Yesterday, I received an email from a "concerned fan" asking me how I felt about Joe Corvo and an incident that he had back in 2002 when he was charged and convicted with assault on a female. I'm not sure if this concerned individual is the same person who seems to be spamming several other sites with anti-Corvo sentiment, but I thought that I would take a moment to respond to this subject since I haven't discussed it on the blog yet.
First of all, obviously I don't condone that type of behavior in any way, shape, or form. Perhaps I'm a bit too liberal for some folk, but in my opinion if he served his time, (he served 3 years of probation), admitted he was at fault, (he pleaded guilty), and has stayed out of trouble since then, (which apparently he has), I see no reason to dwell on this. Corvo is married with 2 children now, so it seems that he is behaving more responsibly.
Jesse Boulerice was a fan favorite around here when he played for the Hurricanes, and he had a bit of a sordid past himself. Fans were able to overlook that and gave "The Bull" a fresh start, so I don't see any reason why they won't do the same for number 77.
As for the "Uh-Oh, Corvo" nickname from the Canadian press, I have yet to see a perfect defenseman. Mike Commodore pinched at the worst possible time late in a recent game against Nashville, allowing a 3 on 1 rush coming back against Glen Wesley which eventually led to the Preds game-winning goal. Nobody crucified Commodore for making that braindead move late in a tough away game in which even getting 1 point would have been huge for Carolina.
I'm willing to give Corvo the benefit of the doubt for now and see what he can do with a fresh start. I bet most Caniacs feel the same way.
In some other news, Luke D. reported that the Hurricanes were negotiating with 1st round draft pick, Brandon Sutter. This is good news. Sutter is doing well on a struggling Red Deer team and probably would be an upgrade over either Letowski or Hamilton right now, especially on defense. Sign him up and "git er" done! Sutter will have turned 19 by time the juniors season is over (mid March), and could also play a short stint in Albany if needed.
In some alarming news, former Hurricanes defenseman Aaron Ward was hit in the throat and injured in last night's game against Pittsburgh. It was reported that he was spitting up blood and seemed to be choking. He spent the night in the hospital and is much improved. Knowing Ward, he'll probably want back out on the ice for the next Bruins game. Spitting up blood is not good though Aaron, better to take a game or two off.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in town for a big game tonight at the RBC. Sidney Crosby is still out, but Evgeni Malkin has more than picked up the slack though and apparently has scored 15 points in the past 5 games. A few of the Hurricanes could be ailing, but I'll check more into that and post an update after lunch.
Jimi Hendrix