss to the Panthers. Now the Hurricanes’ play off hopes rests in the hands of the team that beat them tonight. This year the Panthers end their season in Washington, D.C. against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals.

Not since 2002 had the Panthers defeated the Hurricanes’ home ice. Tonight Florida played hard and their victory will most likely spoil the Canes’ chances of making this year’s play offs. Panther’s goalie Craig Anderson deserves to be player of the game. Anderson entered the game in the second period after Tomas Vokoun left with a back pain. Anderson matched the intensity of Eric Staal, Sergei Samsonov, Scott Walker and the Hurricanes who fired 46 shots on net, Florida’s goalie matched this effort with great stops and fantastic pad work. Trevor Letowski struck first for the Hurricanes and it appeared that the Canes’ intensity would take the fight out of the visiting Panthers. However, late in the period Jay Bouwmeester and Steve Montador scored and put the Panthers ahead of Canes by one. Before the buzzer sounded to close the first period the Hurricanes swarmed around Tomas Vokoun’s net, yet were unable to tie the score. While Vokoun weathered this storm he had could not return in the second period because of a back strain.

Scott Walker, acquired after the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup, re-signed with the club over the summer with hopes of making another run at the Cup. Tonight he put for a great effort tonight winning face offs and fighting for position in front of Anderson’s net, yet Anderson was just too good. Eric Staal gave Hurricane fans hope when he scored on a pass from Joe Corvo to put the Canes one point behind the Panthers. Staal has become the leader of the Hurricanes, since Brind’Amour went down with injury Staal has done it all; sacrificing himself in front of the net for position, helping team mates score with a pass great pass, or scoring himself to get the club back into a contest. Staal’s goal tonight was a beauty; he held onto the puck until the last possible moment when he fired, with a defender hanging on him, to beat Anderson. The new captain’s efforts were matched by those of Matt Cullen and Sergei Samsonov. Cullen returning from a concussion looked healthy and played well. It seemed that Samsonov was a part of all the scoring and pressure on Anderson. Neither team lacked effort in this game, the Hurricanes had several misscues in the neutral zone that led to Panther goals; credit the Panthers for taking advantage of these mistakes.

Last year these same two teams met in the final game of the season; like this year Craig Anderson had a great game at the RBC Center too. A year ago it took a Rod Brind’Amour goal in over time for positive end to a frustrating season following the Stanley Cup victory of the previous year. We will have to wait until tomorrow to see if Anderson and these Panther spoilers can upset Ovechkin and company in Washington, D.C. I am not a betting man, but I would not bet against the Russian winger and band of young skaters; all eyes are now on the Caps and Panthers game tomorrow.

LaRose, LaRose, LaRose Hurricanes Win

Home sweet home, the RBC Center has been a refuge for the tired, sick, weary, and after Tuesday night the steamrolled. The Hurricanes rediscovered themselves as a team against the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. On Tuesday night the Canes and Chad LaRose looked as if they had lost a step and could not keep up with the home team Captials. The Canes against the Capitals on Tuesday struggled to keep pace with the Capitals and were unable to slow Capitals’ skaters through the neutral zone. Consequently, the entire evening it appeared that the Capitals were skating downhill into the Hurricanes’ end of the ice. Its hard to stop the Capitals when they have a step on you and they hunger for the win.

Not last night, the Hurricanes looked like the team of a couple of weeks ago - they crashed the Tampa Bay’s net and for-checked consistently through the evening. The previous week it appeared as if the Hurricanes had forgotten how they maintained their first place league. The have been in first place by for-checking well and playing with an edge. In their two to one loss to the Lightning last week, I kept waiting for a Brookbank or a Bayda to rough up a Lightning players as pay back for hammering on their leader Eric Staal. That tough element has been on sabitacle for a few days and it hurt this team, they lost some of their intensity and the Capitals exposed it badly on Tuesday. Yet the team found the balance of scoring and hitting to put down the Lightning early in the game. Like the Capitals did to the Hurricanes on Tuesday, last night LaRose and the Hurricanes never gave the Lightning a chance to establish themselves.

It is great to have the fiery LaRose back, he not only annoys but he can score too, he scored his first NHL hat trick last night. The first goal I believe probably should have been called for goalie interference, yet the goal was allowed. It was a great night for LaRose who was having a great season before he broke his leg. He returned without missing a beat and if the Hurricanes beat the Panthers on Friday, LaRose will be a key piece in Carolina’s play off run. LaRose explained to ESPN.com after the game:

Sitting out for so long was so tough, and I promised myself when I would get back that I’d be great every shift. I’m trying to work at it.

Ray Whitney returned to lineup on Tuesday and Matt Cullen returned to the lineup last night, they will be important pieces in their play off run, if the Canes win on Friday. It comes down to Friday, the Florida Panthers have had difficulty at the RBC Center and the Hurricanes have many veterans back and after last night seem to have bounced back from the beat down they received from the Capitals. Get your snacks and beverages ready, Friday should be a great way to end the season!