Dear loyal fans:
Long before I was the owner of a National Hockey League franchise, I was a hockey fan. My passion for watching our great game has only grown as I’ve watched our team over the years, reaching the highest of highs when the Hurricanes brought North Carolina its first major league championship in 2006. As a fan, I understand how frustrating it is not to be able to watch your team in action. With the resolution agreed upon this weekend, we will finally have the chance to see the 2012-13 Carolina Hurricanes on the ice. I sincerely apologize for the delay, and for the hurt that it caused you as a fan.
This past summer, our organization took major steps toward giving our team a better chance to compete for the Stanley Cup. Our team had a need at forward, and we were able to bring in two elite-level players to fill that need. Jordan Staal is a big, physical center who is just 24 years old and entering the prime of his career. We feel that Jordan is the perfect fit for our organization, which is why we signed him to a 10-year contract in July, ensuring he will be a fixture on the ice and in our community for a long time. Alexander Semin is one of hockey’s most talented players, and our staff did a great deal of scouting and research to get a grasp on the effect he could have in our lineup. The addition of these two high-end players to a lineup that already includes Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner and Cam Ward makes this an exciting time for fans of the Hurricanes, myself included.
Again, I apologize for the delay to the start of the season, and thank you for your patience throughout this process. It’s time to play hockey, and I can’t wait to see what this team has in store for us this season.
Sincerely,
Peter Karmanos, Jr.
Peter Karmanos Jr.
Owner
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at
Comments
Re:"cutting off our noses"
Sun, 01/13/2013 - 12:37 — realistgymWhat are they going to do--raise ticket prices again?
Raise parking prices?
Up beer prices?
Move the franchise?
Lock us out AGAIN?
They cared enough to cut us out completely. We are not talking the American revolution here. Just a little show of a tiny amount of backbone.
Remember, it wasn't the sheep that took over in the book "Animal Farm".
Be prepared, after all the "special things" they offer, to hear the same old song. Just like the leaders in that book: "Five dollars good, TEN dollars better". Your "hard earned cash" fills their troughs...
Are they showing any sign of going on a diet?
lets make a statement--that won't mean a thing
Sun, 01/13/2013 - 12:23 — realistgymI feel your pain; you would like to say something, but not TOO loud. Let's not lose a ticket fee; let's not hurt the band boosters. Let's not risk anything personal. Do you think the swim team or the band
ever entered Bettman's mind or ever concerned any NFL management when they locked the players and fans out. Yes, they not only locked out the players, the fans, but they also locked out the bands, swim teams, etc. Did management or league kick up any cash to those fund raisers during the lockout?
And you feel good because they got to hold your "hard earned cash" in their accounts?
What better way to make a statement than to deny them the one thing that the lockout was all about--fighting over YOUR HARD EARNED CASH.
If you behave like sheep, be prepared to get fleeced...
JUST BOYCOTT ONE GAME. Watch the embarrassment it causes. Nationally. On the networks. On espn. Watch the little weasel Bettman squirm while he explains why the fans locked him out.
I can appreciate where you are coming from
Thu, 01/10/2013 - 23:35 — AN0NYM0USBut not sure that boycotting a game is the right strategy (especially for those of us who have already plunked down our hard-earned money to buy season tickets -- and kept them in the Canes account during the lockout). Perhaps there are better ways to make a public statement about our disgust with the lockout--boycott all concessions for a game, wear black, don't show up for the first 5 minutes--it would be great to make a statement--without cutting off our noses......
Bad Idea
Fri, 01/11/2013 - 11:42 — richardfocBoycotting concessions would hurt the Band Boosters, Swim Teams, etc that man those concession stands to raise funds for their various groups. And after missing so many games they don't need to be penalized any further.
one more thing about loyalty...
Thu, 01/10/2013 - 21:54 — realistgymIt needs to be earned, not blindly accorded
How about a fan statement?
Thu, 01/10/2013 - 21:39 — realistgymWORDS ARE CHEAP
It WAS time to play hockey months ago. It's not being played because you, management, not only locked out the players, but also the fans. No one sought our opinion, though it is WE WHO PAY THE BILLS. We bought the tickets, the beer, the jerseys, tchotchkes, and even spent our TIME watching the ads that are the price of admission to tv time. WE are the source of all that glorious money that y'all were posturing over. And no one cared about our opinion.
We need a FAN STRIKE for at least one game. No one show up; no one drink the beer, eat the dogs, pay the parking. REMIND MANAGEMENT THAT WE DESERVE THE TINIEST MODICUM OF RESPECT. Let's pick a game when the schedule is announced, and send them a reminder. They've proved to us that we can do without hockey when they choose to deny it to us; What if the shoe is on the other foot? The players will still get paid; the stadium help will still be paid. Only management will feel the pinch. Do we really owe them any loyalty when they didn't even solicit our opinion....until it's time to sell tickets?