Jason Karmanos Resigns

Did anyone this coming?! I certainly did not... o_O

Even though the younger Mr. Karmanos cited "personal reasons" being behind his resignation, there is no telling what brought this on. But, I get the feeling that the Canes organization themselves may have known about this in advance...just a gut feeling I have.

Wherever Jason ends up, godspeed in all of your endeavors, sir.

Gee, I wonder what's going to happen to Tripp Tracy now that his buddy is no longer a Canes front officer...he and Jason were/are buddies from the days of the Raleigh Icecaps, y'know.

While I'm at it, I apologize for the lack of Canes news lately...but apart from the above, there has not been much going on other than the pre-season stuff. And those games are tricky for me to cover without a television presence. Though, all I will say for now is that thank goodness pre-season does not count towards anything...

Also, I have ordered a bottle of TEN from the Duplin Winery. Have not decided if I am going to actually taste the wine or not...I was more drawn to the name and label/bottle than anything. ;) But, if I do end up conducting a taste test, you can bet I will write about it here when I get the chance.

Current Music: "Sway" by the Pussycat Dolls

New Canes Blog Added

Should have done this sometime ago, but I have finally added Beth. And Hockey. to the Canes portion of ye olde blogroll.

A belated welcome to the aforementioned blog!

Current Music: "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" by D'Angelo

Tom Barrasso Officially Back With the Canes

As the new Director of Goaltender Development.

Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has hired former Hurricanes netminder Tom Barrasso as its Director of Goaltender Development. In his new role, Barrasso will work with all of the goaltenders in the team’s system who are not currently in the NHL, including players with Albany (American Hockey League), Florida (ECHL) and various junior hockey clubs.

“Tom brings instant credibility to his new position, and is somebody that the goaltenders in our system will be able to respect and learn from,” said Rutherford. “He has re-located his family to Raleigh and we are happy that he has chosen to continue his life in hockey with our organization.”

Wow. First Ronnie Francis becoming Director of Player Development, and now this. Can we say that we are quickly gaining one of the finer front offices AND ESPECIALLY scouting/development squads in the League? I certainly think so.

Speaking of Mr. Franchise...I am way more than willing to bet that he played quite the role in getting Mr. Barrasso to join ze organization. Especially as well know as Ronnie and Tommy's friendship is in various League circles, and has been since their Penguin days.

Current Music: "I Want To Thank You Very Much" by Bob James and Earl Klugh

Canes Unveil Their New Threads

At long last, that glorious day has arrived...the day that we find out what, exactly, the Canes' new jerseys look like.

My verdict? They're nice. Even the piping that everyone was complaining about when the "preview pictures" via the EA NHL 2008 game came out a month or two ago looks pretty darn nifty. The Canes' jerseys are tied with the Penguins for being the best new threads to be presented thus far. And even if I was not a fan of both teams, I would *still* be saying that...particularly because of one thing: THEY DID NOT CHANGE THEIR LOGOS!! If there is anything that has been getting on my nerves about some of these new sweaters, it's the teams feeling like they have to change their logo for them...

So, a HUGE "Thank you!!" to the Canes and Pens for not losing their sanity and keeping their already great logos.

As an aside...what is up with Erik Cole's hair at the unveiling? Dudeman needs a haircut...stat!

Current Music: "Love Rollercoaster" by the Ohio Players