The Carolina Hurricanes are the Best Story in Sports

The Boss

Since Tom Dundon bought this team in 2017, the trajectory was set. Dundon was gaining control of a struggling franchise; a team that had difficulty filling the arena, and even greater difficulty finding any sort of sustainable success.

The team boasted a head coach and general manager that had proven unable to capitalize on potential, and had control of a roster that had no real evident, long-term plan. The team had no star player, had no league-wide recognizable talent, and was simply not good enough to succeed in todays NHL.

Dundon was staring down 10 years of playoff absence, and he wasn’t going to allow that to continue.

What strengthens the narrative of this season is how Dundon overcame the glaring discrepancies of this franchise. He made no qualms about it, this was his team, and he was going to be involved. The NHL world laughed at him, and assured him he would fail.

This didn’t bother the Dallas bred business man. He believed his system worked; a system predicated on contribution from all parties involved. The idea that decisions would not be made by one person, but by the collective.

Dundon emphasized true leadership; an emphasis that has come to solidify the talent and production that this team has exhibited thus far. This idea infiltrated the entire organization.

Seeing where this team came from, and how Dundon was perceived by the media, makes his success that much sweeter. He was told he would fail, and he has an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, and a team currently viewed as the NHL’s best.

This success, however, wouldn’t be possible without input from a true hockey man…