2007-08 Carolina Hurricanes
What happened? It seems like the Hurricanes got demoted to tropical storm in ’07 – 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.
Previous Seasons
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.
