Rewind: The 2003-04 Carolina Hurricanes Took On Water and Sank

Postmortem

Okay, not a lot went well for the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2003-04 season but it was a step forward from the year before.  The Justin Williams acquisition would soon pay dividends and lay down the foundation of both personal and professional relationships that would endure for well over a decade.

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A revamped Hurricanes team was on the horizon, which was badly needed after their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals was followed by two seasons that are remembered largely for how awful they were. Or perhaps not remembered at all as we collectively voted to forget them.

With a pending labor dispute, how would then General Manager Jim Rutherford set about retooling the team for success?  We’ll take a look at that in the next article.

Were you around to bear witness to this disappointment of a season?  What are your thoughts on what went wrong for the Carolina Hurricanes in those seasons?