Three Heroes the Carolina Hurricanes Must Rely on for Playoff Success

RALEIGH, NC - JUNE 19: Rod Brind'Amour #17 of the Carolina Hurricanes kisses the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the 2006 NHL Stanley Cup Finals on June 19, 2006 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes defeated the Oilers 3-1 to win the Stanley Cup finals 4 games to 3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - JUNE 19: Rod Brind'Amour #17 of the Carolina Hurricanes kisses the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the 2006 NHL Stanley Cup Finals on June 19, 2006 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes defeated the Oilers 3-1 to win the Stanley Cup finals 4 games to 3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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Rod Brind’Amour #17 of the Carolina Hurricanes  (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Rod Brind’Amour #17 of the Carolina Hurricanes  (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Carolina Hurricanes need to look to these three heroes in the playoffs.

The Carolina Hurricanes must look to these veteran playoff heroes for passion and leadership to produce wins on the road to the Stanley Cup.

Each team in this year’s playoffs faces a unique opportunity to capitalize on a season cut short by tragedy. The Carolina Hurricanes are coming off of a season where they were able to capitalize on difficulties including several key injuries.

When the Hurricanes struggled during the regular season, it wasn’t due to a lack of talent. The larger issue for the team was a lack of desperation during key moments and difficulty in striking first.

Rod Brind’Amour spoke about this issue following a loss to the Rangers in the final contest between the teams during the regular season:

“They were good,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “They were desperate a little more than we were. That, to me, is the bigger issue. We needed to have a little more desperation early in the game to kind of set the tone, and we never did.”

A desperate will to win could define the series between the Rangers and the Hurricanes. The first playoff hero excelled in finding the net during the last stretch of the regular season and is a model of what determination looks like for the Canes.

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