Meltdown Against Beantown: Bruins 5, Hurricanes 2
by Bob Wage on Mar 16, 2010 10:14 PM EDT
116 comments
The Boston Bruins helped their playoff hopes and crushed those of the Carolina Hurricanes as they defeated the team from Tobacco Road on Tuesday night, 5-2. The visitors scored just 23 seconds into the game and were able to snuff out multiple comeback attempts by the home team.
It was a good game for ex-Canes as Dennis Seidenberg had an assist on the first goal, and Mark Recchi had a goal and an assist. Recchi's goal was the game winner.
Jamie McBain assisted on Carolina's first goal giving the defenseman his first ever NHL point in his debut. He earned the assist with a hard shot from the point on the powerplay where the highly-touted prospect will see considerable time in the future.
Manny Legace took the loss very hard in the dressing room and placed all the blame on himself. He said that he was "awful" and while there might have been a couple of goals he would love to have back, the truth was that he was under siege most of the game and there were multiple breakdowns in his end. He made 32 saves on 37 Boston shots.
Patrice Bergeron got the scoring started when he tipped in a blast from Dennis Seidenberg just 23 seconds into the game. The Bruins had just played the night before, but the goal gave the team the energy they needed and they went on to dominate the period by out-shooting the Canes, 18-7.
The Canes were called for three consecutive penalties in the period and had to kill over a minute of a 5-on-3 advantage, but the penalty killers and Legace did very well to keep the score 1-0.
The second period was a better one for the home team, but Johnny Boychuk made the score, 2-0 on a breakaway. The Canes finally dented the scoreboard when Erik Cole scored a powerplay tally when he knocked in a rebound off a shot from the point by rookie, Jamie McBain.
Carolina started the third period on the powerplay but could get nothing going. Mark Recchi jumped out of the box when the penalty expired and attacked with a 2-on-1 break. He would shoot and score himself to make the score, 3-1 just 45 clicks into the third.
But the Canes would come back one more time.
Erik Cole scored his second goal of the game, this time on a rebound from a Brandon Sutter shot, and the home team had some life.
But Michael Ryder intercepted a Brian Pothier pass and beat Legace about midway through the final period to put the game away. David Krejci scored an insurance goal for good measure making the score 5-2, and several fans headed for the exits.
The loss puts the Hurricanes 10 points behind the eighth place Bruins and just four points better than the 15th place Maple Leafs. After a red hot stretch, they now find themselves right back into contention for one of the top picks in this coming draft.
Things do not get any easier as the Washington Capitals visit on Thursday night.
Game Notes:
- McBain had a good debut as his shot helped to create the first goal and he did nicely to keep the puck in the zone on more than one occasion during various powerplays. Not bad for a kid who got off the plane just a couple of hours earlier. He got stuck trying to defend the two-on-one break when Recchi jumped out of the box and he played the pass. Of course, "The Wrecking Ball" beat Legace with the shot. He finished with 19:42 of ice time, had one shot on goal, one hit, and one blocked shot.
- The team was credited with 34 hits led by Erik Cole with five. Cole also chipped in with three shots on goal to go along with his two goals for the night.
- Tuomo Ruutu had a team high five shots on goal. Jussi Jokinen was next with four.
- Coach Maurice mixed the lines after the listless first period and moved Jokinen back to the Staal/Whitney line. The move did not slow down Cole at all as he played one of his best games of the year. The top line seemed to get more chances as well, but could not break through.
- The Bruins blocked 18 shots compared to 10 for the Canes.
- Carolina lost 61% of the game's faceoffs. Eric Staal took the most draws but fared the worst as he won 7 of 21 for 33%.
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I just posted in the game thread… Manny sounded like he was almost in tears in the post-game interview. Kept calling his performance “awful”, had to have said that at least 5 times, and threw in “terrible” a couple of times. He took this one personally.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
Yeah he’s taking the blame for this one which I suppose is better than him saying the truth which is something along the lines of: he had almost no help, the passing on breakouts (and in general) was really bad and he got hung out to dry on almost every goal.
This was a team stinker, from top to bottom. While I understand the need to dress 7 d-men, I’m not sure it really helped all that much. The lines were disjointed at best, double shifting people only made them tired and, at the end of the game, Mo shortened his bench to the point of lunacy.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
Don’t you sleep?
A
Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately
sleep is overrated, apparently you don’t sleep either?
