The Carolina Hurricanes begin training on Thursday at Invisalign Arena in Morrisville for the 2025-26 hockey season.
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>> 100 YEARS DEDICATED. >> SO LAST YEAR WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DOWN YEAR FOR THE HURRICANES. HOW THAT GO, ROD? OH, YEAH. THEY MAY BE EASTERN CONFERENCE. FINAL AGAIN. CAROLINA HAS BEEN AS CONSISTENT AS THEY COME THIS SEASON. THEY HAVE THE CONTINUITY TO MATCH. I’LL TELL YOU WHAT TRAINING CAMP YOU COULD FEEL IT ON DAY ONE. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES. IT’S CRAZY. HOW MUCH YEAR CAN DO IN YOUR LIFE? RIGHT AT TRAINING CAMP LAST YEAR, JACKSON, BLAKE WASN’T SURE HE MAKE THE TEAM. >> NOW HERE’S A 45 MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT. I’M JUST GONNA. I HAVE THE SAME MINDSET AS THEY WERE LAST YEAR. AND JUST TRY TO TAKE IT UP ANOTHER NOTCH. ANOTHER STAR. >> IT’S A NEW SITUATION FOR BLAKE, BUT FOR THE REST OF THE TEAM, NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED. NOT PRACTICE. I FEEL LIKE WE’VE DONE 1000 TIMES SO. JUST JUST LIKE RIDING A BIKE GET BACK ON THE BIKE AND START GOING TO GET CAROLINA LOST DEFENSEMAN, DMITRI ORLOFF AND BRENT BURNS, THE FREE AGENCY, FORMER RANGER KEY ANDRE MILLER. THE BIG ACQUISITION. >> A LOT OF FAITH IN THIS TEAM. I THOUGHT. CAROLINA WAS ALWAYS A PART OF POINT FOR FOR ME PLAY ON THE OTHER SIDE, I WITH THEIR SPEED OR SKILL, THEIR BRAINS FOR THE GAME. I THINK I KIND OF HAVE THAT THREE-HEADED DRAGON THE CANES, HOPING FORMER WINNIPEG WINGER NIKOLAJ EHLERS CAN MAKE THEIR OFFENSIVE BEAST AS WELL LIKE THE COMPETE LIKE THE THE TOWN THEY HAVE ON THE SCENE. THEY’VE BEEN IN THE TOP FOR FREE MANY YEARS NOW. AND IT’S A IT’S A YOUNG GROUP. YOU CAN SEE HOW WELL THEY FIT TOGETHER AND HOW WELL THEY GEL TOGETHER. AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING A PART OF NEW TEAM AT THE SAME CORE. SAME COACH. >> AND SAME STANLEY CUP ASPIRATIONS. THE LESS CHANGE. YOUR WAS NICE JUST TO YET LESS EXPLAINING TO DO FOR MY AND YOU KNOW, 7, 8, GUYS THAT YOU GOT IT. >> I ONLY HAVE 3 THAT YOU’RE REALLY FOCUSING ON YES, YOU KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON? SO I’D SAY, I GUESS I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS A LITTLE EASIER. MAYBE. BUT IT’S IT’S EVERY YEAR TAKES ON A NEW LIFE LIKE WHATEVER YOU DO IN THE LAST YEAR AND THE YEAR EVERYBODY STARTED TEXTING. >> I WAS TALKING TO RIDE INTO JORDAN MARTINOOK ABOUT STARTING IN THAT SAME SPOT CLIMBING THAT MOUNTAIN WHEN THEY’VE BEEN SO CLOSE. DIFFICULT MENTALLY TO DO IT. IT FEELS LIKE IT WOULD BE FOR ME. >> AND MARTIN TOLD ME, NO, NOT REALLY. THIS IS WHAT THESE GUYS DO. THEY CAN’T WAIT. THEY’RE ALL CHASING THE FLORIDA PANTHERS AND ONE OTHER NOTE ON MARTIN, A KASSAM ABOUT HIS SUMMER DID NOT MUCH TO TELL ME ABOUT HIS TRAINING, BUT HE DID HAVE ANOTHER BABY. SO HE’S GOT 3 NOW AS A NEW SIGN. SO, YEAH, THAT’S BEEN A BIT A LITTLE BIT OF WORK. HOCKEY FEEL LIKE YOU’RE A PRETTY TOUGH RIGHT NOW. AND ON THAT NOTE KIDDING. YOU KNOW THAT. WELL. >> YOU TALK ABOUT JUST HOW HOW THEY MADE IT TO THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS AND THEY HAVE BEEN SO CLOSE TO JUST WHIPPING THAT STANLEY CUP AND HAVEN’T QUITE BEEN ABLE TO CONVERT THAT WITH ALL THIS FAMILIARITY. WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO DIFFERENTLY? >> WELL, THEY HAD A COUPLE OF NEW PIECES WHERE WE MET ANDRE MILLER NIKOLAJ EHLERS THAT YOU GIVE THEM SOME MORE FIRE POWER. THE DEFENSE IS BEING RETOOLED. IT IS YOUNGER. I THINK IT’S A LITTLE BIT OF A WEAKNESS LAST YEAR. SO I THINK THAT’S A REASON TO BE OPTIMISTIC. THEY HAVE THE SAME CORE.