My name is Gill Allen and my wife and I are in our fourth season of being 26-game ticket holders.  I understand that we're not counted as part of the season-ticket holder base, but whatever.

What I'd like to point out is that we make a significant commitment financially to the Hurricanes.  Along with our tickets, we buy merchandise and food and drinks.  We invite our friends to the games.  We talk to our co-workers about the team, and wear our fandom with pride.  We are aware that it is a privilege to be able to watch professional hockey in person and that we are not owed anything by you or other owners of the Hurricanes.

We are also the future of your franchise.  We are not transplants to the Raleigh area with a hockey background.  We are not a core hockey demographic like Toronto or Detroit.  We are not grandchildren raised on the game.  We are passionate sports fans that want to root for a local team.  We are families with some disposable income that are looking for value for our money.  We are Caniacs.

There are thousands of potential fans that are waiting for a competitive product.  Fielding a team at the cap floor does not work.  Our beloved Canes are not a playoff team as they are currently constructed, and lightning in a bottle is not a valid business plan. As much as I hate cliches, build it and they will come.

Be the chicken, Mr. Karmanos.  The fans will bring the eggs.

Our beloved Carolina Hurricanes have 16 games left in the regular season.  Currently, they are in a 4-team mosh pit for the last two playoff spots.  Barring a winning streak, I think their hopes of playing in the post-season will rest on the final game of the year -- a home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Going through the schedule, 18 points in their next 15 games is reasonable.  That will give the Canes 89 points heading into that last game.  Will 89 points make the playoffs?  I think we'd all be more confident about their chances with 90 or 91 points.

Tampa should be comfortably in the post-season when April 9th rolls around, hopefully giving our boys an edge in motivation.  It's my prediction that the last game of 82, the last 60 minutes of hockey in a 6-month long season will determine whether the Canes will make the playoffs.

The Canes have banked 14 out of the last possible 16 points on the schedule, a .875 clip that's lifted them to .571 on the year -- projecting to just over 93 points in the standings for the season (that's skewed a little bit by the recent run, but it's a legit number).  They are at the Buffaslugs tomorrow but then the fun begins.

After the jump : The Hurricane's Playoff Drive Ends January 22nd.

*jump*

In an eight-day stretch starting this Saturday with the Lightning in town the Canes will play 5 games against Eastern Conference teams that are ahead of them in the standings this morning.  Tampa, Boston back-to-back, the Rangers, and Pittsburgh are on the docket after the Buffalo game, and those 10 points will give us a definitive answer to the question of whether Carolina will make the post-season this Spring.

And the difference is only one point.

The last playoff spot in the EC is on pace to end up with 97 points in the standings -- winning .591 of available points.  For the Hurricanes to get to 97 points they would need to win at a .6125 clip their remaining 40 games.  That means they need to take a minimum of six of every 10 points for the rest of the year.  In that 5-game stretch between January 15th and 22nd, 6 points is a steep task.  A lot of fans would be thrilled to pull 5 points out of that 5-game-in-8-day gauntlet, but that extra point against teams ahead of the Canes can -- and I think will -- be the difference at the end of the season.

As a fan I am really excited to see how this team does against that competition.  Besides having a better idea of the numbers, I think we'll have an emotional evaluation of whether Carolina is a playoff team or not.

From the AP recap :

“When we have needed (Ward) to make the saves, he has,” Staal said. “He’s one of the best in the league, and we expect that every night, and take it for granted some nights. But he was big for us, especially at the end.”

“Staal has the ability to take the game over,” Ward said. “He really picked up his play when we were down one goal and put the team on his shoulders. There’s a reason why he’s one of the more dominant players in the league, and you got to see it.”

Ladies and gentlemen, the cornerstones of your Carolina Hurricanes.

So, I bought NHL 09 for the Xbox back in the spring when it looked pretty certain that the Canes were going to miss the playoffs.  They have a feature called Be A Pro where you can create a player and play for your favorite team.  I am currently finishing the 2016-2017 season.  I won't bore you with the details, but the Canes have won every Cup since 09-10.

