Quote :

"I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for JR pulling some kind of shenanigans to keep Cole."

I'm also ready for this to thoroughly piss me off, Scott Walker style.

5/27/2009 11:55:08 AM

Do I still make the threads, or is it time for me to retire and pass the torch?

5/27/2009 12:18:18 PM

I think the majority of Canes fans here are more than happy with your threadmaking. I'll be happy to make the offseason thread if you don't want to, but I'd need your blessing if that's the case.

5/27/2009 12:24:19 PM

5/27/2009 12:28:03 PM

Fuck the Red Wings

5/27/2009 12:52:59 PM

i gotta get a before and after picture of my playoff beard.

i don't want to shave.

5/27/2009 12:54:30 PM

Quote :

"Do I still make the threads, or is it time for me to retire and pass the torch?"

KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE

you're the best that's ever done it, and you're still on top of your game

5/27/2009 12:57:01 PM

... cue the Karate Kid song

5/27/2009 1:40:51 PM

I will pledge my services for one more year.

5/27/2009 2:30:37 PM

You can't retire yet man, you've still got a few good years left in you.

5/27/2009 2:51:09 PM

Quote :

"Do I still make the threads, or is it time for me to retire and pass the torch?"

DO ONE

5/27/2009 3:45:21 PM

http://www.hockeyfights.com/forums/f23/my-run-pittsburgh-penguins-121877/

Quote :

"And then came the question from Maxime Talbot that turned the night from just a cool story and a great memory into an epic: “Well, where do you like to go on Sunday nights?” With those 10 words, Max went beyond seeking my advice on which local bars to go to and directly asked me to take him, Tyler Kennedy, and Kris Letang to a bar. I said, “If I go out on a Sunday night I go to the Goat. It’s a real dive, a hole in the wall, but it’s cool. It’s cheap, which doesn’t really concern you guys, but on Sundays they have $1 mystery beers so it’s like an adventure while you’re getting drunk.” Friends, let me tell you about the Goat. It is as its name, and nickname, suggests: The Little Bar That Could. This place is well away from downtown, about 15 minutes, getting out in the suburbs about a mile past NC State University where I went. When I say it’s a dive, IT IS A DIVE. It’s a sh*thole, really. It’s small, if there’s 50 people in there it’s packed. The ratio stays equal but the girls are evenly split between cougars, fat chicks, and easy sluts. It’s smoky. They have those bar video game machines with nudie Photo Hunt that have just epic high scores. But for some reason, they have nice plasma TVs. Like, really nice. Too nice to be at a place like that. I only know about it because I lived in a house in a neighborhood across the street for a year in college and we could walk there, get housed, and then walk back. The clientele is a mix between college kids, locals, rednecks, hippies, and passersby. It’s impossible to get a feel for the crowd. It’s just the Goat. “Cool man, you want to share a cab there?” You’re d*mn right I do, but I can’t leave my car on Glenwood. We’re talking $200 after they boot you and THEN give you a ticket in the most ridiculous back-ass-wards fashion. I said, “I would but I can’t my car here. My apartment’s on the way, we can take a cab from there.” They agreed and 5 minutes later, I’m driving towards my apartment with Kris in my shotgun seat, and my girlfriend making up the meat of a Penguins sandwich in the back seat. By the time we get there, Max and Tyler have to take a leak so we all head up the steps. I have my hockey bag in the floor in the living room with my stick out. I have devised this game where I shoot one of those basketballs for the hoops you hang on your door at my wall. But I have to hit certain specific spots. It’s like Horse. I explain the game to Letang and we end up playing. He beats me mercilessly. We get a cab and go to the Goat. The details are foggy, at best, from this point on. We only have 2 hours at the bar but we make the most of it. There are two tales I can really remember. One was when we first walked in. I see two of my friends playing Photo Hunt, both are huge Flyers fans who at this point were cheering for the Canes because they were playing the Pens and I want to play a joke on them. I talk it over with Max, Tyler, and Kris and they’re all down. So I walk up to my buddies and start shooting the sh*t about the current series. I shift the conversation to Talbot and about what a great move it was for him to challenge Dan Carcillo in Game 6 of that series, knowing that would set him off. He’s one of those guys that thinks he can take on the world after a few beers. I motion for the Pens to start making their way over. Just in time my buddy says, “I would kick Talbot’s ass if I saw him”. Max gives him a little push in the back and says, “What did you say, P*SSY?!” My buddy turns and looks like he had just seen a ghost. I couldn’t play it off anymore and we all burst out laughing. I explained to him the night’s events and he apologized to Max profusely. Second was when we were drinking some beers and watching Sportscenter. Barry Melrose came on and then they started showing series highlights which to that point included Games 1-3. I thought that was cool in itself; sitting in a bar having a beer with guys that were on highlights on ESPN. But then they started busting each others’ chops. They showed the end of game scrum in Game 2 with Tim Gleason filling in Kris. Max and Tyler were laughing and Tyler even said, “Wooo Tanger look at that! Thank you sir may I have another!” Kris just shook his head. He had a bit of a shiner still but whether that came from Gleason’s punches or Ryan Bayda’s elbow or stick I have no idea. Then they showed Kennedy’s goal and he turned to me and said, “Yeah, you like that sh*t don’t you?” All in all it was freakin great, without a doubt the best night of my life. Even as we started drinking heavier and details got sparse, pieces are still slowly coming back which make the experience all the more awesome. We even exchanged phone numbers after with them saying they would call whenever they came into town. And Max said he would get me tickets for the next game in Pittsburgh. I see this as the beginning of a long, beautiful, totally hetero, totally lucrative friendship for me. That would be awesome."