"That’s what happens when you suck" - Tim Gleason
I’ll rest plenty when I’m dead.
A
Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately
Hall/Seguin
This sounds backwards but it seems the worst we’ll finish is 4th last – best case 2nd last. In either case we’ll get a great player. We need to keep losing.
This sounds backwards
I think they are refering to this
by CarolinaCanes on Mar 17, 2010 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Awful
Congrats to Cole and McBain, two bright spots in an otherwise horrible game.
Joni had one of his worst games in a long long time. I certainly hope there is something wrong with him today.
And while McBain played very well it is absolutely beyond me why they would put him on the powerplay during such an important game. If I were a member of the press that’s what I would be asking about.
B/c he’s one of the most talented d-men on the team on the PP from Day 1. He single-handedly made Cole’s first goal happen. Not only did his shot create the goal, but he had a great keep right before that to hold the zone.
by Cory Lavalette on Mar 17, 2010 12:29 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
+1
McBain looked good and deserved every minute he got plus some. I hope he spends the rest of the year here.
A
Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately
McBain -- Great Hands, Excellent Shot, Tremendous Poise, and a Great Skater
McBain is exactly the kind of defenseman the Hurricanes need. He has all the tools to be an impact player — excellent shot, great hand, tremendous poise, great skater. He looked more like a veteran than some of veteran ex-Hurricane defenders.
Ironically, the key to the game, I thought, was with 10 minutes +/- left in the game, and the score 3-2, Pothier made an excellent fed to the Boston defender. Well, actually, he hit Brind’Amour’s skate with a pass and the puck kicked off the skate into the waiting arms of Boston. Pothier has been fantastic; but with the luxury of a dvr and rewind, it didn’t work out well for Pothier.
Legace is a right to man up about his play. He is too good a goalie to let at least two of the early goals in the back of the net. It just wasn’t a game that was up to Legace’s own standards.
Overall, the score is deceiving. The one ill-fated pass by Pothier ended the game for the Hurricanes. I was fascinated by the Ruutu/Sutter/Cole line in that it showed me what a fast, intense, and biggish line can do for the Hurricanes. It might well give Cole new life as a player because Ruutu and Sutter have tons of battle in them and are delighted to create net traffic. It gives Cole space.
Really, the only way the Hurricanes had a decent shot this year at a play-off after the fiasco at the start of the season was a hockey miracle. It seems the hockey gods are saving the Hurricanes’ miracle season for another year.
Maybe we are looking at the miracle and can’t see the forest through the trees?
No way in any universe do the kids get this amount of NHL time. No way all would get called up next year. No way all would make it though try outs (providing the idiots have one this year). Combine that with the amount of kids we have that look to be ready or dam close to make the jump to the NHL.
Me thinks we are looking at a miracle.
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Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately
MCBAIN!!
Had to miss 2/3 of that game, very sad. Hopefully I won’t have to wait until next season for my McBain rookie card.
He looked pretty decent. Just hope he doesn’t pull a “Brad Fast” on us.
Cory
The first thing I did in my post was congratulate McBain. I was not criticizing him.
What is confusing to me is that a team with 50M of salary, that practices and plays together every day cannot work out a more effective powerplay. We call up a guy who didn’t even practice with the team yesterday and throw him in during the most important game of the year.
McBain did a great job, and you are right that Cole’s first goal was 100% him. What I am asking is why does it take Rodney or McBain to fix our powerplay? That is something that really needs to be addressed this summer.
For me, honestly, all the “most important game” hype was manufactured. The hill was too big to climb even if they won last night, IMO>
As for using McBain … the team did trade away Corvo and Cullen — half of their PP point men. Why not bring in the best guy for the job?
by Cory Lavalette on Mar 17, 2010 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree Cory with the “most important game” hype.
on a slightly different note.
What I fail to understand are the expectations some have even after we were clearly sellers at the deadline. We traded away our second/third line center, a defensive minded Yelle, Scotty oh and 66% of our D. We are going to have bad games and bad power plays. It is time to plan for the future, play McBain in every situation you can, give him 20 plus mins a game while he is up. Let him get over the first round of jitters and adjust to the speed of the game while the games mean nothing.
by CarolinaCanes on Mar 17, 2010 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Bingo. I’m amazed we’re clicking on all cylinders as well as we are. Bodes well for next season.
And, yes, time to just see what we got in the way of assets. Talent portion of the beauty contest now in progress.
“going to have a bad PP”
UH, may be just me, but it’s sucked a helluva lot worse than it clicked. That little 6 week or so stretch it was working is more of a fluke than anything to rely upon.
With time and this core group I’d expect much improvement if would quit dicking with the lines.
A
Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately
for the record, I think the team believed the “season’s most important game” hype. Several of them repeated that it was probably the most important game and while some fans had given up on the season long ago, the team kept battling with hope.
Manny Legace’s reaction seemed to indicate that he felt the game was more important than just hype. Cole was not too happy either. The locker room was as low as I’d seen it all year.
GM of CanesCountry.com
I got that same impression from just watching the interviews you posted. It was dead silent in that room and for a while there the music was loud and they were happy. To me, it looked as if they allowed the “most important game of the season” mantra to get in their heads, they all decided they needed to win the game as individuals and then they were sunk. I’m not sure anyone will ever know this for sure, but did you get the impression that the coaching staff fed this hype or tried to get them down to reality a little?
I just hope that them losing this game doesn’t give them reason to hang their heads, tuck their tail between their legs and close up shop for the rest of the season.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
I agree. It really did feel like we were watching a game that happened during the last half of the losing streak, where a lot of players tried to do too much on their own, and the passes just weren’t as crisp…bounces weren’t going the team’s way, just the little things that the team was doing right during the turnaround at the beginning of the year.
Can someone please get Manny a new shirt? He DESERVES one.
Well, I’m sure the coaches hyped it as a must-win. I just mean that realistically it didn’t mean a whole lot. Is six points a lot? No. But six teams is.
by Cory Lavalette on Mar 17, 2010 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I think winning last night in the “must win” would just have prolonged the inevitable. No player wants to realize his season is over. Thats normal. No player wants to think that the remaining games are not worth anything from a competion stand point. I get that. But a “must win” IMO is very much a stretch. 2 points is 2 points, no matter if its the first game or the last of the season. It all adds up in the end.
by CarolinaCanes on Mar 17, 2010 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions
I think I get what you’re saying TOS.
The Canes have had a problem on the point of the powerplay all season long, starting with their failure to replace Seidenberg or Babchuk. Trying to put Aaron Ward on the point was doomed to failure from the get go, and we pointed that out here. Then it was mix and match with Cullen, Cole, Gleason, etc. When Pitkanen and Corvo were injured, it only amplified the problem.
Next year they definitely need a better plan and McBain is part of the solution.
GM of CanesCountry.com
Who's on Point?
The point person is so critical to the powerplay. It’s definitely a skill position. First of all, a point man HAS to be able to put the puck on net. Not everyone can do this from the blueline area.
And, it’s very important that the entry shot be nice and low, floating a foot-plus off the ice ideally (see McBain’s entry shot on Cole’s goal for inspiration). Not everyone can do this at all. Fellow teammates don’t mind screening for you, if your shots consistently come in low, bouncing off legs and not more vulnerable upper parts of the body. The silent wrister is a huge plus for this shot, if in the point man’s arsenal.
And, it’s all about getting the puck by the first defender. Right before McBain took that one-timer, he shifted the puck leftward while backing up and looking in. I practically swooned (LOL!). Imagine. Moving the puck laterally, looking for a seam, before shooting. He then passed to Samsonov, drawing the defender off of him, and Samsonov returned the one-timer set-up for Cole’s slam of the rebound homeward. Beautiful.
The observation that we lost our point men (Corvo/Cullen) and McBain may now well be our best is mine, as well. Also, just plugging any old body back there is just asking for quick turnovers and two-on-ones the other way. It’s a treasured skill position, and I’m liking what I saw in McBain’s debut.
Think Sutter can play point? He does about everything else.
A
Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately
I have no doubt sutter can suceed in any situation, I just think his hands are better used near the net…
by CarolinaCanes on Mar 17, 2010 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree with Carolina Canes. Sutter’s got the size/strength/hands to play down close, where the scoring action is. He might could deliver the puck on point, but he would be sooooo much valuable to the powerplay elsewhere in the mix.
Same reason I hated the Staal-on-the-point experiments. Total waste of his talents…and smacked of desperation. He needs to be down low, banging in those rebounds.
After all, the point shot only occasionally finds the back of the net on its own. Mostly, it’s about delivering it into the jaws of hell. :-D
+ 1
on the jaws of hell thing. had to laugh at that one. I like it…
by CarolinaCanes on Mar 17, 2010 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Sooo?
