RALEIGH, N. nfl jerseys china .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes hope they now have the leadership tandem in place to turn the franchise around. Bill Peters was introduced Friday as the Hurricanes new coach, the first big hire made by new Carolina general manager Ron Francis. Now its up to Peters to prove it was shrewd move. Carolina has made three coaching changes since 2006 and has only one playoff appearance to show for it. "When I did my due diligence and went to look at rosters ... were not far off," Peters said. "I think theres lots of pieces here and its up to us and our coaching staff ... to max our group out." He replaces Kirk Muller, who was fired last month — a week into Francis tenure as GM — and went 80-80-27 in three seasons with no playoff berths. Instead of an established NHL head coach or a popular ex-player, Francis went with Peters — a 48-year-old Detroit Red Wings assistant who has never been an NHL head coach but was in demand this off-season. Peters said he interviewed for two other jobs and Francis says he spoke to 10 candidates during "a pretty extensive search," narrowing that to a three-man short list before deciding on Peters and giving him a three-year contract. "You have to take the time to go through it and make sure you get the right guy," Francis said, "and thats what we did." What dazzled Francis was Peters attention to detail: He penned a booklet breaking down the team and brought it to his first interview with them, and his second one included a PowerPoint presentation, Francis said. "Hes extremely, extremely detailed," Francis said. "Hes going to communicate with our players. Our players are going to know where he stands, and theres no little detail that (will) be overlooked." From the outside, his challenge looks daunting: Making the Hurricanes a consistent playoff team. Muller couldnt do it in three years. Neither could Paul Maurice, at least during his second stint with the team. Even Peter Laviolette — the only Carolina coach to hoist the Stanley Cup — couldnt get the Hurricanes back in the post-season. Now Peters gets his chance to try to revive a club that has missed the playoffs in seven of the eight years since the Hurricanes won their only Stanley Cup in 2006. The lone post-season berth since that Cup run came in 2009, when the Hurricanes reached the Eastern Conference final in the first year of Maurices second term as coach. Peters plan is to address three glaring problems from last season: Starting games strong, producing more on the power play and winning more often at PNC Arena. Carolina was the leagues third-worst team with the man advantage and was just 18-17-6 at home. "Weve got to become a harder team to play against here in Raleigh," Peters said. His hiring caps about two months of turbulence in the Hurricanes organization. Francis, a Hall of Fame player who has been both an assistant coach and an assistant GM with Carolina, was moved up a rung on the organizations ladder and his mentor, Jim Rutherford, stepped aside after two decades — and eventually wound up bolting to Pittsburgh to take over as the Penguins GM. Francis first big move came a week later when he fired Muller and put the players on notice that the responsibility for turning the team around is on them, too. After a 46-day search in which some recognizable names were floated, Francis plucked Peters from Mike Bab****s staff with the Red Wings. He spent the past three years working primarily with the Red Wings defencemen and penalty killers. Before joining the Red Wings staff, he coached Rockford of the AHL from 2008-11 and guiding that team to consecutive 40-win seasons. Eight of his Rockford players helped Chicago win the Cup in either 2010 or 2013, and he also coached Spokane (Washington) of the Western Hockey League for three seasons. "This is a guy that knows coaching," Francis said. ___ Follow Joedy McCreary on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joedyap wholesale jerseys . -- Garret Sparks made 31 saves as the Toronto Marlies beat the Grand Rapids Griffins 3-1 in American Hockey League play Tuesday. cheap nfl jerseys . - Eries top line of Dane Fox, Connor Brown and Connor McDavid combined for six goals and 14 points as the Otters crushed the visiting Windsor Spitfires 9-0 on Sunday in Ontario Hockey League play.What a year it has been for Travis Lulay. In his first full season as a CFL starter, he led the B.C. Lions to first place