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| Dougie Hamilton 2019-20 Upper Deck MVP #149 |
(The Carolina versus Panthers series could easily be confused with the Carolina Panthers NFL football team)
Had a relatively difficult time finding a card in my collection that features the Cats & Canes...
Half of my collection is from before the pre-Carolina days, when the franchise was still known as the Hartford Whalers.
The Florida Panthers:
Following their magical Cinderalla run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996 (where they were ultimately burried by the Avalanche), the Florida Panthers have only advanced past the second round a couple of times...
In 2021-22, they defeated the Washington Capitals in the first round, only to be swept by the Tampa Bay Lighting in Round 2.
The Carolina Hurricanes:
A brief history of the Carolina Hurricanes' previous trips to the Conference Finals:
2001-02: Defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs to advance to the Finals, ultimately losing to the Detroit Red Wings
2006-07: After missing the playoffs for consecutive years, the Canes eliminated the Buffalo Sabres to advance to the Finals, where they defeated the Edmonton Oilers to bring Carolina it's first (and only) Stanley Cup Championship.
2008-09: Two more years without Playoffs, the Canes advance to the Conference Finals where they were
swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
2018-19: After nearly a decade without seeing Playoff hockey, Carolina advanced to the Conference Finals and were swept by the Boston Bruins.
The Canes are currently riding a streak of having advanced past the first round for three years in a row - Which given the increasing NHL parity between teams, is actually fairly impressive.
An Expansion Team versus a Relocated Team.
To me, this just cheapens the experience for the longtime fans.
While nobody wants to be a bottom feeder in the league basement for a decade, I'd prefer to see AT LEAST one perennial contender...
On top of a diluted talent pool, a ridiculous number of players switching teams in the offseason makes it hard to be a fan.
With NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's vision to maximize profits, fans in every city buy into the notion that their team has a chance to win any given season. (Anyone seen this guy lately? He looks half past dead. Hope he can take all his money with him...)
In previous decades the team to beat was Detroit or Colorado - Even Dallas.
More recently, it was Boston, Chicago, even Los Angeles.
They become the team to beat, and to me, it's more fun that way.
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