Thanks, Coach

Head Coach Kirk Muller of the Carolina Hurricanes let his team know in no uncertain terms this past Monday that he was not happy with the team's effort, attitude, and what he described as "playing for the scoresheet." A good old-fashioned fiery rant from the coach, meant to inspire, motivate, and get guys thinking about the team instead of themselves. Great job, coach! But, where was this a few months ago?

I agree that the "the culture needs to change." Absolutely. The Canes have accepted mediocrity for far too long. However the seeds of winning are best sown in the pre-season, not with a handful of games left and only a "mathematically possible" chance of making the playoffs.

The team did respond Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, posting a 3-1 victory. Anton Khudobin stood on his head, making 46 saves - 18 of which were in the 3rd period while the Canes' offense launched 0 shots on goal. A new top line combination of the two Staal brothers and Semin seemed to have good chemistry, as have other line combinations over the past few weeks. The question remains as to what -if any - consistency we will see regarding line combinations during the remainder of the season.

The team did look much more inspired as compared to the dismal, lax effort over the weekend in Boston, and even worse at home against Edmonton. Losing to the last place team in the Western Conference, especially at home on military appreciation Sunday was painful - not so much due to the loss, but due to the noticeable lack of effort.

The long-term results of Coach Muller's colorfully inspirational speech remain to be seen. But there is one certainty that the fans loudly echo from his speech - the culture has to change. Winning is an attitude, but unfortunately so is losing. It's past time for the Carolina Hurricanes to develop and maintain an attitude and team culture of winning.

Perhaps they can keep the winning momentum going Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, a team that has shown in the recent past that it is possible to foster a winning culture. For the fans who Coach Muller said "really care about you guys," if not for the sake of personal and team pride, the Hurricanes must take a long look in the mirror and determine if they really believe and really want to win. That's where it starts.