The Candy Canes Strike Again....

[TooLoud]

What the hell happened tonight??? Perhaps someone on the coaching staff should let the boys in on a little secret...THERE IS ONLY 6 GAMES LEFT, AND WE HAVE NOT SECURED A PLAYOFF SPOT. For the life of me, I cannot understand why we cannot be ready to play. Tonight was like a playoff game. MJ brought the intensity, and our defence folded like a cheap tent. They were so busy trying to avoid the wave upon wave of Warrior forecheckers that they forgot to play some defense. Our defensemen did not hit, were not agressive, and gave the puck away far too many times. The MJ forwards made our rearguards look like they were standing still way too many times. And, the MJ forecheckers made the defensemen pay everytime they touched the puck. I don't think I saw many "non-finished" checks from MJ. And I don't know if our defencemen finished many. In fact, I think Sofillas and R Maxwell played tougher behind our net than our defencemen did. On the plus side, the Braes, Fyten, Sutter line played well, and their puck cycling keep away efforts were excellent. It was obvious, though, that MJ was well-schooled on who needed to be watched on our team, and there wasn't much room out there for the top line. Way to go, R. Maxwell, it is heartening to see the smallest guy on the team stand in front of the net and pay the price to score. We need the team, as a whole, to show this kind of comittment. We need to match, and exceed other team's intensity levels. I am afraid if tonight was any indication, we are not ready for playoff hockey. Some other observations: Did anyone else think that MJ is one of the dirtiest teams we've seen this year? Does it seem odd that 2 referees could miss at least 1/2 of the vicious elbows thrown tonight? Does M. Maxwell realize that there are 4 other teammates skating with him that are sometimes "open"? Does the coaching staff ever change up the power play system? Does anyone ever tell them that IT AIN'T WORKING? Will B Anderson show us, soon, why he was drafted? Will our team ever get off the bench and be involved in the game around them, like all the other teams do? Will our team ever play the first 55 minutes the way they play the last 5? Will someone tell M Reddington that what he did tonight is what a captain should do everytime? Will our defensemen ever subscribe to Howie Meeker's "You Gotta Take the Man" mantra....Sorry for the rambling, just a frustrated fan wondering if this team is going to start stringing some consistent, good efforts together before it's too late, and prove to their fans that they deserve to be in the playoffs....

[HURRICANE'S ROCK]

That certainley was a statement and a half. Only problem is it is so long , I'm not sure I read it all....hehe.
Other then that .........I totally agree ............ or I completely disagree..........Until I have the time to digest all you have said, I reserve the right to change my answer. :confused: Just kidding.

[ZAMBONI-PHONEY]

Is there anything left to say? TooLoud certainly covered all the bases. Oh there was one thing he missed. The blueline brigade for the Warriors is huge, fairly mobile and do not give you much room. They are always rubbing their opponents out of the play and if they happen to get beaten they end up finishing their checks. I have to agree with TooLoud about Moose Jaw being a dirty team, and they are also very good at stiring the pot (so to speak). #19 Brett Lyon leads the way.
Of course the hits to the head on R.Maxwell and Sutter were only minor penalties in the eyes (4 of them) of the refs. Of course being the whiner that I am, had it been the other way around our players would be serving suspensions.

The biggest mistake the Capitals was giving Anderson a contract. His play has not improved one bit. Of course Washington's goaltending depth is poor at best.

If the Canes are out of it by the end of this weekend, then I hope Preston brings up Erkramps, Merkley, Henry and Kovacs who are all available now that their midget teams are done, and gives them a taste of the WHL.

:groovy:

[Stuck in the Penalty Box]

..."Bloody Awful!"

That is my summary of tonight's attempt at getting into the playoffs. According to the assistant coach on the post-game show the Canes played much better on the BC trip. Too bad they left their "A" game in BC.

Now another nail has been hammered into the Canes' Playoff Hopes coffin. Being 2pts down to PA and having 5 games left against much tougher opponents (Cal-MH-ED-KTN-KTN) things do not look very promising.

I just hope in one of the two last home games that Klein gets to ref! Too bad the WHL does not post the ref assignments or there would be a big crowd to welcome the "Show Stealer" to Lethbridge.

:deadhorse:

[Bocephus]

TooLoud, I couldn't agree with you more on #6. The only thing wrong with your comment though was that you said he had 4 open linemates. Did you notice at the end when he had 5 open linemates due to Tait being pulled and #6 still chose to go goalline to MJ blueline without passing to open linemates and then lost the puck, of course. I won't be at all sad to see his final game.
If I was a linemate of his there would be fists flying in the dressing room for sure. No way would I put up with it. Selfish prick. Softest guy I've seen since the Euro VanTulip a few years ago.
Rant Over. Who's wants the soapbox next?

