Hurricanes goaltender Michael Leighton usually puts in some serious ice time at the end of every practice. But yesterday, he left practice in a hurry. His excuse was a good one. This morning at 4:19 a.m., Michael's wife, Jennifer, gave birth to the couple's second daughter. Annalise Mae Leighton weighed in at six pounds, four ounces, and joins older sister Ella (3) in the Leighton household.

Mike Sundheim

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Congrats to Michael and Jennifer on the new addition!

Media Alerts: Obviously, Eric Staal's birthday appearance on NHL Live didn't happen yesterday, since practice went long. We'll try to reschedule for next week.

Nice work by ABC-11's Charlie Mickens putting together the footage for this story about Eric Staal and the Capital City Crew. I also highly recommend Eric Bridenstine's feature on this site, if you haven't seen it yet.

Cam Ward is the coverboy for the November 2009 issue of "Sharing the Victory" magazine, the official publication of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Matt Cullen is also prominently featured in the issue, with a poster inside. The site of the magazine is still showcasing the October issue, but should display Cam's issue soon.

Former Hurricane Bret Hedican and his wife, Kristi Yamaguchi, will serve as judges on the popular Canadian realty show "Battle of the Blades" this weekend. The show pairs former hockey players with seasoned figure skaters in a "Dancing with the Stars"-like format. 

Finally, check out this classic photo of our Finnish contingent tailgating with some Hurricanes season ticket holders for a magazine based in their native country.

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