MOTHER

FUCKING

GOAT

5/27/2009 3:54:03 PM

Did I ever tell you kids about the night I played pool at the Jackpot with Frank Kaberle?

5/27/2009 4:10:58 PM

great goddamned story. I loved this part:

Quote :

"Just in time my buddy says, “I would kick Talbot’s ass if I saw him”. Max gives him a little push in the back and says, “What did you say, P*SSY?!” My buddy turns and looks like he had just seen a ghost. I couldn’t play it off anymore and we all burst out laughing."

5/27/2009 4:12:01 PM

Quote :

"on Sundays they have $1 mystery beers so it’s like an adventure while you’re getting drunk."

All bars should have this.

5/27/2009 4:15:45 PM

very entertaining read, the whole thing

that would be awesome, hahaha

5/27/2009 4:42:11 PM

read the entire story from the link posted, sounds like a great night. The closest thing i have was taking shots with Mike Commodore at Scum Runners back in 07 just after the season ended.

5/27/2009 4:54:35 PM

That's real cool

I generally don't like meeting celebs because they're often dicks in person and my opinion of them is negatively affected from that point forward

Anthony Kim, Barry Pepper and Dale Jr. are notable exceptions

5/27/2009 5:12:35 PM

^^ HAHAHAHAHAHA

i had the exact same experience with him that year. i know i've mentioned it on here a few times, but i got absolutely WASTED with commodore and crackers there one night. he even bought me a few drinks

[Edited on May 27, 2009 at 5:13 PM. Reason : i still can't believe how drunk i was]

5/27/2009 5:13:28 PM

It's possible this has been posted before, but oh well. It's worth seeing, even after getting swept by these guys.

It's a car commercial done by 3 current Pens (Max Talbot, Malkin, and Gonchar) and 1 former (Colby Armstrong). I'd embed the video but youtube won't let me. To watch, type this link in but remove the ###.

http://www.youtube.com/###watch?v=KOrvdvczpEA

5/27/2009 5:51:52 PM

[/thread]

message_topic.aspx?topic=567352

5/27/2009 6:20:49 PM

amazing story...

i not only am partly responsible for the "epic high scores", but also have similar stories. good stuff


i will cheer for Pitt if they play Detroit

5/27/2009 7:03:04 PM

Guess this is kind of sad since it's over now but I still enjoyed reading it: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/26/the-perfect-storm/

Quote :

