Guest Book

Just gotta be sneaky: Lana, sorry for posting this whole article. Jeff Jacobs Our Loss, Carolina's Gain Let's say we're outside the state Capitol on March 26, 1997, the afternoon Gov. John Rowland got a standing ovation from his supporters for not saving the Whalers. Let's say we're heading downtown for Pete Karmanos' dueling press conference, the one where he angrily announced the franchise is leaving Hartford for somewhere over the rainbow. Let's say we're stopped in Bushnell Park by a giant hog mascot named Stormy with crazy eyes and a playoff beard longer than Erik Cole's, and he whispers in our ear, my friends, this is how it will be in five years: Having reacquired Ron Francis as their captain, the Hurricanes, nee Whalers, will take a run at the Stanley Cup and capture the imagination of the Carolina Triangle the same spring that the basketball-mad state's NBA franchise ups and moves to New Orleans. Now let's be honest. Who among us would have believed such a premonition? "Nobody," said Chuck Kaiton, breaking into a laugh Tuesday. "Not a soul." Kaiton broadcast the Whalers' first NHL game in 1979. Kaiton broadcast the game Monday night when the Hurricanes advanced to the Final Four for the first time in franchise history. He was there in Springfield. He was here in Hartford. He was there in Greensboro and now in Raleigh. And while the franchise may be a tale of four NHL cities, there is only one voice to tell it. "I'm still pinching myself," Kaiton said. "Man, you should have been at Game 4 in Montreal. It was storybook." Kaiton will be in the broadcasters' wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame someday. His hockey knowledge is deep and broad. His radio call so enthusiastic, his articulation so crisp, the words crackle in your ears. He and Mary own one of the few Cape Cod homes in Raleigh, and somehow this seems appropriate. Few Whalers players were more beloved in Hartford and surely it will end up that way in Carolina, too. When Chuck Kaiton is on the other end of the phone line, no matter where you stand on Hartford's loss, it is impossible to feel bad about Raleigh's gain. Kaiton's right. As much as this will pain Whalers fans, Game 4 last week is the greatest moment in franchise history. It surpasses Kevin Dineen going around Larry Robinson in overtime in 1986 to win Game 4 of the Adams Division final at the Civic Center. The Hurricanes were behind 3-0 on the road in the third period, pulled the goalie to tie the score in the final minute and won in overtime. Instead of being behind 3-to-1, the series was tied and they routed the Canadiens and Jose Theodore the rest of the way. "I'd have to say it was my greatest thrill, my greatest game," Kaiton said. "Game 7 in Montreal [in 1986] was the most thrilling until Thursday night. It was a benchmark game for the franchise. Paul Maurice called timeout when they fell behind 2-0 and really laced into them. They finally got sustained congestion in front of Theodore and it changed everything." There is a great old photograph of Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull, playing the last games of their careers, shaking hands with a line of mighty Montreal Canadiens after the Whalers' playoff loss in 1980. The Whalers would lose to Montreal in 1986, '88, '89 and '92. They lost two Game 7 overtimes in Montreal. The franchise hadn't won a playoff round in 16 years and had never advanced beyond the second round. Well, it's all history now, and by the time Doug Gilmour shattered the glass slamming the penalty box door during the Hurricanes' 8-2 rout in Game 6 at Montreal, all sorts of demons also were shattered. "This team is as good, if not better than the '86 Whalers, but the team they played wasn't the same Canadiens," Kaiton said. "For the first time since the series against Quebec in 1987, I thought we had the better team going into a series. They'd be the underdog in Stanley Cup finals, but I think they can beat anybody in the East. I thought they beat the best team in the East in the first round in New Jersey." The Hurricanes have drafted well in recent years. Jim Rutherford put this team together on a $33 million budget, 18th of 30 teams and less than half of what Glen Sather spent to miss the playoffs. Kaiton says bringing back Francis was the smartest thing Rutherford ever did. He calls Rod Brind'Amour a workaholic. He credits Bates Battaglia for eschewing the dipsy-doodle and learning to use his size. He calls Cole "the catalyst." That BBC line, as it has been christened, has been extraordinary in the playoffs. Cole, the rookie from Oswego, N.Y., reminds you of the young Dineen. He is fire. He is heroism. He's the one who scored with the goalie pulled in Game 4. He's the one who scored the first two goals in the series clincher. You watch him on TV and you remember how great playoff hockey is. "Erik is fearless," Kaiton said. Two years of empty seats and an 80-minute drive to a home game in Greensboro was an anvil around the franchise's neck. There were nights when Kaiton wondered, "Holy smokes, what's going on here?" Only 41 games are on television. The Canes need a stronger flagship radio station. After losing $15 million in 1999-2000, Karmanos quit talking about the bottom line. It hasn't always been smooth, but it has gotten much better the first three years in Raleigh. The team reduced average ticket prices from $47.34 to 38.70 - essentially the same as the final year in Hartford. They gave into tailgating. They hired a Carolinian named Jim Cain who understood the market. They made a pact with their fans and now with 12,000 season tickets sold - granted, there were some serious discounts - they're getting the NHL draft and All-Star Game. Ticket prices will rise markedly next year and we'll see if the attendance that has risen from 12,400 to better than 15,000 in Raleigh will hold. For this spring, there is no doubt. In the face of the best playoff run in franchise history, there are sellouts and an excitement only a young market could produce. While George Shinn is being excoriated in Charlotte, the Hurricanes are being embraced. "The fever has caught on," Kaiton said. "As we talk, they've got a five-hour line for tickets. It's unbelievable." It sure is.