tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
At this point I'll believe minor league hockey is a thing in 2020-21 when I see it. The NHL's problems don't come anywhere near what the AHL and ECHL are facing.
News Article: News and Notes XXXIV - is it time for us to make panic trades yet?
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cptjeff
Reprehensible User
Yeah, I'd bet on the NHL adopting a practice squad approach like they did in the bubble. The minor leagues are 100% dependent on gate, and with no mass rollout of the vaccines likely until spring, that's gonna be tough.
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Nothing official, but the sports manager of HIFK (Liiga) expects it to clear out in a week at which point the NHL Loaned players will depart for North America. Apparently there's been call rings between the sports managers and the players' agents pondering the matter. Some NHL teams reportedly wish to keep their guys in Europe as long as possible.
Going by the "NHL starts in at the beginning of January" reports, the players are required to be 14 days earlier there. The training camps would begin in middle of December.
And before that, the players would need to do a 14 days quarantine. So the beginning of December is a plausible time of departure from Europe.
If the players won't leave at that time, it would be a serious indicator that NHL won't be starting as expected.
Going by the "NHL starts in at the beginning of January" reports, the players are required to be 14 days earlier there. The training camps would begin in middle of December.
And before that, the players would need to do a 14 days quarantine. So the beginning of December is a plausible time of departure from Europe.
If the players won't leave at that time, it would be a serious indicator that NHL won't be starting as expected.
Didn't know that he had surgery recently, too.
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tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
Christmas shoppers — they’ve stocked Whalers and North Stars hoodies in addition to the usual Canes/Panthers/college stuff at the Morrisville Target.
cptjeff
Reprehensible User
God, I love the green and gold color scheme. Might have something to do with being a Clarkson grad.
What the...
Did they get the NorthStars stuff for a dollar? Who’s the market? Lol
Did they get the NorthStars stuff for a dollar? Who’s the market? Lol
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
I know this isn't likely, but my first thought was "is this what the Stadium Series was supposed to be?".
Svechhammer
THIS is hockey?
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I'll be legitimately pissed if the stadium series ends up with us wearing a Whalers uniform.
Joe McGrath
Registered User
- Oct 29, 2009
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It wouldn’t make any sense on any level to do that. The Canes get one real national showcase game you don’t completely bury the brand you are trying to build in that situation.
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
We’re pretty aggressively building the Whalers brand at this point.
- Dec 6, 2011
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I like the Whalers stuff but I agree that our first outdoor game wouldn't be the time to do that. If we got to the point where we get to do multiple outdoor games, maybe. But the first one needs to be front and center about the Canes. Considering I remember listening to interviews after the announcement about making it about NC and hockey in NC, I don't really think we'd have to worry about that.
Navin R Slavin
Fifth line center
No, we're pretty aggressively draining the Whalers brand at this point. That's a key difference.
Svechhammer
THIS is hockey?
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I mean could you imagine. First outdoor hockey game in this region, legitimately one of the biggest sporting events to be held in the Raleigh area since........ Shit, since the 2011 NHL All Star Game, in a stadium already themed with the Canes colors......
And we skate out wearing green and blue
GIN ANTONIC
Registered User
First outdoor game on home ice you go as the Canes no question about it.
2nd outdoor game if it was against the Bruins and was in Boston or some New England site I can see wanting to do a retro-throwback with the Whalers for that.
2nd outdoor game if it was against the Bruins and was in Boston or some New England site I can see wanting to do a retro-throwback with the Whalers for that.
Boom Boom Apathy
I am the Professor. Deal with it!
- Sep 6, 2006
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And the entire team wears #19.
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
Just to be clear, I’m not saying we should do it. Just that the thought hit me when I saw that inexplicable display of out-of-market retro merch — the idea of a Stadium Series game with the Whalers vs North Stars isn’t outside the bounds of what the plan could have been.
Would this franchise and league be willing to saturate the market with Whalers crap? Well, they definitely did do that with outdoor games. Hence the existence of this event. They definitely did just roll out a pointless Whalers jersey (and a North Stars jersey) within the past 2 weeks.
Would we all be salty, then swallow our pride and sell the joint out? Yes, yes we would.
I could absolutely see the NHL telling Dundon that a Canes outdoor game would never sell, and Dundon responding with an all-retro concept, and the NHL buying it, and that’s how we got here. Local pride isn’t driving this bus, not under Dundon. It’s about monetization, and there’s a BIG money difference between Canes/Caps and Whalers/North Stars.
- Dec 6, 2011
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Wasn't it the Penguins that were the most speculated opponent? Are they wearing North Stars jerseys for some reason? Cause we sure wouldn't be playing the Stars or Wild.
AD Skinner
Registered User
Not that it's really relevant to this conversation but I still think canes-caps has the potential to be a big time rivalry. Its got one of the big NBC darling markets with a huge star in Ovechkin and if they meet in the playoffs again soon, especially if the canes eliminate them again, there's a great narrative there. Scrappy underdog slash nemesis vs the team chasing greatness with trying to get Ovechkin his records and cups and whatnot
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tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
None of the speculation was ever tied to anything real. The opponent is just as up in the air today as it ever was. The Wikipedia page shows the Islanders of all teams.
Under Canes branding, sure the Wild makes little sense as an opponent. If the concept were a throwback game, they make a lot of sense. It’s a western conference team with a large fanbase, which can match the visual branding and actually has committed to a retro concept for this season. A Canes/Pens or Canes/Islanders game would be an event of local interest with marginal appeal nationally. A Whalers/North Stars game would be a different animal altogether, and actually makes this whole event make more sense from a leaguewide and television perspective.
Svechhammer
THIS is hockey?
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At this point I fully expect Buffalo.
The two fan bases already don't like each other. And now they have Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner?
The one problem with the Wild as an opponent was they were getting their own game, the Winter Classic I believe, the same year or the next year. That would seem to ruin the interest in any of them traveling here to see a game, thus reducing non-Canes ticket sales.
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
OMG imagine the televised fan fights
- Dec 6, 2011
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I can see plenty of opponents. My only point was it's not going to be anyone tied to the North Stars. I don't think throwing fun unis on the teams gives it more national appeal than us playing a team like the Pens/Caps/Sabres/Bruins that actually have national appeal.
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