Raise a Glass for Hocktoberfest!

As my colleague Dan reminded us the other day, it is indeed October (aka Hocktober!) And while I confess that I am a summer girl and not a fan of fall, I am a fan of hockey so I have no choice but to embrace the season! Tonight is the long awaited opening night for the NHL and I have never been so happy to watch two teams I don’t even like take the ice. I will be catching the Bruins and Flyers on Versus HD tonight at 7pm. It’s Flyers’ winger Danny Briere’s birthday, and for the sake of celebration I hope he scores some goals. (Ok he might be on my fantasy team. Joyeux anniversaire Danny!) I also see that my plans to attempt to get some sleep have been thwarted by the West Coast game pitting the Pens against the Canucks at 10pm. No rest for the wicked or hockey fans.

It’s not the B’s and Bullies game that has me fired up though. It’s the Canes and Lightning taking the ice tomorrow at the RBC Center. Caniacs are hoping to avenge April’s (6-2) heartbreaking loss in the final push for the 2011 playoffs. The Canes have announced their season opening roster of 23 players and center Riley Nash, while showing us great things in camp and preseason pairings, has been sent back to the Checkers. We are now carrying 12 forwards. The club has also published their depth charts and lines on the official website and has fans, myself included, in an tizzy. I am trying to be mindful that these are not official lines for Friday’s contest but seeing a player with a lot of buzz about him like Zac Dalpe on the fourth line is not a pleasant site.

The site also shows a line of Tlusty/Jokinen/LaRose which is also a head scratcher. I am an unapologetic Chad LaRose fan, but that is not where I want to see our spark-plug slotted. I am also not a card carrying member of Camp Tlusty. I hope he will change my mind about him, but he hasn’t showed me any fire yet. Rosey looks to be on the road to recovery. He skated today and is expected to play Friday. Caniacs are looking to tomorrow’s practice to shed some light on what the line combinations will be.

Hocktoberfest looming has lit up the Twitter wire with #37, Tim Brent using the name in a hashtag this morning.

"Brenter37 whole fam damily in town for opening night tomorrow! They are very excited to see Raleigh. #itisoctobernow looking fwd to seeing RBC packedBrenter37 Might have to get them to check out their first hockey tailgate ever! #hocktoberfest #loveit"

I have seen tailgating invitations flying around all day. I hope his family will take up an offer of Southern hospitality. Being warm and friendly is a badge that Caniac Nation wears proudly. Patrick Dwyer has also taken to Twitter to fire up the fans.

"pattydwyer39 Opening night tomorrow. Can’t wait for all the caniacs to pack the RBC center. Its going to be a good night. #gocanesgo"

It’s like a virtual pep rally! I don’t know about you, but it’s working for me! I want to see lots of signs in the parking lot and arena tomorrow marking Hocktoberfest! For the record, I will not be wearing a dirndl into the arena. Those dresses are just a wee bit too breezy for an ice rink.

Check back in tomorrow when we will have more information about starting lineups as they are released.

Tailgating at the game? Tell us about your Hocktoberfest celebration in the comments! Let’s make Hocktoberfest a reality! Prost!

Thanks for stopping by. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @CardiacCaneFS, @Esbee92, @Caniac176! For more dirt on tonight’s matchups visit our FanSided friends at Causeway Crowd, Broad Street Buzz, The Canuck Way and Pens Labryrinth. Bone up on your Tampa Bay Lightning knowledge at Bolts by the Bay.