2009-10 Carolina Hurricanes
After a rough beginning to last season, the Hurricanes fortunes changed with the assumption of Paul Maurice as head coach. The team recovered enough to seed 6th in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, the Canes met up with the New Jersey Devils in the first round. Goalie Martin Brodeur records his 23rd playoff shutout saving all 44-shots fired at him. This tied an NHL Record. The Canes would win in 7-games and next faced the powerful Pittsburgh Penguins who swept the Hurricanes in 4 games.
In the offseason, the franchise recommitted to Paul Maurice, signing him to a multi-year contract. With the 27th overall pick in the 2009 Entry Draft, the hurricanes selected Philippe Paradis. They resigned Jussi Jokinen and reacquired Aaron Ward from the Boston Bruins.
The Hurricanes are currently sitting in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 19-29-7.
Past Seasons
What happened? It seems like the Hurricanes got demoted to tropical storm in the past two seasons – completely missing the playoffs after winning the ’06 Stanley Cup. At the moment, the players are feeling the pressure and expectations, making a playoff run a bit more difficult. This is a team that will need key contributions on the ice to get back on track, and fans are definitely looking at Rod Brind’Amour, Erik Cole, Cory Stillman and franchise player Eric Staal to get things done.
Carolina Hurricanes tickets came with a trip to the Stanley cup Finals in 2002. But the RBC Center hasn't seen that level of NHL hockey since. What to do? Well the 'Canes took the initiative by signing free agents like Oleg Tverdovsky and Corey Stillman, along with Ray Whitney. New players, along with steady improvement from existing players like Eric Staal and Justin Williams, should put the Carolina Hurricanes back in contention in the NHL's Eastern Conference. With no NHL superstars on the roster, the Hurricanes need everyone on the ice to make Carolina Hurricanes tickets yield an NHL Playoff opportunity.
The Carolina Hurricanes are a reincarnation of the Hartford Whalers franchise, coming to Carolina in 1997 after the good citizens of Raleigh promised the franchise a new arena and a fresh start. While the state kept their promise, the Hurricanes, named after the violent storms that often hit the state, did little to justify their presence. The team posted a miserable 33-41-8 record, good enough for last place. The poor performance had an effect on the Hurricanes attendance as the team played to less than full houses all season.
Things got better in 1998-99. The Hurricanes were moved to the Southeast Division, the competition wasn't as good, and the Hurricanes managed to make the playoffs with a record of 34-31-19. That first NHL Playoff outing ended after six games with the Hurricanes getting knocked off by the Boston Bruins.
After 2 years of steady improvement and a new home in the Raleigh Arena, the Hurricanes broke through. After finishing in 1st place in the Southeast Division at 35-26-16-6, Carolina went head to head with the New Jersey Devils in the first round. Playing at home the Hurricanes notched two straight wins. The trip to New Jersey though saw the Devils even the series at 2-2. Back in Raleigh, the Hurricanes rallied in Game 5 and continued strong play to win their first playoff series with a 1-0 victory in Game 6. The win ignited Raleigh hockey fans and the "Canes were filling Raleigh Arena in round 2 with a Game 1 win. The Montreal Canadiens however put a damper on things with wins in the next two matchups and Carolina had their backs to the wall when they came back to win Game 4 with a trio of unmatched points in the second half and the winning goal in overtime. The momentum carried over and Carolina advanced to the Conference Finals with wins in the next two games.
Playing in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time, the Carolina Hurricanes seemed on the verge of being eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs before charging back to win the series in 6 games. The Detroit Red Wings ended the Hurricanes historic season with a five game series victory in the Stanley Cup Finals.
NHL fans with Carolina Hurricanes tickets will be watching a revamped team this year. The Hurricanes stepped out of the box and boosted their talent level with some key free agents and a trade or two. Making up for the loss of Kevin Weeke's will be key for the 'Canes. Martin Gerner comes over from the Mighty Ducks and is expected to assume the lion's share of duties. After the long NHL lockout, change is the norm for most teams in the league, but after stumbling badly since their 200 Stanley Cup Finals appearance, nowhere in change more welcome than amongst fans of the Carolina Hurricanes.
ABOUT THE CAROLINA HURRICANES
In 1997, the Hartford Whalers relocated to North Carolina, becoming the Carolina
Hurricanes. The team was originally founded in 1971 as part of the World Hockey
League, but moved to the National Hockey League in 1979.
As the NHL Whalers the team earned one Division Championship. As the Hurricanes they have three Division Championships, two Conference Championships, and one Stanley Cup to their credit. The Carolina team has been to the playoffs a total of five times.
Although the team was not supposed to move until 1998, the owner of the team decided to move the team early because of difficulties getting a lease and construction deal in Hartford. Their new home in Carolina was supposed to be the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Raleigh. However, the arena was not constructed for two more years, forcing the team to play home games in Greensboro which is 90 minutes away. Fans refused to drive that far and locals did not like the team coming in to replace their hometown minor league team. Attendance was down, and the team suffered.
In 1999, the Carolina Hurricanes played their first game in their new hometown and their brand new arena, The Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena as it was known then. In 2002, naming rights were bought by RBC, a large bank, changing the name of the arena to the RBC Center.
The arena seats 18,176 fans for hockey and cost 158 million to build. It was paid for partly by the Hurricanes, and partly by a hotel and restaurant tax levied by the state. In 2009, the arena got a new HD Daktronics scoreboard to replace the old one and is in the process of overhauling the whole entertainment system to bring it up to current league standards.
Out in the community, the whole Carolina Hurricanes franchise is active in helping
those less fortunate. The players, staff, coaches, and families are all active participants in activities and efforts that benefit the area’s kids and their families.
The Kids 'N Community Foundation is run by the team to help improve the lives
of children through education, fitness, and helping the underserved. Each year the Hurricanes donate at least a million dollars in contributions and cash to organizations whose vision matches those of the foundation. They are of course involved in many other charities and activities each year, many of which also benefit children. The Hurricanes are one team that gives as much as possible back to their community.
Whether it is on the ice or off, the Carolina Hurricanes are one of the most loved and loving teams in the league. They provide great entertainment on the ice, and when they’re not scoring they are out in the community giving back to their fans.