in the West Division while finishing tied for the league lead in TD passes (32) and second overall in passing. That was good enough to secure the former Montana State star the nod as West Division finalist for the CFLs outstanding player award against Anthony Calvillo of the Montreal Alouettes. But most importantly, the 28-year-old native of Aumsville, Ore., will cap his season Sunday in the Grey Cup against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at B.C. Place. The six-foot-two, 216-pound Lulay endured a shaky start this season as B.C. opened the 2011 campaign with five straight losses. But after being benched in a 30-17 loss to Winnipeg on Aug. 13, Lulay led the Lions to eight straight victories before the club dropped a 42-10 road decision in Hamilton. Undeterred, Lulay guided B.C. to two season-ending wins, including an emphatic 43-1 home win over Calvillo and the Alouettes that cemented top spot in the West and home-field advantage for the conference final. Lulay showed no rust from the one-week layoff, passing for 313 yards and two TDs in the Lions 40-23 win over Edmonton in the division finale. But he put the Eskimos away with a sparkling 61-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. But Lulay wont be the only player worth watching for in the Grey Cup game. Others include: B.C. Lions Paul McCallum: At 41, McCallum is the CFLs oldest player but he still hit on 50 of 53 field goals this year for a CFL-record 94.3 per cent success ratio. He still has plenty of leg, his longest being from 53 yards this year. McCallum also remains a very effective punter. Geroy Simon: The 36-year-old was the CFLs second-leading receiver this year with 84 catches for 1,350 yards and eight TDs. Simon also had a crucial 53-yard TD catch in West Division final. Arland Bruce III: The veteran slotback was a key acquisition this year for B.C. giving the Lions a solid 1-2 punch with Simon. After a slow start with Hamilton, Bruce finished the year with 58 catches for 859 yards and eight TDs. Keron Williams: The Lions burly defensive lineman causes a lot of havoc with opposing quarterbacks. Williams had 11 sacks for a Lions defence that finished secondd overall with 54 and always seems to have a nose for the football. wholesale nfl jerseys. . Brent Johnson: A down year by Johnsons standards as he had just six sacks for B.C. But the former CFL top Canadian and top defensive player award-winner remains a quality pass rusher. Prevailing sentiment is the 11-year veteran will call it a career after the Grey Cup. If so, what better way to go out than with a bang at B.C. Place? Korey Banks: The veteran defensive back had two key interceptions in the West Division final. Banks anchors a Lions secondary that has more than 30 years of CFL experience and always manages to come up with the big play at just the right time. Buck Pierce: Winnipeg quarterback returns to B.C., where he began his CFL career in 05. Pierce spent five seasons with the Lions, including their 06 Grey Cup-winning team, before being released after the 09 season. Has endured injuries with the Bombers, but there is no questioning Pierces toughness and leadership. Winnipeg Blue Bombers Chris Garrett: A nice story here. Garrett was released earlier this season by the Bombers, but got a second lease on his CFL life when veteran Fred Reid suffered a season-ending knee injury. After rushing for 576 yards (6.3-yard average) and four TDs during the regular season, Garrett ran for 190 yards and a TD in leading Winnipeg past Hamilton in the East final. Terrence Edwards: The veteran leader of Winnipegs receiving corps. Edwards posted a team-high 66 catches for 1,124 yards and eight TDs. In a frigid East Division final win over Hamilton, Edwards led all receivers with five catches for 80 yards. Doug Brown: The native of New Westminster, B.C., will cap a solid CFL career in the Grey Cup. The Blue Bombers veteran defensive tackle began his 11-yard career in the Grey Cup with Winnipeg in 01, a loss to Calgary. Like Johnson, it would be fitting for Brown to go out in style in his home province. Jovon Johnson: Anchored a Winnipeg secondary that was the stingiest in the league this year, averaging just 223.1 yards per game. A deserving finalist for the CFLs outstanding defensive player honour after posting a league-best eight interceptions, two of which he returned for TDs. Is also a dangerous kick returner, when given the chance. cheap jerseys ' ' '
