head coach: Paul Maurice

roster: C - Keith Primeau, Jeff O'Neill, Robert Kron, Kent Manderville. RW - Sami Kapanen, Nelson Emerson, Kevin Dineen, Stephen Leach, Paul Ranheim. LW - Gary Roberts, Steven Rice, Geoff Sanderson, Stu Grimson, Jeff Daniels. D - Jeff Brown, Steve Chaisson, Glen Wesley, Curtis Leschyshyn, Kevin Haller, Adam Burt, Enrico Ciccone, Sean Hill. G - Trevor Kidd, Sean Burke, Pat Jablonski.

injuries: Enrico Ciccone, d (groin, indefinite); Kevin Dineen, rw (hamstring, day-to-day).

transactions: 11/18, traded Chris Murray, rw, to Ottawa for Sean Hill, d; 11/19, assigned Nolan Pratt, d, to New Haven (AHL); 11/23, recalled Jeff Daniels, lw, from New Haven.

standings:

Eastern Conference - Northeast Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
Montreal     27  15   9   3    33   85   67
Pittsburgh   28  14   9   5    33   82   71
Boston       27  12  10   5    29   66   75
Ottawa       27  10  13   4    24   68   68
Carolina     27  10  13   4    24   72   76
Buffalo      24   7  12   5    19   63   73

game results:

11/19 Montreal       W 2-1
11/21 NY Rangers     L 4-3
11/23 Calgary        T 3-3
11/26 at Pittsburgh  L 3-2
11/28 Tampa Bay      W 2-0
11/29 Colorado       L 3-2

team news:

by Brad Kane, Hurricanes Correspondent

A weak October gave way to a strong November for the Carolina Hurricanes. A 7-5-1 mark in the latter month has put Carolina, if not into true playoff contention, right back into the hunt. Toss out a disappointing 3-2 loss to Colorado Sunday, where the Avalanche came back from a two-goal third-period deficit to win, and November would have been an unqualified success for the 'Canes. Of course, it doesn't hurt that 38 of their November games were played at home. Um, OK, maybe not quite that many, but it sure seems that way.

ATTENDANCE UPDATE
Since the Hurricanes have had so many home games lately, the powers that be at LCS would like to take a moment to examine the latest attendance figures at the Greensboro Coliseum. After drawing just 6,896 against Montreal November 19, the Hurricanes drew 19,358 two days later against the Rangers.

Two words: Wayne Gretzky. The figure was a franchise high, topping the home opener against Pittsburgh. Needless to say, Hurricane officials would love it if Gretzky could come to Greensboro every night.

They surely would have loved it if Gretzky would have suited up for Calgary two days later, as the 'Canes-Flames contest brought out just 5,516 curious onlookers. Not just the lowest total for the Hurricanes this season, the figure was also an NHL season low. The mark broke the previous low established just two weeks prior at the Carolina-Ottawa game -- at the Greensboro Coliseum, naturally.

The latest two Hurricane home games, against Tampa Bay and Colorado over Thanksgiving weekend drew 8,107 and 11,332 respectively. Not great, but respectable for this franchise.

RUMOR
The hot rumor out of Carolina lately involved a deal that would have landed unsigned Detroit Red Wing Sergei Fedorov in Greensboro. Names rumored to be heading to the Motor City included Geoff Sanderson and Jeff O'Neill, among others. Hurricane officials squashed the rumor first, saying that Carolina had not even inquired about Fedorov's availability. However, some media outlets were reporting that Carolina GM Jim Rutherford had in fact done that -- he just hadn't discussed actual trade ideas. Fedorov is just what the Hurricanes would need; a slick playmaker and excellent defensive forward who can play the tougher style prevalent in the eastern conference.

At one time, trading Sanderson would have spelled doom for this franchise, but with the way things have gone this year it may be for the best. To say that Sanderson has struggled is putting it mildly. He's netted just five goals this season, and hasn't scored in who knows how long. Head Coach Paul Maurice has noticed, too. Against Montreal, Maurice benched Sanderson for most of the second period and all of the third. It was the first sustained benching of Sanderson's career. His play has picked up since then, but he has yet to find the net.

GOODBYE CHRIS, HELLO SEAN
Big trades, like the one mentioned above, are usually just talked about. The ones that actually happen are trades like Chris Murray for Sean Hill -- a deal that did in fact take place between Carolina and Ottawa November 18. Not to take anything away from Murray and Hill, but Sergei Fedorov they're not. What Hill is, however, is a solid reliable veteran that adds depth to an already veteran blue line. Squeezed out in Ottawa due to the numbers game, Hill may find the same situation in Carolina. Including the injured Enrico Ciccone, Hill becomes Carolina's 8th veteran backliner. His acquisition fueled rumors that Rutherford may be working on another deal; a defenseman was also rumored to be involved in the Fedorov trade.

Murray, who had recently returned from a knee injury, played in just seven games for Carolina, recording one assist and 22 penalty minutes. A wealth of rugged forwards like Gary Roberts, Stephen Leach, and Stu Grimson made playing time scarce for Murray.

HAPPENIN' KAPANEN UPDATE
Here's the latest update on the new hero for our times, Sami Kapanen! Sami's two goals were all that were needed in a 2-0 victory over Tampa Bay last Friday. Never mind the fact that the rejuvenated Sean Burke recorded the first shutout in Carolina history. Just concentrate on the number 13 -- that's how many goals Kapanen has this year, a number that ties his previous career high. Perhaps we all need to take a minute and thank the good lord for allowing Sami to walk among us. It's not often that greatness like this disguises itself as mortal.

OLYMPIC ACHIEVEMENT
When the Canadian Olympic team was unveiled recently, much of the talk centered around the exclusion of Mark Messier from the roster. Folks in Carolina, however, were more interested in seeing the name of Keith Primeau gracing the list. It's a vindication for the one-time Detroit Red Wing, who was run out of Detroit last year during a messy contract situation and still gets booed when the 'Canes visit Detroit. His numbers aren't outstanding this year, but it's thought that his fine play at last year's world championships, where he took on a checking role, won him the spot. It's expected that Primeau will be asked to take on the same duties again for the Olympics.

And, while it's not yet official, Finland has supposedly asked Kapanen to play for his homeland. Uh, that's a no-brainer... The Finnish roster will be made official sometime this week. Primeau and Kapanen will be Carolina's only two Olympic representatives.

[ issues | web extra | stats | nhl archive | home | chat | mailing list | about us | search | comments ]

1997 © Copyright LCS Hockey All Rights Reserved