Hurricanes choose Brind’Amour as coach
The Carolina Hurricanes hired former captain and current assistant Rod Brind’Amour as their coach Tuesday, hoping the “greatest leader” in franchise history can end a nineyear National Hockey League playoff drought.
The team also announced that club president Don Waddell will become the full-time general manager after serving as acting general manager.
Waddell said a number of coaching candidates were discussed, but “our conversations with staff and players consistently returned to the same person.”
One of the team’s most decorated players, Brind’Amour captained the Hurricanes’ only Stanley Cup championship team in 2006.
“Rod is the greatest leader in the history of this franchise, and has earned the opportunity to take charge of our locker-room,” Waddell said in a statement.
The two-time Selke Award winner as the NHL’s best defensive forward retired in 2010 and ranks third in club history in assists (299), fourth in points
(473) and fifth in games played (694).
He replaces Bill Peters, who opted out of his contract last month following his fourth year and subsequently was hired by the Calgary Flames.
Brind’Amour has been a Carolina assistant since 2011. He spent half his 20-season NHL career with the Hurricanes, leading them to the Stanley Cup final in 2002 and again four years later.
However, Carolina has made the playoffs only once in the 12 years since Brind’Amour hoisted the Cup, and the Hurricanes’ nine-year absence from the postseason is one of the longest stretches in NHL history.