Hurricanes Fire Head Coach Laviolette

The Carolina Hurricanes fired head coach Peter Laviolette on Wednesday and have replaced him with former Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice. The move comes after weeks of speculation of change in Carolina. Rumors began this past summer that Laviolette would get fired due to the team's lack on consistency with him at the helm. Laviolette was hired by the team in 2003 after Maurice had been fired halfway through the 2003-04 season. Laviolette guided the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup championship in 2006, but the team has missed the playoffs the past two seasons. While Laviolette was a bit inconsistent at times while coaching the Hurricanes, one cannot completely blame him for the team's woes the past two seasons. The Hurricanes have been challenged by injuries to star players in recent seasons, which has kept their performance at average. All of the Hurricanes' problems should not be solely blamed on Laviolette's coaching, as they have not had a very healthy roster over the past few seasons. Maurice, who had been fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer, should be a decent fit for the Hurricanes as he is familiar with the organization. Maurice's no-nonsense coaching style might be able to spark the Hurricanes, but his average coaching record throughout his career could also keep the team from improving.