GDT: Boston visits Carolina 7PM : Only bear sign left as the arena is clawed and gory.

Blueline Bomber

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Oct 31, 2007
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You could tell Williams was crushed by not only the loss, but by how loud the arena was for the Bruins. He was near tears answering questions.

There was a quote from Williams sometime in January/Feb. He was asked if the team felt they could make the playoffs and he said something to the effect of "Yeah, we can still make the playoffs and if we don't, that's on me. On us."

The guy really wanted to bring the playoffs back to Carolina. And not in a "Oh, I'm on the team, so let's make the playoffs" way. He was personally invested. The fact that they couldn't this year, and Francis (and possibly Peters) gets the axe, he's got to be feeling awful.
 

Identity404

I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious
Nov 5, 2005
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Seems like this game was the straw that broke the camels back. I think the team/players and the biggest optomists/masochists among us now finally realize that the playoffs are truely out of reach.

How do the players reacts? Will they finish the season strong since they will no longer feel any pressure having accepted their fate? Or will they go through the motions and let the losing culture flow through them, leading us to a slightly better draft position?

This is going to be a interesting offseason....
 

Negan4Coach

Fantastic and Stochastic
Aug 31, 2017
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I guess by the time I turned off the TV it was too late, eh.

I picture Dundon writhing around on the floor in his owners suite, bellowing obscenities, throwing objects at the TV after this fiasco.

Hopefully his wrath with be the stuff of legends. Maybe he'll read this board and see my username and go "by jove, he's on to something. These boys need a ruthless disciplinarian, not 'a carboard cutout of a western Canadian middle age man'" (LOL, that was a great one)
 

Boom Boom Apathy

I am the Professor. Deal with it!
Sep 6, 2006
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This was the straw that caused everyone to realize the camel's back was broken three weeks ago, you mean?

Right. The loss to the Caps at home was the gut wrenching one and turned what could have been a decent stretch into a terrible one (including the loss of Aho), but even with that, going 0-4-2 in that stretch in Feb against NJ (2x), NYI, etc.. was the back breaker.
 

tarheelhockey

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Feb 12, 2010
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Totally agree, it was even louder than some weeks ago against the Pens. However it is kind of a vicious cycle. Performances like that don't really make people think "I wanna watch another Hurricanes game in the arena".

That’s pretty much where I am with home games. It’s just a soul-crushing experience in March, and has been for the past several years running. The games start to feel like something you “have” to do rather than an enjoyable night out.
 

TheBigKahuna

Registered User
Dec 6, 2010
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Canes Country
I'd guess that things are about to change a lot for the Hurricanes during the off-season. And that's good. Right now it's pretty miserable trying to be a fan.

A goalie who can steal a few games and give us average goaltending...It would help so ****ing much.
Don't you dare criticize Cam Ward. He only gave up 3 softies over his glove on 9 shots.
 

Boom Boom Apathy

I am the Professor. Deal with it!
Sep 6, 2006
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That’s pretty much where I am with home games. It’s just a soul-crushing experience in March, and has been for the past several years running. The games start to feel like something you “have” to do rather than an enjoyable night out.

It's a bit of a catch 22 though. Without the seats full of Rangers, Bruins, Pens, Flyers, etc.. fans, we'd probably have 6000 people in the arena. That would be even worse for me. Thankfully, the Bruins fans sitting around us last night (and there were lots of them), were a lot of fun at least. Even when the Canes were up they were good sports and while they cheered loudly at the comeback, weren't in your face about it.

You are right though, it's not a good situation either way and has been the same for way too long because of shitty on ice product.
 

mjhfb

Easier from up here
Dec 19, 2016
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To make it worse, before the 10 min mark, both Chara and Krug left the ice with injury and I don't think they returned. So they did it without those two.

Also 2nd line LW Jake Debrusk left with injury same time. So that was 3 top players left when down 4-1 while also missing their best forward (Bergeron) and defenseman (McAvoy). No way that should have happened with all those top players out.
 

tarheelhockey

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It's a bit of a catch 22 though. Without the seats full of Rangers, Bruins, Pens, Flyers, etc.. fans, we'd probably have 6000 people in the arena. That would be even worse for me. Thankfully, the Bruins fans sitting around us last night (and there were lots of them), were a lot of fun at least. Even when the Canes were up they were good sports and while they cheered loudly at the comeback, weren't in your face about it.

You are right though, it's not a good situation either way and has been the same for way too long because of ****ty on ice product.

I'm fine with the visiting fans showing up. They want to see their team, fair enough. It's what makes this franchise viable when they decide to go a decade without icing a competitive team.

I wonder how Dundon feels right now. He did everything humanly possible to draw people into this stretch run, only to have the team absolutely **** it away.
 

Boom Boom Apathy

I am the Professor. Deal with it!
Sep 6, 2006
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I wonder how Dundon feels right now. He did everything humanly possible to draw people into this stretch run, only to have the team absolutely **** it away.

What little we've seen of him so far, I'm guessing he's thinking he's going to make some major moves this off season. Can't see him firing the GM and doing all this other stuff just to make a few small tweaks to the team and coaching staff and then hoping for the best.
 

Svechhammer

THIS is hockey?
Jun 8, 2017
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That’s pretty much where I am with home games. It’s just a soul-crushing experience in March, and has been for the past several years running. The games start to feel like something you “have” to do rather than an enjoyable night out.
It doesn't help we were placed in a division practically loaded with teams that have seen local residents flood the Triangle. A part of me does wonder if Karmanos purposely signed up for it, not caring what it would do to the fan experience because he knew the visiting fans in divisional play would fill up PNC every year when their teams are making the playoff push.
 

tarheelhockey

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It doesn't help we were placed in a division practically loaded with teams that have seen local residents flood the Triangle. A part of me does wonder if Karmanos purposely signed up for it, not caring what it would do to the fan experience because he knew the visiting fans in divisional play would fill up PNC every year when their teams are making the playoff push.

If we ever had a decent team, there would be tons of easy rivalries for us given how home games tend to go within our division.

The problem is the Canes keep finding themselves in this place where the local fans are depressed by early March, so the arena gets taken over easily. Nobody wants to go and see their team get clown-pounded in front of jeering opposition fans.
 

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