March Madness NHL Edition
Mar 24, 2009
Raise your hand if you thought back in February the Carolina Hurricanes were a playoff team. Mr. Rutherford please put your hand down.
Not many were projecting a Canes post season run outside the organization when they suffered an embarrassing 5-3 setback to the Thrashers in Atlanta back on February 28th. The calendar changed over to March and so have the Canes for the better. They have rolled off 4-straight wins and are 8-1-2 in the last 11. They climbed up from the edge of the race all the way into 5th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
One of the most unpopular and difficult things for a General Manager to do during tough times is stay the course. Jim Rutherford did that despite the fans and media wondering aloud if it was time for the Canes to be a seller and rebuild for the future. There was no roster implosion before the deadline, no blockbuster deal for the Canes, and no signs of surrender. Instead Rutherford made the subtle and savvy move to bring back one of his guys.
The return of Eric Cole on deadline day certainly has paid dividends. There is no way to measure what chemistry can mean for a locker room, but we are seeing it save the Canes season that seemed lost a month ago. It should be noted he has brought plenty of production not only to the ice, but the gate at RBC Center as well. Anyone who has been to a Canes game in March knows the atmosphere has been close to playoff level and so has the teams play on the ice.
There are seven games left in the regular season for the Canes and plenty of things can still happen. However, its good to know that fans in the triangle whether you wear blue or red, or another shade of blue you can cheer for a team that’s in their version of March Madness, but with a better format when the playoffs really start.
