ICY HOT: How Rod Brind'Amour has led a resurgent hockey powerhouse.

• Author: Roush, Chris

After winning the Stanley Cup in 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes made the playoffs twice over the next dozen years. Attendance sagged at Raleigh's PNC Arena, ranking second-to-last in the NHL for two years, and rumors floated that the team might leave town. Then, in 2018, the Hurricanes promoted former star and assistant coach Rod Brind'Amour to lead the team.

In the five following years, the Hurricanes have appeared in the National Hockey League playoffs every year, including two trips to the conference finals. He was named the NHL's top coach in 2021. This past season, the Hurricanes averaged 19,526fans per game, second behind the Montreal Canadiens, and a 47% increase from the year before Brind'Amour became coach.

Brind'Amour played 20 seasons for the St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers and the Hurricanes. He joined the Raleigh team in 1999 and captained the 2006 champions. He finished his career with 452 goals and 732 assists. He was 39 in his last season.

Leadership trainer Travis Vendeusen lauds Brind'Amour's management style, noting he "prioritizes positivity and a growth mindset. He is always looking for ways to improve himself and his team and encourages his players to do the same." In a study posted on Linkedln, Vendeusen notes Brind'Amour's communication skills and his ability to think positively when facing adversity.

Brind'Amour, 53, spoke with Business North Carolina about his evolution from player to coach and his management style. The following has been lightly edited for clarity.

As a player, did you watch the different motivational strategies of coaches?

Obviously, you pay attention to your coach and whatever they're asking you to do, you do. In the back of your mind, you don't question it. When I was coming in, you didn't buck the system. It was, "This was the way we're doing it." It changed later in my career, and you could go up to a coach and say, "How about we try it this way?" Now the players are much more in tune and not afraid to come up and tell you there's a different way of doing things.

What attracted you to coaching?

I didn't really want to be a coach. When I finished playing, I wanted to get into management and help put a team together. I was tired of the schedule, and coaching is the exact same thing.

A year out of playing, I was in management but not really doing much, and they asked me to come back and be a part-time coach, which was really good. Unless you're all in, you're not really impacting the team. I...