Gleason to Vancouver (for Olympics), Wallin to San Jose (for good-maybe)

In the department of congratulatory gushing, The Hurricane Siren would like to officially congratulate Tim Gleason for being named to the USA Olympic squad to replace the injured Mike Komisarek. Rock on Timmy, go to Vancouver and kick some butt (especially if it's Russian and toothless). We are beyond proud of you.

Some random quotes from the day that I thought were just perfect:

"He's a different player in terms of his psychological makeup -- he's more of a guy who speaks with his actions. He’s not chatty," said Burke, who worked with Gleason while GM of last summer’s American entry at the IIHF World Championship. "Your worst nightmare might be to get stuck in a fishing boat with Tim Gleason for an afternoon."

Jeez Burke, even when you're right you're wrong. I, for one, would LOVE to be stuck on a boat with Timmy. Although I do suppose I should semi-apologize for the "self-portrait" of you from New Year's Day. So maybe we'll call this one even.

”He’s a guy that will go to war for us, and that’s exactly what this team needs,” added Poile.

Oy. You should have asked Hurricanes' fans a month ago and we would have saved the Olympic Committee this whole big headache.

Clearly, JR is cool with the decision. And by "cool" I clearly mean "in the midst of a little man crush on the Timster".

"If Eric Staal wasn't the new captain of the Hurricanes, Tim Gleason would be," Rutherford told NHL.com.

And finally a word from the Emperor himself:

"It's an awesome thing. It's something to play for I guess, other than the Stanley Cup. And it's always been a goal of mine; a dream of mine and it's finally come true. It's a great opportunity for myself."

In the department of massive depression and the horror that is being a seller at the trade deadline, the rumor has been floating around all day today that Niclas Wallin has waived his NTC to go to San Jose. John Forslund is reporting that he waived his NTC in an effort to remain in the NHL next season; a contract extension is supposedly part of the deal. JR has confirmed that a deal is in the works, but declined to say where the Big Swede would be headed.

To further add to the rumor mill, Jiri "Nakey Boy" Tlusty was reassigned to Albany where he can terrorize another fan base with his...errr...ummm...passion for photography. Either a forward is coming off the injured list although tweets suggest it won't be in time for tomorrow night or a trade is in the works and Nakey Boy's spot was needed. UPDATE: JR has attributed Tlusty's return to Albany as a development move saying that they want him to play all the way through the Olympic break. Still no word on who will take his spot against Buffalo tomorrow night.

This is just a sign of things to come for Hurricanes’ fans. The next few weeks will be beyond tough for the diehards as many players are expected to leave North Carolina for greener, and likely colder, pastures. This is the tough side of hockey, the business side that leaves a sour taste in all fans’ mouths and unfortunately it is where this season has taken us.