Mike Maniscalco
Mike Maniscalco is the co-host of "The Insiders" from 6 to 9 a.m. weekdays on 620 The Buzz. He is also the host of the Carolina Hurricanes pregame and postgame shows on 99.9 FM The Fan ESPN Radio.
Mar 6, 2013
The day after anchoring a 4-3 victory over the visiting Buffalo Sabres, Justin Peters said he was growing more and more comfortable with his Carolina Hurricanes teammates.
Peters was called up from AHL Charlotte after Canes starter Cam Ward suffered an MCL strain on Sunday. Technically, Peters is third on the depth chart behind Ward and Dan Ellis, but Ellis has missed time due to illness over the past week.
Peters joined select teammates during an optional skate Wednesday at Raleigh Center Ice.
Other big names on hand were Jeff Skinner and Tim Brent. Brent, who's been out with a lower body injury, skated but continued to show a limp.
The 13-8 Canes stay home to host Montreal (14-5) Thursday at 7 p.m.
By Mike Maniscalco
Mar 4, 2013
Carolina Hurricanes goalie Dan Ellis (31) block goal during the Hurricanes vs Ottawa Senators game on February 01, 2013 in Raleigh North Carolina. (Photos By Anthony Barham)
The Carolina Hurricanes are faced with the prospect of missing No. 1 goaltender Cam Ward for the remainder of the regular season. To make a grade-three knee sprain feel even worse, Ward was starting to get back to the level of play that has made him an All-Star and choice for Team Canada in world championship competitions.
Ward has played stellar goal since the second period in Long Island on February 24th and the Hurricanes record was reflecting that. Pressed into service on Sunday due to illness to Dan Ellis, Ward looked to be cruising to another solid performance. Halfway through the second period in Florida it all came crashing down.
The thought of a team being without its top netminder in a lockout-shortened year would leave most GMs scrambling to find some sort of stopgap. With Ward out for what could be the remainder of the regular season, thoughts of the 2009-10 campaign could cause flashbacks to a season where the organization’s lack of goalie depth cost the team a chance at the playoffs.
Canes General Manager Jim Rutherford addressed that situation before this season started by giving a look to a goaltender who has filled just about every role in the NHL. With the compressed 48-game schedule, organizations had to make sure that the goaltending was solid from the jump. With many of the top goalies being skipped over by teams overseas or unable to play in the minor leagues due to the work stoppage, having a player with NHL credentials and getting
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By Mike Maniscalco
Mar 1, 2013
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski before the Blue Devils' 89-68 victory over Boston College on Sunday, February 24, 2013 in Durham, NC (Photo by Jack Morton).
Mike Krzyzewski is absolutely right.
Security has to be better protecting teams when overzealous fans storm the floor after a big win.
Hard to think of another coach that has had a front row seat for the inevitable rush the court; in fact, it has happened to Duke four times this year. And after the Blue Devils 73-68 loss at Virginia, Mike Krzyzewski did something that great coaches can do – he made us look at an issue other than his team getting beat.
He's right. What would happen if he or one of his players or coaches got into a confrontation with a fan storming the floor? The story would be about how he or his team acted inappropriately. If you are human, can you take someone shoving you or getting in your face and shouting expletives before you act?
Addressing that topic in the postgame also points away from the fact that Duke came out flat against the Cavaliers, trailing 9-0 at the under-16 timeout, and did not have the lead for even a second at John Paul Jones arena. Coach K did give a ton of credit to the Cavaliers and how his team was outworked, but that is not the issue we are talking about today.
Mike Krzyzewski is absolutely right. Celebrating a big win is a huge part of college basketball, he even said it is “cool," but celebrating and berating the opponent are two different things. So instead of college hoops fans wondering how Joe Harris dropped 36 on the Blue Devils last night, we will be wondering what measures should be
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By Mike Maniscalco
Feb 20, 2013
Jeff Skinner (53) takes a shot during the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Winnipeg Jets NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C. Friday, March 30, 2012.
The NHL is big on player safety, so much so they don’t let the media or the fans know what is wrong with their injured players. Instead of listing the injury like the rest of the major sports, the NHL allows teams to call an injury an upper or lower body concern. While in theory this prevents opponents from targeting an injury, it does a disservice to the player.
