The Lessons of Dynasties Past
Consider the Chicago Blackhawks. One of the most successful franchises of recent hockey history, this team has won more Stanley Cups since 2010 than the Hurricanes have participated in since their inception. This team has perfected the development of young talent, consistently building prominent young talent around two of the greatest players in the history of that franchise, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
To comprehend how good the Blackhawks are at player development, just consider the players they were forced to part with. Artemi Panarin has never had less than 70 points and was traded, Brandon Saad is 26 with three 50 point seasons and was traded, and Carolina’s own Teraveinen was given to the team for almost nothing due to the monetary constraints of a team with so much talent.
These players equate to wins, and if the Hurricanes continue on their path, they should be able to build a similar monster. These future contributors for Carolina are both young and have proven to be talented; yet, every one of them will go as far as their coaching takes them.
Rod Brind’Amour has done an incredible job in his first year leading the team he captained to a Stanley Cup Championship. But he knows that this team isn’t content being a part of the postseason, they want to be the last one standing. For that dream to become reality, Rod needs to put his stamp on these young players.
The past nine years, this would have been the end-of-season interview day for the Canes at PNC Arena. A lot of somber talk about what comes next. Today, Rod Brind'Amour and the players will be at PNC Arena talking about the playoffs, about the Caps. That's next.
— Chip Alexander (@ice_chip) April 8, 2019
Bill Belichick is a revered name in Sports lore. He is the grandmaster of the NFL, and no matter what talent seems to be absent from his roster, the man always finds a way to compete. I am, in no way, comparing Rod Brind’Amour to Bill Belichick, but Belichick does provide the ultimate example of why coaching is essential.
No matter the youth, the experience, the ineptitude, or the brilliance composed of a roster, the development of players lies on coaching and management. For this team to build a dynasty, it is RBA who much develop these young players and must transition their talent into results. If he can, then this team should be on its way to NHL dominance.
In Part 1 of this series we discussed the vitality of young talent. For every team that achieves success in sports, however, there is always an emphasis on balance. It is that balance that forms the foundation for greatness to blossom. Keep an eye out for the next part in our series, where we take a deeper dive into what that means for the Carolina Hurricanes quest for a dynasty.