Cardiac Cane
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Revisiting the 1998-99 Carolina Hurricanes

By Jeb Bohn

19 Nov 1998: Goalie Arturs Irbe #1 of the Carolina Hurricanes prepares to make a stop during a game against the New Jersey Devils at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Hurricanes 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport
19 Nov 1998: Goalie Arturs Irbe #1 of the Carolina Hurricanes prepares to make a stop during a game against the New Jersey Devils at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Hurricanes 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport /
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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Glen Wesley
30 Jan 1999: Glen Wesley #2 of the Carolina Hurricanes is grabbed by Mark Recchi # 8 of the Montreal Canadiens at the Molson Centre In Montreal, Canada. The Hurricanes defeated the Canadiens 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Robert Laberge /Allsport /

The Defense

The 1998-99 Carolina Hurricanes cut their goals against by 17, finishing 19th in the league with 202.  More importantly, they finished the season with a +8 goal differential.  This represented a huge swing from the -19 they posted in their first season.  The offense was (somewhat) better and the defense helped hold the fort.

Glen Wesley led the way on all fronts, topping the D-corps in goals (7) and points (24) while finishing 2nd in +/- (14) and ice time (22:31).  With Steve Chiasson missing the majority of the season, offense from the blueline took a noticeable dip, though 4 defensemen other than Wesley posted 10 or more points:

Despite having future Hall of Famer Coffey, this wasn’t a star-studded blueline.  Instead, the Hurricanes had a largely blue-collar, hard-working defensive philosophy, relying on steady play from guys like Adam Burt and Curtis Leschyshyn.  Rounding out the 11 defenders who suited up for the Hurricanes were Steve Halko, Dave Karpa, and Mike Rucinski.

The Hurricanes did surrender 133 more shots against than they had in year one, ended up at 2399 (29.25 per game).  Thankfully, they got some very solid goaltending.

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