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Kids Canes: I Get By With Assists From My Friends

By Chris Baker |
May 11, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) is congratulated by right wing Jesper Fast (71) defenseman Brent Burns (8) and defenseman Jaccob Slavin (74) after his goal against the New Jersey Devils during the second period in game five of the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
May 11, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) is congratulated by right wing Jesper Fast (71) defenseman Brent Burns (8) and defenseman Jaccob Slavin (74) after his goal against the New Jersey Devils during the second period in game five of the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The Beatles used to sing “I get by with a little HELP from my friends” and I have always loved that song. It might be one of my favorite Beatles tunes. It’s so true. We all get by with a little HELP from our friends! We also HELP our friends, because they are our friends. In our article about Bradly Nadeau, I mentioned he had 68 ASSISTS last season, and asked “Do you know what an ASSIST is?”

Mar 17, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei (76) celebrates at the bench after scoring a goal during the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei (76) celebrates at the bench after scoring a goal during the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

If you know, tell someone what you think it is!

If you do not know, see if you can use CONTEXT CLUES to HELP you take a guess.

(A CONTEXT CLUE, is a little something that HELPS you understand)

We have been talking about CONTEXT CLUES with the Most Junior Hurricanes Reporter (MJHR).
If I were pointing out CONTEXT CLUES to him, I would say “What words do you see most so far in what you have read?

I see HELP, HELPS, CONTEXT CLUES, ASSIST, and ASSISTS

Any ideas now?

If you said an ASSIST IS SOMETHING THAT HELPS SCORE A GOAL, you would be right!

Carolina Hurricanes players HELP or ASSIST each other in scoring by passing the puck to each other so the Canes can score!

There are two kinds of assists in hockey.
The SECONDARY ASSIST is the player that passes the puck to another play, who passes it to the person who scores.
A PRIMARY ASSIST is the player that passes the puck to a player that shoots and scores.

Here are some examples:
#1 Brent Burns passes the puck to Sebastian Aho, who passed it to Seth Jarvis. Seth Jarvis shoots and scores!
Brent Burns gets a secondary assist
Sebastian Aho gets a primary assist.

#2 Martin Necas steals the puck from the other team. He passes it to Andrei Svechnikov, and Svechnikov shoots….and he scores!!!!
Martin Necas gets a primary assist.

Sometimes there are secondary and primary ASSISTS. Sometimes, just a primary ASSIST.

Mar 21, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Necas (88) and defenseman Jaccob Slavin (74) celebrate after defeating the New York Rangers 3-2 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Necas (88) and defenseman Jaccob Slavin (74) celebrate after defeating the New York Rangers 3-2 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports /

Martin “Marty” Necas and Brent “Kit-Kat” Burns had the most ASSISTS for the Hurricanes last season. They both had 43. Andrei “Svechy” Svechnikov had the second most with 32.

Tying everything together, remember CONTEXT CLUES are what HELP us understanding something. You might say they ASSIST us, just like the Hurricanes ASSIST each other in scoring!

Kids Canes Challenge Answer: 

There are two kinds of ASSISTS. A primary and a secondary but both are when a Hurricanes player passes the puck to another Canes player and they score on a shot.

Kids Canes Challenge:

Brent Burns had a 100% Face-Off Rating last season. Do you know how to calculate percentages?

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