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Category: Carolina-Hurricanes

New CBA But Possibly Old Problems For The Hurricanes

by Paul on 01/11/13 at 12:45 AM ET
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from Luke DeCock of the News & Observer,

At the steep cost of half of a season, the NHL has a new labor agreement. It’s a good one for the teams in general, with the players taking a hefty pay cut. How good it is for the Carolina Hurricanes is a big unknown.

Many of the problems the Hurricanes had with the NHL’s old labor deal remain in the new one. Even though salaries will go down to start, over the course of the deal they’re still being asked to grow revenue at the same pace as their bigger-market brethren.

“The market’s still going to continue to grow, which is going to be helpful,” Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said Thursday. “Hopefully the economy continues to grow. And hopefully our team plays well. You get those three factors, then that makes that road a little smoother. If you don’t get all three, it makes it a little harder. And if you don’t get any, then it becomes a little more unrealistic, maybe very, very difficult.”

continued

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Semin Still Trying To Get In Game Shape

by Paul on 11/20/12 at 02:25 PM ET
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from R-Sport,

Carolina Hurricanes forward Alexander Semin said Tuesday he is still not at full fitness despite playing almost two months of lockout hockey in his native Russia.

Semin was one of the NHL’s first big names to move abroad when the lockout took effect, joining his hometown junior team in late September before moving up to the KHL with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod two weeks later.

“Without doubt, I still need to improve my physical condition,” he said on the Torpedo website.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: alex+semin, khl

Fans In Carolina Faced With Ticket Decisions

by Paul on 11/01/12 at 06:07 AM ET
Comments (4)

from Luke DeCock of the News & Observer,

For hockey fans truly unhappy about the lockout, there’s only one real way to hit both sides where it hurts: Demand their money back.

A few Carolina Hurricanes season-ticket holders have done just that, pulling their money from the team, including some of the oldest and most loyal....

Josh Hauser just wanted to go back to his 12-game plan in the upper deck from the full season tickets he bought in the lower bowl over the summer, a difference of about $2,400.

When the team told him it wouldn’t pay interest on his money if he reduced his commitment, he took all of it back.

“A horrifying experience,” Hauser called it.

“We travel a lot and my wife is in grad school,” he said. “We planned to sell a lot of the tickets. At no time did we ever imagine them holding onto thousands of our dollars indefinitely. They were very defiant, very insistent that we can’t touch any of that money or we’d lose our seniority and benefits. We had no choice.”

Even those who are keeping their money with the team are making decisions about how they support it in the future.

more

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Semin Joins The “I May Stay In Russia” Club

by Paul on 10/31/12 at 11:44 AM ET
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from RSport,

Carolina Hurricanes forward Alexander Semin may stay in the Russia-based KHL if the NHL lockout does not end in a generous enough deal for players, he suggested to R-Sport on Wednesday.

After the last NHL lockout in 2004-05, Semin stayed in Russia the next season amid a lengthy legal dispute over his contract and Russian military service obligations.

I'll look at what contract they actually sign. I like it here overall,” he said.

Semin’s fellow Russian Ilya Kovalchuk has been another to suggest quitting the NHL if the eventual deal is not to his liking, telling R-Sport last month that many stars could abandon North America.

continue for more on Semin...

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Semin May Move To The KHL

by Paul on 10/04/12 at 11:17 AM ET
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via RIANOVOSTI,

Carolina Hurricanes forward Alexander Semin is close to agreeing a move to KHL team Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod just a week after joining his hometown junior team, Torpedo president Oleg Kondrashov said Thursday.

Semin agreed last week to play for his boyhood team, Sokol Krasnoyarsk, in Russia’s second-tier VHL league during the NHL lockout and has since scored three points in two games.

“We expect that Alexander Semin will join us in the next week,” Kondrashov said in a website statement.

He did not specify why he thought Semin, who is not collecting a salary in Krasnoyarsk, would leave Sokol for Torpedo.

Defenseman Anton Volchenkov of the New Jersey Devils is another target for Torpedo and the team is looking to sign a third NHL player, Kondrashov said.

“We expect Anton Volchenkov at Torpedo this weekend,” he said.

“We’ve got our eyes on one more player from the North American league,” he added.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: alexander+semin, khl

Report- Semin Will Play With No Pay In The KHL

by Paul on 09/25/12 at 09:13 AM ET
Comments (6)

from RIA NOVOSTI, 

Carolina Hurricanes forward Alexander Semin has signed for his hometown team in Russia for the NHL lockout.

