Captain Slack
11-18-2003, 09:08 AM
Tough times for Hurricanes
Associated Press
11/17/2003
Their highest-paid winger has only one goal, a 19-year-old is their most consistent performer and attendance at their home games is down nearly 4,000 a game from last year.
These are tough times for the Carolina Hurricanes, picked by many to rebound from last year's disastrous season which saw them ravaged by injuries and finish dead last in the NHL.
Instead, the Hurricanes currently sit 13th in the 15-team Eastern Conference at 5-7-5-0.
``It's real frustrating,'' Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford said Monday from Raleigh. ``Because we're outshooting teams on most nights. We're either not capable of scoring or we're catching goalies on their best night.''
Rutherford points to a game last Sunday against Tampa Bay when the Hurricanes outshot the Lightning 38-26 but tied 1-1. And then on Saturday, Rutherford says with a sigh of frustration, Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig made 38 saves in a 2-1 win over Carolina.
``And we had great, great chances against him - off the crossbar, off the post, off his back,'' Rutherford said. ``And they score a power-play goal with two minutes left in the game and we lose 2-1.''
More disheartening has been the dramatic drop in attendance. After setting a franchise record (including Hartford) with a 15,682 average over their 41 home games last season, the Hurricanes have averaged 11,719 in nine home dates this season - the lowest average in the NHL.
``It concerns me, but it would worry me a lot more if we never got to a point here when the attendance was good,'' Rutherford said.
``We've done it before, we know it's here, but we're in a soft economy and in a market where a lot of people have lost jobs. And our team didn't have a very good year last year.''
Rutherford says more than 2,000 season tickets weren't renewed from last year, bringing the total down to 8,000.
``The bottom line is people are going to wait to see this team win on a consistent basis before we get back to where we were a year ago,'' Rutherford said.
And for the Hurricanes to start winning, they need their top guns to produce. Winger Jeff O'Neill, earning $3.7 million US this season, has only one goal in 17 games this season - although he does have 10 assists. But that's still not the kind of production expected from a three-time 30-goal scorer.
``When you look at O'Neill, his goals alone that he would normally have by this point in time I'm sure would have changed the outcome of some of the games,'' Rutherford said.
Rookie centre Eric Staal, who turned 19 last month, is tied for second in team scoring with 11 points (4-7) in 17 games.
``I look at the consistency of our forwards and Eric Staal over 17 games has been our best forward,'' Rutherford said. ``Not to take anything from Eric, because he's going to have a great career, but having a 19-year-old being your best forward tells you something (about their struggling offence).''
In fact, you can forget about seeing Staal skate for Canada at the world junior championships next month.
``They don't need to make that call,'' Rutherford said when asked about Hockey Canada asking for Staal's services.
In the meantime, the Hurricanes face what Rutherford thinks is a crucial week with a home game versus red-hot Philadelphia on Tuesday night followed by road games in Ottawa on Thursday, Buffalo on Friday and a home game next Sunday against Southeast Division rival Tampa.
``Once you get a little below .500 you start to get into a critical period,'' Rutherford said. ``Because once you have a bad week all of sudden your five or six games under .500. You can't dig yourself into too much of a hole. And we're in for a tough week.
``I think we have a good team to contend for our division but we can't let things slip any further.''
Notes: Hurricanes winger Jeff Daniels retired Monday, ending a 12-year NHL career. Rutherford said Daniels will remain with the organization, assisting player development. Daniels, 35, spent six years with Carolina and played for five other teams.
Associated Press
11/17/2003
Their highest-paid winger has only one goal, a 19-year-old is their most consistent performer and attendance at their home games is down nearly 4,000 a game from last year.
These are tough times for the Carolina Hurricanes, picked by many to rebound from last year's disastrous season which saw them ravaged by injuries and finish dead last in the NHL.
Instead, the Hurricanes currently sit 13th in the 15-team Eastern Conference at 5-7-5-0.
``It's real frustrating,'' Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford said Monday from Raleigh. ``Because we're outshooting teams on most nights. We're either not capable of scoring or we're catching goalies on their best night.''
Rutherford points to a game last Sunday against Tampa Bay when the Hurricanes outshot the Lightning 38-26 but tied 1-1. And then on Saturday, Rutherford says with a sigh of frustration, Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig made 38 saves in a 2-1 win over Carolina.
``And we had great, great chances against him - off the crossbar, off the post, off his back,'' Rutherford said. ``And they score a power-play goal with two minutes left in the game and we lose 2-1.''
More disheartening has been the dramatic drop in attendance. After setting a franchise record (including Hartford) with a 15,682 average over their 41 home games last season, the Hurricanes have averaged 11,719 in nine home dates this season - the lowest average in the NHL.
``It concerns me, but it would worry me a lot more if we never got to a point here when the attendance was good,'' Rutherford said.
``We've done it before, we know it's here, but we're in a soft economy and in a market where a lot of people have lost jobs. And our team didn't have a very good year last year.''
Rutherford says more than 2,000 season tickets weren't renewed from last year, bringing the total down to 8,000.
``The bottom line is people are going to wait to see this team win on a consistent basis before we get back to where we were a year ago,'' Rutherford said.
And for the Hurricanes to start winning, they need their top guns to produce. Winger Jeff O'Neill, earning $3.7 million US this season, has only one goal in 17 games this season - although he does have 10 assists. But that's still not the kind of production expected from a three-time 30-goal scorer.
``When you look at O'Neill, his goals alone that he would normally have by this point in time I'm sure would have changed the outcome of some of the games,'' Rutherford said.
Rookie centre Eric Staal, who turned 19 last month, is tied for second in team scoring with 11 points (4-7) in 17 games.
``I look at the consistency of our forwards and Eric Staal over 17 games has been our best forward,'' Rutherford said. ``Not to take anything from Eric, because he's going to have a great career, but having a 19-year-old being your best forward tells you something (about their struggling offence).''
In fact, you can forget about seeing Staal skate for Canada at the world junior championships next month.
``They don't need to make that call,'' Rutherford said when asked about Hockey Canada asking for Staal's services.
In the meantime, the Hurricanes face what Rutherford thinks is a crucial week with a home game versus red-hot Philadelphia on Tuesday night followed by road games in Ottawa on Thursday, Buffalo on Friday and a home game next Sunday against Southeast Division rival Tampa.
``Once you get a little below .500 you start to get into a critical period,'' Rutherford said. ``Because once you have a bad week all of sudden your five or six games under .500. You can't dig yourself into too much of a hole. And we're in for a tough week.
``I think we have a good team to contend for our division but we can't let things slip any further.''
Notes: Hurricanes winger Jeff Daniels retired Monday, ending a 12-year NHL career. Rutherford said Daniels will remain with the organization, assisting player development. Daniels, 35, spent six years with Carolina and played for five other teams.