Today is the final day of 2018, a calendar year that ranks among the most controversial in the history of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The hope was that the 2018-19 campaign would see this franchise turn around in short order. Young stars were pouring in, the leadership group was sturdy, the 2006 Stanley Cup-winning captain took over behind the bench, and the fiery new owner would not accept losing on his watch.
He should probably look into getting a new watch battery.
After all the talk, all the controversy, and all the perceived change that the organization went through, the Hurricanes find themselves in a place that is all too familiar.