The word is Sergei Samsonov will play tonight, and Patrick O`Sullivan will be a healthy scratch. Rookies Jeff Skinner and Zac Dalpe, both born in Ontario, are making their North American NHL debuts. Skinner is looking forward to having his family on hand at ScotiaBank Center tonight. Wouldn't be surprised if Dalpe's parents are nearby. Skinner was the center of attention with the media after practice today [photo], and probably not for the last time this season.
Game previews and other news in Ottawa
Hurricanes vs. Senators - 10/14/2010 -NHL.com's game Preview
Hurricanes Start North American Road Trip With Visit To Ottawa - Canes Country The Carolina Hurricanes kick off a five-game North American road trip in Ottawa against the winless Senators.
Audio links, after practice today, from Coach Paul Maurice [here], Eric Staal [here], and Jeff Skinner [here]. Also this Sens blog post includes some video with the Canes, on the scene in Ottawa today:Canes Blow Into Ottawa " Scoreottawa's Blog
Canes Now - Canadian media interested in Canadian kid Skinner, at 18, is the youngest player on a young team. The Canes' first-round draft pick, a native of Markham, Ont., will be playing his first NHL in Canada and will have his parents and a sister in the stands at Scotiabank Place
Hard Hits Feature: Players facing former teams - HurricanesBeat.com by Kurt Dusterberg Payback Time Road trip will feature grudges with former teams
For those with Dish Network bad news: Canes Now - DISH, FSN remain at 'impasse' | newsobserver.com blogs You might see if you can watch on Center Ice?
From Ottawa's local paper:
Leclaire gets the start | Ottawa Sun The last time Leclaire faced the Hurricanes was on Feb. 4th in Raleigh. He was coming back from a concussion, gave up two goals on five shots and was pulled from the net early in the game.
And Sens ready to roll? | Ottawa Sun Will a players-only meeting in Washington go down as the Senators’ great, season-saving turning point?
** LATE ADD: Didn't catch this earlier, but TSN has this 3-minute video preview of tonight's game with a fair amount of focus on Skinner.
After the jump some more on the expectations of Maurice and company as they begin the season again, this time in a real NHL rink in the heart of Ontario, Canada. Plus news from the Checkers, the prospects, and a few other stories around the League.
Some Canes links from yesterday you might have missed
Great insight in this audio link with General Manager Jim Rutherford with an Ottawa sports Radio Station Team 1200 [here], courtesy of Go_shelf in the comments of a post yesterday. And here is Maurice [here] and Skinner [here] after practice Wednesday, before heading to RDU to fly to Ontario.
Canes Now - 'Good vibe' Canes go back on road | newsobserver.com blogs
Hurricanes' next test - five more road games - NewsObserver.com The Carolina Hurricanes had a day of sun and relaxation Monday, participating in the Kids 'N Community charity golf tournament at Cary's Prestonwood Country Club.
Video and a slideshow from the K'nC Golf event Monday, courtesy of the Canes.
Rookie Excitement
The Hockey News: Special Features: VIDEO: THN Puck Panel – Rookie report With another strong crop of rookies starting this season in the NHL, Puck Panel host Ryan Dixon is joined by writers Ryan Kennedy and Ken Campbell to discuss the young guns and why kids today are more ready to make the jump than ever before.
Rookies Already Filling The Void On Many NHL Rosters - From The Rink Many NHL rookies are eating up early season ice time left behind by departed and injured players.
Red Light District: Trusting Youngsters If there is anything that can be learned from the last two Stanley Cup champions, it is that building from within and through the draft rather than free agency or trades is the way to go.
AHL news
There is tremendous anticipation for the game tomorrow in Charlotte, the first AHL game for the team in that city. I've put together a Game Guide you can print out to have with you, keeping in mind most of the players have all new numbers. Roster guide for Checkers vs W-B/S Penguins Oct 15, 2010.
The Charlotte Checkers Allow Wilson Into Their Locker Room. | FOX Charlotte Hockey season is back! The Charlotte Checkers have their first home game on Friday, October 15th so Wilson went to their training facility to get a peek behind the scenes.
Charlotte Checkers 2010-11 preview - Hockey's Future The Carolina Hurricanes figure to benefit greatly by having their AHL affiliate about 160 miles west of Raleigh
And Sandpiper has her Photo-set of the Checkers game Sunday at Springfield up on flickr - always a treat to see the game through her lens.
YouTube - Checkers announce roster, inaugural AHL season begins this weekend. Jeff Daniels and Casey Borer live in the studio.
Prospect News
Austin Levi and the Plymouth Whalers are supporting a great cause with their annual Pink Out! game this weekend. Check out the pictures. Whalers Work As Waiters Tonight at CJ's Brewing Company | MLive.com The Whalers Pink Out! effort for Breast Cancer Awareness continues tonight as the team will be working as waiters at CJ's Brewing Company at Compuware Arena from 4:30-7pm. Tips earned from the event will go towards the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. Another story here: Plymouth Whalers let the pink go to their heads | Asheville Citizen-Times .
UMD Bulldogs - Men's Hockey Freshman Justin Faulk's first career goal turned out to be the game-winner Saturday night.
Boston College Retains No. 1 Ranking in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll where highly regarded Canes defenseman prospect Brian Dumoulin's BC Eagles collected 507 points, including 31-of-34 first-place votes, to claim the top spot.
Other player interviews you'll want to read...
...all from veteran NHL'ers starting the season with new teams. They have very different stories to tell.
Time was right for Wild's Cullen to go home - NHL.com Matt Cullen signed with the Wild during the offseason figuring it was the right time in his career to play hockey in his home state of Minnesota.
Duthie: Going 1-on-1 with the Maple Leafs' Kris Versteeg This week, Toronto Maple Leafs forward and part-time rapper Kris Versteeg.
Rehab for a broken leg and a broken heart | StarTribune.com Five months have passed, but the pain is still so agonizing Kurtis Foster can barely talk about it
The Road less traveled
Finally, in keeping with the headline, let's not forget less than two weeks ago, these same players were making NHL history in St Petersburg, Russia. Canes Vision put together one awesome video of their sightseeing trip in the beautiful city.