Can somebody please...

...tell me where the negativity is?

I don't see anything negative in this article at all--unless of course you consider the facts to be "negative" like it seems half the Caniac Nation (est. 1997) does.

The Crapitals played like crap last night, people! If the 'Canes hadn't blown them out like they did, then something WOULD have been wrong! But no, you have the less-intelligent citizens of the Caniac Nation (est. 1997) pissing and whining and crying about this morning's article in the N&O.

"Boo hoo hoo, Luke DeCock hates the 'Canes! Boo hoo hoo, Luke bashes the team! Boo hoo hoo, Luke snarked at me once!"

Grow up, people.

Luke DeCock does NOT hate the 'Canes, he does NOT bash the team unfairly (unless you consider reporting the facts to be bashing), and if he snarks at you SNARK BACK AT HIM! He's a big boy, he can take it!

Let me give you an example of some gems from some of the genii in our fanbase:

Well as usual the N&O still found little positive to report about a 6-0 blowout, 12,500 attendance for an exibition game, and a win in our first look at the new shootout. Oh yeah, and a shutout from our goalie of the future in his first NHL outing.
Instead they chose to point out that there was a 30minute wait to buy tickets and that the Crapitals are terrible and only had only 5 NHL veterans. I especially enjoyed this quote. " If the Hurricanes had not won by this much something would have been wrong." I don't know about anyone else but I rarely expect a 6-0 blowout from any hockey game regardless of who is playing.

And another idiot said the following:

I like to think that DeCock has been told by the fools running the N&O to keep things as negative as possible. They really suck! Here we had a GREAT crowd for a pre season game (record attendance), the game was much fun and they run a picture of the the one part of the arena that had the fewest seats full. I mean, the top was full AND flat out rocking. The people at the N&O were hoping that no one would show up and that the team would "suffer" ........ oohhh the EVIL rich players and owners. That's the way these people think. What this crowd said to me was that while the work stopage was a pain, we are happy with how things worked out and we are excited about OUR team and getting the season started. Raleigh deserves a hockey team the Raleigh News and Observer does not deserve the right to cover the team from a hometown perspective. Personally, I don't believe this clownboat thinks at all. But that's just me.

You see what I have to deal with, here. Love the team to pieces, hate some of the "fans"--I think that all the people that piss and whine about Luke DeCock and his reporting being "negative" all the time should just piss of and go become Bruins or Leafs fans. Then they can get nothing but sunshine and happiness courtesy of the Boston Globe and the Toronto mediots. What's next--people are going to piss and whine if Laviolette expresses his displeasure with how our power play is going?

(and for the record, our power play is still pretty brutal--4 for 14? Better than under Chairman Mo, but still brutal.)

Sheesh.

Go 'Canes.

Never let it be said...

...that I'm a sympathetic individual--at least when it comes to certain once-free spending teams in the NHL.

Check this out.

That last letter just kills me--and of course they had to have the token letter from the redneck whining that he'll never attend another hockey game ever (he must be the vendor I argued with at work the other day, who had zero fucking clue about what happened in Hartford and the events surrounding the departure of the Whale...and then treated me as if I was stupid just for pointing out how full of crap he was).

MEMO TO RED WINGS FANS:

YOU ARE NOT THE MOST DEVOTED FANS IN THE GAME, SO GET THE HELL OVER YOUR DAMN SELVES ALREADY. I swear to Malik, half the people calling themselves "fans" of those classless (except for Steve Yzerman and possibly Andy Delmore) motherfuckers in Detroit couldn't even name the members of the Production Line and when they played. They probably wouldn't be able to say even two sentences about Ted Lindsay without having to look it up. If you're devoted, you should know something about your team and be able to talk about them other than to say "UR TEAM SUX, UR JUST JEALOUZ CUZ WE HAVE THREE CUPZ" or some other such low-IQ chav nonsense.

I have absolutely zero sympathy for the fans of high-spending teams that are whining because those teams have had to dump all these players on account of a salary cap that EACH AND EVERY OWNER approved. Half these people are the same ones who whine because division champs get the top three seeds in each division--again, something that each and every owner approved.

Folks, I suggest you get the hell over it because this is the way it is--and your owners voted for it, so blame them instead of blaming the Nashvilles and Carolinas of the league.

