The Carolina Hurricanes’ return to Boston for a playoff series has provoked many reminiscences of their days as the Hartford Whalers, when they went 0-2 against the Bruins in the postseason.
Funny enough, five players from the final team in Hartford (in the 1996-97 season) are still playing professionally, and another handful retired after last season, including Geoff Sanderson and Glen Wesley — Tuesday's Top Five.
5. Nolan Pratt — Moved to Russia to play for Khabarovsk Amur in the KHL after playing for the Boston Bruins in 2007-08.
4. Jean-Sebastien Giguere — Won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP in 2003 and the Cup in 2007, but lost his job to Jonas Hiller this season.
3. Sami Kapanen — Left the Philadelphia Flyers after last season to return to his native Finland and play for KalPa, the pro team he owns there.
2. Marek Malik — Now with his fourth NHL club, the gargantuan defenseman continues to prove his critics wrong.
1. Brendan Shanahan — The Canes knocked his New Jersey Devils out of the playoffs — and knocked one of his false teeth out in Game 6.
Luke has worked for The N&O since 2000. He covered the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL before becoming a sports columnist in August 2008. A native of Evanston, Ill., he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He can be reached at (919) 829-8947, @LukeDeCock on Twitter or
Comments
Oh, and about Pronger
Wed, 05/06/2009 - 11:47 — canesmojoLuke said the final Whalers team -- meaning the 1996-97 Whalers. Pronger was long gone by then.
She's graduated now but...
Wed, 05/06/2009 - 11:44 — canesmojoSince ya brung up BU, didja know that the girl wearing the "C" for the 2002 BC Women's Hockey Team in was a native of Walkertown, NC? Yup. Missy Barsz. Went to BC on an academic scholarship, and was a 4-year varsity player... just for fun.
(And yes, I said "native" not "transplanted resident alien". ;) )
What about
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 17:31 — mattpavonePronger?, no? At least he's still IN the playoffs!
Don't feed the trolls.
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 14:27 — caneshockeyfanDon't feed the trolls.
The list should be 8. - Hnat
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 10:59 — atrioneThe list should be 8.
- Hnat Dominichelli played 13 games for the Whalers that season before being traded to Calgary in the Steve Chiasson deal. He last played in the NHL in 02-03 but has played the last 6 seasons in the Swiss League.
- Steve Martins who played 2 games for the Whalers and has played the last 3 seasons with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.
- Andrei Nikolishin played 12 games with the Whalers that season before being traded to Washington and last played in the NHL in 03-04. He's played in Russia since.
You're Making My Point....
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 11:02 — JumptheSharkSee, Hickey. Here we have two amatuers talling Decock what's up. He's the professional. He's supposed to be enlightening us. Not the other way around. You shouldn't stand for this sort of mediocrity in your local media.
I don't know if he gets paid by the blog or the word, but my guess is by the blog. At anyrate, he sure did create some "talking points".
New Fangled Stereoscopic View Vs The Rusty Monocle.
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 09:18 — JumptheSharkYes, I suppose that is interesting, that there are five active players from that Hartford team. But, you know what would have made your blog even more interesting? Pointing out the fact that there are also five active players from that Bs squad. Now there's symetry. Do your homework. Maybe have an even more interesting point of view next time. As The Cars once said, Life is strange, when moving in stereo. Kyle McLaren SJS Randy Robitaille OTT Andre Roy CGY Steve Staios EDM Landon Wilson DAL
Why should the local Raleigh media focus
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 10:13 — hockeyhickon the Bruins side of this story? The players you mentiond have no connection to our club or our fans, much the same as readers in Boston could give a crap about what Marek Malik is doing these days.
What's the matter, you can't bash the Canes anymore so you have to bash the media? Damn son, you sound an awful lot like some of the half-wit Canes "fans" that do the same thing! And if reporting news from the "other side" is such a great idea, take a look at the comments from Globe reader on the article in the link above. Worked out great for Shaughnessy...
Bash the media?
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 10:45 — JumptheSharkWho, me? Never. I'm just trying to get your boy here to step up to the plate and work a bit harder. Don't you find it interesting that there are 5 players from each team that played back in the day?
This is why your boy is serving up blogspots in a small market town. He can be better. I know he can.
Oh, by the way, I called him out even before game two. Go look it up. It was another lazy fill-my-quota blogspot. His five point plan. Then some other nitwit says "we need to swap Babs for kabs until we're up 2 games to one. Then we can put Babs back in, cause he plays better at home".
What? Then your boy defended that silly suggestion.
You don't have to think small just because you're in a small market. Your readership is probably 2-1 Boston fans at the moment. Show them you know what you're talking about. Don't be lazy.
