The Caniac Collector

Since their inception in 1997 the Carolina Hurricanes have all but outright refused to acknowledge their previous existence as the Hartford Whalers. However, from 1979 to 1997 the Hurricanes had another existence as the Hartford Whalers. While the team record books acknowledge the Whalers, the Hurricanes as a team have never officially acknowledged there existence. No Throwback night, No jersey sales, nothing at all. Due to this outright shunning by former Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos players such as Kevin Dineen have become forgotten in Canes Folklore. Having two separate stints with the Whalers (84-91 and 95-97), and only two seasons with the Hurricanes. It is understandable as to why Dineen gets overlooked in Canes history. However, in overlooking his place in team history we are overlooking an interesting part of it as well. Dineen served as the last Team Captain in Hartford Whalers history, before their move to Raleigh by way of Greensboro in 1997. Dineen also scored the las

Whether he is flying up the ice with his trademark red afro flowing behind him, warming up during the pregame of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his bathrobe, or continuing his personal feud through his entertaining Twitter Account ( seriously folks follow this guy on Twitter @Commie22) with Maple Leafs Coach Mike Babcock eccentric would be a fair word to describe Former Canes Defenseman Mike Commodore. Commodore signed with Carolina in 2005 after bouncing between the New Jersey Devils and Lowell Lock Monsters (AHL) the previous 2 seasons A staple on the blue-line during the  Stanley Cup Championship of 2006, Commodore was a hard nosed stay at home defenseman Commodore was second amongst defenseman in points with during the magical season that was 2006. Commodore provided the physical presence needed serving 138 penalty minutes while remaining second on the team in +/- at 10. In 2 two and a half seasons in Raleigh, Commodore appeared in 195 games ringing up 13 goals and 41 assists f

If you have ever attended a Hurricanes game at the PNC you have undoubtedly recognized the table adorned with pins, pom-poms, and manned by loyal Caniacs. That table belongs to the Carolina Hurricanes Booster Club, the official booster club of your Carolina Hurricanes.  Founded in 1997 the booster club is an educational, charitable, and social organization designed to support the sport of ice hockey in North Carolina. Specifically by promoting a local interest in the Carolina Hurricanes Hockey Club through their activities and publications. However, the real passion of the Carolina Hurricanes booster club lies within their charitable efforts within the community. The group has raised a significant amount of money each year for The Kids N Community Foundation, Triangle Special Hockey, and a Youth Hockey Scholarship through our Fan Favorite voting,  sales of pom-poms, beads, and pins at the games, and their annual jersey raffle. Fan Favorite voting is a popular event

Last night at around 9 pm, my phone alerted me to the news that The Carolina Hurricanes have relieved Ron Francis of his duties as General Manager ( he will remain VP of Hockey Operations). While Francis has been responsible for drafting Canes Stalwarts Jaccob Slavin, Noah Hanifin and Sebastian Aho, his inactivity at the trade deadline, whiffing on Free-Agents such as Scott Darling, as well as failing to acquire a true number one center seemed to be what has done him in . Despite his lackluster success as the teams General Manager and his inability to provide the team with the tools needed to break the 9 year playoff drought in Raleigh. It can not be denied he still is arguably the greatest player to ever wear a Canes sweater. This is evidenced by the fact that in January 2006 the Carolina Hurricanes retired Ron Francis #10 Sweater and raised it into the Rafters of the PNC Arena. Yet Number 10 was not the only sweater he wore in Raleigh, he also wore number 21 and here is why? R

Some of you may know while others don't, but I recently retired from the United States Navy. The Carolina Hurricanes have teamed with Martin Marietta to have a military moment, where a veteran is honored on the ice during the pre-game festivities, and I was fortunate enough to be honored on February 18 on Military Appreciation Night of all nights. To make matters better Justin Faulk was involved in the ceremony Unbeknownst to me I was nominated for this award some weeks prior, and when the team contacted me I was over the moon. The organization invited my wife, daughter, and I to see the Canes take on the New Jersey Devils. That was the best part because even though I have taken my wife and daughter in the past it was the first time we have all went as a family, and since I am a husband and father before everything else, that was my favorite part of the evening. When I made it to the ice I was presented with an encased American Flag while my awards were being read, a