Carolina Hurricanes
Team Page | Schedule | Roster | 1998-99 Stats
Sports Illustrated Ranking: 19
By Tim Crothers
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| 1998-99 Leaders |
| Stat |
Leader |
No. |
Goals
Assists
Points
+/-
Shots
Ice time (F)
Ice time (D)
Faceoff Pct.
Hits
PP Pts.
SH Pts.
|
Keith Primeau
Sami Kapanen
Keith Primeau
Nolan Pratt
Sami Kapanen
Ron Francis
Glen Wesley
Keith Primeau
Gary Roberts
Ron Francis
Paul Ranheim
|
30
35
62
+15
254
21.9
22.5
53.5
260
18
2
|
|
|
For two long years, as Carolina coach Paul Maurice made the
160-mile round-trip commute between Raleigh and Greensboro for
Hurricanes "home" games, he lamented that several NHL teams made
shorter treks to road games. This inconvenience, which came on
the heels of the franchise's rancorous exit from Hartford in
1997, explains why the Hurricanes can't wait for the Oct. 29
opening of their new rink, the 18,176-seat Raleigh Entertainment
and Sports Arena. Dorothy didn't want to get home from Oz this
badly. "It's been 3 1/2 years since we've been in a building we
really felt was ours," Maurice says. "Honestly, I've forgotten
what it's like to play a true home game."
As the Hurricanes prepare finally to make landfall in Raleigh,
there are still questions about their ability to win the hearts
of fans in a state where the only hurricanes most folks know are
named Dennis and Floyd. This season may begin without the team's
top two scorers from last year, Keith Primeau, who is a contract
holdout, and Ray Sheppard, whom the club has not re-signed. That
is troubling news for a team that was last in the league on the
power play a year ago (11% success rate). Maurice has wisely
changed his club's mind-set to a more defensive one, banking
that goaltender Arturs Irbe can reprise his stellar '98-99
season in which he had 27 wins and a 2.22 goals-against average.
"Coach expects us to play a lot of 2-1 games," Irbe says. "It
won't be easy, but it's up to me to make sure the other team has
the 1."
Last season the 32-year-old Maurice dressed nine players his age
or older. This year he will build more around young pups like
left wing Bates Battaglia and right wing Tommy Westlund to
support blossoming star Sami Kapanen (59 points), as the club
attempts to emerge from a miserable postseason history that
includes just one playoff series victory in 20 years. "This
franchise has been through a lot of crises, with many different
coaches, G.M.'s and players," says veteran center Ron Francis.
"Now that we've finally got a strong foundation in the new arena,
our team has to prove it has a solid foundation, too."
Last year the Hurricanes did return to the playoffs for the
first time in seven years and won their first division crown
since '87. Their defense of that title, however, will be
handicapped by the fact that the team must open the season with
nine road games while construction on the new rink is completed.
So it goes with this star-crossed franchise, where it seems the
building is never quite done.
Issue date: October 4, 1999
ALSO:
SI's Scouting Report Main Page
SI's Pierre McGuire Insider Rankings
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BRIGHT SPOTS
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GRAY AREAS
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After a record-tying nine-game road trip to start the season, the 'Canes open the Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena on Oct. 29 against N.J. No more excuses about travel.
Ron Francis is seventh on the all-time assist list with 1,037. He is within reach of Marcel Dionne (1,040), Gordie Howe (1,049) and Mark Messier (1,050).
Old Gary Roberts led the team in hits . . . and he's nine goals shy of 300 for his career.
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Keith Primeau's absence is huge. On the ice, the 'Canes lose their leading point-scorer from last year. In the locker room, they lose their captain.
Veteran Ray Sheppard, second on the team in scoring last year, also won't be back.
Arturs Irbe ran Trevor Kidd and Kirk McLean out of town, but can he live up to last year's 27-win season?
A power play that scored 11 percent of the time last year. | |
People, Places and Things
GM: Jim Rutherford
Coach: Paul Maurice; 5th season (128-143-45); 5th overall
Assistants: Randy Ladouceur; Kevin McCarthy
Captain: Keith Primeau
Last year: 34-30-18 (13th overall)
Playoffs: Lost to Boston 4-2 in first round.
PP: 27th (11.0%)
PK: 12th (85.3%)
Get The Highlighter
Sat., Oct. 2: Opening night at Boston.
Fri., Oct. 29: Home opener vs. New Jersey.
Notable Number
17: Career playoff points for Keith Primeau in 70 games.
Quoteworthy
"We're not going to change the salary structure of our team for just one player." -- GM Jim Rutherford on Keith Primeau's salary demands
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