"RALEIGH, N.C. — They are perfectly placed on an elevated patch of grass along the route players take through the parking lot to RBC Center. And they can identify the automobiles of members of their Carolina Hurricanes from a thousand feet away. Immediately, someone grabs one of the signs the group has for nearly every player, and the whole crew of a few dozen fans greets the car with a hearty cheer. Some players wave or honk, but on Saturday before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, Erik Cole - who gave the patrons of "Cole's Grassy Knoll Bar and Grille" their namesake - has a special surprise. Cole stops his vehicle and out pop Charlie and Matt Pusateri, and immediately the group is sent into a frenzy. The Pusateri brothers are childhood friends of Hurricanes defenseman Joe Corvo (who is riding with Cole), and this is their second time hanging out with one of several groups of tailgaters who make spending an afternoon with "The Caniacs" such a unique experience. "We went to Erik Cole and said, 'Hey you got to hook us up. We don't know anybody.' He said, 'Oh man, I got the perfect spot - Cole's Grassy Knoll,' " Charlie Pusateri says. "We only had a little cooler of beer with us, but luckily we got to meet some great people, and they treated us very well. We had to come back." Tailgating is an essential part of the fan experience, especially in the South. While the ritual is sparse or nonexistent in most hockey markets, there are thousands of tailgaters strewn about the vast RBC Center parking lot on this day. People start showing up as early as six hours before game time. The location is key on several fronts. Raleigh is the heart of ACC country, and college sports reign supreme. RBC Center is blessed with plenty of parking and grass for people to set up grills and games - like the bean bag-tossing contest Cornhole or nets for roller hockey. "It has just taken on that college persona," says Jeff Benicase, who started "Cole's Grassy Knoll." "Here you can get Duke, [North] Carolina and [N.C.] State fans together, and they all have one common team. It is also the setup. [In] downtown Pittsburgh, you aren't going to [find] this. It's not like you could do this in Chinatown [in the District]." Adds Russell Kandel, chief architect of another large group: "I think things like these tailgates bring people into the fold. They see it when they walk around and go, 'Wow, that looks like a lot of fun.' " When the Hurricanes moved to North Carolina from Hartford, Conn., in 1997, the franchise, like others that have arrived in nontraditional hockey markets, had to find ways to build the fan base. Some from this area made the trek west to Greensboro, where the team played its first two seasons before RBC Center - then known as the Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena - was built. In the first few days of this building's life, tailgating was not allowed, but that didn't last long. "I actually have a ticket - a framed ticket - from the night they opened this building for $75 for having an open container in this parking lot," Patrick Drollinger says. "With the ACC, you can't have alcohol at the campuses, and because this building is shared with N.C. State, they originally said you can't tailgate. People flipped their wigs, and the next week Jim Cain, who was the team president at the time, sent out a letter to the fans apologizing and said, 'We're sorry; we are going to allow tailgating.' "It is a lot of fun. It is a little like a football atmosphere." What once was just a few small groups has blossomed into an epic event for each home game, especially during the postseason. Groups of tailgaters circle the stadium, and this isn't a typical hot dogs-and-hamburgers scene. Kandel's crew is eating king crab. Another group of fans, who double as West Virginia football supporters, are feasting on London broil and stuffed jalapenos. Those in "Cole's Grassy Knoll" aren't satisfied with just a few cases of beer - they have an entire bar's worth of alcoholic products. Drollinger's group decides to pay homage to the enemy, in part because one of the members, John Gallagher, grew up a Penguins fan and lived in Pittsburgh before moving to Raleigh. They are making sandwiches with fries and coleslaw on them - just like the famous sandwiches at Primanti Brothers in the Steel City - and blaring from the speakers of someone's car is The Clarks, a popular band in Pittsburgh. "The first year I moved down here was when Ron Francis signed as a free agent [from Pittsburgh in 1998], so I thought, 'OK, maybe I am supposed to be here,' " Gallagher says. "When the Penguins would come to town, I would wear my Penguins jersey, but I'd root for the Hurricanes the rest of the time. But there was such a small group of Hurricanes fans that I felt like I needed to help them out, and I made the switch." Hockey has not caught on in every southern U.S. city like it has here. The Hurricanes boast a robust group of season-ticket holders, thanks in part to tailgating and the team's success. When Carolina made a surprise run to the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, fans from Detroit and other traditional markets deemed this place hockey's "Mayberry." Benicase's group put a new spin on the nickname after the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006. One of the many signs that hang at "Cole's Grassy Knoll" says, "Welcome to Hockeyberry. Stanley Cup Population: 1." "It was tough when they first got here because there were only about [4,000] or 5,000 fans, but [the organization] has been very good about, 'Hey, here is what we're about, and here is what we're trying to build. We want to do this right,' " says Gallagher, who not only became a staunch Hurricanes fan but served as president of the booster club for two years. "People have been able to relate to that, and that's why the fans have held pretty steady even though we've had a couple of years without making the playoffs." One member of Kandel's group, Doug Stager, has a 6-foot tall replica of the Stanley Cup with a motorized water fountain in it in the bed of his hunter green pickup truck. He made it with a 55-gallon drum, a five-gallon bucket, a large ketchup can and a stainless steel mixing bowl. It goes in the back of his truck once the playoffs start and remains until Carolina's run ends, which could be Tuesday night in Game 4 because the Penguins have a 3-0 series lead. Kandel and Stager are part of a group of fans who meet the team at Raleigh-Durham International Airport when it returns from road games in the early morning hours. There were about 1,000 waiting for the Hurricanes after they defeated Boston in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. It is an interesting mix of transplants from the northern part of the country who grew up hockey fans and people who are native to this area and have become fans. Anyone who thinks Hurricanes games are just an excuse to get drunk needs to witness the kids playing street hockey in the parking lot, which can only bode well for the future financial success of the franchise. "The amazing thing is you've taken a bunch of people that didn't really grow up with the game and now they understand it," says Kandel, a New York native. "They have started to really recognize the nuances of the game." Adds Stager: "I grew up here in Raleigh, and the only ice we had was for our tea." A few tents down is a contingent of Penguins fans who have made the trip south. Several Hurricanes fans say they are proud of how hospitable their fan base is, and the tailgating scene lures plenty of visiting fans. The Washington Capitals are no exception. Every year the Caps Road Crew brings a caravan of buses for a Caps-Hurricanes contest. It started in 2000 with one bus and about 50 people, but it has swelled to three buses and 150 people. This season, the group even staged a street hockey tournament. "For Caps fans, it is perfect," says Sherrill Muzzoco, director of the Caps Road Crew. "I tell people, 'If you can do one trip per year, do Carolina.' It is fairly inexpensive, we can get great seats, the locals are terrific and the tailgating is a humongous plus.""

