Recently-appointed Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod BrindB次元官网网址橝mour jokingly said first-year expansion team Las Vegas Golden KnightsB次元官网网址� surprise run to the Stanley Cup finals was not a good thing because it puts him under a lot of pressure with his new, inexperienced team owner.

B次元官网网址淣o one picked Vegas to (make the finals),B次元官网网址� BrindB次元官网网址橝mour said during a question-and-answer session in last SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 Rod BrindB次元官网网址橝mour/Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Cystic Fibrosis Golf Classic dinner and auction at the Campbell River Sportsplex. B次元官网网址淎nd now IB次元官网网址檝e got a new owner and he thinks B次元官网网址榁egas can do it you, youB次元官网网址檙e going to able to do it.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淪o, itB次元官网网址檚 a little more pressure than I need at the start.B次元官网网址�

BrindB次元官网网址橝mour was speaking at a new component of the annual fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis research in which BrindB次元官网网址橝mour and his co-host of the event, Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, sat down with TSN sportscaster Kyle Bukauskus for a wide-ranging Q&A. Both BrindB次元官网网址橝mour and Bukauskus are from Campbell River.

The first question was about VegasB次元官网网址� success in its first year of operation and whether that was a good thing for the league. Nugent-HopkinsB次元官网网址� answer addressed the wider picture.

B次元官网网址淚t does show the amount of parity there is in the league,B次元官网网址� Nugent-Hopkins said, B次元官网网址渉ow many good teams and good hockey players there are in the league.B次元官网网址�

Nugent-Hopkins added that it was amazing to him that they just kept on going . They played the same way every night with four lines that all played the same way and they were players that were probably motivated because they had been let go by their teams.

B次元官网网址淪o those guys wanted it really bad,B次元官网网址� Nugent-Hopkins said.

BrindB次元官网网址橝mour, a former captain who lead the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup victory and was named head coach last month, touched on the quality of player as well saying Vegas got the eighth best player from every team (in the expansion draft) B次元官网网址� maybe even better B次元官网网址� and added to that a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender (Marc Andr茅 Fleury) and a high draft pick in Cody Glass B次元官网网址渨ho was a monster,B次元官网网址� BrindB次元官网网址橝mour said.

So, after all joking aside, BrindB次元官网网址橝mour agreed it was a good thing for the league to see Vegas have the success it did because in the past, expansion teams were almost always doomed to failure for their first few years.

B次元官网网址淭he worst thing (the NHL) ever did with expansion is make teams suffer for 10 years,B次元官网网址� BrindB次元官网网址橝mour said.

BrindB次元官网网址橝mour was next asked how he would adapt to being a head coach.

B次元官网网址淲ell, it remains to be seen, I guess,B次元官网网址� he said.

BrindB次元官网网址橝mour again joked about how in the past at the annual golf classic, nobody was saying B次元官网网址済ood luck next yearB次元官网网址� but for some reason now that heB次元官网网址檚 head coach, everyone last weekend had been wishing him B次元官网网址済ood luck.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 thinking maybe everybody thinks I need it,B次元官网网址� he said.

After seven years as an assistant coach, BrindB次元官网网址橝mour said, not much changes in becoming head coach. ItB次元官网网址檚 the same amount of work, the same amount of time and preparation.

What is different, BrindB次元官网网址橝mour said, is that as head coach, youB次元官网网址檙e now on the hot seat.

B次元官网网址淏ut on the flip side, as an assistant, youB次元官网网址檙e not in charge of really anything. YouB次元官网网址檙e kind of listening to what someoneB次元官网网址檚 telling you to do and youB次元官网网址檙e sending his message. B次元官网网址�

Consequently, BrindB次元官网网址橝mour is excited to see if he can take everything heB次元官网网址檚 learned from his life and hockey career and get a team to play the way he wants them to play.

Both BrindB次元官网网址橝mour and Nugent-Hopkins were asked who was the toughest goaltender they ever faced.

For Nugent-Hopkins, it was Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 something about him,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 think I have had about five breakaways on him B次元官网网址� I donB次元官网网址檛 usually get a lot of breakaways (and Rinne stoned him on every one).

B次元官网网址淗opefully he can get out of our conference so I donB次元官网网址檛 have to play him as much.B次元官网网址�

For BrindB次元官网网址橝mour, it was a no-brainer B次元官网网址� Dominik Hasek. BrindB次元官网网址橝mour called him B次元官网网址渢he best goalie that ever played, bar none.B次元官网网址