Request for feedback in preparation for 2017-18 Hurricanes coverage

Before I lose people into the off-season, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help us over the next week to gather some input that we can use to shape Canes and Coffee’s coverage for the 2017-18 season. Email (canesandcoffee at gmail dot com) works well. Each and every email will be read and considered.

And by Wednesday or Thursday, we will have a survey ready as well, so please check back and/or keep an eye out on Twitter before sprinting away into the off-season.

The goal of Canes and Coffee from the beginning has been to support the Hurricanes hockey community, so your input into what you like, what you do not and what could be better is incredibly helpful as we plan for the 2017-18 season.

Finally, please consider making a contribution that is the equivalent of buying us a single cup of coffee as a thank you for CandC’s coverage during the 2016-17 season. $5 goes a long way. The link for the 2017-18 fundraiser is HERE.

The Monday after – The hardest day of the year as a fan

For me, as a fan, the Monday after the end of the NHL’s regular season is easily the hardest day of the year in non-playoff seasons. The regular season brings both ups and downs, but there is always a next game and/or something interesting to watch. And except for that 1 magical time in June of 2006, even the playoffs ultimately end on a down note. But for me, the 1 day when 16 fan bases are anxiously looking forward to the playoffs is the toughest day in the seasons when you are not 1 of those 16.

But also a much-needed break as someone who runs a hockey web site

As someone who somehow found his way into running a web site that is tied to the NHL season, the day after the end of the season is more of a mixed bag. On the positive side, the break from the volume and forced schedule of day-to-day stuff in-season is welcomed and a much-needed after 82 games. Canes and Coffee will be active throughout the off-season, and I will be writing daily (except possibly a short hiatus or 2). But the work is significantly different. The draft, beginning of free agency and prospect camp drive timely/daily coverage and require specific blocks of time, but for most of the summer the lack of new news offers the ability to write in batches and check out to some degree for a few days here and there. That makes it possible to be both active and resting/recharging to some degree during the summer.

And a time to be thankful for our wonderful Canes hockey community

Thank you to the Canes and Coffee’s informal team

At the intersection of my core as a fan and my happened upon role as web site founder, today is a day to be incredibly thankful to everyone who makes Canes and Coffee a big or a small part of their Hurricanes hockey fandom.

Canes and Coffee is incredibly lucky to have built an incredibly good small team despite not being a formal entity.

I am incredibly thankful to still be working with Drago and Rob from Oak City Technology who signed on on when Canes and Coffee was a crazy idea giving it a go on Kickstarter and not even a thing yet. Without their ability and generosity, the Canes and Coffee website would not be anything close to what it is today.

I am also incredibly thankful to still be working with Jamie Kellner who provides the vast majority of the professional photo content for Canes and Coffee. Without it, the site would not be even in the same neighborhood in terms of visual appeal.

I am also incredibly thankful for the tremendous team of writers who have shared their writing ability with Canes and Coffee and its audience. Jordan Futrell has been with Canes and Coffee almost from the beginning, and how cool is it that we are able to provide regular updates on the Checkers and the Canes prospects in Charlotte? Andrew Schnittker who also writes for the Technician has also added another voice to the site initially writing weekly recaps and more recently incredibly cool in-depth features. Finally, Cory Fogg embraced the time-consuming task of writing incredibly in-depth feature articles that I have long aspired to write more of but just never find the time during the in-season grind. (In addition to time, I lack Cory’s writing ability that makes long posts readable and entertaining.)

I would also like to thank my wife who is not formally part of Canes and Coffee, but is an unofficial member of the team who fills in when my life gets busy. Her willingness to help when I have some random and unreasonable request to keep Canes and Coffee moving forward is simply incredible. More significantly, she is the kind of supportive person that every person should have in their life for when you say “I have this crazy idea…” and you need someone to say if you want to do that I’m here to help and support that. Without that kind of person, the most ambitious things we consider quickly go by the wayside and are never acted upon.

Thank you to the Canes and Coffee community

Last but definitely not least, I would like to thank everyone who makes Canes and Coffee a part of their Hurricanes’ hockey time. To this day, I often cannot believe that there is an audience who cares to read my yammering and is willing to invest part of their Canes hockey time at Canes and Coffee.

I would especially like to thank the 64 people who were part of the original Kickstarter campaign that launched the site and more recently the people who have contributed financially to keep the lights on and also try to build a small budget for some summer projects.

I especially like to thank the regular contributors in The Coffee Shop. It is a work in process, but the site is gradually taking on the desired coffee shop atmosphere that sees Caniacs chatting and debating things about our hockey team. Thanks especially to redryder, ctcaniac, minjaben, bwstanley 26, puckgod, icecobra, charlestoncane, dmilleravid, surgalt, fogger794 and everyone else who keeps the conversation going.

Please tune in over the summer

First and foremost, I might/might not take a break that requires a few quiet days on the site. My inclination is to do 1-2 days of late-night binge writing to fill the shelf with ready-to-go daily posts such that I can take the couple breaks that I need to recharge for next season without anyone even noticing. We will see if I can pull that off.

But otherwise, expect Canes and Coffee to be as active as ever covering any breaking news on trades, contract signings and other moves and also providing in-depth coverage for the expansion draft, regular draft, free agency and the prospect camp in July.

We do have a couple more ambitious plans outside of regular Canes coverage but those are partially depending on our ongoing fundraiser (Again, please consider a 1-time $5 donation) and also time availability and energy level.

Rest up. Next year we return to the playoffs!

I enter every season with the optimism that that there is a chance to not just make the playoffs but also do something magical in them. The 2005-06 season validates the possibility.

But with a couple roster upgrades and a young team that is maturing quickly, I will enter the 2017-18 not just with optimism but also with an expectation that our Carolina Hurricanes will be playing hockey in mid-April.

So rest up fellow Caniacs! The next season could be a long 1 in a good way!

Thank you for making Canes and Coffee a part of your Carolina Hurricanes time.

Matt Karash
Founder of Canes and Coffee