Storm Debris: The Not-Under-The-Radar-Anymore Edition

Last time we did one of these, the Triangle was digging out from a few inches of frozen precipitation. Today, it’s 70 degrees and sunny. So, any guesses on what the weather will be like the next time we take a look around?

#CanesDads weekend recap

• God bless you, Wille Lack, for this outstanding meme-worthy photo of everyone’s favorite TV host.

• Michael Smith did a great job of documenting the dad’s weekend, which went from Raleigh to Columbus to Washington this year. Here’s the dispatch from their day in Columbus...
• ...and their off day in Washington...
• ...and Monday’s game day, in which the Canes took a morning skate and the dads took a trip to the Pentagon. [CH.com]

Elsewhere on Edwards Mill

• Want cheap lower-level seats for Tuesday’s crucial post-All Star Break matchup with the Flyers? The Canes are offering select seats behind the goals for $27 in honor of All-Star Justin Faulk. [Ticketmaster; search for the “NHL All-Star Return” ticket type]
• Sportsnet’s John Shannon mentioned in passing in his 25 NHL Power Brokers column that Canes owner Peter Karmanos resigned from the Executive Commitee, insinuating that he was not forced or voted out. [Sportsnet; head to #14]
• Remember when CBS News’ Steve Hartman came to practice to chat with Jorge Alves? The On The Road segment is now available online. [CH.com]
• What can Duke’s Grayson Allen learn from Jeff Skinner? [N&O]
• Scott Burnside spent time around Bryan Bickell for a couple of days as the Canes forward tries to come back from his multiple sclerosis diagnosis. [ESPN]
• The Hockey Today podcast had a pretty significant Hurricanes segment today starting about 40 minutes into the show. Derek Ryan joined Burnside and Pierre LeBrun at about 48:00. [ESPN]
• Similar thoughts (just not in podcast form) came from Tom Gulitti who led his weekly Metro notebook with thoughts on where the Canes find themselves. [NHL.com]
• Are the Canes a playoff contender? Travis Yost thinks so. [TSN]

Hooray, It’s All-Star Weekend

• Last week, the news broke that the NHL was eliminating the breakaway challenge and the internet reacted predictably. [Vice Sports]
• And then they announced the replacement: something called the Four Line Challenge, which should look familiar to anyone who’s ever seen NHL intermission entertainment. [Puck Daddy]
• Here’s the lowdown on everything you can expect during Saturday’s skills competition. [NHL.com]
• What else could the NHL consider adding to the skills competition? [Pension Plan Puppets]
• No link to this, but Mike Maniscalco told Patrick Johnson and me on WPTF this morning that he will be joining Justin Faulk in Los Angeles for the weekend, so expect some dispatches from the road throughout the All-Star festivities.

Winter The Trade Deadline Is Coming, And Other Stuff

• You may have missed it, but there was actually a trade yesterday! The Sharks traded Tommy Wingels to the Senators for spare parts. [Fear The Fin and Silver Seven]
• Elliotte Friedman reported that the Montreal Canadiens are kicking the tires around the Coyotes’ Martin Hanzal. [Five For Howling]
• Speaking of Friedman, that nugget came from his 30 Thoughts column yesterday, which also included some spitballing about what the Bruins and (last-place!) Lightning might do before the end of February. Do the Bruins owe Claude Julien a trade before they consider trapdooring him? [Sportsnet]
• Does Paul Maurice make his goalies worse than they actually are? (Caution: you may have a sense of deja vu reading this.) [Sportsnet]
• The Minnesota Wild continue to be the West’s version of Columbus Pittsburgh Washington, and Hockey Wilderness thinks that even if they regress it isn’t a reason for panic. [Hockey Wilderness]
• And finally, Canes PA announcer Wade Minter is an All-Star of a different sort this weekend. He won’t be in Los Angeles, but rather in Minneapolis as the PA voice of the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships. (By the way, Wade will be the subject of a Canes Country profile this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled for that.) [U.S. Pond Hockey]