Tuesday night was a big one for the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes defeated the Dallas Stars, 6-3, spoiling Mikko Rantanen's return to Raleigh after his brief stint with the club. The fans didn't let him hear the end of it, raining boos from the stands every time he touched the puck. While Rantanen had a goal and an assist, the Caniacs got the last laugh.
Along with the chorus of disproval and the "Mikko sucks" chants, there was one particular moment that got the crowd roaring. Late in the first period, Logan Stankoven, the player the Canes received from the Stars in the deadline deal, dragged the puck around Rantanen before scoring to make it 3-1, bringing with it a new chant. This time, it was "Logan's better".
When asked about it during his interview in the locker room after the game, Stankoven admitted that it wasn't the first time he'd ever heard these words from a crowd before. He recalled a game during his junior hockey days with the Kamloops Blazers when the crowd offered the same sentiment to a young Connor Bedard, which got my wheels turning.
The Lenovo Center crowd wasn't shy with their "Logan's Better!" chants this evening, showing love to their own amid a certain someone's return to Raleigh.
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) January 7, 2026
Interestingly enough, it wasn't the first time Stankoven had ever heard the chants, though. 😅 pic.twitter.com/xTwwrN6Di2
Being the inquisitive person that I am, I needed to know everything about this game that I could. Fortunately, it wasn't very hard to find. Bedard only faced Kamloops once during his time with the Regina Pats. The game was played on November 30, 2022, in Kamloops, British Columbia, and, as Stankoven put it, the Blazers beat them pretty handily.
It was a highly anticipated matchup between the two players trying to make impressions before their names were called at the 2023 NHL Draft. Bedard was firmly entrenched as the top pick, but Stankoven had some work to do. Both performed well on this night, but Stankoven and Kamloops prevailed.
On this night, Bedard showed exactly why he was going to be the top pick. He recorded a pair of goals, including a beautiful snipe late in the game, and an assist. While Bedard contributed to all three of Regina's goals, the Pats lost the game by six goals. The Blazers were relentless, led by the future Hurricane.
Stankoven paced the game with four points, scoring his goal in response to an early Bedard tally before adding a trio of helpers. Two of his assists set up future NHLers. His first was to Bruins forward Fraser Minten, who had two goals in the game. His second was for Red Wings rookie Emmitt Finnie. Kamloops scored seven times in the second period in a 9-3 victory.
I've linked the highlights of the game from the Western Hockey League's official YouTube page. Right around the 4:00 mark of the package, you can hear the Kamloops faithful serenading the players with "Logan's better" late in the second period. Of course, Regina scores a goal as they chant it, with Bedard getting the secondary assist.
That he was able to remember this moment from over three years ago clearly means that it meant something to him, much like tonight's did, too. It's not as if he waited long to think about it either. Stankoven is starting to feel it again. He has goals in back-to-back games, bringing him to eight goals and 19 points this season.