On Friday morning in the Carolina Hurricanes locker room, there was an air of excitement. After a six-game road trip to start the season, the team would finally play its home opener, the last of any team in the NHL to do so. After an offseason of change, this would be the first home game in a Hurricanes uniform for many of the players. For a few, it would be their first NHL home game, period. For one, NHL home openers are old hat, but this would be his first in Carolina.
Veteran forward Lee Stempniak has been around the block in the NHL. He has made stops in St. Louis, Toronto, Arizona, Calgary, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg, New Jersey, Boston and the Canes’ opponent Friday night, the New York Rangers. This summer, he chose to make the Hurricanes his 10th NHL team, signing a two-year deal at $2.5 million per season. So far, he has made a seamless transition, finding chemistry with forwards Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask and putting up four goals and six points in his first eight games as a Hurricane.
When asked what stands out about his latest stop, Stempniak was quick to answer.
“For us, I think the organization really has a family feel,” Stempniak said. “A lot of guys on our medical staff and our equipment staff have been here since the Hartford days. They’re very familiar, and I think there’s a family like feel and atmosphere here. I think that’s comforting to a lot of the players. I think our identity as a team is that we’re a quick team; we move the puck well and we’re talented. It’s a fun way to play for us, and if we play to our strengths using our speed to defend quickly and transition quickly we have a lot of talent to generate offense.”
Stempniak has fit in perfectly with last year’s strong duo of Rask and Skinner. The veteran forward seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time to create scoring chances, whether that is pouncing on a chance his linemates create for a goal, or setting them up to score, such as his beautiful behind the back pass to Rask in the team’s second game of the season against the Vancouver Canucks. In his 11th year NHL career, being asked to help out on offense is nothing new to Stempniak.
“I always try to be a hardworking player and a complete player, someone that can be relied on in any situation,” Stempniak said. “I think within our line, I’ve been able to get in on the forecheck. I’ve got a good shot, I’ve tried to use that and make plays when they’re there.”
Stempniak has definitely impressed early on for the Canes, but it becomes clear in talking to him that he is a humble player, being quick to credit much of his success to his new linemates.
“I think that’s for the most part the other two guys in Jeff and Victor,” Stempniak said. “Jeff’s an unbelievable skater and really dynamic offensively; he creates a lot of space and offense. Victor’s very smart with his passing, and I think we all fit well with each other. We try and think the game the same way and not cheat offensively to create chances but definitely try and generate offense and be reliable defensively.”
Skinner, on his part, has played with and had success with many different players in his career. The Canes’ leading goal scorer from last year has found chemistry with former veteran Erik Cole early in his rookie season. Later on with Finnish forwards Jussi Jokinen and Tuomo Ruutu, saw some nice stretches of play with former captain Eric Staal and forward Alexander Semin, and most recently last year with Rask and forward Phil Di Giuseppe. Skinner has definitely shown an ability to play with a variety of linemates in his career, but so far, he and Stempniak appear to be perfectly on the same page.
“He’s really fun to play with,” Skinner said. “He’s obviously a veteran guy; he’s been around awhile and he’s really smart. He’s really good on the forecheck and I think that allows to spend more time in the offensive end. He’s solid in all three zones, and he’s proven he can score and he can make plays. It’s always fun to play with a guy that thinks the game at a high level like him, because usually he knows where you’re going before you go there. It opens up things for you on the ice and it’s been fun playing with him.”
While his offensive abilities were the main reason the Canes acquired Stempniak, they certainly were not the only one. With an average age of 25.9, the Canes are the fourth-youngest team in the NHL. The Canes’ roster currently boasts 15 players aged 25 or younger. At 33, Stempniak sits well above that average, and bears responsibility for helping to mentor the Hurricanes’ plethora of young guns.
“Certainly I was fortunate when I was a young player to play with some very good veteran players who I learned a lot from, whether it was just from watching them or talking to them,” Stempniak said. “For me, a lot of it is trying to make the young guys feel comfortable; we rely on them and they’re a big part of the team. Whether that’s a pat on the back after a mistake or just some encouragement, seeing how they’re doing, that’s something I certainly try and do. Other than that, I just try and lead by example on and off the ice.”
In his time in the NHL, Carolina head coach Bill Peters has seen a lot of players as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings and now the head coach of the Hurricanes. He knows very well just how valuable a veteran leader that can produce offense like Stempniak can be.
“He’s a guy where you can pencil him in anywhere from 18 to 22 goals over the course of his career, so you know he’s a proven goal scorer and that’s what he does,” Peters said. “He’s real calm and composed on the bench; he gives the guys good feedback on what’s going on. He’s good on the powerplay; he’s got a very good release. If he gets the puck at the right times in the right spots, he’s going to score; that’s how he makes that living.”
As the calendar flips from October to November, the Canes continue on in trying to end their seven-year playoff drought. In order to do that, they will need all players, both new and old to contribute. If the first month of the season is any indication, Stempniak is ready to help lead the way for this young team.
