Page "Carolina Hurricanes" Paragraph 13

The momentum from the Cup Finals appearance did not last, however, and the next two seasons saw the ' Canes drop into the cellar of the NHL rankings ; many of the new fans attracted to the team ( and to hockey itself ) during the 2002 playoff run lost interest and attendance declined.

One of the few positive results of these losing years was the team's drafting of future star Eric Staal in 2003.

In December 2003, the team fired Paul Maurice, who had been their coach since their next-to-last season in Hartford, replacing him with former New York Islanders bench boss Peter Laviolette.

Weekes remained tough, but the offense was suspect ; center Josef Vasicek led the team with a mere 19 goals and 26 assists for 45 points.