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Back After This From Your Local Station
And...breathe.
What a run the Hurricanes have taken us on the past four-plus months. I don’t know about anyone else, but I woke up this morning totally wiped out, yet extraordinarily proud to have played a part in chronicling this memorable season. There have been times over the past ten years when I’ve wondered why I bothered, and this season reminded me why it matters. This team was special, and to watch it grow and bond together was a privilege I don’t take lightly.
All of us at CC are so appreciative of the support you’ve given us during this run. Our site traffic since the start of the playoffs is up 125% over last year in the same window - that’s more than double. I’ve been privileged to cover the team on the road, missing only Game 1 of the Islanders series because it was logistically impossible to get there, and while being on the road was a significant imposition on everyone around me - our staff and my wife & daughter chief among them - I did it because I knew that comprehensive coverage mattered to our readers.
Clearly, it did. I had to be coerced into putting together the travel fund, and you responded to the tune of raising more than $600. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I am truly humbled by your generosity.
We are going to take a few days to catch our collective breath and refuel. Next week, we’ll start the look back at the season in earnest. The Hurricanes’ getaway day is Monday and we’ll have complete coverage that day. We are also just over a month away from the draft, and while we won’t be covering it in person - you want to see sticker shock, look up the prices of flights to Vancouver - we’ll have you covered as you’ve come to expect.
Once again, thank you. It’s because of each of you that we get to live out what for many of us is a dream assignment, and it is something that none of us will ever take for granted. On behalf of all of us at CC, thank you for allowing us to be a small part of your Hurricanes fandom.
Let’s do it again next season. -Brian
Reading Assignments
Yesterday’s News Today: Game Recap: It’s All Over, The Tank Runs Dry For Resurgent Canes
- A massive thank you from the Canes to every single fan out there:
This Bunch of Jerks is lucky to have fans like you. pic.twitter.com/V9MpDf0bbw
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) May 17, 2019
Changed the culture. Changed the game.
— Carolina Hurricanes (@NHLCanes) May 17, 2019
Just getting started. pic.twitter.com/xBaVja8021
- The love the Hurricanes got on social media last night was outstanding. Here are just a few that stood out:
Thank you, @NHLCanes
— Scotty McCreery (@ScottyMcCreery) May 17, 2019
Couldn’t be prouder of our BFFs @NHLCanes. This team was fun, determined, talented and so much more.
— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) May 17, 2019
This is just the beginning.
Congratulations on a fantastic season, @NHLCanes. #SurgeTogether
— Carolina Mudcats (@CarolinaMudcats) May 17, 2019
A huge Congratulations to the @NHLCanes on a remarkable run. Hockey is reinvented in Raleigh and I can’t wait to continue to see those Caniacs cheer on their team in years to come! #BunchOfJerks
— Kathryn Tappen (@KathrynTappen) May 17, 2019
Congrats to the @NHLCanes on a fabulous season. Their fans standing on their feet for the final minutes gave me chills. What a year for them! Awesome!!!
— Jeremy Roenick (@Jeremy_Roenick) May 17, 2019
Hate to see it end but great season @NHLCanes, you were fun to watch. Looking forward to 19/20 already. #TakeWarning #bunchofjerks
— Regan Smith (@ReganSmith) May 17, 2019
It has been an honor to root on the @NHLCanes this year. I am so proud of our guys. Tough way to end the year but bright things lie ahead. This team is special and they will do special things. #TakeWarning
— Chesson Hadley (@chessonhadley) May 17, 2019
Helluva season @NHLCanes . Hold your heads high!
— John Isner (@JohnIsner) May 17, 2019
- Justin Williams’ comments after the game should mean a lot to every single Caniac out there:
Justin Williams on the relationship between the #Canes and their fans. pic.twitter.com/3NqqQkouoH
— Michael Smith (@MSmithCanes) May 17, 2019
- Hurricanes GM Don Waddell has been named a finalist for the GM of the Year award. [Us]
- The NHL has admitted the officials on the ice missed the hand pass in overtime of the Blues/Sharks game three that led to the game winning goal. [CBS Sports]
- On the heels of that, the NHL needs to overhaul its review process. [USA Today]
- Is it time to make every playoff goal reviewable? [Yahoo Sports]
- Last night was tough. So many emotions all around. But the Big Rig may have summed all of this up the best and it seems like the right message to end on for today:
Right now this stings for the @NHLCanes and all the fans.
— Mike Maniscalco (@mikemaniscalco) May 17, 2019
But allow me paraphrase:
Don’t be sad that it is over. Be glad that it happened.
This was the best team I have ever covered, by miles. #Canes#BunchOfJerks #TakeWarning
It was one heckuva ride. pic.twitter.com/NqU8eJa64u