Tweetmail No. 166: Thanksgiving Spread

Hello and welcome to Tweetmail, presented by our friends at
Tijuana Flats
! Wear your Canes gear to participating Raleigh locations on Wednesdays throughout the season and receive 50% off any entrée.
Tweetmail is a weekly feature on CarolinaHurricanes.com in which I take your Twitter questions about the Carolina Hurricanes or other assorted topics and answer them in mailbag form. Hopefully the final product is insightful to some degree, and maybe we have some fun along the way.
As they say in Tweetmail, let's do that Tweetmail.

Tweet from @caniac176: Chance the Rapper: great sideline reporter or greatest only behind the Big Rig @mikemaniscalco?? #Tweetmail
Greatest behind only the Big Rig, of course.
Chance the Rapper and the "Saturday Night Live" writing staff found comedy gold with their "Sports Announcer" skit from this weekend. If you haven't already seen it or just want to relive the hilarity, you can check it out
here
.
MSG was in the building on Sunday, but I didn't see Laz. It was probably too cold for him.
Tweet from @Wilhelm_Law13: How do you think Brock McGinn will continue to progress this season? Also, what advice would you give to someone that wants to become a hockey reporter/analyst? #Tweetmail
Brock McGinn has started strong in his first 18 games of the season. He's tallied five goals and five assists (10 points) in that time, well on pace for a career season offensively. His 18.5 percent shooting percentage will probably drift back toward a more sustainable number, but his stretch of four goals in three games two weeks back typified what sort of offensive contributions McGinn is capable of. He's playing on a talented line right now alongside Derek Ryan and Justin Williams, and he brings the much-needed sandpaper element to the Canes' lineup, so much so that he's been utilized net-front on the power play as of late. It's been a real good start for McGinn, who's setting himself up for a solid season.
Advice time! If you want to be a hockey reporter or analyst or really any sports reporter or analyst, you have to constantly hone your craft. Watch hockey. Write about hockey. Read what others are writing. Talk about hockey. Seek out opportunities to allow you to do these things on a regular basis. Seek out opportunities to allow you to do these things around a team in an internship scenario. This hands-on experience is what's going to make you better at what you do, and you're going to meet and interact with people who are doing the same thing.

The fireman's helmet, the championship belt, the "chop wood, carry water" ax: all of these postgame awards that the Hurricanes have used at one point or another or in combination over the last few seasons have been retired.
The Hurricanes do have a new postgame award this season but have chosen, like a number of other teams, to keep it exclusive to the locker room right now.

Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without turkey, just like Christmas in Whoville isn't Christmas in Whoville without roast beast.
For me, ham is also a must because that's my Thanksgiving meat preference. TV's Mike Maniscalco was not in agreement on the
latest episode of CanesCast
, in which we discuss Thanksgiving food, chat with Hurricanes co-captain Justin Faulk and answer some listener questions! Check it out, won't you? (And subscribe so you don't miss an episode!)
Speaking of Thanksgiving food …
Tweet from @The_Hockey_Prof: #Tweetmail Best and worst Thanksgiving side dish?
The best side dish has to be either mashed potatoes - or some variant of potatoes, like scalloped potatoes - or a casserole, like a corn casserole or broccoli casserole. Those are staples of a Thanksgiving buffet, and I'll probably put most or all of them on my plate on Thursday.
The worst side dish? Is there such thing? I guess there are less desirable options, among them being some sort of cranberry sauce or turkey accompaniment. Bleh. No thanks.

One of the first things I do when the regular-season schedule is released is check the holiday schedule. Last season was a tough bounce. We spent Thanksgiving, a gameday no less, in Montreal. It was fine; such is the life in professional sports, and my work family is worth being thankful for, too.
But this year, the schedule allows me to slip away for a day and spend Thanksgiving with extended family, which I'm very much looking forward to. I'll eat way too much and then roll back down I-40 to Raleigh.
Have a great Thanksgiving, all!
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Join me next week for more questions and more answers!
If you have a question you'd like answered or you'd like to berate me for my Thanksgiving food takes, you can find me on Twitter at
@MSmithCanes
or drop an email
here
.