The Carolina Hurricanes took care of a major piece of business after being eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour was set to become a free agent on July 1st. Carolina wanted to keep him, though, and they've done just that. Brind'Amour signed a multiyear contract extension to remain with the franchise.
Brind'Amour has been with the Hurricanes organization for a long time. As a player, he joined the team during the 1999-00 season. He played parts of 10 seasons with Carolina, winning a Stanley Cup in 2006. In May 2018, he was named head coach of the team. Given his history, the veteran bench boss had a hard time seeing himself coaching another team.
“It's hard for me to envision doing this anywhere else, that's the bottom line,” Brind'Amour said Monday, via NHL.com. “What makes it important to me is the people I'm around because I know their commitment and I see it. So when I ask the players to care about what they do, your boss has to care about it. So if I was to go somewhere else, I don't know how I could be that same coach because I don't have that commitment, I don't have that background, I don't have that love for the guys I have here.”
Special connections
Rod Brind'Amour has made a big impact since his 2018 appointment. He has led Carolina to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of his first six seasons in charge. The Hurricanes head coach has helped his team make two Eastern Conference Finals appearances. And he is one of two coaches in NHL history to win a playoff series in each of his first six seasons as a coach.
This, combined with his history as a player, makes him a voice players want to listen to. And this has allowed him to form quite the relationship with the players he coaches. “I think he has a special relationship with a lot of guys,” Carolina defenseman Brent Burns said, via NHL.com. “I think it’s definitely a great thing to get to play for a guy like that. Every day, you never know what you’re going to hear.”
“For him, he’s been through a lot. He’s won, he’s been through that grind for a long time. But it’s more than that; it’s his personality, it’s his energy that you can’t make up. It oozes out of him. That’s a special thing for a team,” Burns continued, via NHL.com.
Knocking on the door
The Hurricanes have come close to the Stanley Cup Final twice with Rod Brind'Amour in charge. However, they have fallen short each time. In fact, Carolina was swept in both of their Eastern Conference Finals appearances since 2019. Brind'Amour was a player when the team last won a game in the East Final.
That being said, the Hurricanes have a talented roster. They have star forwards in Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. Brady Skjei and Brent Burns lead their defense. And Frederik Andersen has certainly shown that he can anchor a team in the crease. Brind'Amour likes the group currently in place, though work needs to be done.
“We're knocking on the door,” the Hurricanes head coach said, via NHL.com. “And I can tell you what: I'd rather be knocking on the door than be two houses down, which is where we were for a long time. It's now, OK, what tweaks can we make? I don't really want to change a bunch of stuff, I don't know what we could change to be better. I believe in the way we do things, and the best thing about it is the guys in (the locker room) believe it.”
The Hurricanes certainly believe Brind'Amour is the right man for the job. And it's hard to argue with the success he has already had. Carolina should be a Stanley Cup contender again in 2024-25, thanks in part to their star head coach sticking around.
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