NHL All-Star Weekend in Raleigh - taking it all in

As it is only over a month away from the 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend that will take place in Raleigh, North Carolina,  Former NHLer Brendan Shanahan and current NHL Vice President of Hockey and Business Operations, has taken a great approach to putting together a fun event: ask others for their thoughts and try it out. With the biggest change introduced to this year's event being the selection of each team by two selected captains, Shanahan has taken in all thoughts from those participating in the event.

"We're going to have 42 All-Stars who are selected for the game and what we're going to do is reach out to them and they're going to select two captains," Shanahan said. "And on the Friday night before the game at 8 o'clock, we're going to have a live draft on Versus where those two captains will be sitting in a room with the other players in front of them. They're going to flip a coin (to see who drafts first). They'll be flanked by two (alternate) captains up on stage with them, so those six guys will have 36 players out in the audience to draft from."

It seems that 'Shanny's' approach and infusion of new ideas will make for an exciting set of events in Raleigh in late January. We can't wait to all be a part of it.

Note to Shanny

Here's a suggestion for a slightly more exciting team selection process:

Instead of sitting in a room, imagine the selected team captains standing at the center ice circle at the RBC Center with fans in attendance, and with a spotlight on all the 42 selected players' sticks, labeled with their names, piled up and ready to be selected 'shinny style'. Shanny is standing with the captains and flips the coin to determine who picks first. Winner throws the first stick towards his end, then the other does the same. The process continues until both teams are fully selected.

Music blaring, lights go on and practice takes place in front of a packed house at both ends. Game on. What a great Friday night event.

Just imagine it for a second.

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More details: NHL Wide Open
Carolina Hurricanes: All-Star Fan Fair
Carolina Hurricanes: All-Star 5 K Run
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Let the Raleigh Sports Examiner be your guide to 2011 NHL All-Star Week in Raleigh:
Local tips and news about the 2011 NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh
Email with your questions today for personalized advice on where to stay, eat, and have a great time in Raleigh
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NHL All-Star Weekend in Raleigh - update to be announced Wednesday

Updated news and information regarding the City of Raleigh, North Carolina and activities related to NHL All-Star Weekend will be announced at the Winterfest Outdoor Rink located in City Plaza on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh on Wednesday.

According to a local news report, the mayor and local leaders working with the NHL will announce a number of activities that will be taking place from Jan. 27 -30 for all hockey fans in North Carolina including a "wide-open" event that will take place during the weekend. Raleigh is known for its Raleigh Wide Open events programming that usually includes a number of local and nationally-known high profile events, activities and performers that entertain the local community.

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Hockey Night in Canada and the United States

Any true hockey fan knows that the gold standard of NHL hockey broadcasts is Hockey Night in Canada.

A great Canadian franchise to be admired by all fans

Having grown up watching this show every Saturday night and now having the opportunity to watch and listen to the best analysis and insight in the game from Raleigh brings great joy to me every weekend. What better source exists for Canadian expats and hockey fans in the US and around the world to get their fill of Coach's Corner with Ron MacLean and Don Cherry or the HotStove with Mike Milbury, Pierre Lebrun, and the selected third media personality willing to sustain the intensity of each segment's discussion. The internet has provided the platform for this great Canadian franchise to be shared by everyone, and with much more content and perspectives on the game than was ever possible years ago.

HNIC will be coming to Raleigh

With the 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend and Game coming to Raleigh, North Carolina from January 27-30, HNIC will be there along with all major sports networks and this should excite local hockey fans. When else will the royalty of NHL hockey broadcasting be in the City of Oaks? Only if and when the Hurricanes return to the Stanley Cup Finals, particularly when facing a Canadian team.

If you haven't had the chance to watch what HNIC has to offer, tune in now and get to know what to expect to see and hear when they are in town.

Watch Hockey Night in Canada in the US

Television:  Saturdays - NHL Network

Online: - Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) - Hockey Night in Canada

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Let the Raleigh Sports Examiner be your guide to 2011 NHL All-Star Week in Raleigh:

Email with your questions today for personalized advice on where to stay, eat, and have a great time in Raleigh

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Raleigh Sports Examiner's Column on Examiner.com
 
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Thanksgiving sports talk: Giving thanks for having so many choices

As the the Thanksgiving holiday is upon us, it must be recognized that there is reason to appreciate how many choices we have to make. How many friends and family can we visit and reunite with at one time? How many shopping deals can be found on Black Friday? How many different sporting events take place during this special weekend of the year? When you really think about it, quite a few.

