After making their first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance, the Carolina Hurricanes were poised to start a new chapter in their existence.
NOTE: This is the third installment of my Rewind series, taking a condensed look back at individual seasons of the Carolina Hurricanes. If you haven’t already, check out my 1997-98 and1998-99 articles.
Prior to the start of the 1999-2000 NHL season, the Carolina Hurricanes bid adieu to the Greensboro Coliseum and set up shop in Raleigh’s newly-completed Entertainment and Sports Arena. GM Jim Rutherford didn’t do anything in the offseason to augment his team’s 15th ranked offense, as the only moves we saw were in net.
With the previous backup, Trevor Kidd, gone in the expansion draft, Rutherford sought out external help to offset established starter Arturs Irbe. Veteran backstop Mark Fitzpatrick was plucked as a free agent while 24-year-old Eric Fichaud was brought in via a trade with Nashville. In the end, it didn’t matter since Irbe saw the vast majority of the action.
The biggest news was captain Keith Primeau‘s holdout. Over his first two seasons in North Carolina, Primeau put up 125 points (56 goals; 69 assists) and led the Hurricanes in goals and assists both years (though he tied with Sami Kapanen in both categories in 1997-98). Primeau’s absence, along with the free-agent departure of Ray Sheppard, seemed to spell trouble for Carolina’s offense.
There was still excitement around the team finally completing the move to Raleigh. The bumps and potholes experienced during the Greensboro years were a thing of the past. As opening night approached, the focus moved to how the Hurricanes would respond after losing Steve Chiasson and with their leading scorer (and captain) holding out.