| Carolina Hurricanes | |
|---|---|
 2025–26 Carolina Hurricanes season | |
 | |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | Metropolitan |
| Founded | 1972 |
| History | New England Whalers 1972–1979 (WHA) Hartford Whalers 1979–1997 (NHL) Carolina Hurricanes 1997–present |
| Home arena | Lenovo Center |
| City | Raleigh, North Carolina |
 | |
| Team colors | Black, red, gray, white[1][2][3] |
| Media | TelevisionRadio |
| Owner | Tom Dundon |
| General manager | Eric Tulsky[4] |
| Head coach | Rod Brind'Amour[5] |
| Captain | Jordan Staal[6] |
| Minor league affiliates | Chicago Wolves (AHL) Greensboro Gargoyles (ECHL) |
| Stanley Cups | 1 (2005–06) |
| Conference championships | 2 (2001–02,2005–06) |
| Presidents' Trophies | 0 |
| Division championships | 6 (1998–99,2001–02,2005–06,2020–21,2021–22,2022–23) |
| Official website | nhl |
TheCarolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as theCanes) are a professionalice hockey team based inRaleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in theNational Hockey League (NHL) as a member of theMetropolitan Division in theEastern Conference. The team plays its home games at theLenovo Center.
The franchise was formed in 1971 as theNew England Whalers of theWorld Hockey Association (WHA). The Whalers saw success immediately, winning the Eastern Division in the WHA's first three seasons and becoming the inauguralAvco World Trophy Champions to cap off the1972–73 season. The Whalers again competed for the World Trophy in1978, this time falling short to theWinnipeg Jets in a rematch of the 1973 Avco Cup Final. The franchise joined the NHL in 1979 as part of theNHL–WHA merger, renaming themselves theHartford Whalers. The team relocated to North Carolina in 1997, rebranding themselves as the Hurricanes. Carolina advanced to theStanley Cup Final for the first time in 2002, where they lost to theDetroit Red Wings. The Hurricanes won the2006 Stanley Cup over theEdmonton Oilers, giving the state of North Carolina its first major professional sports championship and its only major championship as of 2024-25.
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TheNew England Whalers were established in November 1971 when theWorld Hockey Association (WHA) awarded a franchise to begin play inBoston,Massachusetts. For the first two years of their existence, the club played their home games at theBoston Arena andBoston Garden. With the increasing difficulty of scheduling games at Boston Garden (owned by the NHL rivalBoston Bruins), the owners decided to move the team toHartford, Connecticut, beginning with the1974–75 season. While waiting for the completion of a new arena in Hartford, the Whalers played the first part of the season atThe Big E Coliseum inWest Springfield, Massachusetts. On January 11, 1975, the team played its first game in front of a sellout crowd at theHartford Civic Center Coliseum, and would maintain its home there through 1997.[7]
As one of the most stable WHA teams, the Whalers, along with theEdmonton Oilers,Quebec Nordiques andWinnipeg Jets, were admitted to the NHL when the rival leagues merged in1979. However, under pressure from the extant NHL team in theNew England area, the Boston Bruins, the Whalers were compelled to rename the team theHartford Whalers. The Whalers were never as successful in the NHL as they had been in the WHA, recording only three winning seasons. They peaked in the mid-to-late 1980s, winning their only playoff series in1986 over the Nordiques before bowing out in the second round to theMontreal Canadiens, taking the Canadiens to overtime of game seven in the process. Thenext year, the club secured the regular seasonAdams Division title, only to fall to the Nordiques in six games in the first round of the playoffs. In1992, the Whalers made the playoffs for the final time, but were bounced in the first round in seven games by the Canadiens. Two years later, the team hiredJim Rutherford asgeneral manager, a position that he would hold within the franchise for twenty years.
