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Hope everyone is gearing up for a fun holiday weekend. Brian will send out the Stanley Cup Final pick ’em later this morning, but otherwise we’ll be taking a brief haitus (barring breaking news) until hockey returns on Monday.
John Forslund joined Gord Stellick and Rob Simpson yesterday on their SiriusXM NHL morning show, mainly to talk about the Stanley Cup Final matchup between the Capitals and the Golden Knights, but working in a few relevant comments about the Hurricanes. He provided an interesting perspective of the characteristics Vegas shares with the 2006 Cup champions, and also discussed the philosophy surrounding the team’s anticipated summer moves. He also had this to say when pressed about this week’s news that the organization is evaluating the future of their radio broadcast and the possibility of replacing it with a TV simulcast, which will affect the role of his long-time friend and colleague Chuck Kaiton.
“He’s a dear friend of mine. We’ve worked together since 1991, as you guys know. And I knew we’d get here, and I respect both you guys and I know you have to ask about that. It’s difficult. It’s hard for me, because I’m kind of on the outside watching this, and then I’m kind of not, because it might go that way and I’m involved in terms of the simulcasting and all that. I think they’re going to have another opportunity to get together and figure out the best situation. The radio landscape in this market is not anywhere close to some of the bigger cities where there is competition for rights and so on. That part of it has changed. And I think they’re trying to look at a business situation and also address the fact that you have a long-standing, historical legendary radio voice. So, this is a very complicated situation. It’s emotional for me because of our friendship and I want what’s best for Chuck and that’s the bottom line. So let’s hope in the next couple of weeks they can figure this one out and make a decision that makes sense for everybody.”
The interview wasn’t published online, but we were able to snag an over the air recording (albeit crude) and you can listen in its entirety here. [SoundCloud]
In other news:
- Mike Maniscalco joined David Glenn mainly to talk Stanley Cup Final but did weigh in about the new Canes head coach (he also was asked but skillfully evaded the question about the radio broadcast). Glenn’s segment with Maniscalco airs for the first 19 minutes of the podcast and his Canes comments kick in around the 15-minute mark. [DGShow on HipCast]
- That’s not Booing you hear from Team Finland. Former Hurricane Tuomo Ruutu has been added to the coaching staff for the Finnish men’s national team under-20 squad. [YLE.fi]
- Feeling lucky? All you have to do is shoot a hockey puck a long distance and through a small cardboard cutout, and the Canes will pay for your 2018-19 season tickets. Shoot For Your Seats is coming on June 24. [CH.com]
- Cross Evander Kane off the summer free agent shopping list, the San Jose Sharks have signed him to a seven-year contract extension valued at $49 million. [Mercury News]
- And another general manager candidate has found a new home. Laurence Gilman, formerly with the Vancouver Canucks and a candidate reportedly under consideration by the Hurricanes, will join the Toronto Maple Leafs as assistant general manager. [Pension Plan Puppets]
- Just when you thought you knew hockey, the Vegas Golden Knights came along and made us all look like fools. Down Goes Brown dives into how they continue to defy conventional wisdom and what other teams might be able to learn. [SportsNet].
- Finally, make sure to catch these FanPosts by Canes Country commenters. As always, if you have something Canes-related that you’d like to talk about, don’t hesitate to use the FanPost feature to open up the conversation. Enjoy!
- Breaking down the Hurricanes Power Play - Hurrikanters
- Three things the Canes need to do in order to win - DarthCanes