I had good intentions of doing this article more closely to the end of the Hurricanes’ season but just could not find the time to do the research until this weekend.
Below is a collection of my favorite articles from the 2016-17 season starting way back last summer and with it many of the biggest stories of the 2016-17 season.
Scroll down and find a couple of your favorites and/or bookmark the page to come back to read a few more when you have time.
Calling the Teuvo Teravainen/Bryan Bickell deal (June 8, 2016)
One of my favorite things to do is speculate and predict the Carolina Hurricanes moves in the offseason and at the trade deadline. So it is nice to get one right once in awhile. On June 8, almost exactly a week before it happened, I called for a trade saying “Teuvo Teravainen and Bryan Bickell for pretty much nothing.” The deal happened a week later on June 15. Thank goodness, I was wrong on the possibility of Brett Pesce being traded for offensive help.
Francis uses the 2016 NHL draft to draft (July 6, 2016)
The Hurricanes entered the 2016 NHL draft weekend with extra draft picks and expectations that they might deal some of them to upgrade the roster. Instead Ron Francis used nine picks to stockpile futures. In the days following the draft, I pulled together external reading lists to help us all catch up on the new young players who had joined the Hurricanes prospect pool.
The Hurricanes prospects win the Traverse City tourney (September 21, 2016)
Providing yet another reminder of the bright future ahead, the Hurricanes prospect team won the Traverse City tourney in late September. The recap for the finale plus links to the other recaps is HERE.
Jeff Skinner leads Canes to thrilling win in the home opener (October 28, 2016)
After another slow start on the road, Jeff Skinner single-handedly propelled the Hurricanes to a feel-good win in front of a big crowd for the home opener. The recap is HERE.
Exclusive coverage of the Hurricanes team Thanksgiving dinner on the road (November 25, 2016)
In a light-hearted holiday post, I put my spin on the Hurricanes Thanksgiving dinner on the road.
Michael Leighton offers the first great people story of many (November 27, 2016)
In a season that just kept getting better in terms of tremendous people stories, it all started when journeyman AHL goalie beat the odds and made it back to the NHL. His return featured a strong effort and a win against the Florida Panthers.
The Hurricanes notch a wild win for the ages against Vancouver (December 13, 2017)
In what I think was the wildest win of the season (and there were a few candidates), the Hurricanes beat Vancouver 8-6 with an utterly bonkers third period. The recap of the chaos is HERE.
Beer drinker’s guide to the Canes galaxy with the NC Beer Guys (December 21, 2016)
Courtesy of PNC Arena and NC Beer Guys, Canes and Coffee offered a beer drinking guide to the local craft beer options at PNC Arena (see video link) and also for away from PNC Arena.
Equipment manager Jorge Alves offers tremendous people story #2 (December 31, 2016)
Filling in as an emergency backup, equipment manager Jorge Alves fulfilled a dream of playing in the NHL and even got into the game taking Canes fans along for the ride.
Carolina Hurricanes’ New Year’s resolutions (January 1, 2017)
Cory Fogg did another lighter holiday season article naming New Year’s resolutions for the Hurricanes players and coaches. A more serious forward-looking note referenced the Leighton and Alves stories and said that “a Bryan Bickell return to PNC Arena ice would top both of them in 2017.” Oh how right that was in the end.
Chasing Matt Duchene (January 4, 2017)
Barely after the turn of the calendar to 2017, I wrote an article targeting Matt Duchene. The deal never happened, but within a few weeks and extending through the trade deadline, Matt Duchene was a regular topic of conversation in Hurricanes land.
A watershed game for rookie Sebastian Aho? (January 8, 2017)
In a tremendous rookie season, two games stand out about all others for Sebastian Aho. Aho’s effort in a much-needed win which I detailed HERE was the first of those.
Chase Bass from the Make A Wish Foundation provides another feel-good day at PNC Arena (January 12, 2017)
Check out the video (link included in this article) from the special day of Chase Bass and his day at PNC Arena.
Alex Nedeljkovic shines in his unexpected debut in his home state of Ohio (January 17, 2017)
Expected to sit on the bench as an emergency backup only, Alex Nedeljkovic instead got into the game in relief and played about half of a game of shutout hockey in his home state of Ohio. The recap is HERE.
