With a light 2-game week followed by 5 off days for the NHL-mandated bye week, here is hoping we can find enough topics to bandy around in the Coffee Shop over the next week.
Monday’s Coffee Shop post saw readers smartly predict an Eddie Lack start on Tuesday in a poll and identify Victor Rask as the player who most needs to find a higher gear down the stretch to boost the Hurricanes above the playoff cut line. For another post with potential for debate, check out Andrew Schnittker’s article that projected the Hurricanes’ 2019-20 lineup.
Polls
Remember to click ‘vote’ after each individual poll response.
What is the impact of the loss to the Washington Capitals on the Hurricanes' playoff hopes?
- Modest impact. The 0 points is tough, but a win Saturday in Dallas nets a 'good enough' week. (47%, 27 Votes)
- Almost nothing. This game was a write off. (32%, 18 Votes)
- Big impact. The Canes need every point they can get so 0 does not cut it regardless of circumstances. (18%, 10 Votes)
- Other (add in comments). (4%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 57
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What are your thoughts on Eddie Lack coming out of Tuesday's loss?
- Hard to even get a read on Lack given the tough assignment. Ask me after his next start. (45%, 25 Votes)
- For better or worse, Lack is the #2 for 2016-17, and the only lever Peters has to pull is how hard he tries to ride Ward. (20%, 11 Votes)
- Tuesday was the data point Francis needed to start shopping for another option for a backup goalie. (18%, 10 Votes)
- His tough outing was to be expected given the opponent and the long lay off. Peters needs to come right back to him soon. (14%, 8 Votes)
- Other (add in comments). (4%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 56
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Which Hurricanes player catches fire first?
- Jeff Skinner (57%, 29 Votes)
- Victor Rask (16%, 8 Votes)
- Teuvo Teravainen (14%, 7 Votes)
- Lee Stempniak (4%, 2 Votes)
- Brock McGinn (4%, 2 Votes)
- Other (add in comments). (4%, 2 Votes)
- Derek Ryan (2%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 51
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If we took Canes and Coffee on the road (like to an actual coffee shop), would you show up to bandy around Canes hockey in person?
- Would try to, but it depends a bunch on location and my schedule. (42%, 20 Votes)
- No. I am not local to Raleigh. (33%, 16 Votes)
- No. I'm good remaining in the digital domain. (15%, 7 Votes)
- Yes, definitely. Count me in. (10%, 5 Votes)
- No. (Other - Add in comments.) (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 48
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Carolina Hurricanes discussion
1) What do you make of the disparity between the Hurricanes home (17-6-1) and road (7-15-6) records that are almost reversed? Is it a matter of Bill Peters being able to work miracles with match ups at home to make the team look better than it is? Is it simply home cooking and confidence in friendly confines? Or…?
2) To what degree is the Hurricanes current challenge in net at least in terms of finding a viable backup of Peters’ and Francis’ own doing? To what degree is it just bad luck with injuries and maybe a bit of just doing what they had to?
3) Give me 1 (or more if you wish) idea for a promotion or marketing angle to add to the current way the team promotes itself and sells tickets.
Also check out Thursday’s Daily Cup of Joe that looks at room for improvement on the Hurricanes’ young blue line.
Go Canes!
1) Home friendly defensive match ups that are able to cover up the offensive deficiencies that are difficult to hide on the road.
2) Francis believed in Lack when he signed him and thought the starter – back up roles would be reversed with Lack the starter while Ward provided a veteran, capable back up. So in that sense, Francis created this situation but it was at best a two year plan anyway and the next move is the one that counts (during the off season, not now).
