Goalie Artūrs Irbe, also nearing the end of his NHL career at 35, was instrumental in keeping them in games. Hall-of-Famer Ron Francis, then 38 and in his 21st season, still put up 27 goals and 77 points. Kapanen, the lone Hurricanes All-Star selection, won the fastest skater competition at the skills challenge and hit career highs in goals (27) and points (69). In 2002, players like Kapanen and Battaglia had their best seasons and Jeff O' Neill led the squad in goals for the third-straight year with 31. But by the end of the month, they were 20-13-5 and gaining steam as a contender. Maurice, then the youngest coach in the league at 35, came under fire in early December amid a four-game losing streak that dropped the team to 12-12-4. "We kind of took Roddy's leadership of being relentless on the other team." "That gave us three lines that could score, for the three of us, a lot of it was communication on the bench," Cole said. Although creating open space was hard for everyone except maybe Sami Kapanen, their ability to throw their weight around and force turnovers led to scoring chances. Coach Paul Maurice and staff liked the mix and boost to the depth. Battaglia joined the picture for a game in Dallas around Thanksgiving and the three played together on-and-off for the rest of the season. A largely veteran roster showed Cole the ropes and intangibles that were necessary to be a steady pro.Ĭole started the year playing alongside Brind'Amour and Martin Gélinas. General Manager Jim Rutherford selected Cole in the third round in 1998. His sister moved to the Triangle in the mid '90s, so he was familiar with the area and used that to his advantage in pre-draft interviews with the team. "I had to play that way."Ĭole had a commendable rookie year, scoring 16 goals and getting 24 assists. "When I came into training camp in 01-02, I was very determined and I played that way," Cole said. The next year, a new urgency appeared in his demeanor and that extended itself to the ice. He entered his first training camp the year prior expecting to make the roster, but didn't. thankfully, that wasn't it, but you never know."Ĭole, then in his rookie season, didn't have grandiose expectations for himself, but the team clearly knew he was ready and he lived up to the moment. "When we lost in '02 in Detroit, I remember sitting here, going 'wow, that might have been it right there,'" he said. Brind'Amour was recently asked if there was a time when he thought he'd never win the cup, which was a real possibility at that point in his career. A big part in the franchise's progress from the just happy to be there attitude of the early 2000s and expectations of competing for championships in recent seasons is due to him. The "BBC" line contributions live on through Brind'Amour. He was fish, chicken, rice, no salt, vegetables, it was pretty straightforward."īrind'Amour was eventually named a captain before the 2005-2006 season, months before the franchise's ultimate moment in winning the Stanley Cup. "He would come and hang out, but he didn't drink much at all. "He worked out like a maniac," said Battaglia, who added Brind'Amour wasn't as much into the nightlife scene as some other players. The Ottawa native stayed true to a strict, no-nonsense diet and workout routine that stayed consistent throughout the regular season and playoff schedule. "The fans wanted to be fans but at the same time, they knew we were leaving."īrind'Amour was then a 31-year-old center known for winning faceoffs and being a zealot for working out. "You get tired of driving to Greensboro 41 times a season," Battaglia said. Support was inconsistent as the Greensboro Coliseum was sometimes dubbed "green acres" for all the empty seats at games.
Back then, PNC Arena was just a big mess of construction behind Carter-Finley Stadium.
STRANGE BUT TRUE GAME PROFESSIONAL
He said he was just glad to be playing professional hockey, but the logistics around the first two seasons brought difficulties. Youngsters guided by veteran's leadershipĪs little as he knew about North Carolina, Battaglia, a Chicago native, came to the state with the Hurricanes in 1997 at 21. The team had to rely on old-fashioned elbow grease and a penchant for aggression to create their own luck along with a relentless attitude fostered by the hard-nosed Brind'Amour. For fans, certainly winning was fun, but the underdog role made it easy to get behind even if you weren't as familiar with the game's intricacies. The trio represented the plucky team that came from under the surface and into the hearts of the region still feeling its way into the sport. The fan favorites embodied a physicality in the game that isn't as prominent now.
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