clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Storm Debris: Hot Takes About Not-So-Cold Ice

The latest on Monday’s ice issues at PNC Arena plus a few stories to get you into the holiday spirit.

By Jamie Kellner
From the Fox Sports Carolinas broadcast, Ron Hainsey, Brett Pesce and Jeff Skinner peek out from the locker room to see how the Solitaire game is going on the videoboard.

First things first.... Neither the Carolina Hurricanes nor the NHL have made an announcement yet with regard to a reschedule date for the postponed game against the Red Wings. The compressed schedule and CBA-mandated bye week have rendered most make-up dates nonviable, and multiple parties (both teams, the NHL, and potentially the NHLPA and other teams depending on the circumstances) have to agree on a new date. We will publish a separate article as soon as the make-up date is announced. In the meantime, the ticket and parking exchange policies in effect once the new date is confirmed are posted on the Canes website.

Some good news this morning as the ice at PNC Arena is back to normal and the Canes practiced there before flying to Buffalo for tomorrow night’s game against the Sabres. Eddie Lack rejoined practice, though was not expected to make the trip with the team. He is scheduled to undergo further medical testing this afternoon, and if cleared to play, could join the team in Buffalo.

Not surprisingly, most of this week’s hot takes are about the warm ice, so here’s a sample:

  • Post “game” comments and analysis from [Don Waddell] [Ron Francis] [N&O] [NSJ] [Technician] [WRALSportsFan] [Detroit Free Press] [Detroit News]
  • The PNC Arena cooling system was previously tested and repaired during the offseason [N&O].
  • Don Waddell joined Joe Ovies yesterday to dish out all the details of what happened with the ice Monday night and what happens next for fans [WRALSportsFan].
  • Bill Peters weighed in on Monday’s postponement (including his opinion of ice conditions Monday morning) along with a practice update and prep for the Buffalo rematch in today’s media scrum [CanesPR].
  • Freon: An Ode to a Game We Didn’t See [Section 328].
  • Tangentially related to Monday’s game... Had the game been played, Red Wings defenseman Nick Jensen would have made his NHL debut. Instead, he did so Tuesday night against the Lightning and took out both netminders [SBNation NHL].

In other news around the team and around the league:

  • Ask the Big Rig: Great insight from Mike Maniscalco as he took on r/hockey yesterday with an AMA [reddit].
  • The GOAT is ready to represent Team Canada at World Juniors.
  • Does hockey have an inferiority complex? Please like my sport? [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
  • Puck Daddy is running a 2016 Top Ten series through the end of the year. The bad news, three Top Ten Busts of 2016 have Canes connections. The good news is that they’re all former Canes [Puck Daddy].
  • News ALERT: Rod Brind’Amour will join Joe Ovies and Chip Patterson at 6:15 this evening, tune in at 99.9 The Fan or WRALSportsFan.com (update: here’s the replay and as always, it does not disappoint).
  • More radio fun: Mike Maniscalco will join Patrick Johnson and some guy named Brian LeBlanc on WPTF tomorrow morning at 6:10 (replay at 8:10, so you don’t have to wake up super early). They’re at 680 on your AM dial or at WPTF.com.

If you’re not yet in the holiday spirit:

  • Hockey is for Everyone: Watch as a super stickhandling young lady from the United Arab Emirates gets a surprise courtesy of Washington Capitals alum Peter Bondra [RMNB].
  • A Christmas Miracle: On Nov. 19, Tuscon Roadrunners captain Craig Cunningham collapsed to the ice with a cardiac arrest. Today he meets with the media. His story, as told by Bob McKenzie [TSN].
  • And from Cunningham’s press conference, “I said to him ‘you’re going to have a tough time’ and he understood and said ‘bring it on.’” [Five For Howling].
  • Yesterday and today, the Hurricanes delivered toys to Ronald McDonald House and Raleigh Rescue Mission.

Finally, from today’s practice...