I hate skate injuries.  They are such a reminder of how dangerous the game can really be.  Carolina Hurricanes goaltender, Cam Ward, is in the hospital after his leg was cut open by the skate of Rick Nash.  The injury occurred during the first period of their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Ward is still in the hospital and didn’t fly home with the team after the 3-2 loss.  “It’s a significant injury and all I mean by that is I don’t have any timeline,” coach Paul Maurice said. “There was a fair amount of blood on the ice. All …read more

As if the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t already off to a bad enough start, they’ve now lost Erik Cole for 4-6 weeks.  The power forward seems to have bad luck with injuries and now he’ll be sitting out after an MRI showed a fracture in his lower left leg.
The break happened after he made contact with Boston Bruins defenceman, Dennis Wideman, during their terrible loss on Saturday night.
There was so much action during that game that I have to admit that I had almost forgotten about this injury and I’m disappointed that it is this serious.  Honestly, though, you can pretty …read more

The Boston Bruins still seem a little pissed off at the Carolina Hurricanes after they eliminated them from the playoffs last year and they also appeared to want to prove themselves after suffering an embarrassing 4-1 loss against the Washington Capitals in the season opener on Thursday night.

The Bruins definitely came out on the ice and proved that, when they are on their game, they are virtually unstoppable.  Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler put the puck in the back of the net just 26 seconds apart in the first period and the team scored four-power play goals to beat the …read more

The Carolina Hurricanes have reacquired defenceman, Aaron Ward, in a trade that sent Patrick Eaves to the Boston Bruins.  The deal also included a fourth-round draft pick next year.
Canes GM, Jim Rutherford, seems happy to have Ward back with the team: “With this trade, our defence really takes shape.  We envision him complementing Joni Pitkanen well as a defensive pairing.”  I agree that it will be good for Carolina to have Ward back in the lineup.  He still lives in Raleigh and he helped the team capture their first Stanley Cup back in 2006.

Of course, a lot of fans are …read more

Tuomo Ruutu has avoided salary arbitration by accepting a three-year, $11.4 million contract extension with the Carolina Hurricanes.  I think it’s a good deal for both the team and the very physical forward since he seems to be thriving with the club.
Last year, he had a great year and celebrated career highs with 26 goals, 28 assists and 54 points in the regular season along with a goal and three assists in the post-season.

His salary will be broken down as follows: $3 million this season, $4 million in 2010-11 and $4.4 million in 2011-12. That’s a considerable bump considering he …read more

The Pittsburgh Penguins completed the sweep and the only thing I can say about the elimination of the Carolina Hurricanes is that I’m grateful they’ve been put out of their misery.  They definitely battled hard in the first two rounds but they seemed to fall apart against the Pens in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Penguins enjoyed an easy 4-1 win over the Hurricanes with goals from Max Talbot (who also had two assists), Ruslan Fedotenko, Bill Guerin and Craig Adams (empty-netter).  Captain, Sidney Crosby had two assists and goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury, stopped 30 shots on net.  In the end, Pittsburgh …read more

The Pittsburgh Penguins skated away with a massive 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 last night and has placed them just one win from clinching the 2009 Eastern Conference Final.  However, if the past two series are any indication, the Carolina Hurricanes shouldn’t be considered defeated just yet.

Pens captain, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin were again HUGE for their team.  Thinking back to last year, I believe that a major factor in their loss was the fact that Malkin just didn’t seem able to deliver.  This is, of course, a new season and it’s amazing to see …read more

Last night’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Carolina Hurricanes began and ended with a lot of intensity. It was a bit of a busy day for me so I thought I’d put the game on while I got dinner ready and I could barely believe that, in the first 20 minutes, five goals were scored. In the end, that first period was the one that made the most sense since things got downright crazy after the break.
Throughout the second and third periods, 16 penalties were called including a 10 minute match penalty for Carolina’s Ryan Bayda, …read more

It was a great first game in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals tonight as the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the Carolina Hurricanes.  Just when it seemed that it was going to go a certain way, things changed and it got more exciting by the minute.  In the end, the Penguins were left with a 3-2 victory.
During the first period, Carolina outshot Pittsburgh 12-9 but it felt more like the Pens were dominating.  With goals from Miroslav Satan (fresh out of the penalty box) and Evgeni Malkin, those first twenty minutes really seemed to be in Pittsburgh’s favor.
In the second period, the …read more

The Detroit Red Wings eliminated the Anaheim Ducks last night and it really was a battle to the finish.  With a final score of 4-3, it wasn’t exactly a runaway victory.  Still the 2008 Stanley Cup Champions have advanced to the next round and it should be interesting to see this well-oiled team comprised of many veterans face off against the youth and vigor of the Chicago Blackhawks.
 
For the first time in the postseason last night, Jonas Hiller showed how human he really is.  He got knocked in the net and, as if that wasn’t bad enough, his helmet …read more