The opening week of the NHL regular season comes with a lot of emotions. It’s a new start for everyone. If you missed the playoffs last year, you have a chance to redeem yourself. If you made the playoffs last year, you have to fight to stay there.
For the Carolina Hurricanes, the first week of the 2018-19 campaign meant much more than that.
The organization’s near decade of mediocrity has cost two regimes their jobs. Jim Rutherford placed his faith in Kirk Muller - they both found work elsewhere in 2014. Then, Ron Francis placed his faith in Bill Peters - the same result four years later.