Sebastian Aho posts his second watershed game (January 31, 2017)
After a weekend break and following a Hurricanes’ losing streak, Sebastian Aho erupted for a hat trick to lead the Hurricanes to a resounding 5-1 win against the Flyers who they were chasing in the playoff standings. The game recap is HERE.
‘Backyard Brawl’ features UNC vs. NC State at PNC Arena in wonderful local hockey showcase (February 3, 2017)
The game was good, but the atmosphere was even more electric when the club teams from UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State took their rivalry to the ice at PNC Arena. Read the event/game recap HERE.
Projecting the 2019-20 Carolina Hurricanes lineup (February 6, 2017)
Reminding us again how bright the team’s future is, Andrew Schnittker wrote an article projecting the 2019-20 roster and loading it up with promising prospects.
John Forslund-isms (March 8, 2017)
On March 8, the Hurricanes hockey chimed in and amassed a fairly thorough list of Forslund-isms that are an integral part of Hurricanes hockey lore.
Jaccob Slavin bursts out offensively too (March 13, 2017)
After a season that saw Jaccob Slavin emerge as the team’s best defender, his offense also picked up late in the season including an outburst for a hat trick in a wild win against the New York Islanders. Find the recap HERE.
Elias Lindholm finds a higher gear (March 21, 2017)
Somewhere around the midway point of season, Elias Lindholm suddenly found a significantly higher gear and never looked back. He looked like a different player from that point forward and started to produce accordingly in March. This article details the emergence of Lindholm.
‘Midterms’ series checks in on all 17 Hurricanes prospects below the AHL level (March 24, 2017)
Leveraging ‘from the rink’ insight from analysts, media and scouts who watch each player regularly, Canes and Coffee’s ‘Midterms’ offered in-depth updates on the Hurricanes prospects. The series concluded with this article on Nicolas Roy that also included links to the other 16 articles.
Bryan Bickell inspires (April 8, 2017)
In a season full of great people stories, the last weekend that saw Bryan Bickell return to the NHL earlier in the week, be joined by his teammates at the MS walk and cap off his career with a shootout goal on Sunday topped everything. Some of the articles from that special weekend were included in the final Sunday Canes Chronicle of the regular season.
The Charlotte Checkers make the playoffs (April 18, 2017)
After a late-season surge, the Checkers brought 2017 playoff hockey to North Carolina. Jordan Futrell recapped the last push that put the Checkers into the postseason.
What say you Caniacs?
What were your 2-3 favorite games or stories from the 2016-17 season?
Did I miss any other highlights that stood out to you?
Go Canes!
Matt, Despite any years without playoffs, it was a good season in many ways due to the great people stories of Leighton, Alves, and especially Bickell. Of course, every mention of the future reminds Canes’ fans how much talent there is yet to take the ice.
So the two stories that stand out regarding the future:
1) What didn’t happen: the trade for Duchene. I think most Carolina fans would agree in hindsight that giving up Lindholm, McKeown and a pick would have been a negative. Especially, if McKeown becomes a solid defender as Andrew predicted in his article about the 19-20 team.
2) Who isn’t mentioned in that article about 19-20. The fact that names like Zykov, Saarela, DiGuseppe, and Foegele aren’t mentioned indicates just how much depth is in the pipeline.
Thanks for all the hard work you and the others put in to keep us reading and commenting about our favorite sports team.
ctcaniac, as usual, hit things pretty much on the head as far as I am concerned. I would just add, also as usual, that the Bryan Bickel situation really was inspirational the way he and the Canes organization handled it. Class coupled with bravery. Also, the trade of Ron Hainsey to Pittsburgh stood our for me. Here’s a guy who played his entire career without playing in one playoff game. He continued to give his all for the Canes who at the trading deadline were almost a sure bet not to make the playoffs again this year. You heard no whimpers or cries from Hainsey to move him so he could play in the playoffs. Not only did RF give him the chance for the playoffs, he got him to a team that has a chance to win the cup.
Thanks for all the efforts on your part Matt for not only keeping this site going, but keeping it up with quality topics and keen insights that spur participation from others. Also, thanks to ctcaniac, puckgod, canesjkg, teninunmee, fogger 794, dmilleravid, and all the other Caniacs who participate. You all make this site the site of choice by me for Canes news and discussion.