Fewer Exhibition Games - Good or Bad?

by Bob Wage on Sep 24, 2009 6:00 PM EDT

The Carolina Hurricanes only scheduled four exhibition games this pre-season, which raised a couple of eyebrows around the Caniac Nation. Would four games be enough to prepare the team for the tough home opener against the Flyers on October 2?

When head coach Paul Maurice was asked the question, he told the media to ask him again four or five games into the regular season. GM Jim Rutherford said that he was hoping to schedule five games, but teams usually like to schedule two at a time, (home and away) so they were unable to add the extra contest.

Interestingly enough, Ken Campbell of The Hockey News noticed what the Hurricanes were doing and wrote an article about it last night on the THN Blog.

Campbell makes note that the Canes have scheduled the fewest pre-season games in the NHL.

While most teams treat the pre-season like nothing more than a cash cow, the Hurricanes and their progressive-thinking GM Jim Rutherford have taken a rather novel approach to training camp and the exhibition schedule. That’s why they’ve scheduled only four pre-season games this fall, which is the fewest in the league and three fewer than the average of the other 29 teams in the NHL.

Remember the injuries from last year's training camp, (and prior to)? Justin Williams, Rod Brind`Amour, and Scott Walker all suffered substantial injuries. Walker was hurt during an exhibition game.

Apparently, Jim Rutherford remembered.

When Rutherford looked at how fatigued his players have been and how susceptible they have been to injuries in the past, combined with an Olympic break and a compacted season in 2009-10, he realized what almost everyone in hockey has known for years – the pre-season is too long and contains too many meaningless games.

"We’re hoping it will keep our players more rested and healthier," Rutherford said. "I thought about this for a while and we’ll probably have a few guys on Olympic teams. Our veteran players really like it."

But while the players might be rested and healthier, will they be game ready?

The Hurricanes are blessed with a veteran lineup this year with very few, if any positions open for rookies. For instance, Brandon Sutter is having a great training camp, but the question remains, where do they put him? It seems hard to believe at this point that the team will trade an established player to make room for a rookie, whom would benefit from playing some in the AHL anyway.

So it does not make much sense to have a long, drawn out process in camp when the lineup is already set.

Another factor is that the players have already come to camp in great condition. Aaron Ward recently said that "honestly, this team is in the best condition of any that I have played on". So conditioning should not be an issue. There are no Keith Tkachuk's to whip into shape in Carolina.

It all comes down to timing. Can the players get their timing down in just a few practice games?

As Paul Maurice said, we will find out four or five games into the regular season.

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Comments

Good thing

Especially this season with the olympics and the more condensed schedule. All the old guys on our team need time to rest after that long playoff run last season!

Still not a crook!

by TrickyD26 on Sep 24, 2009 9:11 PM EDT reply actions

Opening line of the article caught me off guard:

If you’ve been looking for the Carolina Hurricanes in the summaries and the highlights this pre-season, you’ve probably been a little disappointed.

This is an established “national” writer implying that there are any hockey fans outside of Raleigh (and a few transplants) who actually care what happens to Carolina’s pride-and-joy Hurricanes? Huh? “a little disappointed”?? Who the heck is he talking about?! This guy must be nuts! Luckily the guys at Versus, NBC and others wise hockeyminds have a much better sense of what hockey fans really pay attention to! Sheez!

(DISCLAIMER: I’m being totally sarcastic…..)

Let's go Canes!
Hakkaa Paalle!

by Carolyn Christians on Sep 24, 2009 9:32 PM EDT reply actions

It's so hard to tell with you.

Did anyone else read ESPN piece of what they consider journalism on “how to make the sport better”?

Seems that one of the writers thinks returning the Canes to “someplace up north” is a really good idea. I think, though I’m not sure, that he was saying so in jest. The thing is how many “fans” think that’s a real good idea.

As for “up north”, heck, North Raleigh is ok with me.

If money's the root of all evil then why do so many
churches brow beat their members for more?

by lcd2you on Sep 25, 2009 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions

ESPN hacks

Lebrun wanted to relocate the Canes to Helsinki. Buchigross wants to expand the league to 40 teams in 2 confrerences (no divsions).

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/preview2009/news/story?id=4496992

What a stupid article.
And they actually get paid for that.

-m

by UTTRmartin on Sep 25, 2009 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Good to know our veterans like being rested rather than being challenged. Must be a real warm fuzzy knowing you don’t have to worry about young up and comers earning a spot. The teams got your back, ask Williams.

So why cancel the red/white game, it’s a no contact game, but opportunity to work on timing?

Yea, i’m sarcastic, too.

by Paladin6 on Sep 25, 2009 8:42 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah, you don't have to worry about them earning a spot.

Not when they’re not as good as you. That’s kind of the point of having a set roster. You know who the best choices are. Meaningless preseason games against fringe AHLers won’t change that.

Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt

by MichaelProcton on Sep 25, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m not really concerned about the number of exhibition games. The roster is set and most of the guys have played together before. That said, I agree with Paladin in questioning why the Red/White game was canceled. Couldn’t this have been done at the Carnival as opposed to the practice?

As for not competing, the guys that will be out there on opening night have one way contracts. They knew they weren’t competing regardless of how many games were to be played in pre-season. And, they will be pushed all season if they want to stay in Carolina for another year.

Embrace big ideas!

by C-Leaguer on Sep 25, 2009 9:20 AM EDT reply actions

Here’s a good example to prove that Uncle Jimmy is every bit as brilliant as we want to think he is:

Sydney Crosby suffered groin injury in loss to Blue Jackets

Pensblog is spinning it as precautionary, not a big deal….but I detect a tinge on panic in his tone. Hmmmm.

Let's go Canes!
Hakkaa Paalle!

by Carolyn Christians on Sep 25, 2009 10:35 AM EDT reply actions

How can Cindy suffer a groin injury?

I’m not sure if that’s possible.

If money's the root of all evil then why do so many
churches brow beat their members for more?

by lcd2you on Sep 25, 2009 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions

Oops! correction – Pensburgh not Pensblog

Let's go Canes!
Hakkaa Paalle!

by Carolyn Christians on Sep 25, 2009 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions

Maybe old players and pussy’s shouldn’t play the game? For that matter the fighting is down right scary to watch. They shoiuld do away with it. Also those big meanies that squish guys against the boards, like that barbarian Tuomo Ruutu should be done away with.

OFF with thier heads!!!!!

Again, sarcastic. It’s a rough game and pussy’s like Crosby and old buzzards like Rod and Walker are more prone to getting boo boo’s. I’d bet none of them would change anything, why scrap the pre season?

Oh I remember now, we don’t actually hold tryouts here. We blindly follow the stone tablets written by JR the infallable. Protector of the realm. Bringer of Anson Carter, slayer of Justin Williams. I hope JR’s half as lucky as I think he is good. Gonna piss me off all year shittin’ on the kids and not giving more than a reach around presser comment.

by Paladin6 on Sep 25, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions

So what was your boy Sutter's problem?

Is he particularly concussion-prone? Or was it a different problem, say a lack of ability to skate with his head up because he’d never been on the rink with somebody as big and physical as Weight in juniors? Then again, we see veteran players get themselves in situations like that all the time…except not.

Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt

by MichaelProcton on Sep 25, 2009 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Go search RJ Umberger/Brian Campbell on youtube…

by packpigskinfan25 on Sep 26, 2009 3:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Thank you for making my point for me.

The hit I believe you’re referring to came in the 2006 playoffs. Umburger was a 23-year-old rookie who got himself in that situation because he was careless and inexperienced. He left himself wide open for that one.

Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt

by MichaelProcton on Sep 26, 2009 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions

only if you call a rookie a guy that played more then 70 games that year and was in the playoffs, while having 2 years in the AHL, 3 years in the NCAA, and one year to train while still scoring 20 goals in his “rookie” year….

Sure he is a rookie, but is that hit comparable to Sutter/Weight??

NOT AT ALL.

I admit that Sutter left himself WIDE open for that hit…. but a “lack of ability to skate with his head up” is a ridiculous statement… plus the fact that you basically disregard your own argument for him playing in the AHL this year because you say he has “never been in the rink with somebody as big and physical as Weight” before.

Is he really going to get “in the rink with somebody as big and physical as Weight” in the AHL?! I doubt it…. MAYBE the same weight and size as Dougie… but not the same skills…

While your guy may not be a true “veteran”, he is FAR beyond Sutter’s 7th NHL game at the age of 19.

by packpigskinfan25 on Sep 27, 2009 3:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Are you really comparing NCAA experience to NHL experience?

The two are worlds apart, and there aren’t Brian Campbells or Doug Weights playing for the Notre Dames and BUs of the world.

Further, you’re certainly going to put yourself in a better situation to be ready for the bigs by playing against fellow professionals, rather than junior players who never have so much of a chance to make it to the NHL.

Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt

by MichaelProcton on Sep 27, 2009 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah...

I guess I hit the wrong box… but that comment below was meant for this one.

by packpigskinfan25 on Sep 27, 2009 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions

I never said anything at all about juniors, and I really dont understand what you are getting at by that comment.

NCAA experience/age is still experience… I do not see how you seem to think you can disregard that. Seriously- SEVEN games of 4 mins TOI OR 73 games with 7-8 mins TOI?! Can you REALLY say those players are anywhere near close having the same amount of experience?

by packpigskinfan25 on Sep 27, 2009 5:43 PM EDT reply actions