Some think the Canes will never get beyond the middle of the standings unless the organization becomes more mercenary. They say Karmanos needs to fire Maurice, maybe move Rutherford, spend more money and win at all costs. But it's not clear that fast results would bring lasting benefits here, or perhaps anywhere. The New Jersey Devils, the Hurricanes' first-round opponent in the playoffs, won the Stanley Cup last year but still struggle for media attention and fans in the crowded New York market. All pro sports are hurt by a sense that loyalty doesn't matter.
Teams leave cities, free agents leave teams and teams fire coaches after one bad season.
That the pattern is epidemic in hockey is made plain by the fact that Maurice, in his sixth season, has the second-longest tenure among NHL coaches. Some of the NHL firings are amazingly cold-blooded. The Philadelphia Flyers fired a coach with cancer, then they fired his replacement less than a year later. The Chicago Blackhawks dumped a coach on leave for a heart condition. The New York Rangers split with their coach the year after he won the Stanley Cup.