'Tis the Season...for Pictures with Santa!

If there is one thing we pride ourselves on here at the Siren, it's providing you with in-depth access to your favorite team. You get to see moments that most fans couldn't even dream of. Think that HBO 24/7 special without all of the F-bombs. Think MTV's Cribs without the awkwardly scripted dialogue. Think E! True Hollywood Story without the risk of seeing Ryan Seacrest. I know. You're welcome.

So when Troy Bodie let it slip to one of the Canes' PR guys (who then broadcast it all over Twitter) that the team had gone and gotten their picture taken with Santa at the mall, you had to know that we were ALL over it. A moment like that shouldn't remain hidden away on someone's iPhone. It must be shared with the fans. It's really only fair. So we reached out to a few players for the pictures and one of them (who shall remain nameless for the sake of his safety) sent along the best group photo of all group photos in the history of photography. So allow us to present the 2010-2011 Carolina Hurricanes' Team Photo with Santa!

FYI, you may want to click on the picture for the larger version because that's a LOT of Christmas cheer to soak in.

Clearly the team took the "holiday picture with Santa" thing seriously. According to sources, a group decision was made to wear holiday sweaters to really up the cheese factor. Of course, someone wasn't paying attention and showed up wearing a Hanukkah sweater, but no one was really surprised by that turn of events. Chad showing up wearing a mistletoe headband was also a memorable moment (remember folks, what happens at the mall Santa photo shoot stays at the mall Santa photo shoot). I must say I was terribly impressed with the extra spirit shown by Joe, Tim and Eric; Tim's Christmas tree headband was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.

Justin, Brandon and Troy really went all out with their coordinated outfits (the candy cane cane was a nice touch in my opinion), but let's be honest here, the real stars of the show were Jiri, Jeff, Patty, Chad, Sammy and Ian. In addition to all being approximately the same size as some of the children waiting in line, they all looked as if they had stepped off the pages of a J.Crew photo spread. From the jauntily popped collars to the strategically distressed jeans to the work boots that were clearly not meant for work, these boys were STYLING. It was almost too much to handle (which is probably why Santa appears to be looking for an escape route). Well done fellas. Well done indeed.

Other highlights of the afternoon included one small child tugging on Sammy's sleeve and asking why he wasn't dressed like the other elves. (Can you tell I've waited all year for Christmas to roll around? So many elf jokes, so little time.) As was expected, Jeff got very impatient while waiting for the team's turn with the big fella so his teammates took turns holding him on their shoulders so he could see Santa.

Each one of the guys got a chance to ask Santa for something special for Christmas. Some requests were normal and mundane, but a few stood out. Of course, Jussi asked to be an All-Star or at least get more votes than Joni. Ian asked for hair gel which surprised his teammates as they were under the impression he had it shipped in by the vat. Justin once again asked that Santa convince the coaches to, and I quote, "let me start a flippin' game for the love of the hockey gods." Tim wished for Chad to take a vow of silence for even just an hour. Eric whispered in Santa's ear a request for Erik to like him best again. Of course, it still remains to be seen, but I do believe someone will be disappointed on Christmas morning.

As a reminder, we'll have a very special letter to Santa and some Hurricanes' Christmas cards coming up soon.