The current roster only has Staal and Pits from last year.  Weirdly enough, Kovalchuk has been on the team for 5 years. Ward was traded for Mike Green, and is now playing for the Sharks.  Gleason is playing for the Islanders.  Ovechkin is in Buffalo (more reason for hate). 

I bring this up to ask -- what are you doing this offseason to get your hockey fix on?

Injuries?  Baby?  Personal?  The C?  Whatever it is,  the Canes new Captain has been electric since the 20th, with 7 goals in 5 games.  I missed tonight's game but Chuck K made it sound like Eric really imposed his will on his power play goal.  Add the fact that Cam Ward seems to be on fire at the same time (8 goals allowed in 5 games) and JR's decision to make Staal and CWard the franchise cornerstones starts to look prescient.  If Staal begins to carry this team and Cam continues his stellar play the Canes have a huge upside...not the playoffs but close.  Will JR sell parts for prospects and sabotage a period of better play for 10-11? Will the pieces left behind continue their valiant effort?  A very difficult balancing act remains for Rutherford.  As a fan, winning is so much better that losing, but losing holds out the possibility of a high draft pick, some hockey player who might make my team better next year.  What do I root for?  Losing...with the hope of a Taylor or Tyler?  Or winning...with the joy that brings?  We all have to answer that question for ourselves, but the question we don't have to answer is whether or not we are fans.

Cole seems to be skating better; he's approaching what he was like in 06 before Orpik's hit.

Legace was more than solid.  The first Vancouver goal was weak, but had some very nice saves.  Who gets the waiver wire next week?  Manny's two-way contract makes him easier for another team to pick up, but for whatever reason the team seems to play better in front of him than Leighton.  The bad news is Leights is a better solution for playing behind Cam for a year or two before Murphy or Peters is ready to sit 65 games a year.

Staal is pressing.   Please, Eric, we love you. Forget the big contract and the new baby for 60 minutes on game day, and just play hockey.  You tease us every shift with your speed and reach and grit...don't try to score 40 goals a game.  His breakaway against Raycroft was this season in a nutshell for him -- too much dangling, not enough boom.

Walker, LaRose, and the 4th line have made the team better top to bottom.  Keep hustling, keep banging, and punch some b!tches in the face if they need it.

Gleason is a personal favorite of mine.  Carry on, young Timmy, I may have convinced the wife that I need a black #6 jersey for Christmas.  If all the Canes matched your effort, we would be in the playoffs every year.

Others have said it, but Cullen looks like he's playing for a contract.  Dynamic and dangerous anytime he's on the ice.  He and Whitney are two UFAs I would sign from the current crop.

Ruutu and Sutter are the future of this franchise.  Two different players -- one a force of nature, one a cerebral assassin -- but both have the heart and the drive to make this a great franchise.  I know there are other parts involved, but Ruu, Sutter, and Gleason are the guys that I pay to watch.

Coach Mo.  Is there a man in hockey with bigger eye-bags? I have no idea how much McCarthy meant to his staff, but please keep your foot on the gas with a lead.  The team has not stopped listening to you, the locker room is not lost.  Show the boys a little confidence and they will skate through a wall for you.

Yes, it's been a long losing streak.  Yes, the team has looked pretty awful at times.  But of the nine losses this year, all but two (Minnesota and the Islanders) have come against teams with at least a .500 record.  Cold comfort, I know, but maybe a little broader perspective than OMG WE R AWFUL FIRE TEH COACH TRADE THEM ALL.

My bigger concern is the psyche of the Canes.  They can't stand any adversity and there seems to be a disconnect between coach Mo's philosophy and what is happening on the ice.  This is a veteran team -- oldest in the league -- and has 9 players that were on the roster for the Cup win in '06.  They know the level of effort necessary to win, but they aren't doing the hard, dirty things that make the difference in the NHL.  Maurice has even started calling them out about their work ethic, and the quotes from the players from the same article sound like some of the players are beaten before the puck even drops.  They have no rhythm, no joy, no pride in wearing the sweater.  If the season is going to be salvaged, that has to change now.  As Canes fanatics, we would all feel better about the losses if we could see more effort and more teamwork and more of that fire that got them through two game 7 playoff wins on the road last year.

