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Showing posts from February, 2018

Bates Battaglia: More than just the hockey player from the Amazing Race.

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When I told my beautiful wife that this weeks blog post would be on hard-nosed Canes Left-Wing and part of the famed BBC Line Bates Battaglia, she gave me the adorable look she always does thats says "good for you" while going about her business of wondering what type of overgrown ten-year old she married. However, being the amazing wife she is she humored me and when I showed her the picture of Bates and kid brother Anthony Battaglia she immediately remembered them from Season 22 of the Amazing Race. (pictured below) However to the members of the Redvolution Bates Battaglia is remembered as 1/3 of the BBC Line that carried a 3 seed Canes team to the 2002 Stanley Cup Final. The Illinois Native was drafted in 1994 by the then Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the sixth round. In 1997 he was traded to the then Hartford Whalers. After having a successful 1997-1998 season in New Haven of the AHL, Battaglia joined the Inaugural Canes roster, and began his NHL career. Playing in 40

Caniac Collector Extra ! Canes Corner with Noah Freakin Hanifin

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Hello Friends. I have always considered myself a husband and father before a hockey fan. With that being said last night I had the opportunity to take my daughter to meet her favorite player on the Canes Noah Hanifin. She has recently began attending Canes games with me and decided Noah Hanifin is her favorite Hurricane. "Why ?" you ask. Is it because he just made his first All-Star appearance? No it is not. Is it because he has the potential to be a great defenseman? That's a big negative. Is it because the share a birthday? Possibly, but no. It's because she thinks he is cute (If you listen carefully you can hear daddy's palm slap his forehead). As a parent I was a little nervous taking my child to meet her hero. I had a bad encounter with a favorite athlete of mine at a signing when I was a kid, and found it heartbreaking to realize someone could be so cold to their fans. Nevertheless I decided to take her and let it play out, and what we found out was the he c

Forgotten Canes: Willy and His Winning Ways

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Before we knew Shane Willis as a Hurricanes Live stalwart along side the likes of  John Forslund Tripp Tracy, and T.V.'s Mike Maniscalco. He was a serviceable hockey player with a unique start to his career. Willis was originally drafted 56th Overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1995, after not being able to come to terms on a contract Willis returned to juniors splitting the 1995- 1997 seasons between the Prince Albert Raiders and Lethbridge Hurricanes on the Western Hockey League. Willis re-entered the NHL draft in 1997 and was selected 88th Overall by the Carolina Hurricanes. Shane began his Rookie Season on fire with a hat-trick against the Washington Capitals on September 27,2000. Willis duplicated the Task on February 21in a 6-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers. Willis Finished his rookie campaign with a 20 goal 44 point season.  Injuries and inconsistency plagued Willis after his rookie season. His second season saw him traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning midway t

My Favorite Cane

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Hello Fellow Caniacs and other Collectors! Whenever we meet a fellow fan of our hockey team of choice this inevitable question will eventually be asked:"Who is your favorite player?" Well in my case  for my entire fandom the answer has been the same. It has always been Team Captain ( or co-captain if you want to be technical) Justin Faulk. Drafted out of the University of Minnesota Duluth in the 2010 NHL Draft ( Jeff Skinner was picked in the first round making it arguably the best Canes draft to date), Faulk has established himself as an offensive threat from the blueline. Even with a down year scoring in the 2017-2018 season Faulk is on pace to surpass Glenn Wesley as the Canes all-time leader in scoring by a defender. Couple that with representing the Canes in the All-star Game 4 times and Team USA in the 2014 Olympics,  Faulk has became one of the many young faces of the franchise. In my world of collecting Faulk has been one of the main focuses of my per