I Should Be at A Hockey Game
May 31, 2009
Tonight should have been game 6 for the Canes Pens series but as Gabe over at The Outdoor Smorgasbord posted last week the Canes got swept. Ouch Gabe Kick A Guy When He is down Ha Ha. I really had hoped to see it go a bit longer than it did so I could be sitting in an arena watching a game rather than sitting in my Lazy Boy watching a game on TV. As a season ticket holder for the Canes back in December there was little hope that come May they would still be playing when I began planning my trip out west. The Canes turned it on beating both NJ & Boston to get the match up with the penguins. We had ample inquires on keeping our seats warm at game 3 & 4 while we were out west. I really thought the hockey gods were with us when game 6 was scheduled for a mere 16 hours or so after we returned from our western trip. But that was not to be, the Canes had a heck of a season and now the Penguins face Detroit for the Cup. I hope they beat Detroit but looking at what is happening right now late in game 2 ( 3-1 Detroit) I think Gabe better keep that broom handy.
End of an Era…. Wesley’s # 2 Hung in The Rafters
February 18, 2009
Last evening I got to witness the ending of an era as the Carolina Hurricanes retired Glen Wesley’s #2. After 20 years in the NHL Glen is moving on to the next stage of his life. Glen has always been a fan favorite from the time he was first drafted by the Boston Bruins to his crowning achievement of getting to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup above his head with the Hurricanes. Much like the retiring of Ron Frances the Canes put on a nice ceremony and the number 2 now hangs next to the number 10 in the rafters of the RBC Center.
I was excited to see that one of my boyhood heroes was on hand, Derrick Sanderson. Derrick was a flamboyant Bruin and as a kid growing up in Boston I loved to watch him play on our black and white TV. Derrick was the Bruin that made the pass to Bobby Orr that set up the infamous goal to win the Stanley cup.
Growing up in Boston I’m a diehard Bruins fan but Glen playing on the Canes helped me become a Canes fan as well. On most nights I pull for the Canes but when the Bruins are in town my evil twin shows up.
Glen Wesley is a class act and the game is certainly going to miss his sportsmanship. An example of that is when they won the Stanley Cup each player gets 24 hrs with the cup. Glen took the Cup to Camp Lejeune and shared it with wounded marines. A class act all the way…. The game is going to miss him….
These are some photos I shot from the nose bleed section of the RBC Center.
Bruins Enforcer of Old Saves a Life While Fishing
June 21, 2007
Jay Miller the Bruins Enforcer from the 80’s and a fan favorite played the hero role the other day saving a man that was knocked overboard off his boat and left floating in the cold Atlantic.
Late Saturday afternoon, Mr. Miller was returning from a fishing trip off Nantucket on board his 38-foot Intrepid. The crew included his captain and a group of Exxon Mobil executives, major sponsors and supporters of the Genesis Fund.
The boat was about two and a half miles off State Beach, late and hustling back to Oak Bluffs Harbor, when one of the crew turned to Mr. Miller and said, “I see something white in the water, what is it?”
Mr. Miller slowed the boat and turned to investigate. “All of a sudden I saw a hand, almost like a wrist, just kind of flip out of the water,” Mr. Miller said in a telephone call yesterday. “And I said, ‘that’s a body.’”
Mr. Miller turned the helm over to his captain and told him to hurry as he prepared to help pull the man from the water. Mr. Miller and his crew managed to pull Charles A. Samuelson of Cohasset onto the boat’s swim platform and then into the boat. One of the men on board was an ex-EMT who administered first aid for hypothermia.
“We asked where his boat was and he pointed and said ‘my boat’s over there.’ And we saw a sail about four miles away.’”
Mr. Miller downplayed his actions by stating;
“It wasn’t anything spectacular, it was just picking a guy out of the water,” said Mr. Miller. “I happened to be the last one back. I’m not a hero. I was in the right spot, and so was he.”
Mr. Charles A. Samuelson, the man who was rescued recovered quickly and refused any further medical assistance when they reached the marina.
As a big Boston Bruins fan while researching this story I came across these old videos on You Tube of some of Mr. Miller’s memorable moments from when he wore the Black & Gold that I had to share with you. It brought back a lot of great memories of watching TV 38 & the Bruins game with my Dad back in the day when the Bruins were a bit more formidable. Hopefully those days will return at some point.
NASCAR, Hunting & Fishing & Red Neck Hockey
June 7, 2006
Once again the out of town press is taken a swipe at the Hurricane Fan base as a bunch of ignorant red necks who know nothing about the sport. This is what every visiting team’s press in 2002 said when the Canes made it to the finals losing to Detroit and its not the first time this year we’ve heard this dribble.
As a member of the Storm Squad, her job is to get a NASCAR-loving crowd excited about a hockey game.
And it can be quite the challenge.
In the third period of a game last week, Hurricanes fans accidentally began booing when a referee signalled a delayed penalty against the visiting team. But the home crowd was on its feet and cheering when a lucky member of the audience got to ride shotgun in a John Deere-sponsored Zamboni.