3) Eliminate the bad 80’s music as the theme song and an entire generation will return en mass. Get rid of Tripp Tracy and bring in an ex-player with some actual name recognition and a personality to help build excitement both during the season but more importantly during the off season. Kids under 10 get in free. It’s almost impossible to bring a family to a game unless you’ve sold your shares of Google last quarter. Make them get a ticket but at no cost (upper level). Revenue is made up with concessions (what kid doesn’t cost more than $12 a game in food/sugar water?). Single games only of course. Discounted tickets for northerners who can provide x-rays of bad backs from shoveling too much snow for too many years and miss the Penguins, Bruins, Flyers, Sabres or Rangers games. There is already a bunch of their fans at the games, may as will fill the rest – at least it’s a crowd. Seriously, I wish they would go back to the old ticket pricing methods where the tickets were more affordable for the individual games and packages. I know it hurt season ticket holders but adjust those as well and get more people in the stands. I just don’t believe all the figures coming from management who claim this current pricing is a more viable financial strategy. An average of two thousand more fans in the seats per game, with parking and concessions over the course of the season and playoffs, has to be a better model than this one that is producing the worst attendance in the league.
Agree that next move Francis makes at goalie position is a huge 1. My timeline says that next season is the season where I think it is fair to demand minimum results (a playoff berth) from Francis and Peters in their 3rd year. Depending on how the rest of the 2016-17 season plays out Francis might need to get creative or just invest more $ to shore up that position.
1) tenininumee covered everything I would say.
2) tenininumee covered this pretty well.
3) The music at the game is not my cup of tea. It goes from bad to worse as the game goes on. It’s at its worse when Mista Somebody starts when every song is Chii, Chii, Boom and nothing more. I am sure he enjoys it, but I don’t even call it music. Where’s stuff like the 2006 year with Springsteen’s The Rising to get the team and crowd going? Where’s Sweet Carolina after a Carolina goal and/or at the end of a victory? The music is uninspiring and I would just as soon cut it all out and let the organ player play stuff if we have to have any at all.
I sit in the third deck with season tickets and the prices are okay for me and the wife. No complaints. I don’t know what I would do (be able to do) if I had one or two small children. We used to have four season tickets when the team first came here and we were able to afford them. Unfortunately our two sons who came to the games with us both died. If both were still living, I don’t know that we could afford 4 tickets now though I suspect we would find some way to do so. I consider our ticket prices to be good and really have no complaints considering I only have to buy two season tickets. My concern is filling the bowl. Ticket prices down there seem to be high (not high versus the league, but high for this area). If you were to do something I would look after those season ticket holders in the bowl and for people who want to purchase tickets on game day in the bowl. Tenininumee has the right idea IMO.
1. A combination of all the above plus luck. Two of the best games the Canes have played this year were at Pittsburgh and at Chicago. Yet no points because opponent goalies made some great saves. In fact, based on analytics, the Pittsburgh game was one of the best games played by a team that didn’t win this decade. Which is to say, the Canes are really close to being a solid team.
2. Agree with prior comments–Lack hasn’t lived up to front office plan.
3. Lottery nights. Whenever a top draft pick is playing (McDavid, Matthews, Crosby, etc.) every ticket holder gets either a Powerball or MegaMillions, whichever is larger. Imagine the excitement if someone wins $1 million or more at a Canes game.
Interesting point on road losses to Pit and Chi which like you said were 2 very good games despite losing results.
Three recommendations:
1. Replace Tripp Tracey with anyone else.
2. Replace Tripp Tracey with anyone else.
3. Replace Tripp Tracey with anyone else.
Re: Goaltending
If there ever was a plan to get Lack going, it has been inscrutable. He has been the red headed step child over these last 2 seasons. Recently, getting a start “soon, real soon” meant waiting through a B2B and a total of 10 days from his rehab stint to face the Capitals at their home. Lack had a better SV% and GAA than Ward had 2 weeks before in Washington, but Lack will get shelved for 3 weeks for his effort. Peters and Francis have a dilemma totally of their own making. Once the decision to be a seller is made, I’ll enjoy watching them both stew in the juices of their own making.
One more comment: Replace Tripp Tracey with anyone else.
As much as I agree that the way Lack has been handled has been “curious”, he flat out stunk up the joint against the Caps. Three of those goals were ones he could have had. Still, given it was his 1st game since November, against the best team in the league, the outcome was preordained.