[metalrules]

Well I sure do agree with the M. Maxwell comment, but I want to comment on the other one. I love how Russell competes but he wants to play in the hard areas he will have to learn that he will take big hits, punches, and such. I don't agree with the high hits, but the dman is 6'3, Russ is 5'7, you do the math on where the elbow is even on a clean hit.

But that being said he does not get a free pass on the selfish 10 minute misconduct he took. He has shown maturity beyond his 16 years this season, don't start acting like a child on a temper tantrum because someone took a liberty on you. Your captain stood up for you, pay him back by scoring a goal.

And before the backlash happens, just know I love the way Russell plays and competes, I just want him to learn the hard lessons now so when he is our captain in 2 years he know how to true leader.

Anyhow agree or disagree, I don't mind just my opinion.

[Bocephus]

Agree

[TooLoud]

Well I sure do agree with the M. Maxwell comment, but I want to comment on the other one. I love how Russell competes but he wants to play in the hard areas he will have to learn that he will take big hits, punches, and such. I don't agree with the high hits, but the dman is 6'3, Russ is 5'7, you do the math on where the elbow is even on a clean hit.

But that being said he does not get a free pass on the selfish 10 minute misconduct he took. He has shown maturity beyond his 16 years this season, don't start acting like a child on a temper tantrum because someone took a liberty on you. Your captain stood up for you, pay him back by scoring a goal.

And before the backlash happens, just know I love the way Russell plays and competes, I just want him to learn the hard lessons now so when he is our captain in 2 years he know how to true leader.

Anyhow agree or disagree, I don't mind just my opinion.

I certainly agree with you. R Maxwell, if he wants to succeed in this league, certainly has to pay the price, just like any other player. And, I think, for the most part he does. He is getting better at avoiding the big checks, and like last night, seems to be willing to take the crap to score the goals. And, yes, it was certainly a selfish penalty he took. However, I take exception to the height differences amounting to a clean hit. The MJ defenders were very gung-ho about coming in with the elbows held high, and it is their responsibility to keep the hits away from the head. With the size of some of the MJ defensemen, and the speed that they were flying around, elbows held high, it's lucky no one was seriously hurt last night. I guess my point was, and is, that this team should not be depending on the smallest, youngest guy on the team to be setting the intensity level. And while I applaud Reddington for stepping up and defending his teammates, I sure would like to see our whole team play with some fire, some passion, and some desire. Not just after the play, but during it. And, I sure wish that the visually impaired comedians that we call WHL referees would start penalizing teams for these types of hits before someone gets seriously hurt or killed.

[Stuck in the Penalty Box]

A couple of questions that could be asked following last night's game include:

If that was a coaching audition for Matt Kabayama, did he flunk the test and therefore after Preston gives up the coaching part of his job, will Matt be overlooked?

If they had a team race to see who was the slowest player to come back from an offensive rush, who would be the slowest player? Mitch Maxwell or Alex Kuvavev? Acutally it does not matter because neither will be back next year.

:evil::evil::evil:

[Bocephus]

Anyone on here heading up to Calgary for the game tomorrow? The price sure seems right.

[grainbear]

A couple of things we have perhaps forgotten, first the d-men were really bad and Moose jaw was very effective in getting in their faces early and how do you expect a goal tending coach to run the d-men and make sure you have the right pairs out their at the right time. Secondly, I regards to Matt , when you have only worked on the d on can you step up to the plate even if you yourself have played forward. No one is on the same page. In the third period I thought we once again we the victims of less then good consisting officials. The hit to the head needs to go to the league on Maxwell as well as the hit to Sutter from behind. It is unfortunate that even senior referees are not getting the message. Look at the number of injured players on the injury sheet and the vast majority are concussions. I think the only solution is as hard as a lesson it would be if it is a major and the guy is injured , You are gone for as long as the injured player. that would certainly clean up the game and allow the wheels to roll.

[CrazyCanesFan]

A couple of things we have perhaps forgotten, first the d-men were really bad and Moose jaw was very effective in getting in their faces early and how do you expect a goal tending coach to run the d-men and make sure you have the right pairs out their at the right time. Secondly, I regards to Matt , when you have only worked on the d on can you step up to the plate even if you yourself have played forward. No one is on the same page. In the third period I thought we once again we the victims of less then good consisting officials. The hit to the head needs to go to the league on Maxwell as well as the hit to Sutter from behind. It is unfortunate that even senior referees are not getting the message. Look at the number of injured players on the injury sheet and the vast majority are concussions. I think the only solution is as hard as a lesson it would be if it is a major and the guy is injured , You are gone for as long as the injured player. that would certainly clean up the game and allow the wheels to roll.

I agree with most of what you say, but there is one problem with the "offender stays out for as long as the victim" scenario. Not that this will be the case every time, but say a very important player on a team delivers a dirty hit that injures a fourth line player on the other team. What's going to stop that team from keeping out the fourth liner a little bit longer to force the other player to sit out longer than he needs to?