I’ve been at every single one of the playoff home games and the incident on the delay penalty doesn’t ring a bell with me. Yup some lucky fans do get to ride the Zamboni at every game but in between periods most folks are out waiting to use the bathroom or grabbing a snack.
I’ve been following hockey since I was a young boy growing up in Boston cheering for Bobby Orr and there is countless others like me that have migrated to the Carolinas from Detroit, Chicago, Philly, Buffalo, and even Edmonton. In the early days of this franchise when they played in Greensboro no matter who the visiting team was there seemed to be more fans for them then there was for the Canes. That’s because us relocated folks were just happy to get out and see our teams of old down here playing. I’m a Canes fan now, I still follow the Bruins but the Canes are now my team. The Hurricanes have united a community and you really show your lack of knowledge about us when you make a statement like this
forwards Eric Staal and Rod Brind’Amour would still be more popular if they were clad in the baby blue of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.
The Hurricanes play in the same arena that NC State Wolf Pack does and dressing those boys in baby blue would make them about as popular as some of those foul mouth buffalo fans we put up with last week. Watch the jumbotrom in between periods and see what happens when Roy Williams the Coach of the Tar Heels comes on and says “Lets Go Canes” it’s less then a warm reception. The Canes have been successful at getting Duke, Carolina & State Fans to pull for the same team which many would have argued couldn’t be done.
I know Hockey is Canada’s game but the NHL to survive will have to expand into new markets and the last time I looked there wasn’t much expanding up in the frozen north.
“I can’t skate to save the my life,” fan Justin Bond says in a thick, southern drawl while chewing on a piece of pulled pork in the parking lot before a Hurricanes game. “But I can barbecue.”
And with the help from the Storm Squad, he will hopefully know when and what to cheer. That is, if Witley can remember what icing is.
“That’s easy,” she says. “It’s when the car does laps around the ice, right?”
I won’t claim that everyone sitting in the RBC arena knows everything there is to know about Hockey but those you featured in this story are a small percentage of those actually in the crowd.
Canada better face the fact that in the near future the Stanley Cup will be filled with “Sweet Tea Ya’ll”
Story
Big Storm hits on the First Day of Hurricane Season
June 2, 2006
Awarding of Trophy
June 1st is the official start of hurricane season and the Carolina Hurricanes won game seven to extend their season.
Rod Brind’Amour was the do-everything captain for the Carolina Hurricanes all season. It was most fitting that his goal put them into the Stanley Cup finals.
Brind’Amour’s third-period goal snapped a tie and sent the Hurricanes into the championship round Thursday night with a 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals
Commodore takes to Ice for Pre-Game Warm-Up
Carolina led 1-0 but fell behind late in the second period when Doug Janik and Jochen Hecht scored goals for the injury-ravaged Sabres.
After Doug Weight tied it at 2, Brind’Amour charged toward a loose rebound in front of the crease and flipped the puck by Ryan Miller.
Sabers Miller made some great saves throughout the 7 games
“It’s a crazy game,” Brind’Amour said. “I’m just proud of our guys. we just wouldn’t give up.”
Mike Commodore gave Carolina its early lead, and Justin Williams sealed the victory with a goal in the final minute.
Only Moments before Williams scores the Canes 4th goal
What a game what a series, it was like one of the wildest rollercoaster rides I’ve ever been on. It was great to see Capt Rod have a great game and lead his team on.
Security was tight because of previous problems. Raleigh PD patrolled parking lots on Bikes and Motorcycles.
Officers’ observer pre game Saber Fan’s rallying in Parking Lot
The combination of a fair amount of Saber fans relocating to this area over the past few years and the ease to acquire tickets brought many more Saber fans south to support their team. I can’t say I’ll miss the Saber fans, it was a great series and I suspect the start of a great rivalry.
For the first time etiquette signs had to be posted to remind fans for both teams how to act and security got tighter and tighter as the series went on.
Ron & Eric (blocked by child) talking in Press Box
All of these photographs are ones I took at the game. The quality of some is not that great because they were taken from the nose bleed section. Behind us is the press boxes and Eric Cole and Ron Francis watched the game from there. In between the 2nd and 3rd period a young fan noticed Ron & Eric up there and tossed them her shirt to be signed. What a great thing to witness a young fan getting two great hockey players autographs.
Ron tosses Young Fan’s Sweater back after he and Eric sign it.
Sabers flag waving fan pre game… not much flag waving for him in the end
The Final Clear
Stormy Greets exiting fans after the game outside the Eye
It was a great series and the Sabers played us tough. We got a few days to recover before Game One of the Stanly Cup starts. Lets Go Canes!! Bring the Cup to Raleigh!!
Ron takes one last skate Originally posted 1/06
May 27, 2006
One of my other passions is hockey and this past Saturday evening I had the honor of attending the Carolina Hurricanes game on Ron Francis night. He is a big reason for the success of the hockey team here in the middle of ACC Basketball and NASCAR country. Although I’m still loyal to the Bruins the Canes have won a place in my heart with the way they play and Ron was a big part of that. I admit that I was very skeptical when they first came here and they choose a pig for a mascot and the first game I attended they had a blimp floating around dropping vouchers for frozen turkeys. They have come a long way and have put a quality team on the ice and have done great things to enrich the community. The run up to the Stanly Cup playoffs in 2002 showed the world that the Raleigh area was worthy of a World Championship team and we came so close. This year maybe the year as the Canes are currently in 1st place.
