No Treats, Just Tricks

It's rare that we get a glimpse into the inner workings of a hockey team. It's rarer still that we see the inner workings of a hockey team's social life. But that's what we're all about here at the Hurricane Siren-breaking boundaries and taking you where no fan has gone before. And when we can't do that, we just make stuff up. Luckily though, we didn't have to resort to lies and Photoshop to bring you scenes from the Carolina Hurricanes' 2010 Halloween Costume Extravaganza! (Ed. Note: We resorted to lies and Photoshop to bring you these scenes from the Carolina Hurricanes' 2010 Halloween Costume Extravaganza.)

The costumes were both impressive and scary. Some were frighteningly accurate and others made you wonder just what the player was thinking (and how much alcohol was coursing through his bloodstream while he was thinking). But you don't want to hear my recap of the evening when you could see some of the night's best moments! So without further ado, let's roll the tape.



As you can see, a great time was had by all, including some unexpected guests (bonus points if you leave the name of the party crasher and the scenes in which he appears in the comments). The group did the Monster Mash and the Time Warp. I even believe that I saw a few players who shall remain nameless break out into the Thriller dance. They ate ghost-shaped cookies, drank Ghoul-aid and chowed down on candy corn (no, I can neither deny nor confirm that Chad had to be sedated before they could get him into the car to go home). Tripp told both wildly inappropriate and completely unfunny Halloween-themed jokes while the band took a break. There was even a pumpkin-carving contest!

But, the best part of the evening may have been the costume parade and contest where everyone brought their best catwalk skills in order to take home the completely nonexistent trophy shaped like a pumpkin. It was a tight contest with the judges having to make a very tough decision. Honorable mention went to Zac Dalpe, Drayson Bowman and Justin Peters for their interpretation of Snap, Crackle and Pop. They almost took it home, especially when the judges realized that they carried a giant cereal bowl around all night long, but ultimately the imaginary trophy was won by our very own Stormy the Icehog. His dedication to his costume (including the false eyelashes and lipstick) really helped him edge out the competition. He definitely went whole hog (so to speak) with his costume and I'm sure he will forever keep that fake trophy on his mantle...or whatever the Icehog equivalent of that is.

It was certainly a Halloween to remember (and one some of us may wish to forget). Happy Halloween Caniacs!

Getting To Know...Alexandre Picard!

Our second installment of "Getting To Know..." features one Alexandre Picard who came to Raleigh in exchange for the Hurricanes' version of Ol' Blue Eyes prior to the Olympic break. The 24 (almost 25) year old from Quebec was drafted by Philadelphia in 2003 and helped the Philadelphia Phantoms win the Calder Cup in 2005 (along with Creepie...err Joni Pitkanen) before his rookie season in 2006. Picard has bounced around the NHL quite a bit with stops in Tampa Bay and Ottawa before finding a home (at least temporarily) in Carolina.

Born in Gatineau, Picard has a younger brother and learned to love the game while watching his father coach on the weekends. He's also a bit of a mama's boy, at least when it comes to food, citing his mother's lasagna as his favorite meal.

Some random facts about our newest David Tanabe look-a-like:
*His best trait is patience and he values honesty in other people. Don't worry Alex-we're nothing but honest in Carolina.
*He never goes on the road without a good book.
*His first job was a soccer referee and he wanted to be a hockey player or sports journalist when he was little.
*He'd like to learn how to play the guitar and travel through Europe at some point.
*His worst subject in school? Math. Best subject? French.
*He was quote "probably nervous as hell" during his first date.

Picard has never been an offensive dynamo (his career high in goals is 1), but his 15 points and 11 assists put him at third and tied for second respectively among Sens' d-men before being traded in March. But he brings a young body that MoRonRowe can mold into the kind of player they want on the blueline.

So welcome to Raleigh Alex! Try the BBQ, check out a college basketball game (just don't pick a favorite), stay away from Tripp and never, ever watch game footage of A.Ward unless it's for laughs.