Sutter=Jaws of Hell?
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Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately
Well, I don’t believe that there’s actually $50M of salary on the ice anymore with all of the players earning multi-million salaries that got traded.
And regardless, there is very little offensive talent amongst our defensemen. If you’re suggesting that a team should just be able to “work out” an effective powerplay by practicing and playing together while the likes of Gleason, Pothier, and Carson make up 3/4ths of their pointmen, then I don’t know what to say. There’s a clear lack of offensive ability amongst the defense. It’s not a case of a rookie coming up and outplaying the extremely offensively gifted Tim Gleason, but rather that Tim Gleason lacks the offensive abilities to effectively run a powerplay. And that is an issue with the level of talent on the roster than than coaching or team cohesiveness.
b/c it’s his first pro season coming out of college and you don’t want to burn him out. The schedule doubles when going from college to the pros. That transition is made easier by starting off with lesser competition.
by Cory Lavalette on Mar 17, 2010 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions
and getting up to speed. The kids got the skills, he needs to get used to what others have.
A
Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately
Unbelievable. This is a hard crowd to please. It has been long discussed that making the playoffs were a long shot. They’ve moved veteran players, brought up the kids from Albany.
Why wouldn’t you put McBain on the PowerPlay? It’s about getting these kids some seasoning and seeing what they can do. It’s about putting together a competitive team for next year, and frankly, I’m excited about the level of play I’ve seen the last couple of months, even when the “stars” of the team are having an off night!
I agree. It would be one thing if McBain was on the powerplay while some experienced proven PP producing defenseman sat on the bench. But no, it was Gleason who sat and he’s mediocre at best on the powerplay and was playing hurt anyway.
We have Pitkanen at 40 points and then no one else with more than 19. There’s not exactly a huge collection of offensive defensemen to choose from like there were before Rutherford dismantled the defense so he could add talentless, slow defensive defensemen. The sad reality is that a rookie playing in his first game was the best option to play there.
Many of you
saw what i saw on the tv…if i was the coach or Ron francis…when they suit up for the game with the Caps…if i didn’t put the fear of God in them…to get the team to come out smoking hot instead of like a bottle of frozen molasses…then i would deserve to be fired…as posted aside from some hustle from a few players…& McBain doing what many of us already knew what he cold do…the game was all but over when Boston got the 3rd goal…ok…enough of that crap…now lets get ready for the lousy caps and seeing OV might NOT Be there…there is NO reason why the canes can’t beat them again…Right ?
Relax !! Even Micro Wave Popcorn takes time !! Go Canes !!
Can someone confirm something for me?
I was working last night and only caught bits and pieces of the game (thankfully). But I swear I heard Chuck K say Staal was sent to the penalty box for a ROUGHING penalty. Seriously?!
Stuart (I think) punched him in the head after the whistle in front of Rash, and Staal grappled back. Coincidentals.
by Cory Lavalette on Mar 17, 2010 8:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Staal slid up to Rask after a cover-up and whistle, slightly bumping a skate up against Rask’s skate/pad.
Two Bruins took exception, Stuart grabbing his head and face-washing him as they both went to the ice.
How that turned into coincidental roughing is a mystery, since all Staal was doing was trying to swim out of that pile. But, you know how those kind of things go.
Staal had an attitude most the game last night that I usually don’t see, looked like he was quite frustrated. He even shoved a ref after a whistle. He scrambled to loose pucks more than usual and was hitting more. I like it.
Thanks, guys. I caught part of the game on dvr and saw the play this afternoon. It certainly looked like he was the victim of a bad call, not to mention a double-team assault, but nice to see that he didn’t back down. Maybe we are starting to see a nasty side of him emerge.
by CoastalCane on Mar 17, 2010 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Horrible game.
The Canes played badly, the Refs called their usual questionable calls against the Canes. It was a meltdown. I went home and immediately shaved off my beard after the game. Since it’s quite obvious now there is 0% chance they would make the playoffs as the 8th seed team. On 99.9 FM the Fan afterwards, they said they would have to win every remaining game left to even remotely make it. Since the way they played their last 2 games (which was very similar to the beginning of the season) – they won’t win 13 games.
I now have a bad hangover this morning and I blame the Canes.
Thank you Jim Rutherford and Ray Whitney for working together for Ray to stay a Hurricane! :)
I now have a bad hangover this morning and I blame the Canes.
