Carolina Hurricanes: 1997-98 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hartford Whalers

The Whalers formed in 1972 as the New England Whalers of the WHA. After the WHA abosrbed into the NHL in 1979, the New England Whalers became the Hartord Whalers. After lackluster attendance and minimal fan support, Whalers owner Peter Karmanos moved the team to North Carolina in 1997. The last game in Whalers history was a 2-1 victory over the Lightning.

Answer: No

The Carolina Hurricanes' very first contest took place on October 1, 1997, against the Lightning. Despite the fact that Trevor Kidd stopped 23 of 26 Tampa Bay shots, the Hurricanes were defeated 4-2. The Hurricanes didn't win their first game until October 10, when they defeated the New Jersey Devils 2-1.

Answer: Kevin Dineen

Kevin Dineen was named the captain of the Whalers in the 1996-97 season. Due to his vast experience and leadership abilities, his captaincy was held another season as a member of the Hurricanes. In 54 games for the Hurricanes, Dineen recorded 23 points.

Answer: Trevor Kidd

Trevor Kidd was traded by the Flames to the Canes on August 25, 1997. He and Gary Roberts were sent to Carolina in exchange for Jean Sebastien Giguere and Andrew Cassels. Kidd played 47 games for the Hurricanes, recording a 21-21-3 record with a 2.17 GAA, 3 shutouts and a 0.922% save average. Sean Burke was the other primary Carolina goaltender.

He was a Whaler before the move to Carolina so he stayed with the team. He lasted 25 games for the Canes, recordng a 7-11-5 record while getting one shutout, a 2.80 GAA and a 0.899% save average.

He was traded to Vancouver for Martin Gelinas and standout goaltender Kirk McLean. Kirk McLean was expected to do great things for the new franchise, but it obviously didn't work out. McLean lasted 8 games as a Hurricane before being traded to the Panthers.

He recorded a 4-2-0 record with a mediocre 0.889% save average. The other goaltenders who played for the Canes in 1997-98 were Pat Jabolonski(5 games) and Mike Fountain(3 games).

Answer: Greensboro Coliseum

The Greensboro Coliseum was used as a temporary arena while the Entertainment and Sports Arena was under construction. Despite the 21,000 person capacity, few people actually showed up for games because of it's huge distance from Raleigh. The Hurricanes were essentially a flop until the ESA was completed.

Answer: Paul Maurice

Paul Maurice was born on January 30, 1967, and was drafted 252nd overall in the 1985 NHL entry draft. He never saw action at the NHL level due to an eye injury he sustained in an OHL charity match. After the injury, the team's owner offered a trade to Maurice or the opportunity to coach. Maurice chose to coach.

After coaching two seasons in the OHL, Maurice became coach of the Whalers at the young age of 28. When the Whalers moved to Carolina, Paul Maurice stayed with the team.

Answer: He recorded three consecutive shutouts

Despite having an average team in front of him, starting goalie Trevor Kidd put up quite a show towards the end of the regular season. On April 1, Kidd and the Hurricanes defeated New Jersey 4-0. On April 4, the Montreal Canadiens were shutout 1-0, and on April 6, the Bruins were defeated 3-0. Kidd's massive shutout streak ended against the Sabres the next game.

In total, Trevor Kidd stopped 88 shots in his three-game shutout streak.

Answer: Ron Francis

Keith Primeau, and Paul Ranheim were members of the Hartford Whalers before they were moved to Carolina. Gary Roberts was acquired via a trade with the Flames in 1997-98. Ron Francis was acquired by free agency to play in the 1998-99 season.

Answer: No

Despite a respectable season, the Hurricanes did not make the playoffs. With their 33-41-8 record, the Hurricanes were only good enough to place ninth in the Eastern Conference. They were nine points out of a playoff spot that season.

Answer: False

Interestingly enough, both Sami Kapanen and Keith Primeau shared the team lead in points. Both played 81 games, both had 26 goals and both had 37 assists. In total, the two had 63 points. Their points total would be Carolina Hurricane highs until the 1999-00 season.