Brind'Amour: Canes 'don't care what other people think' about celebrations

Rod Brind'Amour is all for his players' post-win routines.

The Carolina Hurricanes head coach left no doubt about his position on the "storm surge" celebrations that Don Cherry criticized on "Hockey Night in Canada" on Saturday night.

"It's not about everyone else. (Critics are) missing the point," Brind'Amour told reporters Monday. "It's about our players engaging our fans and thanking them for sticking with us, being there (for us), and trying to provide a little levity to a pretty serious game. We push these guys pretty hard."

He said the performances aren't taking place while games are in progress, and the team deserves to let loose in a unique way.

"Everything's happening after the game. This isn't during the game. It's not before the game. This is when it's all said and done. They've put the work in and now they're just ... instead of just the traditional salute to the fans which nobody cares about, they're just trying to do something a little different.

"We really don't care what other people think about it. It's been pretty positive around here. I haven't had one fan here say they didn't like it, so I don't think we're changing it."

Brind'Amour said none of the players have been uncomfortable with the celebrations.

"I think they love it, and it's their thing," he continued. "If (team captain Justin Williams) thought they didn't want to do it anymore, he wouldn't do it. We're making way too big a deal of it."

The bench boss added that there are no plans to stop or alter the post-win ritual that the club started this season.

"The fans are enjoying it. You've got to remember, that's what we're here to do. They're the ones that pay the salaries. We have to do things a little differently down here to keep people interested. At the end of the day, it's entertainment and for whatever reason they think that's entertaining. It's fun, people."

Brind'Amour said he hopes Monday was the first and last time he has to talk about the celebrations, calling the discussion "irrelevant to what's going on."

Cherry lashed out at the team, calling Hurricanes players "a bunch of jerks" and warning that "they better not do this in the playoffs."

Shortly after Cherry's rant, Carolina shut out the Dallas Stars and did a limbo contest to celebrate. The latest routine drew praise from Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon, and a subtle jab at Cherry. On Sunday, the club revealed "bunch of jerks" T-shirts that will be available later this week.

The Hurricanes are surging on the ice as well, having won eight of their last 10 games to move into the playoff hunt.

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