Hockey fans sad but not seething

RALEIGH -- The Carolina Hurricanes are on a 14-game winless streak, and 10-year old Caleb Sarver knows what the problem is.

"When they play, they don't play any defense," said Sarver, a defenseman, after practicing with his Fighting Red youth hockey team at the Cary Ice House on Saturday. "I feel bad for the Hurricanes. They just have to try harder."

You know it's bad when grade school kids are offering advice.

Fans in the Triangle had plenty on Saturday, a day after the Hurricanes lost in overtime to the New York Islanders to extend their winless streak to a disheartening 14 games.

Three seasons after winning the 2006 Stanley Cup, the Hurricanes have matched the franchise record for futility. The last time they hit a 14-game losing streak was in 1992, when the team was still in Hartford, Conn.

Although the Canes picked up a point in the NHL standings by going into overtime, they hold the dubious distinction of being the worst team in the NHL. They have another chance to break the spell this afternoon, when they host the Minnesota Wild at the RBC Center.

Jim Rutherford, the Carolina Hurricanes' president and general manager, apologized to fans Saturday.

"I'm sorry this has turned out the way it has," Rutherford said in an interview. "Certainly we didn't see it coming. ... I'm going to do my best to rectify it sooner rather than later, though it's not easy to fix once you get going down one road. I would say, 'Sorry,' to the fans. I didn't expect this."

No booing, so far

The Canes are in danger of losing ground they've gained with sports fans in a basketball-crazed state since moving here in 1997.

Jessica Tolzman, 10, of Apex, is part of a strong local youth hockey program, partly sponsored by the Hurricanes as a way to nurture the game in the South and foster new generations of hockey fans.

Tolzman attended Friday's game with her family and said, after practicing with her team on Saturday, she was sad and disappointed to see the Hurricanes losing.

Jacob Halterman, 10, of Apex, called the streak "weird."

"It makes me feel like they're never going to get to the playoffs this season," he said. "But I think they can win at least half of their games."

Halterman said some of his school friends have stopped rooting for the Canes because the team is losing. He has a prescription for those who have lost faith: "It takes a lot of courage and lots of respect and hope," Halterman said.

Neither the team nor fans showed much energy Friday night when the Canes went down 3-0 in the first period. . But hope remained. On the arena's lower level, one fan sign read, "We still believe."

"You didn't hear any boos," said Kevin Phillips, a Canadian who lives in Cary. "If you were in New York or Philly, fans would have let them have it. ... They're not as bad as the start indicates. They need something good to happen."

The winless streak isn't helping the team's bottom line. Through nine home dates, the team's average attendance has only decreased. Though season-ticket holders came back after the Canes played in the NHL Eastern Conference finals last season, Rutherford said, single-game sales are down.

Losing during a recession makes it worse.

"We're all frustrated, the fans and everybody in the organization," Rutherford said. "We're disappointed in the performance, and people are being careful about how they spend their money."

Blame age and injuries

The team is playing without Cam Ward, goaltending hero of the 2006 Stanley Cup team, and Eric Staal, the team's best offensive player. Both are out with injuries.

Russell Kandel, a longtime fan in Raleigh, calls the losing streak "the elephant in the room."

"Of course we're disappointed," Kandel said. "But last night was a great game to watch. That's something that has not been the case formany of the last few games."

John Bove - like Kandel, a season-ticket holder since the team's first season in Greensboro - said the Canes' record has to even out.

"[The streak] doesn't seem natural," Bove said. "There's no way they're going to have a 14-game winning streak. ... I think their age has caught up with them and injuries. I think once you start losing, it seems to happen more easily."

Bove worries they don't have enough bodies to rebound from a bad start.

"They have heart, they just don't have a lot of excess talent to pick them up," he said. "They don't have anyone in the minor leagues to get fresh legs and change things up. It seems like they're almost stuck with what they have."

Youth hockey coach Kurt Voss came to Knightdale from Minnesota through his career in the Marine Corps. He knows many of the Carolina players and thinks they're working as hard as they can.

"It makes you want to be around for the first win," Voss said. "Once they feel what it's like to win a game, they can build on that."

Will fans get surly?

Rutherford is getting e-mail messages from fans, more than he would during a normal year, less than he did when Carolina won the Stanley Cup.

"I really appreciate the support," he said. "I know it's hard to find a silver lining. ... Most of the responses are positive. That's a little surprising with what we've gone through, but it says how respectful and loyal our fans are."

How long before fans turn on the team, good economy or not? Fifteen games without a victory? Sixteen? Twenty?

"I couldn't tell you," Kandel said. "But it won't happen to me."

Staff writer Chip Alexander contributed to this report.

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