Boston = huge market
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 11:25 — wolfpackcaniacIf only we had more insight into these legendary big markets. While we're doing top 5s... 5 cities bigger than Boston:
1. Milwaukee
2. Columbus, OH
3. Charlotte
4. Fort Worth, TX
5. El Paso, TX
--- if only Raleigh (and Boston) could pull up their big boy pants and join this elite group!
Time for you larger markets to man up and demand more from your
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 11:53 — JumptheSharkNew England Patriots--SB Wins in 2001, 2003 & 2004
Da Sox--2004 & 2007
Big Green--2008
Bs--2009?
I'd say those bigger markets ought to man-up and get them a championship.
BTW, here's the official ranking:
Hey shark, you
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 12:37 — canes017Hey shark,
you forgot to add the fact that:
1. the bruins have ONE playoff series win in 13 years: an embarrassment for an original 6 team
2.The Patriots comical meltdown in the 08 Superbowl
3. The red sox being the in the sewer of mlb for almost a century.
4. The Celtics being on life support in the NBA playoffs.
Don't get too drunk on the Bahhhston area's teams recent successes, they can disappear just as quickly as they arrived.
Have to jump in
Wed, 05/06/2009 - 11:36 — AVisitFromBostonThat list sucked.
1) The Bruins ownership has been the biggest hurdle for the team. Sucks, but I would not go as far as embarrassing.
2) Comical? That was a great game won on a circus catch and a Pats DB that let a clinch INT go through his hands. Comical? No.
3) Sewer for a century? In the last one hundred years the Red Sox have WON 5 world series and lost 4. Sewer? No.
4) The Celtics are still playing and there are only 8 teams left. I'm proud. Oh btw, they're defending champs.
I am not drunk. And recent success will not disappear, they will only stop being recent. We get to cherish tem forever.
Jealousy
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 13:13 — JumptheSharkSix Titles to your one this decade. Ha ha ha.
You and your boys now rank among the fellowship of the miserable.
You'll never win with Delhomme. And I believe he was awarded an extension recently. Ha! But, hey, have fun trying.
Uh Oh
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 13:16 — canes017How many times has your team raised the Stanley Cup in the last decade? I anxiously await your answer.
Too Busy to Notice
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 13:24 — JumptheSharkWe've been busy celebrating elsewhere. So many championships, so little time. You go hang on to that one cup win.
I've seen two Bruins cups in my lifetime. How many for you? Oh yeah. Just one. How many baseball titles for you? Oh, wait, you don't have a team. How many Superbowls? Oh yeah, you have Delhomme at QB. Nevermind.
Oh, and I think you have a hoops team, too. What's their name again? How's that working out? I believe we have 17 hoops banners hanging in the Garden.
Check it....
You've witnessed TWO Bruins Cup teams?!?
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 14:26 — hockeyhickThat explains the "nimrod" and "knucklehead" terms! You're really old! Hey, we're all headed that way. Good on ya, Father Time!
AWW
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 14:39 — wolfpackcaniacAhh, give the ol' shark a break. The big fish is probably just learning to use the interweb super information highway. "Psh, kids these days with their rap music and stanley cups. Back in my day we only had to beat 5 other teams to win the championship. And GET OFF MY LAWN"
Hey, Nice!
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 14:57 — JumptheSharkThanks for sticking up for the old timer.
Ah, Bobby Orr. Pie. Turk. Espo. The good 'ol days.
That would have been an
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 13:37 — canes017That would have been an AMAZING answer if the challenge posed to you would have been :
"dance around the following question without answering it"
Alas, youre goal was merely to answer the question, not dance around it so I'll go ahead and answer it for you since you apparently can't count to zero:
The Boston Bruins have won... zero... Stanley Cups in the last decade. Zero.
Sorry
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 14:56 — JumptheSharkWas too busy trying to count all of the other championships. There were so many, in fact, that I forgot to count the NCAA Hockey Championships. Yeah, we have a bunch of those, too. Then, I thought of the Panthers and Delhomme. HA!
FOX Getting 'er done! Or not. I think they re-up'ed him, too. Hey, he can at least get you in the playoffs now and then. Maybe when Brady & Manning retire you'll have your chance.
I'll claim BU's national
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 16:17 — atrioneI'll claim BU's national championship too. My daughter goes there and I've got 3 years of her tuition sunk into the joint.
Nice
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 16:22 — JumptheSharkAll aboard! This year's BU team was a monster. Super-talented. Super groovy.
i wonder if sami might make
Tue, 05/05/2009 - 00:42 — jejohn8i wonder if sami might make it back to raleigh and see his countrymen play.