This is normally my excuse as well. Even in good times.
That's Why
I have been clean & sober for ovr 45 years now..too many excuses with everyday life…
Relax !! Even Micro Wave Popcorn takes time !! Go Canes !!
by CaniacSteve on Mar 17, 2010 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions
My boss from Boston just called to gloat. We have the team conference call in a few, so I’ll be more abuse then. Maybe they will all go have some green beer at work and forget about it so I can have a peaceful afternoon.
damn – I can’t type, let’s try that again….
My boss from Boston just called to gloat. We have the team conference call in a few, so I’ll be GET more abuse then. Maybe they will all go have some green beer at work LUNCH and forget about it so I can have a peaceful afternoon.
Just remind him that all the B’s get to do this year is get punted in the first round by Washington and miss out on a decent draft pick. Wicked Awesome!
Yeah the words “Scott Walker” ought to silence them long enough for you to fake connection problems on your end and then hang up.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
I saw that too. Someone should have caught that and edited him out. Of all the trades, his was the one that hurt me the most (with Cullen as a rather distant second) so to see him as part of the promos with that big toothless grin is just throwing salt on the wound.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
That won’t work that well, their pick might be mediocre but they have the Leafs pick to fall back on which will be top 3
by CanesUltimate11 on Mar 17, 2010 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Thanks! Figured after hanging around reading for a while I’d chime in with my 2 cents every so often
by CanesUltimate11 on Mar 17, 2010 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I keep forgetting about the Kessel fiasco.
by wylde4canes on Mar 17, 2010 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Question on call ups...
Guys…do the minor leage affiliates play the same “system” that the NHL team plays? Are they contractually abliged to do so…any info??
"If me and King Kong went into an alley, only one of us would come out. And it wouldn't be the monkey."
"I don't really trust a sane person."
"I never met a man I didn't want to fight." The one and only Lyle Alzado
I don’t think they are contractually obligated to do so. The Canes’ minor league team does play the same system as the big club, but from what I’ve gathered that’s due more to Jeff Daniels being Jeff Daniels than any sort of contract clause.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
Team definitely try to do that — the coaches are usually hired by the NHL teams and therefore try to work together to best prepare the players. But there’s no contract that says “you have to play like this.”
by Cory Lavalette on Mar 17, 2010 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions
I know Chad is the only player to be developed through our system extending down to plymoth, but would they be inclined to use a similar system? (obviously a sequin question)…
by CarolinaCanes on Mar 17, 2010 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Not to be picky (though Paladin will argue with me on that), but it’s Seguin with a G, not Sequin with a Q.
Olympian Tim Gleason in Vancouver: "I don’t care what anybody says, to watch an exciting hockey game, there’s nothing like it."
by hockeymomof2 on Mar 17, 2010 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions
How old are you? Sequins went out before disco….not that I remember or anything..
;-)
A
Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately
That is one of the things I know if you ask me but typing…. I guess its the u comming after the g that makes me want type a q… I’ve done before eleswhere (and was promptly corrected)
but not to be picky: do you have an answer or just a spelling lesson ;)
does anyone know?
by CarolinaCanes on Mar 17, 2010 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh thought it was a typo, it’s a “G”. I find it best not to argue with anybody on grammar or spelling. Though I am pretty sure the kids name is witha G.
A
Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately
It’s a totally different scenario … LaRose was an undrafted player, Seguin is a top-flight prospect.
Michal Jordan is with Plymouth and will work his way thru the ranks. Chris Terry and Brett Bellemore are w/ Albany and are ex-Whalers. They’ve drafted other Whalers but none really made it (Zepp, Surma, Kurka).
by Cory Lavalette on Mar 17, 2010 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Appreciate the knowledge!!!
"If me and King Kong went into an alley, only one of us would come out. And it wouldn't be the monkey."
"I don't really trust a sane person."
"I never met a man I didn't want to fight." The one and only Lyle Alzado
.500 Is the Goal
A realistic goal is to finish the year .500. Regroup and try and get younger, faster, and hungrier next year. (The whole year) My high school baseball coach use to say, “I will not lose with Seniors”…In other words, play the youngsters and give them experience…As Rafiki said in Lion King….“IT IS TIME”. Play the youngsters!
With Cory, draft, draft, draft.
Rafiki, don’t he play with Lidstrom?