Farewell, Mr. Whaler.

Ron Francis announces his retirement

And so it has come to pass--Ronnie Franchise has made the decision to walk away from the game.

I am sad, but at the same time not sad.

Like I've said before--I'm personally neutral about Ron Francis, but I've always respected the hell out of him and his skills. He was hockey's equivalent of Edwin Moses, in that he wasn't the fastest guy out there or best pure scorer--but he was one of the greatest students of his sport, and that's what made him so good. It always pissed me off to see people dissing the guy--especially some of the more rednecky types down here who bashed him because he was slow and didn't score umpty-ump goals--because that was just a gross display of ignorance on their part. The guy had 20+ seasons of 20+ goals, and that was even while playing on some truly abysmal teams in Hartford and Carolina.

The man's always been one of the most--if not THE most--underrated player in hockey. He's also always been one of the best, and I consider it a privilege and an honor to have had him on my team.

Fair winds and following seas, Mr. Whaler.

Get a grip, v2.0

I got my grubby little paws on something very nice today--a complete rundown of how our prospects did in the rookie tourney in Ottawa a few days ago.

Boy, aren't you thrilled.

Andrew Ladd was easily the best player in the tournament, with 4 goals and three assists--the scouting report says:

looked like the most NHL-ready player in the tournament .. quick stick, nice big reach .. extremely active lumber is his finest weapon .. constant energizer along the boards keeps the puck in the opponent's end thanks to his physical might and resilience .. just mows through guys with his body .. fearless character guy without mental complexes .. gets involved in corner battles and doesn't give up until the puck is in the net .. active, mobile penalty killer who hounds defensemen ..exceptional balance .. nifty backhand beat the sprawling Loic Lacasse low glove-side .. a step ahead of every guy on the ice on every single shift.

Which brings me to today's edition of "Get a grip, people":

The contract negotiations with Andrew Ladd's camp are stalled at the moment--which means that, of course, half the Caniac Nation (est. 1997) is freaking out thinking that JimR is going to let the guy go back in the draft and wind up benefitting another team. It's "ZOMG SIGN HIM TO WHATEVER HE WANTS AND PUT HIM ON THE FIRST LINE" kind of freaking out, that's what I'm talking about here.

OK, now--this is the part where I point out that this is much the same thing that happened with Eric Staal. He came to camp so that we could see how he did, and when he made a convincing case for being on the team, THEN we signed him. Ladd's in town. He'll be in training camp. If he makes as convincing a case for being NHL-ready as Eric did in his first training camp, then he'll be signed and on the team--otherwise he'll be returned to Calgary (the Hitmen, not the Flames) and we'll keep negotiating.

SO STOP FREAKING BITCHING ALREADY.

People need to get a damn grip.

Hurricanes Warchief picked as Tar Heel of the Week

So now we have two camps in the Caniac Nation (est. 1997): The Francis Loyalists, and everyone else.

The Loyalists need to get a grip--Ron Francis isn't here anymore. He's not coming back. And I have yet to hear anyone with half a clue say that Rod Brind'amour is a better captain, so get over yourselves and stop with the drama please. The Ron Francis era was as good as over when Chairman Mo was deposed. Ronnie has a personality that doesn't mesh well with somebody like Peter Laviolette--who has a lot of respect for the man (as damn well he should), but who has a more aggressive style and personality than Ronnie likes in a coach. Rod isn't a quiet guy like Ronnie is. He lays it on the line and there you go--Ronnie's a lot more mellow and laid-back, which is fine most of the time but it's not what the 'Canes need right now.

Of course, everyone else needs to get a freaking grip as well, and stop bashing Ronnie for requesting that trade to the cheatin' Leafs. Ronnie does what Ronnie does, and I've stopped questioning it a long time ago because that's just the way Ronnie is. I am personally neutral toward him, but I respect him for what he's accomplished and the class he has as a player and a person. He's earned the right to punch his own ticket, and if he chooses to go back to the Make-Beleafs or the Pens or whatever, then so be it and good luck to him.

In other news, Mark Missinghair has finally gotten it through his head that he lost what he had a long time ago (that being his hair), and he's finally going to retire tomorrow.

And it's about damn time, too.