Hurricanes hire Red Wings assistant Bill Peters as head coach, to be introduced Friday

The Carolina Hurricanes have hired Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Bill Peters, the team announced Thursday evening. 

Peters will be the fourth head coach since the franchise relocated to Raleigh, N.C. after a long stint as the Whalers in Hartford, Conn. He'll be introduced formally by Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis Friday. 

The 48-year-old Peters spent the past three years working primarily with the Red Wings' defencemen and penalty-killers.

His hiring ends a 46-day search for Kirk Muller's replacement. He was fired May 5 after going 80-80-27 in three seasons. The Hurricanes haven't made the playoffs since 2009 and have made the post-season just once since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006.

With files from the Associated Press