For years, the organization maintained many Whalers connections among its off-ice personnel; in addition to many members of executive management and the coaching staff, broadcastersChuck Kaiton,John Forslund andTripp Tracy (at the time a minor-league player), and equipment managersWally Tatomir, Skip Cunningham and Bob Gorman all made the move to North Carolina with the team. Finally, the old goal horn from the Hartford Civic Center remains in use at Lenovo Center. Kaiton and Forslund would both eventually leave the franchise; Kaiton in 2018 and Forslund in 2021.[8][9]
The Whalers were plagued for most of their existence by limited marketability. Hartford was the smallest American market in the league and was located on the traditional dividing line between the home territories for New York City and Boston teams. It did not help matters that the Hartford Civic Center was one of the smallest arenas in the league, seating under 16,000 spectators for hockey. The Whalers' off-ice problems were magnified when the start of the 1990s triggered a spike in player salaries.
Despite assurances made when he purchased the team in 1994 that the Whalers would remain in Hartford at least through 1998, in March 1997, ownerPeter Karmanos announced that the team would move elsewhere after the1996–97 season because of the team's inability to negotiate a satisfactory construction and lease package for a new arena in Hartford. On May 6, 1997, Karmanos announced that the Whalers would move to theResearch Triangle area ofNorth Carolina and the newEntertainment and Sports Arena (ESA) inRaleigh. Due to the relatively short time frame for the move, Karmanos himself thought of and decided upon the new name for the club, theCarolina Hurricanes, rather than holding a contest as is sometimes done. Later that summer, the team dropped the Whalers' colors of blue, green and silver for a new black-and-red scheme, matching the colors of theNorth Carolina State University Wolfpack, with whose men's basketball team they would share the arena in Raleigh. The Hurricanes inherited the Whalers' place in theNortheast Division.
Unfortunately for the team, the ESA would not be complete for two more years. The only arena in the Triangle area with an ice plant was 45-year-oldDorton Arena; at 5,100 seats, it was too small even for temporary use. The Hurricanes chose to play home games inGreensboro, 90 minutes west of Raleigh, for their first two seasons after the move. However, the team would be based in Raleigh and practice in nearbyHillsborough—effectively saddling the Hurricanes with 82 road games for the next two years. This choice was disastrous for the franchise's attendance and reputation. With a capacity of over 21,000 people for ice hockey, theGreensboro Coliseum was the highest-capacity arena in the NHL. However, Triangle-area fans balked at making the 80-mile drive downI-40 to Greensboro. Likewise, fans from thePiedmont Triad mostly refused to support a lame-duck team that had displaced the popularGreensboro/Carolina Monarchs minor-league franchise. As a result, even with the first game hosting more than 18,000 fans, most games in Greensboro attracted crowds of 5,000 or fewer. The crowds looked even smaller than that in the cavernous environment. Furthermore, only 29 out of 82 games were televised (over-the-air and cable combined), and radio play-by-play coverage onWPTF was often preempted by Wolfpack basketball (for whose broadcasts WPTF was the flagship station), leaving these games totally unavailable to those who did not have a ticket. With by far the smallest season-ticket base in the NHL and attendance figures routinely well below the league average,Sports Illustrated ran a story titled "Natural Disaster",[10] andESPN anchors mocked the "Green Acres" of empty seats; in a 2006 interview, Karmanos admitted that "as it turns out, [Greensboro] was probably a mistake."[11] Under the circumstances, the Hurricanes managed to stay competitive, but still finished last in the Northeast Division with 74 points, nine points out of the playoffs.
For1998–99, the Hurricanes curtained off most of the upper deck lowering the Coliseum's listed capacity to about 12,000. Attendance continued to lag. Most games attracted crowds of well under 5,000. Conversely, on the ice the Hurricanes' performance improved led by the return of longtime Whalers' captainRon Francis,Keith Primeau's 30 goals, andGary Roberts' 178penalty minutes. They tallied their first winning season and playoff appearance since 1992. They also won the newly formedSoutheast Division by eight points, only their second division title as an NHL team (following the 1987 Adams Division title as the Whalers). Tragedy struck hours after the team's first-round loss to the Bruins, when defensemanSteve Chiasson was thrown from his pickup truck and killed in a single-vehicle drunk-driving crash.