A
Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately
Just saw an hour old tweet
from Chip who is at the rink…and said the Irbe is the caps goalie coach…i asked chip if that surprised him…myself i am surprised at why the caps too so long…now grant you Barrasso is far and away better…but…Irbe did some great things for the canes …regardless of how many or how too few…i liked and respected the guy’s efforts…
Relax !! Even Micro Wave Popcorn takes time !! Go Canes !!
He’s been their goalie coach since last summer.
by Cory Lavalette on Mar 17, 2010 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
He was spotted at practice today, which may mean he’s hanging around for the Thursday game, too.
Could well be because D-man health is still a question mark. Could be because they want a second look at him, while he’s here.
Either way, I’m pleased.
I would hope so … but they’ll want him in Albany for the playoffs, for sure.
by Cory Lavalette on Mar 17, 2010 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Just checked the Rats schedule, and their last regular season game is an Away game on April 10th, same date as the Canes last game (also Away).
Last regular season date for the AHL is April 11th, so playoffs must begin shortly thereafter.
Not sure where Albany is in the playoff race. They’re in, but not sure if they want/need to call in all the talent for the last few games or not.
If so, probably best for player development to let them be part of a playoff positioning push than necessarily play out the season here, much as we like to watch them do so.
The Canes just did this story on McBain; definitely worth reading.
Olympian Tim Gleason in Vancouver: "I don’t care what anybody says, to watch an exciting hockey game, there’s nothing like it."
by hockeymomof2 on Mar 17, 2010 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Rebuilding on the Fly
In some ways the fact that Jim Rutherford rebuilt the team from the trade deadline and that the team was one of the hottest teams in the NHL is the most remarkable story of this season. The Hurricanes clearly had to rebuild either this year or next year; and if the rebuild occurred at the start of next season, the likely result was going to be a non-play off year or perhaps two years. As Paladin and others discussed, this year was a unique chance for the organization to rebuild on the run. Players such as Sutter, Dwyer, and Carson came and stayed. Boychuk has improved every game. McBain showed tremendous poise, as well as the skills that made him so successful in his college and his short AHL career. I think Bowman, Tlusty, Osala, Samson, and Dalpe all have potential to be impact players for the Hurricanes.
One of the best things I saw in the Boston game was the Ruutu/Sutter/Cole line. With those players, the Hurricanes have at least one line that has an excellent combination of size/height/hitting/net crashing and blazing speed. I am guessing that in addition to the draft, Jim Rutherford will try to be active with some trades and perhaps some UFA signings.
The hardest single thing for me to take this year is the thought that if only the Hurricanes had been able to muster an 100% effort against Florida, Phoenix, and Boston, they would have been solidly into the race despite their awful beginning. I am able to comfort myself by the thought that I have watched an amazing feat of a team transformed from being old and grizzled to young and enthusiastic in the wave of a hand. That is hockey magic to me.
McBain
Those of you who know me know I often lurk around the bench during warmups. Before the team comes out there are usually a number of folks milling around the bench area – the equipment staff, Tripp, photographers, etc., and I usually don’t pay much attention. Yesterday around 6:15 I got a text from a friend asking me who was sitting on the bench. I look over and it’s Jamie McBain. He’s just sitting there, all alone, taking in the ice and the crowd before getting suited up for his first NHL start. It was a pretty cool moment.
Here are a few pictures from warmups and from his first NHL start. This is the album I’ll be using for game photos as well (eventually) so check back later for game action.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
I saw you over there stalking the kid to within an inch of his life. ;)
I actually thought to myself “I bet that’s McBain” and then kind of talked myself out of it because he didn’t look like the guy I remembered. But then I saw you start snapping away so I knew it had to be him. I think I may actually have a picture of you taking a picture of him.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
Oh no! I hope I didn’t come across as a stalker!
I’m so sorry. I only took two pictures while he was there. Hope I’m not getting a rep. I am SO not a stalker.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
OMG no! I was just messing with you! I view you as the unofficial official photographer for Canes Country-you’re performing a public service. That’s not at all stalker-like!
It was a great moment that you captured perfectly. And for that, we’re all very grateful. :)
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
Whew, just checking. I admit I am HYPER-sensitive to the ‘S’ word, it’s not something I joke about, and I will cease and desist if that perception exists AT ALL.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
Gosh no-that’s not how I meant it at all. I don’t think any of them have that perception of you (and I know none of us do).
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
I was told the diff. between stalking and a rabid fan once….
By CG, as a matter of fact.
