Kings. The Jr. Red Wings defeated Brandon 2–1, earning a place in the Memorial Cup Final against the host team, the Kamloops Blazers. In the last game, the Blazers routed the Jr. Red Wings, winning 8–2. Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes (1995–2003) Maurice joined the Hartford Whalers, who were recently purchased by Detroit Jr. Red Wings owner Peter Karmanos, as an assistant coach under Head Coach Paul Holmgren. After the Whalers struggled to a 5–6–1 record to begin the season, the Whalers fired Holmgren and promoted Maurice to become the head coach. At the age of 28, Maurice became the second youngest coach in National Hockey League history, behind Gary Green, who was 26 when he took the helm of the Washington Capitals in 1979. Maurice coached his first game on November 7, 1995, as the Whalers defeated the San Jose Sharks 7–3. Under Maurice, Hartford went 29–33–8, failing to qualify for the 1996 playoffs. In 1996–97, the Whalers continued to struggle, going 32–39–11, earning 75 points and finishing in tenth place in the Eastern Conference, two points out of the playoffs. The Whalers franchise moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1997–98 and were renamed the Carolina Hurricanes; Maurice was retained as head coach of the club. The Hurricanes struggled in their first season after the relocation, going 33–41–8, finishing in last place in the Northeast Division and ninth in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs. In 1998–99, the Hurricanes moved to the newly created Southeast Division and finished the year with a 34–30–18 record, earning 86 points, which was good enough for first place in the Division. In the 1999 playoffs, the Hurricanes were the third seed in the Eastern Conference, despite having the eighth-best record in the Conference, setting up a first round series against the Boston Bruins. The Bruins defeated the Hurricanes in six games. Carolina saw their point total decrease to 84 in 1999–2000, as the Hurricanes had a record of 37–35–10–0, finishing in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, failing to clinch a playoff berth. The Hurricanes returned to the post-season in 2000–01, finishing in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 38–32–9–3 record, earning 88 points. In the playoffs, the Hurricanes faced the heavily favoured New Jersey Devils and lost the series in six games. Carolina won their second division title in 2001–02, as the Hurricanes went 35–26–16–5, earning 91 points and entering as the