Tagged: Carolina Hurricanes

Eleven new members are set to join the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.  Thursday night's induction ceremony and banquet marks the museum's 50th anniversary. 

Hall of Fame executive director Don Fish says the class of 2013 includes hockey legend Ron Francis, who retired a year before the Carolina Hurricanes won their first and only championship.

"It changed the face of sports in North Carolina," Fish says.

The Carolina Hurricanes hope to extend a three-game winning streak Monday night against the Montreal Canadiens.  Coach Kirk Muller says his skaters are playing a quicker game and he expects to see a familiar set of players in Montreal.

"I find they're playing a very similar game to our game right now.  They're not afraid to come at you," Muller says.

Carolina Hurricanes fans are about a week away from welcoming their team back to the ice. Hockey owners and the N-H-L Players Association recently reached an agreement on collective bargaining which lifted a nearly four-month-long lockout. Players are now getting ready for a condensed season. Hurricanes' general manager Jim Rutherford says it's great to see the players skating again, but he hasn't lost sight of the others affected by the long lockout.

Players, staff, and others who earn a living from professional hockey in the Triangle are bracing for a long, protracted labor dispute.  One year after the entire 2004-2005 season was lost due to the last contractual dispute between team owners and players, the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup.