Captain takes one for team

Among the franchise records Ron Francis set in his two stints with the Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes are many that may never be broken.

There are a few that are ripe to fall, and Rod Brind’Amour claimed one Sunday when he played in his 63rd postseason game for the Hurricanes in a 3-0 win over the Boston Bruins to even their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

But he did it on a night when he was demoted to the fourth line with Ryan Bayda and Patrick Eaves, a strange moment in an unusual postseason for the Carolina captain.

Brind’Amour has been as reliable as ever defensively but still remains off the scoresheet after nine games. The next Francis record to be eclipsed should be his playoff scoring mark of 39 points. Brind’Amour started the posteason only five back, but has yet to gain any ground.

Joe Corvo and Matt Cullen scored their first goals of the playoffs Sunday. Erik Cole picked up his first point. Brind’Amour is still waiting.

Yet he played a key role in the win nonetheless. His willingness to accept the demotion — cheerfully, grudgingly or otherwise we don’t know, because he never came out to meet the media — allowed other parts to fit into new places, and it can’t have been a coincidence how well the Canes played.

And Brind’Amour, naturally, was on the ice when Eric Staal scored the empty-netter to clinch the win, beating Patrice Bergeron on a key faceoff to Cam Ward’s left with 54 seconds to go.

But he played only 11:15, and on Carolina’s bench only Bayda and Eaves played less. This may be his role now, a defensive specialist in late-game situations, used on key faceoffs but not as a component on a scoring line.

The real question may not be if and when Brind’Amour will score, but whether Carolina will require his intervention as a leader in this series — and whether his reduced role will compromise his ability to do that.

In 2006, Brind’Amour had an unusually acute perception of when the team needed to hear from him. He said before this series that he hadn’t felt that need in the first round. He apparently didn’t feel it after Carolina’s Game 1 loss, and he won’t feel it now. But that time may not be far off.

The laconic Brind’Amour isn’t one for flowery speeches or fiery pep talks. His dedication in the weight room and determination on the ice set the tone for the team on their own.

Despite that, he was a surprisingly vocal leader in the spring of 2006. At several key moments in the playoffs, Brind’Amour spoke up, occasions as notable for their rarity as their substance.

After the Hurricanes fell behind 2-0 to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, losing both games at home, Brind’Amour reiterated the team’s mission before Game 3 in Montreal, and the Hurricanes won four straight.

The morning of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, Brind’Amour spoke briefly and to the point, then backed up his words with two third-period goals to send the Canes into the Stanley Cup finals.

And in the aftermath of a dismal Game 6 performance at the Edmonton Oilers, the Canes having twice failed to put the Oilers away, Brind’Amour set the agenda for Game 7 before the team left the visiting dressing room at Rexall Place.

Brind’Amour said during the Hurricanes’ first-round series against the New Jersey Devils that he thought it necessary to address the team, not after the Game 1 no-show, not after Martin Brodeur’s Game 5 shutout, not before the Game 7 on the road.

If the Canes had lost Sunday, perhaps Brind’Amour would feel differently today. There still may be a time soon when he thinks the time is right. When that time comes, will Paul Maurice’s decision to reduce Brind’Amour’s ice time reduce his voice as well?

Many of hockey’s strongest leaders, from Mark Messier in his later years with the New York Rangers to Francis in his final season with the Hurricanes, found their impact compromised when their role declined.

Either way, Brind’Amour has earned the right to speak and the right to stay silent, whichever he may choose.

Only Brind’Amour knows whether his lesser role on the ice will affect that decision, but that effect should be limited to his own mind and not extend to the dressing room.

No matter where or how well he’s playing, when Brind’Amour speaks, his teammates should still be listening.