Good afternoon Caniacs! Did you all tune in to the first night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night? It was bittersweet not watching the Hurricanes, but I will never turn down the opportunity to watch good playoff hockey. There were comebacks, missed calls, questionable plays and overtime. Just another night in the NHL! If you are not sure where to catch games make sure to check out this handy link from NHL.com. Enter your zip code and it will show you which channels in your area are showing which games.
Since the Canes’ season is over it is time to look towards the future, but before we do that, let’s spend a little time in the past. Here are three memorable moments of the season for me. Not all are memorable for good reasons. They are in no particular order.
Cam Ward Says Goal!
It was December 26th and although Christmas was over the gift giving was not. In a matchup with the New Jersey Devils, Ilya Kovalchuk made an ill-fated pass to teammate Adam Henrique which ended up in his own empty net giving the Hurricanes a tally on the score sheet. Who was the last Hurricane to touch the puck? Why that would have been Ward. Cam Ward. Not only is our keeper a Conn Smythe-winning Stanley Cup Champion, he is a goal sniper!
I find it pretty darned funny that this story made the Huffington Post website. The last hockey video I remember seeing on there was former Florida Everblades’ and Charlotte Checkers’ keeper Bobby Goepfert’s goalie fight with Billy Sauer of the Gwinnett Gladiators. While we’re on the topic, someone needs to get that Geffman back from Germany. Stat!
Don’t Lose Your Head Skinny
No, this memory is not about Jeffrey Skinner losing his temper. It’s about him sustaining a nasty concussion at the hands of Andy Sutton of the Edmonton Oilers. On December in Rexall Place, 6’5” 245lb Sutton hit Skinner mid-ice resulting in a head injury. Of course Mr. Skinner was initially reportedly to be suffering from “flu-like symptoms” following the contest, but it turned out to be the flu of the Chris Pronger variety. I may have threatened to gather a posse of angry Caniacs in a windowless van to go “take care” of Mr. Sutton. I was convinced we would not see 53 again this season, but thankfully I was wrong and Skinner returned to action on January 15th. I personally have no desire to ever see this video again, but for those of you that are gluttons for punishment here you go.
Breaking Away With Bryan Allen
Offensive defenseman. That would be a phrase I would never use to describe 6’5” shot-blocking machine Bryan Allen. But on February 28th in a tilt with the Nashville Predators the toothless wonder showed us he can use that stick to do more than block shots. Allen came out of the penalty box at the 1:28 mark in the 3rd period to score a goal against Anders Lindback on a breakaway. I repeat. He scored on a breakaway. It was Allen’s first goal of the season and his first as a Hurricane. Allen took enthusiasm to a new level and almost fell on his rear during his goal celebration. The pose was actually immortalized on t-shirts! This is one of the most entertaining goals and celebrations I have ever seen in a Hurricanes game. The link is via the NHL so I can’t embed it but click on this link to check it out.
Stay tuned to Cardiac Cane for more Canes and Checkers memories, and the summer fun that is playoff hockey.
What moments from 2011-2012 stand out in your mind? Find us on Facebook at CardiacCane or on Twitter: @Esbee92,@CardiacCaneFS, @peacelovepuck, @caniac176 and @CaniacCaz.