Ron Francis is a class act and he went out with grace, it was an honor to stand there and watch him and his boys skate around the rink one last time. I doubt this is the last the NHL will see of this great man I’m sure he’ll be back in the future in some other capacity. From now on when ever I go to the arena and I look up I can say I was here when the number 10 was raised to the rafters and Ron took his final bow in a town that 10 years ago not many even knew what the game of hockey was all about.
[quote]Canes give Francis night to remember
By JACK DALY, The Herald-Sun
January 29, 2006 12:25 am
RALEIGH — As his jersey fluttered to the rafters, Ron Francis took a final lap around the RBC Center ice, shaking hands with his former teammates and waving to the adoring crowd.
His son, Michael, lagged just behind. The Carolina Hurricanes had just made Francis’ No. 10 the first jersey retired in franchise history, and the two generation of Francises basked in the moment.
“Michael kept kind of yelling at me, ‘Dad, this is really cool,’ ” Francis said. “That sort of makes it even more special.”
From NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to Hurricanes’ owner Peter Karmanos to Francis’ closest friends and family, a string of hockey notables attended Francis’ jersey retirement Saturday night.
They saw Francis’ former team give him a trip to western Canada, heard the center’s name chanted again and again by the standing-room only crowd and felt the overall emotion of the evening.
“I thought it was a great ceremony,” Carolina coach Peter Laviolette said. “I was standing behind Ray Whitney on the bench, and he goes, ‘I guarantee you my wife is crying right now.’
“I said, ‘Your wife? I’m about ready to cry.’ Then he looks at me and he goes, ‘Me too.’ So it was real emotion. I don’t know; I thought it was special.”
After the ceremony, Carolina outclassed Atlanta 4-1 in a gritty, penalty-filled game that didn’t quite match the pregame festivities for excitement.
With the victory, the Hurricanes (35-11-4) not only improved their home record to an astounding 23-4-1 — the last time Carolina lost in regulation in the RBC Center was Nov. 27 to Atlanta — but also moved four points in front of Ottawa for the overall NHL lead.
So call it a perfect night for Francis and the organization.
“I can’t remember us ever winning when Ronnie had a milestone or we had ‘Ron Francis night’ or whatever,” said Erik Cole, who picked up 20th goal of the season on a deflection in the first period.
“It was definitely great for this organization and a great night for Ronnie and his family to reflect on such an unbelievable career. It was special to be a part of, and I’m glad we capped it off with a win.”
Francis said he was touched by the spectacle, which also included all of the Hurricanes wearing the No. 10 out of the locker room and a string of video clips that featured hockey folks such as Steve Yzerman, Gordie Howe, Jeff O’Neill and Paul Maurice paying tribute.
The former center played for Hartford, Pittsburgh, Carolina and Toronto and is second on the NHL’s all-time assist list, fourth in overall points. He retired after the 2003-04 season and still lives in Raleigh.
“All week, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, how I was going to react,” Francis said. “I had a lot of sleepless nights leading up to tonight. It was kind of a remarkable feeling. … When I went out on to the ice, I had to hold it together and get through it. It was a fun night.”
As for the game itself, Justin Williams scored a goal some four minutes in to give the Hurricanes a quick 1-0 lead. Cole’s goal made it 2-0 at the 9:21 mark of the first period.
New acquisition Anton Babchuk scored his first goal for Carolina — the Hurricanes traded Danny Richmond to the Blackhawks for the defenseman last week — on a power play in the second.
Atlanta tried to make things interesting in the third when Marc Savard scored 19 seconds into the period. But Scott Mellanby’s apparent goal was waved off late in the third for goalie interference, and Carolina’s Kevyn Adams added an empty-netter to secure the win.
“I thought the guys played so unbelievably hard tonight to make sure [we won] — we needed to end the night in the right way,” Laviolette said. “It was a terrific night, but we needed to make sure we ended it in the right way. The guys in the room really stepped it up big tonight and really put their foot on the gas pedal.”
NOTES — Before the game, Bettman said Raleigh is still scheduled to get an All-Star game — one day. “We haven’t focused on a time frame, but when we make a promise, we keep it,” Bettman said. “We will bring an All-Star game [to Raleigh].” … Friday’s standing-room only crowd of 18,930 was the largest of the year. Carolina had a standing-room crowd in its home opener against Pittsburgh, but attendance that night was 18,787. … Matt Cullen missed his first game with a broken jaw. He’ll be out two-to-four weeks.
URL for this article: http://www.herald-sun.com/sports/18-695188.html
[/quote]
Moose Droppings is a place that chronicles my journey, Ill explore new places and ideas Ill learn new things and Ill teach the things Ive learned to others. Join me on the adventure and hopefully it will help you in your outdoor endeavors.