Semin will play for free while at Siberian team Sokol Krasnoyarsk, which plays in Russia’s second-tier VHL league rather than the top-level KHL.

“I’m proud that the opportunity’s emerged for me to play for my hometown club,” Semin said on the VHL website.

continued

added 9:31am, Not enough coffee for me, it is not the KHL but the VHL, as it says in the story. Sorry for the mistake.

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  Tags: alexander+semin, vhl

Ron Francis Invests In The Canes

by Paul on 09/12/12 at 10:22 AM ET
Comments (1)

RALEIGH, NC – Peter Karmanos Jr., Chief Executive Officer, Owner and Governor of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that five additional investor groups have joined Hurricanes Holdings, LLC in the ownership of the team. All five new investors are based locally in North Carolina.

“It is very encouraging that these locally-based investors feel so strongly about our franchise and its future,” said Karmanos. “We are proud to have this group of prominent North Carolinians involved with our team.”

Three of the five new investment partners are: Playmakers Management, LLC (Ron Francis), GreengardenDRC, LLC (Eliza Kraft Olander and Brian McHenry) and Ron de Lange. The remaining two investment partners have chosen to keep their partnerships private.

Continue Reading »

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Canes Skate, Talk CBA

by Paul on 09/04/12 at 12:55 PM ET
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from Chip Alexander of Canes Now,

The Canes took to the ice today for the first full informal skate at Raleigh Center Ice and the Staals -- of the Carolina variety -- were all in attendance. Eric Staal, the Canes captain, and Jared Staal joined Jordan for about 50 minutes of skating.

The turnout at RCI was pretty impressive. Goaltenders Cam Ward and Justin Peters were there. Defensemen Tim Gleason, Jay Harrison, Joe Corvo, Justin Faulk and Joni Pitkanen. Forwards Jiri Tlusty, Chad LaRose, Anthony Stewart, Andreas Nodl, Pat Dwyer and Zac Dalpe. And, of course, the Staal brothers....

But with the CBA talks now in "recess," no one can say for sure if there will be a lockout come Sept. 15, when the CBA expires. It's all a guessing game for now as to how and when the two sides will be able to agree on a new CBA.

"I'm still optimistic," Jordan Staal said. "There's still a very good chance to make it happen. I know we're getting close to camp time but I think there's still a very good opportunity to start the season.

"I know both sides are trying hard. It seems like we've hit a little bit of a roadblock right now. But hopefully we can get through it and get talking again. Just find a way to get this thing started."

"I think it's going to get worse before it gets better," Gleason said of CBA talks. "I think we have the right guy in the position. I think he's patient. He knows what the players want. And he's been through if before, which is even better. Everybody has confidence in him."

more

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Kirk Muller Prepared For Two Types Of Camps

by Paul on 08/28/12 at 11:07 AM ET
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from Peter Koutroumpis of the Raleigh Sports Examiner, 

Regardless of what will transpire in the coming weeks and months, the enthusiasm for this coming season for Muller is high, and he is ready to prepare the team according to the situation presented to him and players.

“I’m excited because of the changes (in personnel),” Muller said.

“If we had a regular camp, we want to experiment to see some chemistry develop, work on some special teams and all that area. If we get into less exhibition games, we get into a shortened schedule, then we’re going to have to invite less bodies.”

Should a shortened season take place, Muller and his staff would lose the opportunity to take as much time to evaluate individual conditioning and tactical development and jump right into team strategy and play.

Such a situation may deny some players hoping to fight for a spot on the roster the opportunity to do so during training camp

“You cut down the numbers that are going to be at camp and then you get to more of the x’s and o’s of it rather than spending some time using the ‘skating legs’ and getting them into a groove – we’ve got to get right into the technical and systematic part of it; so you’ve gotta’ cut right down a little quicker.’

more

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  Tags: kirk+muller

Morning Line

by Paul on 08/15/12 at 08:59 AM ET
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For a pleasant and positive change, not to mention locking down Jeff Skinner for the long term, the Hurricanes’ off-season moves have offered more answers than questions. Still, given the state of the defense and the inherent risk-reward of the Semin signing, it isn’t time to stop asking yet.

-Luke DeCock of the News & Observer where you can read more on the Canes summer.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

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