For this game, I will skip my usual detailed game recap and notes because writing about that would completely miss the point.
A special night in Hurricanes history
Ten years to the day since the Carolina Hurricanes last clinched a playoff berth in 2009, the team punched its ticket to the 2019 playoffs on Thursday night at PNC Arena.
The game will instantly take its rightful place among the greatest games in Carolina Hurricanes history and hopefully be the first of many for this new era in Hurricanes hockey. The energy in the building and the sheer jubilation as the clock wound down with the Hurricanes winning and the Canadiens losing was truly something special to experience.
More than anything, this game is a just and well-deserved reward for a hockey community that deserves it.
Justin Faulk has worn a Hurricanes uniform for eight years, has hockey scars to show for it and will finally play in his first NHL playoff game. Jordan Staal arrived here to live a dream playing winning hockey with his brother. That dream never materialized, and Eric Staal has since departed. But looking forward not backward, Jordan Staal will play his first playoff game since joining the Hurricanes. The group of young guns including Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Warren Foegele, Brock McGinn, Saku Maenalanen and Lucas Wallmark will all see their first NHL playoff action. I am incredibly for the players and staff who have worked so hard for this achievement.
The fan base is also so deserving. Whether fans have been commiserating with this team for only the past couple years, the full decade of playoff drought or even longer, Thursday’s joy is so much deserved and long overdue. I am especially happy for the generation of fans who have yet to experience playoff hockey. I was originally hooked on Hurricanes hockey by the tense fun of the playoffs and am thrilled that fans we will be growing our fan base in the coming weeks.
Allow me to divert a bit from my usual coverage to share a short story on a personal level. I have had ridden the ups and downs like any other fan but have always found a way to enjoy Canes hockey even during lean times. But a couple years ago in late March, one of my younger sons asked me if the Hurricanes ever made the playoffs or if they ever would. That crushed me and made my heart sink. He would have been about 11 at the time, and he had actually been to all of the playoff games in 2009 but was too young to remember. Since then, each and every time I have had to let go of another Hurricanes season, it hurt me to see another year pass without my sons seeing playoff hockey in Raleigh. So on Thursday night, by far my greatest joy was watching my sons rejoice about the Hurricanes making the playoffs. My second greatest joy was watching the players react and start hugging each other when the Capitals/Canadiens score went up on the scoreboard.
Certainly, each and every Caniac has his or her own story or initial feelings from the Hurricanes clinching a playoff spot tonight. What is so incredibly cool about these moments is how they can be shared with the rest of the fan base but at the same time be such incredible personal experiences that are unlike anyone else. Thursday night forever in all of our memories as a shared, common experience for all Caniacs but in a way that is completely unique and personal.
Very brief recap
As for the game itself, I will be brief…
–Warren Foegele rose up with a huge goal for the second time during the stretch run.
–The team in total again maxed out compete level just like it did on Tuesday.
–Maybe fittingly, Justin Faulk scored a huge goal that put the Hurricanes ahead and turned out to be the game-winner.
–The top line made its mark in the third period when Nino Niederreiter scored off the rush.
–Petr Mrazek was great yet again.
The Hurricanes close out the regular season on Saturday in Philadelphia. With a playoff spot clinched, the pressure is off, but the game could still have implications in terms of seeding.
Rest up Caniacs and get your voices back. Playoff hockey should return to Raleigh probably either on Monday, April 15 or Tuesday, April 16.
Go Canes!
I cried and high fived most of the walls in my house. Playoffs are coming to Raleigh, yall! Already bought my plane ticket back.
Pardon my French but holy shit! That was awesome! (yes, sometimes a phrase like “holy shit” is called for).
Thanks to Mr. Warren’s pretty durn awesome breakaway, Faulk’s GWG (does that guy ever deserve it, he is Mr.Carolina and has been with the Canes through most of the bad times) and, of course, el Nino!
Don’t get me wrong, Mrazek was the man of the game and the goal tending tandem was the difference between playoffs and another frustrating early return to golf season.
I’d almost rather get Tbl in the playoffs so I don’t really care how things go on Saturday, and I don’t care if the Canes don’t win a single game in the playoffs (they could, this team has some balls, the on ice roster has approx. 38 of them on average, the Penguins with Kessel on the ice only have 37) but this is all we could’ve asked for this season. #TakeWarning
This is fun. I am pretty sure after the NJ goal most Caniacs were thinking “I knew it was too good to be true.” But then the Bunch of Jerks made it true.
I disagree with breezy–hoping the Canes play hard because they want third in the division on Saturday. Because my family is going to be at the game. I promised my son if game 82 had any meaning we would drive to Philly. If anyone else is going, let me know and we will try to say hello while cheering on the PLAYOFF BOUND Hurricanes.
Incredible night. Loved seeing the players realize on ice that they were in.
Oh, I have no qualms with the Canes winning on Saturday, or any day, especially if the Rangers do us a favor and beat the Pens.
It’s a bit crazy that 99 points may not even be enough to clinch a third in the metro.
Wow that was fun!
The intersection of sports and life drives a prediction: the Raleigh area maternity wards will be full around New Year’s Eve.
The record of having the longest current playoff drought will be passed on to the Buffalo Sabres, soon to have 8 straight years w/o a post season game. Anyone else see a special irony in that?
Great feeling. I had my doubts in November and December, but once the goaltending started coming around this team rolled. It started with McElhinney and then Mrazek took over. It is what this team needed for so many years. Honestly, I can’t remember the last stinker that went in. That was happening every night the past few years. Brind’Amour deserves a ton of credit, but I bet even he would tell you the goaltending was the key.
1) Hats off to the Devils for playing playoff-style hockey and forcing the Canes to be at their best to get into the playoffs. Tough game and the Canes have proven over and over again that they can grit it out and win against multiple styles of play. It would have been easy for the Devils to phone it in (see videos of the Flyers vs. Blues last night for a good example of dogs playing hockey when it doesn’t matter except pride).
2) A second hat off and appreciation for Justin Faulk. I have never been a fan of his and after last season, I fully expected him to land somewhere else and play out his career as a third pairing d-man. After all he went through having to listen to knuckleheads like me attempt to force him out of town for a bag of pucks, he proved something by having an absolutely tremendous season – highlighted by his goal last night that instantly changed the game dynamics. Well done.
3) League MVP? If the criteria is who on your roster can you least afford to lose, it would be tough to not have Justin Williams in the mix. He has meant everything to this team. Players, coaches, ownership and fans. Simply put, the Canes aren’t even sniffing the playoffs without him. We’d be watching videos of another locker clean out on Monday and hearing the same old stories about next season. True leader.
Truly special season! Boy was I mad last year, TD was going to be another Jerry Jones, Skinny was traded for not even a bag of pucks, lindy traded (was ok with Hanny leaving and liked getting Hamilton)… and so on and so on…
However, the year played out, the team (players and mgmt team) grew, learned, jelled, competed, had consistency, stood up for each other, never gave up, and made you really respect everything they were doing.
What a joy…. and don’t forget the posters here and Matt…. it has been a pleasure reading all of these comments… like a family!
Go CANES!