[TooLoud]

A couple of things we have perhaps forgotten, first the d-men were really bad and Moose jaw was very effective in getting in their faces early and how do you expect a goal tending coach to run the d-men and make sure you have the right pairs out their at the right time.

Our defensive problems have plagued us all year. When an agressive fore checking team like MJ plays us, our defensemen seem to lose a lot of the one on one battles, and end up giving the puck away too many times. I don't know that it really matters who is running the D.

In the third period I thought we once again we the victims of less then good consisting officials. The hit to the head needs to go to the league on Maxwell as well as the hit to Sutter from behind.

I really wonder if other teams have this issue. While I get it that the WHL is a development league for officials, where do these guys come from? And, frankly, it seems like the worse guys are the "veteran" officials. (I guess that's why they still toil in Junior) It's almost like the Ghost of Maxi resides with this team, and the officials have decided that they will never, ever, EVER allow a Hurricane team the "benefit of the doubt". I know I am generalizing, but it sure feels "slimy" some nights.

I think the only solution is as hard as a lesson it would be if it is a major and the guy is injured , You are gone for as long as the injured player. that would certainly clean up the game and allow the wheels to roll.[/

While some might think this is a drastic step, it seems to be a fair way to start having players and coaching staffs become more responsible for their sometimes irresponsible play. I fear that it is only a matter of time before someone is killed from one of these ridiculous head shots or hits from behind. I for one love the rough and tumble nature of hockey, and certainly do not want the physicality or the intensity of the game to diminish....but...really...are you an honest to goodness tough guy if you hit someone from behind? Does giving someone a concussion and knocking them out for a season make you a good, tough hockey player?

[TheRiderman63]

Im going tomorrows game on the Canes fan bus with close to 50 other canes fans:)

[grainbear]

Thanks for the comments, I spoke with a friend of mine who has done lots of games in the past .He said the biggest problem right now is the two man system not that in itself but they do not have enough young in shape refs at this level because it takes time to train them to a proper standard. He did state an interesting observation that with the two man system the older guys can now ref longer in age because the do not have to skate as many miles in the game but do more backward skating then in the one man systems. The other observation I have is that the older refs called most of their games with shaded glasses because the old interpretation are hard to change. And if doubt he goes with the old system and gives the offender the lee way

[Bocephus]

See you there RM63. I won't be on the bus but I will be at the saddledome.

[Stuck in the Penalty Box]

It's almost like the Ghost of Maxi resides with this team, and the officials have decided that they will never, ever, EVER allow a Hurricane team the "benefit of the doubt". I know I am generalizing, but it sure feels "slimy" some nights.

I too have had the same thoughts. Yes it sounds like whining, but having followed the Hurricanes since their first season; the league's suspension of Bryan Maxwell does seem like it "haunts" this club from year to year. I have lost count of the number of serious infractions perpetrated against the Hurricanes that have gone by the wayside, while the Hurricanes' players, coaches and managers have been penalized in abundance. It is almost like Robison, Derksen and Co. have silently said that the Hurricanes will continue to pay for the Maxwell incident.

Those head hits to Brody Sutter and Russ Maxwell are a prime example.

Oh well, might as well take out the cheddar and have another glass of Chianti!:brickwall:

[TooLoud]

Thanks for the comments, I spoke with a friend of mine who has done lots of games in the past .He said the biggest problem right now is the two man system not that in itself but they do not have enough young in shape refs at this level because it takes time to train them to a proper standard. He did state an interesting observation that with the two man system the older guys can now ref longer in age because the do not have to skate as many miles in the game but do more backward skating then in the one man systems. The other observation I have is that the older refs called most of their games with shaded glasses because the old interpretation are hard to change. And if doubt he goes with the old system and gives the offender the lee way

I, for one, would really like to see how the 2-man system has affected the amount of penalties called during a game. I don't have any hard data, but it seems to me with 2 refs, 2 opinions, 2 levels of experience, and 2 levels of "buttons to push" that it can't help but be more. And, strangely enough, it seems like it's the guy "away" from the play that calls more than 1/2 the infractions. And, with 2 blind mice out there, how they still miss the flagrant ones. Any ideas?

[TheRiderman63]

See you there RM63. I won't be on the bus but I will be at the saddledome.

I dont know what section were in but just look for my flag and all the hurricane noise lol. Im gonna try and get the hole bus of people going crazy and cheer so loud:)

[caniac # 2]

I dont know what section were in but just look for my flag and all the hurricane noise lol. Im gonna try and get the hole bus of people going crazy and cheer so loud:)

Hope you have lots of booze !! ha ha

go canes go

[TheRiderman63]

Hope you have lots of booze !! ha ha

go canes go

I had lots of wobbley pops lol, It was a blast a last nights game I had my hole face Red with paint and all decked out and couple of sat behing glover and just gave it to hime well we had little kids behind us hitting us call us names and so much more, the Hitmens mascot was eating my head and trying get rough with me so ate his tale and so much more had a blast!