A New Star In Town

The Carolina Hurricanes gave the state  of North Carolina a world championship way back in 2006.  Since then the Hurricanes have made the playoffs once.

When your team does not win it is hard to get fannies in the seats to help pay for the talent needed to compete in any professional sport.  It really doesn't have to be a professional sport you go to any high school team in any sport and how many are there to watch if they are not winning.

During the last decade without making the playoffs the Hurricane faithful has stay with the team averaging about 13,000 per season.  That kind attendance does not allow the Canes to bring in high impact veterans but they mostly sign highly regarded rookies who's wages are high but compared to an aging veteran bargain basement prices.

So the Hurricane method of getting young talent and find  aging veterans to supplement the young stars work when the Canes had a young superstar in Eric Staal and the midseason trades of 2006 just happened to create magic and a title.

Eric was a star but most of the high price veterans found more money somewhere else and the Canes have struggled since. Fast forward five years and Staal injured a fractured knee during the World games and Staal was no longer a productive Super star but  the Canes are paying super star prices for a player a shell of himself.  It was time to move on.

Lacking a super star to fill the seats still about 13,000 are showing up each home game.  I don't know whether you like hockey or not.  Back in the early 80's when ESPN used the NHL as a program filler I saw a player come along that had it.  His name was Wayne Gretsky.

This season the Hurricanes have a group of young talent who to this point have blended together and this years team is still in the hunt for the playoffs.  They have the eighth spot in the east right now.  Many of the last few years they have been marred so deep in last the season had no purpose by this time of year.

I see on the roster of the Hurricanes a player that reminds me of the Great One Wayne Gretsky.  He is 19 year old Sebastian Aho from Rauma Finland.  He wears number 20. He plays right wing .  He is smooth, seems to be at the right place at the right time. He makes bullet passes, has skating speed.  He blends nicely with his teammates.

This year that blend that the Canes had in 2006 is developing as the Canes are winning almost everything at home.  If you haven't seen them this year you need to catch them on tv or at the PNC.  You might see something to get excited about.  They are no longer the team hoping to score one goal and hoping Cam Ward pitches a shutout.

Cam Ward in net is playing 2006 level.  Jeff Skinner is coming of age. Jordan Staal no longer in big brothers shadow.  Names like Justin Faulk, Victor Rask, Noah Hanifin, Ryan Murphy, Ton Hainsey, Elias Lindholm, Brett Pescue are just some of the names that might lead you to get excited about the Hurricanes again.

They are playing and exciting aggressive brand of hockey.  When they score they are becoming sharks smelling the blood and they go into a scoring frenzy.  This team is not the Carolina Hurricanes of the last ten years.  2006's team was exciting because they were winning. This team is getting it together much as 2006 did but they are a more exciting team scoring and winning.  They are well worth your attention!