Checkers broadcaster Jason Shaya checks in each week with his 10 Thoughts - a series of observations about the team and the hockey world in general.
1) Chris Terry has been on fire recently. The team was looking for someone to step up and take the reins, and Chris has provided Charlotte with an offensive surge just when it lost plenty of firepower. This team can go far if he continues to shoot the puck with the kind of authority we’ve seen the past two weeks. I have a feeling there is still another level he’s capable of reaching.
2) Zac Dalpe is getting better every game with the Canes while playing on one of the top lines. Remember, this was a kid who wasn’t initially invited to camp. He just kept working hard and it paid off. Frustration is a waste of time for Zac, and that's a lesson to all the young hockey players out there. The only thing you can control is how hard you work.
3) Anyone see the celebration from Nail Yakupov when he tied the game late against the Kings the other night? If you think it’s a good idea to do something like that, just wait until L.A. plays Edmonton again. A team that just won the cup might look for some extra incentive to get the wheels turning again. Embarrassing a team like L.A. is a bad idea.
4) If the playoffs started today, Charlotte would play Toronto - a team it has never faced in any circumstance.
5) The best pickup from the ECHL last year was Sean Dolan, who came up and earned a contract by working hard. This year, it’s defenseman Bobby Raymond. He skates incredibly well and has been able to soften the blow that came from the loss of Sanguinetti and Faulk. He scored his first goal as a Checker on Saturday with a perfect assist from Barry Brust.
6) Six days ago was the anniversary of the death of Sir Winston Churchill and I felt I should just tip my hat to one of the greatest world leaders in the 20th Century. I quote him often and have studied his speeches and life for a while. I am in the business of providing the voice for this team. Churchill provided the voice for the English-speaking world in the battle against a dark and lamentable force. While I would never compare myself to this great man, these words he once spoke really hit home, “It was the nation and the race dwelling all-round the globe that had the lion's heart: I had the luck to be called upon to give the roar.”
7) I wonder if Charlotte head coach Jeff Daniels had fun coaching in the All-Star Game. I’d like to know if he smiled on the bench in the game. It would be his first time.
8) The performance of former Checkers goaltender Dan Ellis in Buffalo was brilliant. It’s entirely possible that by next season he is competing and winning a starting spot with a team in the NHL. His movements are more economical than in the past and his poise in net is remarkable.
9) Kari Lehtonen has the save of the year...so far.
This is absolutely incredible.
10) I can’t wait for Sunday when I continue my streak of not watching the Super Bowl to 15 years.
11) You could make the argument right now that Justin Peters is the best goalie in the Western Conference.
12) I met the Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, last week. He was nice enough to pose for a picture with me as we worked out at the same gym for a day. His giant bodyguard took the photo and they were both incredibly nice.
13) Two games this weekend in Oklahoma City. Don’t forget to tune in to the show. Pre-game begins at 7:50 for both games. Should be a lot of fun in front of jam packed convention center crowd.
14) Congrats to Derek Wilkinson as he played in another AHL All-Star Alumni Game. He made it through the entire game without having to use an oxygen mask. The former NHL goaltender is now a defenseman in recreational hockey where he is equally as good in the d-zone.
