Shell
08-22-2003, 06:58 PM
Friday, August 22, 2003
Welcome And Welcome Back
NEIL FULLER, Dunn Daily Record
RALEIGH — Erik Cole is back where he belongs. Danny Markov is now a part of a franchise he claimed he wouldn’t play for.
If the Carolina Hurricanes are to return to the upper half of the Eastern Conference during the upcoming season, those within the organization can look back at last week as where it all started to go right again.
Plus, the Markov deal takes considerable heat of Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford, who shipped away the young and popular — yet underachieving — David Tanabe to acquire the veteran defenseman.
Cole, who missed the final 29 games of the 2002-03 schedule due to a broken left leg, signed a one-year extension on Aug. 13. Now claiming to be 100 percent healthy, the 24-year-old winger is anxious to begin training camp.
And he’s happy to back with his teammates.
“I’m just happy to have [the contract signing] over with and behind me,” Cole said. “I’m looking forward to the season. I had every intention of getting down here early and getting back to business. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the ice with the guys, so I’m just ready to get going.”
Markov didn’t share Cole’s attitude — at least not when he was traded to the Hurricanes in a draft day deal that sent Tanabe and prospect Igor Knyazev to the Phoenix Coyotes.
The Moscow native, a restricted free agent, claimed he would never play for the Hurricanes and instead sit out the upcoming NHL season, electing to play in Russia rather than Carolina.
One day prior to Cole’s re-signing, Markov backed down. A three-year deal was reached through his agents.
Markov, currently working out in Russia, was not available for comment. Rutherford, however, was quite willing to discuss the matter. “He’s an all-out defenseman. He plays hard every shift,” Rutherford said of the newest Hurricane. “He’s almost to a point where a coach has to pull his reigns back a little. He’s a player that can give you anywhere from 21-25 minutes per game.
“I think you’ll see him coming into the prime of his career here and put up more points.”
In six NHL seasons, Markov — known around the league as one of the game’s better penalty-killing defensemen — has 19 goals, 82 assists and 240 penalty minutes. Last season with the Coyotes, he recorded four goals and 16 assists in 64 regular-season games.
Not outrageous offensive numbers. But, then again, Carolina wasn’t looking for another Brian Leetch. Markov (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) is expected to be a Sean Hill-like defender, only with better penalty-killing instincts.
In other words, the Hurricanes got just what they were hoping for and something that was missing from the team’s defense of the Eastern Conference championship.
“He’ll get a lot of power-play time with the Hurricanes,” said Rutherford, who had taken much flak from local fans and press alike when it looked as though Markov wouldn’t sign with Carolina. “We knew at the end of last season that the most important part of our team to fix was our defense. Now, we’ve completed that task by signing Danny Markov. Our defense is much improved, and because of that, our team is improved.”
Cole also feels the team is improved, as is his left leg. He believes he’s in the best shape since reporting to training camp two years ago — later making the Carolina roster and skating in all 23 games of the team’s playoff run into the Stanley Cup finals as a rookie.
That’s some long-awaited good news for the Hurricanes, who finished last in the league a season ago.
“I feel strong this year,” said Cole, who has 30 goals and 37 assists in 134 regular-season games. “I feel like I’m back to the point where I was at camp before I made the club. I’ve made my weight back, and I feel strong.”
There’s reason for icy hope in the Triangle again. Even if Markov did make people sweat out most of the summer.
(Neil Fuller can be reached at nfuller@dunndailyrecord.com.)
Welcome And Welcome Back
NEIL FULLER, Dunn Daily Record
RALEIGH — Erik Cole is back where he belongs. Danny Markov is now a part of a franchise he claimed he wouldn’t play for.
If the Carolina Hurricanes are to return to the upper half of the Eastern Conference during the upcoming season, those within the organization can look back at last week as where it all started to go right again.
Plus, the Markov deal takes considerable heat of Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford, who shipped away the young and popular — yet underachieving — David Tanabe to acquire the veteran defenseman.
Cole, who missed the final 29 games of the 2002-03 schedule due to a broken left leg, signed a one-year extension on Aug. 13. Now claiming to be 100 percent healthy, the 24-year-old winger is anxious to begin training camp.
And he’s happy to back with his teammates.
“I’m just happy to have [the contract signing] over with and behind me,” Cole said. “I’m looking forward to the season. I had every intention of getting down here early and getting back to business. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the ice with the guys, so I’m just ready to get going.”
Markov didn’t share Cole’s attitude — at least not when he was traded to the Hurricanes in a draft day deal that sent Tanabe and prospect Igor Knyazev to the Phoenix Coyotes.
The Moscow native, a restricted free agent, claimed he would never play for the Hurricanes and instead sit out the upcoming NHL season, electing to play in Russia rather than Carolina.
One day prior to Cole’s re-signing, Markov backed down. A three-year deal was reached through his agents.
Markov, currently working out in Russia, was not available for comment. Rutherford, however, was quite willing to discuss the matter. “He’s an all-out defenseman. He plays hard every shift,” Rutherford said of the newest Hurricane. “He’s almost to a point where a coach has to pull his reigns back a little. He’s a player that can give you anywhere from 21-25 minutes per game.
“I think you’ll see him coming into the prime of his career here and put up more points.”
In six NHL seasons, Markov — known around the league as one of the game’s better penalty-killing defensemen — has 19 goals, 82 assists and 240 penalty minutes. Last season with the Coyotes, he recorded four goals and 16 assists in 64 regular-season games.
Not outrageous offensive numbers. But, then again, Carolina wasn’t looking for another Brian Leetch. Markov (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) is expected to be a Sean Hill-like defender, only with better penalty-killing instincts.
In other words, the Hurricanes got just what they were hoping for and something that was missing from the team’s defense of the Eastern Conference championship.
“He’ll get a lot of power-play time with the Hurricanes,” said Rutherford, who had taken much flak from local fans and press alike when it looked as though Markov wouldn’t sign with Carolina. “We knew at the end of last season that the most important part of our team to fix was our defense. Now, we’ve completed that task by signing Danny Markov. Our defense is much improved, and because of that, our team is improved.”
Cole also feels the team is improved, as is his left leg. He believes he’s in the best shape since reporting to training camp two years ago — later making the Carolina roster and skating in all 23 games of the team’s playoff run into the Stanley Cup finals as a rookie.
That’s some long-awaited good news for the Hurricanes, who finished last in the league a season ago.
“I feel strong this year,” said Cole, who has 30 goals and 37 assists in 134 regular-season games. “I feel like I’m back to the point where I was at camp before I made the club. I’ve made my weight back, and I feel strong.”
There’s reason for icy hope in the Triangle again. Even if Markov did make people sweat out most of the summer.
(Neil Fuller can be reached at nfuller@dunndailyrecord.com.)