5/27/2009 7:46:30 PM

Bye playoff beard



Back to looking like a 12 year old again

5/27/2009 9:44:38 PM

i still havent shaved mine off yet

i don't know if i will

5/27/2009 10:06:21 PM

^ same here

5/27/2009 10:13:00 PM

I cleaned up before game 4, but not totally clean. I'll probably just kep it trimmed but shaggy for most of the summer.

5/27/2009 10:25:16 PM

5/27/2009 10:55:44 PM

More props given: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4205363&name=09cupplayoffsblog

Quote :

"A Hurricanes' pregame tailgate? Nothing else like it in the NHL Monday, May 25, 2009 | Print Entry Posted by Scott Burnside RALEIGH, N.C. -- So we're headed out to the East parking lot at the RBC Center before Game 3 to try and catch up with Patrick Drollinger and his bride Lynnae. We first met them while working on a story about the revival of the Caniac Nation during the Carolina Hurricanes' championship season in 2005-06. Drollinger was among the small, devoted, mildly disturbed fan group that began the tradition of meeting the Hurricanes when they returned from road playoff games. It's a tradition that has continued this season with thousands of fans lining the roadway out of the Raleigh-Durham airport after the Canes beat the Boston Bruins in Game 7 in the second round. Signs even spring up on those nights -- "Caniac Parking" -- directing fans where to go to cheer on the boys when they touch down, often in the early-morning hours. Drollinger and his crew, many of whom have been cheering on the team since they moved from Hartford more than a decade ago, have moved their tents and flags from an area close to the main entrance of the rink to a grassy area further away, but with better options for cooking and playing tailgate games. "Location, location," Drollinger says with a smile, a Carolina tattoo smack dab in the middle of his forehead. Before we get there, however, we are distracted by the sight of a homemade Stanley Cup sitting up in the back of Doug Stager's pick-up truck. If it weren't for the fountain mechanism the self-employed Raleigh resident has rigged to the top, it might actually be mistaken for the real McCoy. (OK, maybe not, but it's big and silver, nonetheless.) Stager explains the construction, a 55-gallon industrial drum with a five-gallon sheetrock mud bucket affixed to it. An industrial size ketchup can has been fastened to the bucket and the coup de grace is a steel mixing bowl. It's daylight, so you don't really get the full effect, but there's a red light and Stager will sometimes add some dry ice for effect. He displays some pictures on his cell phone, and he's right, it's cool. The cup has been a fixture since the Hurricanes' unexpected march to the 2002 Stanley Cup finals. Like the real Stanley Cup, Stager has had a mishap or two (this is the second bowl he's used on the top of it). He is thinking of engraving the names of his fellow Caniacs on the bowl, a la the real Stanley Cup. On this night, Stager's group are enjoying some crab and shrimp and are jammed in shoulder to hip with literally thousands of like-minded fans. As far as the eye can see, there are banners and tents, the smell of food and murmur of excited fans, a site distinctly unique to this team and market. There is, quite simply, nothing else quite like it across the NHL landscape. We finally catch up with Drollinger and Lynnae, who met in this parking lot when Lynnae moved to town and wanted to find some folks who shared her love of hockey. They married in Las Vegas and Lynnae proudly shows off a Canes logo tattoo on one ankle. On the opposite side of the ankle is the Stanley Cup. Strangely, there's also a Penguins logo. Hmm. It's old, she explains. It's soon time to pack up the marinated chicken and snacks and head inside. Drollinger remains confident despite the Canes' plight in this series. He believes unwaveringly in the three-year plan. Spoken like a true fan. "

5/28/2009 12:53:13 AM

Forgot to mention this...congrats to former Cane Bob Boughner and the Windsor Spitfires for winning the Memorial Cup.

5/28/2009 4:43:35 AM