The team finally moved to their newly completed arena in Raleigh in 1999. They became the firstmajor sports team to play in Raleigh, and remain the only such team there as of 2025.[12]
The aforementioned season was marked by an ultimately franchise-altering mid-season trade which saw Primeau dealt to thePhiladelphia Flyers for several players, including future captainRod Brind'Amour. With the move to the new arena, the Hurricanes introduced the "Storm Squad", the first cheerleaders for professional ice hockey in North America. In2000–01, the Hurricanes managed to claim the eighth seed, nosing out the Boston Bruins, and landed a first-round match-up with the defending champions, theNew Jersey Devils. The Devils eliminated the Hurricanes in six games. Down 3–0 in the series, the Hurricanes extended it to a sixth game, thereby becoming only the 10th team in NHL history to do so. Game 6 in Raleigh featured their best playoff crowd that year, as well as their loudest.[13] Despite the 5–1 loss, Carolina was given a standing ovation by their home crowd as the game ended, erasing some of the doubts that the city would not warm up to the team.[14]
The Hurricanes made national waves for the first time in the2002 playoffs. They survived a late charge from theWashington Capitals to win the division, but expectations were low entering the first round against the defendingEastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils. However,Arturs Irbe andKevin Weekes were solid in goal and the Hurricanes won two games in overtime as they defeated the Devils in six games. Their second-round matchup was against theMontreal Canadiens, who were riding a wave of emotion after their captainSaku Koivu's return from cancer treatment. In the third period of game four inMontreal, down 2–1 in the series and 3–0 in the game, Carolina would tie the game and later win onNiclas Wallin's overtime goal. The game became known to Hurricanes fans as the "Miracle atMolson"; Carolina won the next two games by a combined 13–3 margin over a dejected Habs club to take the series.
In the conference finals, Carolina met the heavily favoredToronto Maple Leafs. In game 6 inToronto, the Maple Leafs'Mats Sundin tied the game with 22 seconds remaining to send it to overtime, where Carolina'sMartin Gelinas would score to send the franchise to their firstStanley Cup Final appearance. During this series, several Hurricanes fan traditions drew hockey-wide media attention for the first time: fans met the team at theRaleigh-Durham International Airport on the return from every road trip and echoedfootball-season habits honed for gamesacross the parking lot by hosting massivetailgate parties before each home game, a relative novelty in the cold-weather-centric NHL. Inside the building, theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation'sDon Cherry lauded the RBC Center as "the loudest building in the NHL", praise that would be echoed in 2006.[15]
In theStanley Cup Final, Carolina would face theDetroit Red Wings, thought to be the prohibitive favorite all year. Though the Hurricanes stunned the Wings in game one whenRon Francis scored in the first minute of overtime, Detroit stormed back to win the next four games. Game three in Raleigh featured a triple-overtime thriller eventually won by Detroit'sIgor Larionov, the oldest player to score a last-round goal.
The Hurricanes looked poised to pick up where they left off in the2002–03, but never recovered from a 10-loss January and finished dead last in the league with 61 points. After a similarly slow start to the2003–04 season,Paul Maurice, who had been the team's coach since midway through their next-to-last season in Hartford, was fired and replaced with formerNew York Islanders bench bossPeter Laviolette. Under Laviolette, Weekes remained tough, but the offense was suspect; centerJosef Vasicek led the team with a mere 19 goals and 26 assists for 45 points. Many of the new fans attracted to the team (and to hockey itself) during the 2002 playoff run lost interest and attendance declined. One of the few positive results of these losing years was the team's drafting ofEric Staal in2003.