LTD, I wouldn’t sweat it. You seem to not only be respectful, but resourceful. A picture that makes you think is an incredible thing. That moment was him thinking about the biggest day in his young life. How did he feel? What was he thinking? We now know where he was and what he looked like as he thought about his first night in the NHL.
Again, great pic and thanks,
A
Errors of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.
He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors
We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately
Hey LTD, do you ever get any personal interaction with any of the players? Or do you just happen to find yourself in a good position every game to take some very good pictures? I was just wondering if any of them ever ask you for any of your pictures. I don’t know if you have press creds or not. I’m just curious. I agree with the others. It’s neat to look at your albums and get glimpses of the game we wouldn’t normally get.
by CoastalCane on Mar 17, 2010 10:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Regarding the photos, let me comment on a couple of things because they kind of tie in together.
First off, CG, I completely knew you were just joking. That being said, there are hundreds of people who read this very public internet site and never log in and never comment, or who may be reading this article as their first one. I’d even go so far as to say that perhaps some players read here. And you never know when someone is going to put the words “LTD” and “stalker” together and have it stick in their mind and it could damage my reputation. And even though I hide behind a screen name it’s pretty easy to follow the breadcrumbs and find out who I really am. So unless I don’t see it I’ll never ignore a stalker reference, I will ALWAYS post and set the record straight. I’ll joke about a lot, but this is not something I will ever joke about.
How it ties in to CoastalCane’s comments, I really do try to be as inconspicuous as possible when I’m taking pictures. I’m actually trying NOT to be noticed by the players or to get attention drawn to myself, although it’s near impossible with the size lens I shoot with (and apparently when I’m wearing the Suomi jersey which is now retired). So with few exceptions I don’t think the players actually notice me to ask for photos. I’ve gotten a couple of compliments at season-ticket holder events where I’ve had stuff autographed, but no one has ever asked me for one. I think these guys have access to so many high-quality photos from the professionals I just don’t think there’s a lot of interest in mine.
And as far as where I shoot, I had press creds for the Dallas Stars game, and actually got to shoot a few photos from the holes in the glass when the real photographers weren’t busy with them, but usually I’m just sitting in a section that’s near the glass, and I might roam around from seat to seat if it isn’t too crowded. That doesn’t always work though. I actually got in trouble last night, a “fan” decided he didn’t like where I was sitting (I was directly across the arena from my actual section and in a similar seat on a non-crowded row), so he told an usher to boot me even though no one else was occupying the seat or was even near me. So I got booted and had to relocate. The funny thing was, while standing at the top of the section, I was able to get a perfect overhead of Cole’s first goal, and then when I made my way across the arena to my real section, I was in a perfect position to get Cole’s celebration on his second goal. I considered that karma.
Sorry for the novel! Just a HUGE fan trying to use my limited talents to generate excitement about the team. And I really appreciate all the kind words. REALLY.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
I’d personally like to throw in my $.02 here…I love, and I mean LOVE the pics that you take, and I’m glad we get to share them with you on this site. I’ve actually started staying on this more often in the last couple of weeks, and I quite honestly can say that I look forward to your shots. So keep up the FANTASTIC work. My friend actually has 2 tix behind the penalty box tonight, I may see if I can switch places with his fiance for a period and check it out. But I digress…you are the awesome in my book. :)
Can someone please get Manny a new shirt? He DESERVES one.
Agreed...
You take incredible pics, LTD, and I think being a fan and not just a “media guy” gives you a perspective on what to focus on that means you totally get things the official pictures miss.
Thanks for your dedication to taking awesome pics, please know it’s appreciated, and we don’t think you’re a stalker. :)
by Raccoon Fink on Mar 18, 2010 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I just want to reiterate that I never in a million years meant to imply LTD was a stalker, especially to those who are reading that may not know her. She’s not. At all. In any sense of the word.
"What Carolina really has going for them is Brandon Sutter. When that kid first showed up, he looked like a skinny little thing that wouldn’t last two weeks. But he’s turned into a real star."
Yup...
I was just re-reiterating. Or something.
by Raccoon Fink on Mar 18, 2010 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions
The other thing I was thinking...
Could majority of the team be hit with the same “illness” that Cole had recently? There has been a wonderful stomach bug going around the area in the past couple weeks. I know 5 people at work alone who got it.
Thank you Jim Rutherford and Ray Whitney for working together for Ray to stay a Hurricane! :)
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