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May
26

Thanks Canes!

To the Carolina Hurricanes: THANK YOU for a phenomenal season. Last season the team missed the playoffs by a point. Coming into the season things didn’t jel. An odd coaching change was a change indeed. Once March rolled around, Paul Maurice had the team clicking on all cylinders; one of the NHL’s hottest teams down the stretch. There was plenty of heat from other teams in the Eastern Conference, but the Canes pressed the accelerator and made noise into the playoffs

What a playoff run it was! Against New Jersey the Canes scored the latest regulation game-winning goal in the playoffs. Just a week later, seemingly at the end of its season, the Canes scored two goals in the final couple of minutes to put away the Devils in Game 7. Against the regular season champion Boston Bruins, the Canes found themselves up 3 games to 1, only to see their game escape them. They would only win one remaining game, an important Game 7 to put them in the Eastern Finals. It was the franchise’s 3rd Conference Finals in 7 years.

For the decade, the Carolina Hurricanes franchise stands as one of the most successful of this decade for the league. For the season, about 26 other teams would have traded their season for the Canes. For the Caniacs, it was an strong showing during “the worst economy in our lifetime”.  Stand and deliver? The Caniacs did to the end, thanking their team for a great run. Fantastic finishes, trips to the airport, tailgating, and never knowing what’s next. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what we’ll remember about Spring of 2009.

  • Bill

    Great tribute; thank you, and thanks to the Caniac Nation, who stood on their feet the last five minutes, & gave the boys a standing ovation at the horn. They took us to the ‘Final Four’ (to borrow a term from our other sport), & gave us respectability throughout the league.
    Pittsburgh is a good, young team, but as well as they played, I don’t see them going all the way against the Wings.

  • http://www.raleighmsa.com Ernest

    As much as it hurts me to see the Canes lose 4 games without, even a victory against the Penguins, I am grateful to them for bringing smiles and hope to the Triangle – and the entire state, I hope. I wish we had gone all the way to the 7th game, but we didn’t play good enough against the Penguins and paid the price.

    A big THANK YOU to the Canes for trying hard and exceeding expectations!!!

  • steelcity36

    I am a Pittsburgh native who adopted the home team Hurricanes in 1997. Having pulled for Pittsburgh teams most of my life, I have never been more proud of a sports franchise as I am of the Hurricanes today. The Hurricanes are always overlooked and that creates a scrappy mentality that serves us well in the playoffs and creates excitement in the community. The skillful and favored Penguins were too much for us this round, but they will have their problems in the near future trying to keep that core team together. On the flip side, Jim Rutherford has some big decisions regarding free agency this year, but in the end he’ll still have a core group of young players that are undervalued in the NHL and will sneak up on the leagues best for years to come.

  • Subway Scoundrel

    As a long term fan, I think the Canes again made great inroads into the community with this run. Building off of 2006 which built off of 2002. I have always seen the Canes as a market within a market within a market within a market. Meaning, there is Raleigh/Cary within The Triangle within NC adn then within the Carolinas region reaching to southern VA. All they now need is for Charlotte to actualy pay attention.

    That said, I am very proud of this team and the community and as someone who follows the business of hockey, you don’t hear the canes mentioned when talking about the PHXs’, Atlantas’, Tampa Bays’ or any other franchise that are stuggling with Canadian business men hovering over like vultures trying to pick up on the cheap.

  • Kevin

    It was a great run and a ton of fun to experience. ‘Go Canes!

  • Thomas

    Well said! I have been to other arena’s around the NHL (and other sports venues), the Caniacs ARE (without a doubt) in the Top 5 of “BEST” fans in the NHL (and top 20 of all (4) major sport teams fans – atmosphere and support of Canes in Triangle is “Priceless” to see and “even better” to be part of) .

Posted by Dana on May 26, 2009 | Tags: Sports . | ( 6 ) Comments

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