By identifying what an injury is, people will have an idea why a player might be struggling with his performance. The NFL lists every injury, and while ‘bounty gate’ became a huge scandal with the New Orleans Saints, targeting players with the intent to injure had everything to do with knocking out specific players. My co-host and former NFL player, Mark Thomas has pointed out that a player rarely thinks about his opponent having a bad left knee when trying to tackle him, the player is just trying to make the tackle. I don’t 100% agree with that theory, but it is hard to think in the course of a game while trying to make a tackle that players only go for a targeted area. Plus in collision sports injuries will happen. Tom Brady shows up every week on the New England Patriots injury report and whatever malady he has isn’t the single focus of the defense that lines up against him.
The other reason, and this is a selfish reason, but people want to know what is wrong with a player. Leaving the media to guess can create problems between the team and a reporter. It is not the intention to broadcast that
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By Mike Maniscalco
Feb 11, 2013
Getting to know you
The Carolina Hurricanes could have used the benefit of a training camp and exhibition season as much as, and probably more than, anyone this year. Head Coach Kirk Muller has yet to have a full training camp as a NHL boss and the organization made two major changes to its line-up in the off-season by trading for Jordan Staal and signing free agent sniper Alexander Semin. In the first week, the chemistry between Eric Staal and his new line mate Semin seemed a click off and goalie Cam Ward was a little rusty going about eight months without real game action. The result for the first five games of the season was uneven play, and a power play that was sputtering. A few weeks later, with some tweeking to the line-up, and a fortunate three day break in the schedule to allow the coaching staff some valuable teaching time, has the Hurricanes playing a better brand of hockey.
Oh captain...
Eric Staal has been red-hot scoring in eight consecutive games. The captain of the Canes is healthy, told me he trained a lot this off-season prepping for the year, and the fact that he was itching to get on the ice could be why he has reversed a trend of starting slow. Also, adding a player like Semin on the wing and having his brother Jordan Staal in the locker room has made a difference on and off the ice. If Staal can keep this pace up through the shortened schedule, Carolina should count on having playoff hockey to look forward
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By Mike Maniscalco
Feb 4, 2013
Legacy, it is a word that carries a lot of weight.
For some players, winning the Super Bowl means more than holding a trophy and getting a ring, it is an achievement that creates or cements a legacy that will last forever. For players getting close, it opens a career that for most can only be validated with a championship. Super Bowl winners are viewed different, when the "Best Ever" debate is brought up, champions have a permanent seat.
Case in point, John Elway had a Hall of Fame career but was 0-3 on Super Bowl Sunday. Elway erased the conversation about his big game failures with two titles to end his career – that put him in the rarefied air. Then there is Dan Marino, despite better numbers than 99 percent of quarterbacks who have played the game, right or wrong, in the minds of most people, no ring keeps him out of the pantheon of the "Best Ever." Winning Super Bowls defines a player's place in NFL history regardless of how fantastic the regular season and post-season numbers are.
This Super Bowl would change the perception or legitimize the career of several figures in this contest. The two quarterbacks in this game were at the top of the list.
A few years ago, Ravens QB Joe Flacco was asked if he was the best in the league. When he answered that he believed he was indeed the top QB, the laughter and scoffing could be heard around the country. After an MVP performance in Super Bowl XLVII, not many people will dismiss Flacco's assessment. The
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By Mike Maniscalco
Jan 23, 2013
Tampa Bay Lightning scores again. Hurricanes vs Tampa Bay game on January 22, 2013 at PNC Arena in Raleigh North Carolina. (Photos By Anthony Barham)
The home opener for the Hurricanes did not go as planned, as they fell 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The first period looked eerily similar to Saturday’s season opener in Florida. Carolina watched the opponent take control early, jumping out to a commanding lead while the Canes tried to find their game.
Carolina Hurricanes schedule
With an amped home crowd the Hurricanes had the jump for the first three minutes, but there was not enough physical play for 60 minutes to make life difficult for the Lightning. In the first two games, Carolina has not made life difficult for the guys on the other bench. While pouring 36 shots on Tampa goalie Mathieu Garon, there was not enough net presence
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By Mike Maniscalco
Jan 20, 2013
Canes players celebrate after a goal during the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Winnipeg Jets NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C. Friday, March 30, 2012.