That being said, if we get to the end of November and are still at a .6-points-per-game pace, then smack that panic button with a mighty smite.  The November schedule has 8 very winnable games.  Assuming we go 0-2 this weekend, and we go 2-5 against the good teams in November, 12-14-3 going into December with 27 points should be the least of our expectations, with a record of 10-5 in November.  That would be something to build on, and that might restore some confidence to the weirdly fragile psyche of this team.

I, personally,  really REALLY don't want to be muttering in the spring about how bad October was and how it cost us the playoffs.  REALLY RLY. 

Mrs Gillimus and I will be there...do we have a secret signal or is the idea of meeting internet friends too uncomfortable?  The Mrs and I are gonna be trying out our new grill, and we would welcome any hungry Caniacs to our bounty.  The robot fanpost lady again argues with me about the number of words in my post.  She's polite yet inflexible.  We are debating brats versus burgers for the first game.

is here.  Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend.  I need 75 words for this fanpost, and I am more than happy to talk about my golf game.  Jeebus, is that not 75 words?  Quick Gillimus profile.  I am a banker, and my wife runs a grocery store.  We fell in love with hockey when we went to a game in 2001 for our anniversary.  This is our second year of having 26 game season tickets.  We have 2 boxers and we love dogs, barbecue, and beer.  Is that enough, FanShots robot? :)

Good article that sums up a lot of the stuff being written about the Canes and their offseason.  Some nice quotes I haven't seen before, especially from Samsonov and Staal.  I'm starting to get the feeling that the players are pretty pumped up about the team's chances this coming season.  Of course, everything is wine and roses at this point, but it's good to see the boys so optimistic.  I have some concerns about the team getting a little older and slower (Award and Yelle) but JR knows a ton more hockey than I do so I'll defer to his judgement.

Allan Muir has a story about the NHLPA removing Paul Kelly as executive director.  His take is pretty negative, and he names some pretty big player names as being behind the move.  The current CBA expires after the 10-11 season (or 11-12 at the PA's option) and Muir hints that the union will be angling to cancel the salary cap.  My favorite part is towards the end:

Yes, the fans. It's hard not to read this as a slap in the face of the paying customers who, thanks to Kelly's common sense approach, learned to forgive and forget after the last labor imbroglio wiped out the 2004-05 NHL season.

I'm all for the players making as much as they can -- careers can end at a moment's notice in this fast, savage, and beautiful game.  But I can't imagine the players themselves wanting to lose another season over money.  Since we're fans of a small market team, I think we'd resoundingly agree that the cap has helped the Canes compete -- Maurice said infamously before the 01-02 Finals that the Red Wings starting lineup exceeded the Canes entire payroll.  For the union to look to return to that era seems shortsighted to me. Without a salary cap, smaller market teams may not be able to compete for the Cup on a regular basis, reducing team income and potentially eliminating teams -- and jobs-- from the league.  Hopefully the players themselves will exercise their right to have their voice heard and avoid another stoppage.  Eric Staal is the Canes' rep.  

Some Yankee has decided to rank the fan bases in the NHL.  He's got a formula, which is completely subjective scientific and simple to replicate.  Despite The Mothership's assertion about our overall experience, this guy has ranked us 24th in "The Best and Worst Fans."  Would I like to see us add another 1,000 fans per game (at $40 per ticket and $40 worth of...ummm...concessions) and generate another $3 millionish in revenue?  Hellz ya!!  But to say that we just show up when it's convenient is disingenuous.  Okay, I'll admit that Minnesota is prolly not Yankee territory, but geez!  Another Northern team looking down on the South.  Let me count the Wild's playoff runs --- 2 (even a goober can count that high).  The Wild's Stanley Cups?  Including the North Stars? Zero.  I do have to respect the fact that he'sa freaking homer completely objective and ranked his team 4th.  Maybe he'll be able to travel down to our area and experience driving into the RBC and seeing the tailgates, the signs, the jerseys and change his opinion.  Or not.  The Carolina Hurricanes will be fine without him.