Bill Peters formally introduced as new Hurricanes coach
The Carolina Hurricanes and general manager Ron Francis formally introduce Bill Peters as the new head coach on Friday.
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Peters received a three year contract with the franchise and is expected to be the saving grace to bring the Hurricanes to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
Francis made the following statement in regards to deciding on Peters:
"“He is organized, detailed, demands accountability and a high-compete level from his players, and he’s a good communicator and teacher, all attributes we felt were important for our next head coach to possess. He also comes from winning cultures, and I personally am excited to start working together with Bill to build a Stanley Cup contender here in Raleigh.”"
Peters is also looking to bring a greater level of professionalism and accountability to the players. He also said that his three main areas to focus on as an organization are work ethic, professionalism and communication.
Not only does he want players to take care of themselves while working out and while on the ice, but he emphasized a nutrition standard as well.
In terms of communication, he wants the player/coach relationship to be revamped. He stated that today players always ask why they have to do something and in the past they just did what they were told. He mentioned that if players want ice time then they will have to prove to him that they deserve it.
A final note is that he plans to focus on bettering the Hurricane’s power play, which was near the bottom of the league during the 2013-14 campaign.
"“It’s an exciting time here in Raleigh and for the Carolina Hurricanes. We’re going to have a hockey team that’s a competitive hockey team. We know where our challenges lay, but we’re excited about the challenges. We’re going to set the bar high and we’re going to give our fans something they can be proud of and they’ll want to watch each and every night,” Peters said."
All of this and more make Peters out to be quite a tough coach, but this could be exactly what the Hurricanes need to get back to the top of the league.