The lockout lasted 113 days, the season starts in 2013 so I’ll put my triskaidekaphobia aside and take a look at the 13 things Carolina Hurricanes fans should keep an eye on this year.
13-Zach Boychuk and Zac Dalpe: This is a big year for both players. Boychuk and Dalpe were selected in the first and second rounds of the 2008 draft. Boychuk has seen time with Eric Staal and Alex Semin in the shortened training camp after being highly productive in the AHL this season, while Dalpe has played right wing on a line with Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner. Their ability to stay on those lines will provide multiple options for head coach Kirk Muller’s roster.
12-Eric Staal: The Hurricanes captain is in his ninth season and third full season wearing the C, expectations have never been higher. With the addition of Alex Semin on his wing, the center will be counted on putting up elite numbers. And I’m just putting this out there, Staal’s career year of 45 goals and 55 assists came after the 04-05 lockout.
11-Jordan Staal: Yes we know he is Eric’s younger brother, but Jordan has a full resume built on solid play in Pittsburgh where he was called on to be the third line center and shut down the opposition. He has never totaled more than 50 points in a season, but last year with Sidney Crosby out, he showed he could handle the top six work load. The Canes are banking on him being ready to step out of the shadows full time and become a top center in the league.
10-Jeff
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By Mike Maniscalco
Jan 20, 2013
Canes players celebrate after a goal during the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Winnipeg Jets NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C. Friday, March 30, 2012.
The lockout lasted 113 days and the season starts in 2013, so I’ll put my triskaidekaphobia aside and take a look at the 13 things Carolina Hurricanes fans should keep an eye on this year:
13 – Zach Boychuk and Zac Dalpe: This is a big year for both players. Boychuk and Dalpe were selected in the first and second rounds of the 2008 draft. Boychuk has seen time with Eric Staal and Alex Semin in the shortened training camp after being highly productive in the AHL this season, while Dalpe has played right wing on a line with Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner. Their ability to stay on those lines will provide multiple options for head coach Kirk Muller’s roster.
12 – Eric Staal: The Hurricanes captain is in his ninth season and third full season wearing the C, and expectations have never been higher. With the addition of Alex Semin on his wing, the center will be counted on to put up elite numbers. And I’m just putting this out there, Staal’s career year of 45 goals and 55 assists came after the 2004-05 lockout.
11 – Jordan Staal: Yes we know he is Eric’s younger brother, but Jordan has a full resume built on solid play in Pittsburgh where he was called on to be the third line center and shut down the opposition. He has never totaled more than 50 points in a season, but last year with Sidney Crosby out, he showed he could handle the top six work load. The Canes are banking on him being ready to step out of the shadows full time and become
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By Mike Maniscalco
Jan 17, 2013
CAMP NOTES: DAY 5
• Head coach Kirk Muller really likes the combination of Chad LaRose, Jussi Jokinen and Jiri Tlusty. Muller has liked that line so much it was the second time that he pointed out that his team does not have a first, second and third line, but rather three good lines all capable of scoring.
• Keeping that line together could hinge on how Zach Boychuk and Zac Dalpe produce with their combinations. It was the third day in a row that Boychuk skated with Eric Staal and Alex Semin, while Dalpe stayed on a line with Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner. Muller told the media, what we’ve seen that last few days might not be what the lines are on Saturday, but those players are going to have chances to keep it that way.
• As far as the defensive pairings the team likes the competition and the play of Bobby Sanguinetti has given the coaching staff a lot to think of with his play in the abbreviated camp.
• Right now the Canes are at 23 players; 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies. That is the maximum roster number in the NHL.
• The lockout might have made it a tough year for blue liner Ryan Murphy to get an extended look with Carolina. He would have to be returned to his junior team (Kitchener) in the OHL if he doesn’t make the roster. Muller says it is going to come down to numbers numbers thing, between keeping extra forwards or D. The organization loves his skill set, but with the condensed schedule, it is not a typical
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