First post. I’ve been a Canes fan since day 1. I’m really enjoying your site and commentary. I live in the Triad area and can’t make it to every game due to work, so we have a mini plan. If i lived in the Triangle, I would have full season tickets.
In regards to attendance, it certainly is down overall but I do think that the change a couple of seasons ago to the new format where you choose your own games in the mini plans has resulted in a couple of things:
1. Previously, when you had a partial plan the games were selected for you (in the case of the old 26 game plan) or you chose from 1 of 3 (old 12 game) packages that focused on weekends, weekdays or a combo of the two. I’d assume most chose the weekend or combo package in those days (we did) and you’d see a big drop for a weeknight game against someone like Columbus. That said, you’d also see more Canes fans in the building for a Saturday game against the Pens/Flyers/Rangers.
2. Under the new choose your own method, if you don’t pick those big games it’s leaving more tickets open for the visiting fans. You used to be able to tell when a game was not in a 12 game pack and when one was in both 12 and 26 game packs. Granted it means attendance fluctuated more than normal, but we didn’t see the criticism of empty seats as much (in my opinion) as we have the last two years. I’m sure from a revenue standpoint the current method is better for the bottom line, but that has been a trade off.
Couple this with the playoff drought and casual fan indifference and, unfortunately, here we are. I think the Homegrown series has been great and needs to continue. The college rush is a good idea too but I think it is currently attracting a lot of non-Canes fans, especially when teams from the northeast are in town. The “Faulk all-star” special for lower level tickets helped and I think they can run a pricing promotion now and then without alienating full season ticket holders.
What we need is that first return trip to the playoffs, however short it may be, to bring out the passion again and create some positivity. We can’t do it at the expense of long term success, however, and I think RF and BP realize that. Maybe it happens this year and maybe it happens next, but it is coming sooner rather than later.
Go Canes!
Hey TriadCaniac…Thanks for chiming in!
I very much agree that winning and playoffs would make an immediate impact, and that reall y isn’t that different than about 25 other hockey markets.
Triad hit the ideal marketing campaign. Win hockey games and make the playoffs. I didn’t know the back story on the ticket sales strategy from a few years ago. Interesting dynamics at work. I wonder if they’d have any success selling 5 game packages for the remaining games in the upper sections at a severely reduced price. Playoffs Push Promotion. 5 games for $50. Must purchase 5. I’d do it even if I could only go to 3 and give the others away.
Home and away and different outcomes is pretty easily chalked up to combination of favorable match-ups with the last change and a more motivated forward corps in front of a home crowd. My sense is that the forwards seem to play a more defensively responsible game at home, one that doesn’t seem to rob their offense effort.
A very clear indicator of what Peters/Francis think this team’s post-season chances are will be a move for a goaltender or lack thereof. For whatever reason, Eddie’s been ruined here – either by his own doing, bad coaching, or bad luck. Beginning on Feb. 17, the Canes have 23 games in 41 days. While it would be a great story for the ages for Peters to ride Cam-bone for the entire stretch (especially if he looked like the ’08-’09 version), the chances for injury or an otherwise string of poor performances looms large. So it would certainly appear that the towel has been thrown in if we don’t see some shake up in net.
I’ve always been a big proponent of special promotions, mostly because they tend to work. As an “on again, off again” season ticket holder, it never bothered me that discounted tickets were being made available. All one has to do is go to StubHub on any given night to see what true market pricing has to offer. I’d rather come to a game where the barn is mostly full, regardless of ticket costs.
As a result, I’d like to see more special promotion nights as opposed to less. I like the ad hoc ticket packs that have been cropping up. 3 game and 5 game packages are smart. The $27 Justin Faulk night was brilliant. I think you could identify tailgate night type of competitions. I think you could do a more concerted effort to market directly to the college student crowd (not ticket pricing per se, but something else – chartered buses for example). It would also be cool to see “ticket specials” driven off of social media campaigns. Stuff like, “…meet us at X for $20 tickets, we only have X available and they will only be there for the next 2 hours”, stuff like that.