HOCKEY Hurricanes determined to return to '02 success

The team was unusually focused throughout training camp.
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MIAMI -- Carolina coach Paul Maurice experienced the short off-season in 2002 after a playoff run where almost everything went right. A year later, Maurice had two more months of summer, after a season when almost everything went poorly and the Hurricanes finished 30th out of 30.
"The summer kept getting better, which was pretty easy based on where we finished," Maurice said. "The first benefit was getting Eric Staal No. 2 pick in the draft. Then, Bob Boughner and Danny Markov were added to your blue line and you get Glen Wesley back. So, by the time you hit training camp, you're pretty excited."
Maurice noticed his players, embarrassed by being considered a one-year wonder, were different in training camp.
"It was the first time I've seen this team so focused straight through camp," Maurice said. "Usually, you get into the third week, you're grinding really hard. You have four or five days that, I don't want to say 'wasted days' of practice, but you're just beating the body up more than anything else because mentally they're not there. That didn't happen this year."
Hurme's next stop
Ever since Jani Hurme went from Florida to Carolina to Atlanta in the waiver draft, speculation has centered on where he will be going next. Atlanta already has Pasi Nurminen and Byron Dafoe minding the nets while superstar goaltending prospect Kari Lehtonen does some AHL time.
Hurme told The Atlanta Journal Constitution that his girlfriend is staying in South Florida until Atlanta irons out its goaltending situation.
Wait for the first team that has goaltending issues but doesn't want to pay Curtis Joseph's $8 million ticket. Calgary should make a run at Hurme, as he's more solid than Roman Turek, but the Flames can't spare the forward Atlanta needs.
Choose your netting
Toronto allowed Maple Leafs fans to choose this season's protective netting behind each net over three preseason games.
The first game was for the dark netting used last season. The second game was for white netting of the same material. The third game was for clear monofilament netting. Around 2,100 fans participated in a process more streamlined than the California governorship.
The monofilament netting won in a runaway with 85 percent of the fans in the first 20 rows saying their view of the ice was "excellent" and 87 percent above the 20th row giving approval. An amazing 95 percent of Maple Leafs TV viewers voted good to excellent on the monofilament netting.