It’s been a decade since Carolina Hurricanes made their last Stanley Cup playoffs appearance, but that will soon change. Following a 3-1 win over New Jersey Devils on Thursday, the Hurricanes climbed to a 45-29-7 record which meant they have secured themselves a spot in the postseason.

Carolina also benefited from Washington Capitals’ 2-1 over Montreal Canadiens, who were Hurricanes’ main competition for a place in the playoffs. Canadiens still haven’t lost the chance to get there, however, as they can clinch the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot in their last game of the 2018/19 NHL season against Toronto Maple Leafs.

Carolina Hurricanes faced with many challenges prior to the start of the season, including a change of ownership and having a rookie head coach. They also boosted the NHL’s longest playoff drought and were coming off a year in which they had the lowest attendance in the league. Still, the team managed to turn things around and improve 14 points compared to the last season thanks to their outstanding defense.

“The goal was to get relevant. That’s the first thing,” – said Hurricanes’ coach Rod Brind’Amour. “I felt like we’d kind of fallen off the map, and obviously, we’re not done. This isn’t the final thing. We want to be the best team. But there’s a step that has to be taken, and it’s a huge step to make the playoffs. Can’t say enough about the group — just can’t.”

 “It’s exciting, everyone can see all the emotion out of the group and in here right now, there’s still a bit of a vibe,” – added defenseman Justin Faulk. “It’s great, and we’re not happy yet, right? We’re excited, we’re obviously happy, but we’re not done, and that’s not enough just to get into the playoffs, and we know that, and that’s been our mindset the whole year.”

The post Hurricanes Return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs After a 10-Year Drought appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Carolina Hurricanes announced on Tuesday that they are promoting their assistant coach Rod Brind’Amour to be the team’s new head coach. Hurricanes were without a coach since April 20th when Bill Peters decided to opt out of his contract and take over the Calgary Flames. The organization also revealed that the team president Don Waddell will take the role of general manager full-time, after serving as interim GM.

Rod Brind’Amour previously played 10 seasons for the Carolina Hurricanes and captained the team during the 2005-06 season, when the Hurricanes won their first and only Stanley Cup. Brind’Amour retired from professional hockey in 2010, finishing his career with 1,484 career games (23rd in all-time NHL games played) in which he scored 452 goals alongside 732 assists. He stayed with the organization following his retirement as assistant coach and development coach.

“Rod is the greatest leader in the history of this franchise, and has earned the opportunity to take charge of our locker room,” – said Waddell after the announcement. “We spoke to a number of candidates for this position, but our conversations with staff and players consistently returned to the same person.“

“Rod’s fresh ideas, ability to motivate and understanding of what it takes to bring a championship to Raleigh will help our young team take the next step toward competing to bring the Cup back to North Carolina.” – he added.

Carolina Hurricanes finished the 2017-18 with a 36-35-11 record and missed out on the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season.

The post Carolina Hurricanes Hire Rod Brind’Amour as Their New Head Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It’s been a decade since Carolina Hurricanes made their last Stanley Cup playoffs appearance, but that will soon change. Following a 3-1 win over New Jersey Devils on Thursday, the Hurricanes climbed to a 45-29-7 record which meant they have secured themselves a spot in the postseason.

Carolina also benefited from Washington Capitals’ 2-1 over Montreal Canadiens, who were Hurricanes’ main competition for a place in the playoffs. Canadiens still haven’t lost the chance to get there, however, as they can clinch the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot in their last game of the 2018/19 NHL season against Toronto Maple Leafs.

Carolina Hurricanes faced with many challenges prior to the start of the season, including a change of ownership and having a rookie head coach. They also boosted the NHL’s longest playoff drought and were coming off a year in which they had the lowest attendance in the league. Still, the team managed to turn things around and improve 14 points compared to the last season thanks to their outstanding defense.

“The goal was to get relevant. That’s the first thing,” – said Hurricanes’ coach Rod Brind’Amour. “I felt like we’d kind of fallen off the map, and obviously, we’re not done. This isn’t the final thing. We want to be the best team. But there’s a step that has to be taken, and it’s a huge step to make the playoffs. Can’t say enough about the group — just can’t.”

 “It’s exciting, everyone can see all the emotion out of the group and in here right now, there’s still a bit of a vibe,” – added defenseman Justin Faulk. “It’s great, and we’re not happy yet, right? We’re excited, we’re obviously happy, but we’re not done, and that’s not enough just to get into the playoffs, and we know that, and that’s been our mindset the whole year.”

The post Hurricanes Return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs After a 10-Year Drought appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Carolina Hurricanes announced on Tuesday that they are promoting their assistant coach Rod Brind’Amour to be the team’s new head coach. Hurricanes were without a coach since April 20th when Bill Peters decided to opt out of his contract and take over the Calgary Flames. The organization also revealed that the team president Don Waddell will take the role of general manager full-time, after serving as interim GM.

Rod Brind’Amour previously played 10 seasons for the Carolina Hurricanes and captained the team during the 2005-06 season, when the Hurricanes won their first and only Stanley Cup. Brind’Amour retired from professional hockey in 2010, finishing his career with 1,484 career games (23rd in all-time NHL games played) in which he scored 452 goals alongside 732 assists. He stayed with the organization following his retirement as assistant coach and development coach.

“Rod is the greatest leader in the history of this franchise, and has earned the opportunity to take charge of our locker room,” – said Waddell after the announcement. “We spoke to a number of candidates for this position, but our conversations with staff and players consistently returned to the same person.“

“Rod’s fresh ideas, ability to motivate and understanding of what it takes to bring a championship to Raleigh will help our young team take the next step toward competing to bring the Cup back to North Carolina.” – he added.

Carolina Hurricanes finished the 2017-18 with a 36-35-11 record and missed out on the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season.

The post Carolina Hurricanes Hire Rod Brind’Amour as Their New Head Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.