This then begs the question, how do you decide what to pay attention to? Here are a few methods to help you decide:

It's still football season - start watching basketball now

If  you are an NC State Wolfpack football fan, a bowl-eligible team at 8-3 overall will play for a spot in the ACC Championship game. The Wolfpack takes on the Maryland Terps in College Park, Maryland on Saturday. Follow the action on ESPN 2 or online on GameTracker (cbssports.com).

If you are a UNC (6-5) or Duke (3-8) football fan, Saturday's kick-off takes place at 3:30 pm in Wallace Wade Stadium, and watching this game will be a great pre-cursor for the basketball season. Tickets are still available online. If you don't want to weather this one in the cooler Carolina weather, catch it online on GameTracker (cbssports.com).

It's basketball season - start watching hockey too

The long and short of it so far in the Triangle is this:

The #1 Duke Blue Devils are 5-0 and recently beat Kansas State 82-68, captured the O'Reilly Auto Part CBE Classic, and coach Mike Krzyzewski earned his 800th career win. The Blue Devils beat Marquette 82-77 in the semi-final game before beating the Wildcats.

The #25 UNC Tar Heels (3-2) lost two straight road games to Minnesota (72-67) and Vanderbilt (72-65) in San Juan, Puerto Rico last weekend before coming home to beat UNC Asheville 80-69 on Tuesday. Next games for the Tar Heels are the College of Charleston (Sunday) and Illinois (Tuesday).

The unranked NC State Wolfpack (4-1) experienced some defensive lapses with its recent 82-67 loss to the #20 Georgetown Hoyas in the Charleston Classic, the first ranked opponent the team has faced season. The loss comes on the heels of two previous wins against East Carolina (85-65) and George Mason (78-65). Bright spots to watch each game are Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown. Watch them when you can.

Even if you are too excited about basketball season starting the Carolina Hurricanes have some good things going on. Have a look.

It's hockey season - don't forget about football and basketball season


The host of the 2011 NHL All-Star game, the Carolina Hurricanes, have made personnel moves recently to spark the team's performance after finishing 9-9-2 during the first quarter of the NHL season. It is still too soon to determine the effect of these changes in the locker room, but the theme for the entire season will be: how do you strengthen the defense while not spending any money?

A few exceptional young offensive prospects are developing in Charlotte providing for some great trade-bait to be offered later in the season. Some great deals may be made by mid-season. Wishful thinking? Maybe. However, like the old economy worked: if you don't want to spend money for something you want, you trade for it. If you are really curious about what/who I am talking about, email me.

The 'Canes are in Boston leading the Bruins 2-0 after two periods. Hopefully they hang on for the win (there's the reference to 'defense wins games'), and head to Washington for a rematch with the Capitals on Sunday. Ovechkin and his boys are 2-0 over the Hurricanes so far this season in Raleigh. Hopefully Staal, Skinner, and Ward will return the favor in the nation's capital.  

Stay tuned.

(Updated: The Hurricanes beat the Bruins 3-0 - great win as the defense held on to give Ward his first shutout of the season)

Hockey time in Raleigh - All-Star Game watch begins now

The NHL season is finally underway.

With college football entering the latter part of the season and college basketball getting underway, it will be a busy winter sports season coming up in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tobacco Road is college basketball territory, but heading into January, NHL hockey will be vying for attention from this hotbed of sports fans who are as diverse as they come. Many transplants in the area are warming to what the Carolina Hurricanes are about, even if hockey is not 'their' sport.

Winning the Stanley Cup in 2006 definitely helped solidify the Caniac corps and added a few more while helping the organization to realize how loyal Raleigh sports fans are. The game experience at the RBC Center rivals any in the National Hockey League as the arena, its amenities and how the Hurricanes present the NHL game experience to its fans is one that can be truly be appreciated by old and new fans alike. With the team's AHL affiliate, formerly the Albany River Rats, moving to Charlotte and becoming the upgraded version of the former ECHL Charlotte Checkers, hockey fans in North Carolina now get even more access to high quality pro hockey to follow.

This season one will be a particularly special one as the Carolina Hurricanes are hosting the NHL All-Star game on January 30, 2011. For hockey fans in Raleigh, and there are many here, this will be a great time to see the royalty of hockey come to town. Downtown Raleigh will host All-Star Week activities building up to the game which will take place at the RBC Center, home of the Canes.

For those who have never been to the area, the Triangle area (Raleigh/Durham) comprising 8 counties has a population of approximately 1.7 million people, but does not seem that big or crowded at all in relative terms to other small metropolitan areas. Those who come to town will find lots of activity and good food, and not feel crowded at all. On top of that, be ready to do what most in the NHL may not be used to doing before a hockey game - tailgating. With so few tickets available, if any at all, the common hockey fan who is not a season-ticket holder or does not know the right people, it will be just as good to sit in the parking lot and watch the game on someone's big screen while imbibing on cold libations and pork sandwiches.

