The Carolina Hurricanes won their second Stanley Cup title by defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 on Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Head coach Rod Brind'Amour guided the team to the championship, joining a select group of NHL figures who have both captained and coached the same franchise to a title.
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Unique Training Method
Forward Sebastian Aho revealed that Brind'Amour incorporated a hidden exercise into the team's offseason routine: lifting a 35-pound cinder block to simulate hoisting the Stanley Cup.
The workout was documented in an in-season team video. Head strength and conditioning coach Bill Burniston explained the significance behind the training method.
"We call that our blue collar press," Burniston said. "I grew up in a blue collar neighborhood.
Maybe one of the most important blue collar jobs is the mason. The mason builds the foundation of buildings, your homes and what have you.
And basically what we ask guys to do is one press and think of those blue collar moments that got them here, and somebody that's helped you get here."
Players Praise Their Coach
Jordan Martinook expressed gratitude for Brind'Amour's support. "He's been in my corner since I got here," Martinook said.
"He's the reason I've stuck around as long as I have.
There's times I didn't know if I was going to stay and then he gets on the phone and tells me, 'You can't leave.'
