Hurricanes Impeach Senators, Film at 11

Last night’s game….wow. Beating the Senators, whose fans for the most part figured that the Brothers of the Sightless Eye would be a pushover—that was….wow.

This game and, oddly enough, the first Leafs game of the season are the best barometer of how much this team has changed since 15 December 2003 (the day that Chairman Mo was relieved of his duties and replaced by Peter Laviolette). Under the Great Helmsman, the ‘Canes would have been wtfpwnt early and often. The other team scoring first usually spelled doom for the ‘Canes—and if the other team got up by two then you may as well go home because the chances of survival were not good.

And if they’d come away with a point?  They’d have said they were happy with it.

Not anymore.

After the Toronto game, Hurricanes’ Warchief Rod Brind’amour said the following:

"All in all, it wasn't a very good game when you look at it from our perspective.  We're coming off a long layoff and they're a pretty good team and we're playing them in their barn. We got a point, but obviously that's not what we came here for."

If you want some quoted evidence of how much the team’s attitude has changed, look there. That would NEVER have been said under the old regime, never. If you want to see some tangible evidence of how much the team’s attitude has changed, look to last night. Down 2-0 at the end of the first period, the team went into the locker room, regrouped, and came out with cannons a-blazing.

And you see the result.

Dear Nashville,

You’re welcome.

Sincerely,
Carolina