FanPost

Hello Canes Fans, From Tampa Bay

There is a fanpost below this on the Canes being disrespected by the national media. Welcome to the club, been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Tampa was a hockey-joke personified to anyone from a "real" hockey market for a decade after we won the cup. I have a family connection with UNC and have been told that you've gotten the same treatment. So arguably the two best teams in the NHL have the misfortune of playing in the second round to the yawning indifference of the solons at NBC, who could probably care less.

This should be the finals. I believe a division that actually eliminates last year's runners up from even making the playoffs and had four teams make the show that can all check anyone else in the league into oblivion deserves some respect; so I' as tired of the love for Boston and Pittsburgh as you are.

I admit to being very nervous. I hope for both team's sake the refs call a clean consistent game each and every time. The Tamp-Florida series had a couple of clown shows with both bogus calls and non-calls playing a strong factor in the games.

In a year where we haven't seen either of these teams make the rounds of the league we can't know for sure, but i see both skating and checking better and faster through four lines than anyone but MN, and I think both score better than the Wild.

I'm a Tampa fan. So I like our goalie. I like our power play. I like the experience. I like the bogus over-the-cap issues, hope it gets in your heads..Kuch had hip surgery. They cut on him. The anomoly was the short season; but in a full one its only a 1/4 salary cap hit when you bring him back, so you dump a 4th liner. No different economically that a lot of trade deadline deals....it does motivate the Bolts I hope, that the cap will force wholesale changes next year.

I like your coach..I like the way your team seems like a family. I like the connection they make with the fans when they celebrate. They seem to have gotten to that even emotional temperment that it takes to make a run.

Seven Games? Likely.

I like the chances of the cup coming Southeast again this year, I just don't know how far. It knows the way to both cities, NBC and Toronto(TSN). DO you?