nccanes
09-04-2003, 05:29 AM
A nice read - wish I'd managed to be at that talk....
By NED BARNETT, Staff Writer
RALEIGH--Carolina Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice stood before more than 150 members of the Raleigh Sports Club on Wednesday and noted the change in his audience since the Canes went from Stanley Cup finalists in the 2001- 02 season to NHL cellar dweller last season.
"This is not a complaint, but last year I got a standing ovation," Maurice deadpanned. "I'm not sure what has happened in the last year, but the love is gone." (:laugh:)
The crowd at the Highland United Methodist Church hall responded with applause -- and a standing ovation.
Such an opening may explain why Maurice has survived to enter his ninth season as the Canes' head coach, the longest tenure of any current NHL coach. He has a dry sense of humor and a manner as cool as the ice he watches over.
But even the unflappable Maurice knew on his return to the Raleigh Sports Club that he had some explaining to do. He traced last season's downfall to three causes:
* Key injuries, beginning with goalie Kevin Weekes going down with a concussion. Then injuries to defenseman Bret Hedican, center Rod Brind'Amour and left wing Erik Cole.
* The fallout from the disaffection of goalie Arturs Irbe, the 2002 playoff hero who went public with a "play me or trade me" demand last season. That had an especially disruptive effect on a team built more on chemistry than high-priced talent, Maurice said.
* More injuries to young players who were called up, played well and then got hurt.
"We knew by late January that we were in a world of trouble," Maurice said.
The team faced a choice of bringing in veterans or bringing up prospects. The Canes chose the latter. Maurice said the enthusiasm of the young players made a grim situation bearable.
"You walk into the room and see these five or six kids who just realized a dream of playing in the NHL and now they're there and excited, that got me through," he said.
Maurice said "the greatest disappointment of the season" was not the team's fall from its highest point, but its failure to rebound when adversity came.
"It was the first time that any team I had coached from maybe even the junior level and especially in the NHL that we weren't resilient," he said. "Even in the years when we couldn't get into the playoffs back in the Hartford days, we were always very close."
The 2003-04 version of the Hurricanes will stay in the fight, Maurice promised. The return of defenseman Glen Wesley and the addition of veteran defensemen Danny Markov and Bob Boughner will greatly improve the defense, he said, adding that Markov and Boughner in particular will give the Canes a tougher fighting edge.
"The two guys we added in the offseason are the right kind of men for this team," Maurice said. Boughner, he said, "can fight if he needs to. For those of you who don't like that, sorry. I don't think it's a bad thing. A bad thing is if you don't have anybody on the team that can do it. He adds a physical element to our team that we haven't had."
Of the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Markov, he said, he's "not a big guy, but he has a huge heart and he plays a fighter's game. He finishes his checks hard. He competes hard."
On the offensive end, the return of Cole will be a boost, Maurice said. He called the 24-year-old winger "probably the most skilled player we have on the front now." He said Cole should flourish in his third season after surgery to repair injuries to his ankle, knee and shoulder.
Though last season was a dismal period, Maurice said there were two good effects: "You get a long enough break to get rid of some of the pain and you get a really high draft pick."
The Canes used their No. 2 overall pick to acquire Eric Staal, a 6-3 center who could develop into a potent scoring threat. Maurice is impressed with Staal but said his impact will not be immediate.
" He doesn't turn 19 until the end of October. So I caution the diehard Caniacs out there that he will not set the ice on fire in the first few months. He has a lot of growing to do, but this guy is going to be a very, very good player ."
For Maurice, the most notable development of last season wasn't the Canes' decline, but the loyalty of their fans. He said the team was impressed when it returned from a disastrous West Coast trip expecting boos and receiving cheers. This year, Maurice said, the Canes will reward that loyalty.
"We want to redeem ourselves," he said. "We want to be as good as our fans were last year."
Columnist Ned Barnett can be reached at 829-4555 or nbarnett@newsobserver.com
By NED BARNETT, Staff Writer
RALEIGH--Carolina Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice stood before more than 150 members of the Raleigh Sports Club on Wednesday and noted the change in his audience since the Canes went from Stanley Cup finalists in the 2001- 02 season to NHL cellar dweller last season.
"This is not a complaint, but last year I got a standing ovation," Maurice deadpanned. "I'm not sure what has happened in the last year, but the love is gone." (:laugh:)
The crowd at the Highland United Methodist Church hall responded with applause -- and a standing ovation.
Such an opening may explain why Maurice has survived to enter his ninth season as the Canes' head coach, the longest tenure of any current NHL coach. He has a dry sense of humor and a manner as cool as the ice he watches over.
But even the unflappable Maurice knew on his return to the Raleigh Sports Club that he had some explaining to do. He traced last season's downfall to three causes:
* Key injuries, beginning with goalie Kevin Weekes going down with a concussion. Then injuries to defenseman Bret Hedican, center Rod Brind'Amour and left wing Erik Cole.
* The fallout from the disaffection of goalie Arturs Irbe, the 2002 playoff hero who went public with a "play me or trade me" demand last season. That had an especially disruptive effect on a team built more on chemistry than high-priced talent, Maurice said.
* More injuries to young players who were called up, played well and then got hurt.
"We knew by late January that we were in a world of trouble," Maurice said.
The team faced a choice of bringing in veterans or bringing up prospects. The Canes chose the latter. Maurice said the enthusiasm of the young players made a grim situation bearable.
"You walk into the room and see these five or six kids who just realized a dream of playing in the NHL and now they're there and excited, that got me through," he said.
Maurice said "the greatest disappointment of the season" was not the team's fall from its highest point, but its failure to rebound when adversity came.
"It was the first time that any team I had coached from maybe even the junior level and especially in the NHL that we weren't resilient," he said. "Even in the years when we couldn't get into the playoffs back in the Hartford days, we were always very close."
The 2003-04 version of the Hurricanes will stay in the fight, Maurice promised. The return of defenseman Glen Wesley and the addition of veteran defensemen Danny Markov and Bob Boughner will greatly improve the defense, he said, adding that Markov and Boughner in particular will give the Canes a tougher fighting edge.
"The two guys we added in the offseason are the right kind of men for this team," Maurice said. Boughner, he said, "can fight if he needs to. For those of you who don't like that, sorry. I don't think it's a bad thing. A bad thing is if you don't have anybody on the team that can do it. He adds a physical element to our team that we haven't had."
Of the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Markov, he said, he's "not a big guy, but he has a huge heart and he plays a fighter's game. He finishes his checks hard. He competes hard."
On the offensive end, the return of Cole will be a boost, Maurice said. He called the 24-year-old winger "probably the most skilled player we have on the front now." He said Cole should flourish in his third season after surgery to repair injuries to his ankle, knee and shoulder.
Though last season was a dismal period, Maurice said there were two good effects: "You get a long enough break to get rid of some of the pain and you get a really high draft pick."
The Canes used their No. 2 overall pick to acquire Eric Staal, a 6-3 center who could develop into a potent scoring threat. Maurice is impressed with Staal but said his impact will not be immediate.
" He doesn't turn 19 until the end of October. So I caution the diehard Caniacs out there that he will not set the ice on fire in the first few months. He has a lot of growing to do, but this guy is going to be a very, very good player ."
For Maurice, the most notable development of last season wasn't the Canes' decline, but the loyalty of their fans. He said the team was impressed when it returned from a disastrous West Coast trip expecting boos and receiving cheers. This year, Maurice said, the Canes will reward that loyalty.
"We want to redeem ourselves," he said. "We want to be as good as our fans were last year."
Columnist Ned Barnett can be reached at 829-4555 or nbarnett@newsobserver.com