Swinging through the Southeast

Monday, November 21, 2005 | Feedback | Print Entry

My long, slow journey around the league -- which was derailed a bit by the Sergei Fedorov deal and the final stages of Bruce Springsteen's solo tour -- continues with a look at the Southeast Division, the home of the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. In the first quarter of the season, Tampa has struggled to find its championship form. But I'll talk about the Lightning in a minute. I'll start with the first-place Hurricanes.

Carolina Hurricanes (20 games, 14-5-1, 29 points): Well, everyone expected the Hurricanes to be at the top of the division, right? I don't think so. I certainly didn't see these Canes on my hockey Doppler radar. Until this weekend -- when they dropped back-to-back games to the Rangers and Lightning -- the Hurricanes have been very tough to beat. The emergence of young center Eric Staal (14 goals, 17 assists, 31 points, plus-9) and the goaltending of Martin Gerber (9-3, 2.13 GAA, .931 save percentage) have been two of the biggest keys to their surprisingly good start. Coach Peter Laviolette has excellent speed throughout his roster. And he wants his team to take advantage of its speed by constantly pressuring the puck. Affordable free-agent pickups Cory Stillman (5-13-18, plus-7) and Ray Whitney (5-12-17, plus-2) have been steady contributors. Left winger Erik Cole and center Rod Brind'Amour (currently sidelined by a groin injury), key players during the club's drive to the Cup finals in 2002, provide grit and some scoring punch. On the back end, smooth-skating puck movers Frantisek Kaberle, Oleg Tverdovsky and Bret Hedican fuel a good transition game. At this point, it seems like these Hurricanes are going to be "staaled" at or near the top of the division standings throughout the season.  
 

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  • E.J. Hradek E.J. Hradek

    E.J. Hradek is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, joining the staff prior to its launch in 1998. He began covering hockey as a writer/editor for Hockey Illustrated in 1989. The following year, he beat the Stars to Dallas (by three years), taking over as the editor of Beckett Hockey Monthly. When the Stars finally did arrive in Big D, he hosted a weekly hockey radio show and tried (unsuccessfully) to convert ESPN's Skip Bayless to the greatest game on ice.

    In 1996, Hradek left Dallas, but not the Stars. Relocating back to the New York area, he became a part-time pro scout for the club, seeing more than 100 NHL/AHL games for each of the next two seasons. The scouting gig was a great learning experience, offering a different view of the game.

    Hradek grew up in Tuckahoe, N.Y., about a 40-minute train ride from New York City. Despite the proximity to the Rangers, Hradek embraced the Islanders when the expansion franchise debuted in 1972. Eight years later, he was part of the sellout crowd at the Nassau Coliseum that witnessed the Islanders' first Stanley Cup championship.


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