Get ready - hockey time in Raleigh is coming!!

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Let the Raleigh Sports Examiner be your guide to 2011 NHL All-Star Week in Raleigh:

Email with your questions today for personalized advice on where to stay, eat, and have a great time in Raleigh.

Follow the Raleigh Sports Examiner on Twitter @pksport

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From kick-offs to face-offs - keeping track of it all

The month of September has flown by and has caught up with everyone who follows sport in some way. With so much going on in college football (NCAA investigations, suspensions, games, upsets) that includes the successes (NC State Wolfpack are 4-0) and the challenges (NCAA investigations at the University of North Carolina, University of Georgie, University of Tennessee, etc.) that many programs are facing, it is hard to keep track of it all.

Here is the latest:

Kick-offs

• 2010 ACC Football: NC State's Wilson and Irving named Players of the Week 
  
• Triangle Sports Roundup: Pack's Irving receives honor, former Blue Devil wins
  
•  NC State Wolfpack earns #23 ranking with 45-28 win over Georgia Tech

NCAA Violation 2010 - ongoing series by the Raleigh Sports Examiner 

• NCAA Violation 2010: UNC players Burney and Williams suspended by the NCAA

As the weather changes from the Summer season to the Fall season, it is now preseason time for NHL hockey, regular season time for college football, and postseason time for Major League Baseball, to name a few. However, do not overlook the fact that the NBA is going to start its preseason very soon with training camps underway and for golf fans, the Ryder Cup is upon us. Sports stats and news junkies must be jumping for joy.

How does one keep track of it all?

Get a Twitter account and follow your favorite sources of information: Online media sources allow up-to-date news get to media and sport professionals as well as to fans who are hungry for the latest news. What is news now, is old in a matter of seconds, minutes and hours - thank you Twitter. However, when it is time to push it out, the latest news can be sent out in a matter of seconds, minutes, and hours - thank you Twitter.

Follow: The Raleigh Sports Examiner on Twitter: pksport

Find and save the Facebook Fan page(s) of your sport information source(s): The power of Facebook networking (i.e. sharing) and spreading the word to your friends and colleagues is 'viral' as they say. Pass on a good thing and even point out a bad thing.

Save: The Facebook Page for the Raleigh Sports Examiner: Raleigh Sports Examiner

With so many outlets to choose and receive information from, personalizing your sources helps you to keep track of what you want to find and when you want to get it.

Now that you have read where it to find it, here are some of the latest tidbits for those who love sports with sticks (i.e. NHL hockey and Pro golf) that the Raleigh Sports Examiner has put together. It has been a busy month indeed. Stay connected as best you can because more will come.

Face-offs

• Carolina Hurricanes 2010-2011 season preview

Tee-offs  

• 2010 Ryder Cup: Captains' picks are the most exciting

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• Raleigh Sports Examiner staying active and healthy - Livestrong.com

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Alabama Crimson Tide and Tuscaloosa travel up Tobacco Road

With the NC State Wolfpack extending its early-season record to 3-0 with a hard-working win for Pack Nation at Carter-Finley Stadium on Thursday over the the Cincinnati Bearcats, 30-19, the latest local big news surrounds the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide making a visit to Durham, North Carolina on Saturday. The Duke Blue Devils and their coach Dave Cutcliffe, an Alabama grad, host the Crimson Tide at Wallace Wade Stadium. Of note, Wallace Wade brought three national championships to Tuscaloosa, Alabama when he coached the Tide from 1923-1930.

All in all, Saturday's game is Duke's home game, but it will feel like you are in Tuscaloosa. There is a specific parking lot set aside for traveling Alabama fans to park their RV's in (with detailed rules) and many purchased Duke football season-ticket packages in order to ensure to get tickets for the game. Thus, Alabama fans are providing a great economic impact on the local economy. After Saturday's game, it will be interesting to see how much the remaining Duke home football tickets that were purchased will go for on Ebay or Craigslist. They may even give them away while they are in the stands - you never know.

In anticipation of a large crowd and more income-generation potential, the Duke athletic department installed additional seating in its end zone area below the scoreboard to support a bigger crowd. Not a bad idea when you consider local fans who didn't buy season tickets (because Alabama fans did) were still able to buy tickets to watch Alabama play Duke. When checking the Duke web site earlier this week, these end zone tickets were available for $75 apiece - the highest-priced ticket for any game being played in the Triangle this season. It will be surprising if these tickets do not all sell out.

After all, when do you get the chance to travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama by driving to Durham, North Carolina.

View: The last time Duke and Alabama played (duke.com)