Carolina Hurricanes: The Perfect Holiday Gifts for the Goalies

The Carolina Hurricanes are going into the holiday season on a high note. That means it is time to start picking out gifts for the players moving on to our favorite goalies!

It is the season of giving folks! That’s right, regardless of what you wish to believe in this winter month there is some gift giving going around. That means it is time for to gift our favorite players with exactly what they want this season before the new years is rung in. That means figuring out exactly what they want.

But what do you get the players who have everything? Well a Stanley Cup win doesn’t hurt but we can’t get to that until the summer. So what can we get them between now and the end of the Holidays? Turns out there is plenty to get our favorite Hurricanes. So much I had to break it down into multiple articles.

You read that right, as we only confer towards what the defenders will get this holiday season, feel free to go back and read what we are getting our forwards or our defenders and  stay tuned for what the members of the Staff might get! After all, everyone deserves something this holiday season. So what would we get our esteemed Netminders? Glad you asked let’s find out together!

Petr Mrazek: Consistent Offense

It’s the bottom of the ninth inning. You are a Major League Baseball starter. You have gone through eight innings and two outs without giving up a single hit or walking a single batter. 26 batters have gone up and 26 have walked back to their dugout in shame. It’s a 2-2 count. The catcher flashes his signal for a curve. You nod. You pitch. The ball curves through the air towards the plate.

The batter swings…

AND MISSES!

You just pitched a perfect game! Right? WRONG. You pitched nine perfect innings.

What?!

See, your team, while having a few hits scattered here and there, failed to register any runs. It’s now a 0-0 game going into extra innings. Bottom of the 10th. First batter. You try to get ahead in the count. You throw a perfect strike. He swings a perfect bat. The ball launches into the air and your heart drops. It’s a walk off home run. Who’s fault is it?

That’s what happened to Petr Mrazek against the Vancouver Canucks but in hockey terms. Wasn’t even the first time the offense has been shut out with him in the net.  He was on the wrong end of a shutout twice so far. Let’s not make it any more than that. So for this holiday season the ask isn’t high, it is actually very simple. Consistent offense that will help get him wins.

The Hurricanes are already have started this trend. Mrazek absolutely deserves this gift. Reimer would probably appreciate this gift as well. Sometimes a goal or two shouldn’t be the reason for a loss. Just ask Pekka Rinne.

James Reimer: A Few More Starts

Jame Reimer has been fantastic recently. Just absolutely fantastic. Especially on the road. He has not only helped keep the Carolina Hurricanes in the game, but helped them steal a point or two when they could have skated away with nothing. That said, perhaps it is time for him to get a few more starts. Especially when he has been so hot recently.

More from Cardiac Cane

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• Week Two Coverage Of College Hockey In NC
• Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
• The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
• Noesen Ready To Provide Depth For Canes

Mrazek is the starter. Lets not get this wrong. But he can absolutely get some help and some extra rest. Especially on the road where Reimer has the upper hand with his stoic nature. Mrazek feeds off the home crowd much better, but Reimer is the total opposite, he feeds off the silence of the road crowds as he stones one offense after another. So lets get him a few more road starts, yeah?

So there you have it folks, gifts for all your favorite Goalies! Thanks to them both staying nice and healthy so far this season (*aggressively knocks on wood*) they are the only ones to worry about this lovely holiday season. Who knows? Maybe we can be talking about Alex Nedeljkovic soon enough as the torch gets passed to the next generation?

Question for CC Readers: What gifts would you get your favorite Goalies this Holiday season?