The outcome of the2004–05 NHL lockout led to the shrinking of the payroll to $26 million. The Hurricanes turned out to be one of the NHL's biggest surprises, turning in the best season in the franchise's 34-year history (including the years as the Whalers). They finished the regular season with a 52–22–8 record and 112 points, shattering the previous franchise records of 94 points (in the WHA) set by the 1972–73 Whalers and 93 points (in the NHL) set in1986–87. It was the first time ever that the franchise had passed the 50-win and 100-point plateaus. The 112-point figure was good for fourth overall in the league, easily their highest overall finish as an NHL team (tied with the third-overallDallas Stars in points, but with one fewer win than the Stars) and second in the East (one point behind theOttawa Senators). The Hurricanes also ran away with their third Southeast Division title, finishing 20 points ahead of theTampa Bay Lightning. Attendance increased from the 2003–04 season, averaging just under 15,600 per game, and the team made a profit for the first time since the move from Hartford.[16]
In the playoffs, after losing the first two games of the conference quarterfinals series against theMontreal Canadiens, Laviolette lifted goalkeeperMartin Gerber, who had been struggling to regain his form after playing through a bout of intestinal flu, in favor of rookieCam Ward. This proved to be a consequential decision, as the Hurricanes went on to win both games in Montreal, tying up the playoff series and turning the momentum around, winning the series on a game six overtime goal byCory Stillman. Carolina then faced the New Jersey Devils in the conference semifinals, which proved surprisingly one-sided, as the Hurricanes beat the Devils in five games. Stillman struck again, once again scoring the series-winning goal.
In the conference finals, the Hurricanes faced theBuffalo Sabres, who had finished just one spot behind the Hurricanes in the overall standings. The contentious series saw both coaches –Lindy Ruff and Laviolette – taking public verbal shots at each other's team. In the deciding game seven, the Hurricanes rallied with three goals in the third to win by a score of 4–2.Rod Brind'Amour scored the game-winner as the Hurricanes reached theStanley Cup Final for the second time in team history.
The Stanley Cup Final saw the Hurricanes face theEdmonton Oilers. The Hurricanes rallied from a 3–0 deficit in game one to win 5–4 after Rod Brind'Amour scored with 30 seconds left. In game 2, the Hurricanes shelled the Oilers 5–0 to take a two-game lead. The Oilers won game three inEdmonton, 2–1, asRyan Smyth scored the game-winning goal with 2:47 left to play. Carolina rebounded in game four with a 2–1 victory, and came home with a chance to win the Cup on home ice. However, game five saw the Oilers come back with a stunning 4–3 overtime win on a shorthanded breakaway byFernando Pisani. In game 6 in Edmonton, Carolina was soundly defeated 4–0; the only bright point for the Hurricanes was the return of forwardErik Cole from a broken neck that had sidelined him since March. In game 7, before the then second-largest home crowd in franchise history (18,978), the Hurricanes won 3–1, sealing the Hurricanes' first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. Cam Ward was honored with theConn Smythe Trophy for being the playoffs'most valuable player, becoming just the fourth rookie to be honored with the award. Several Hurricanes raised the Cup for the first time in their long NHL careers; Rod Brind'Amour andBret Hedican had both played over 15 years without winning the Cup, whileGlen Wesley, the last remaining member of the Hartford Whalers on the Hurricanes' roster, had waited 18 seasons. On the managerial side, general managerJim Rutherford finally won the Cup in his twelfth year with the franchise since joining the Whalers in 1994.
The Hurricanes Stanley Cup championship marked the first professional major league sports title for a team from North Carolina. As well, they were the first NHL team to win the Stanley Cup despite losing at least nine playoff games in that year; the 2011 Boston Bruins, the 2014Los Angeles Kings, the 2017Pittsburgh Penguins, and the 2019St Louis Blues are the only other teams to have achieved this feat.
The Hurricanes were unable to follow up their recent success. Losing four players to free agency in the off-season and 222-man games to injury during the2006–07, the team struggled throughout the regular season,[17] and once eliminated in the last game, the Hurricanes finished third in the Southeast and 11th overall in the Eastern Conference.[18] This finish made them the first champions since the 1938–39Chicago Black Hawks to have failed to qualify for the playoffs both the seasons before and after their championship season, and the third champion overall to not defend its title after both the Blackhawks and the 1995-96 New Jersey Devils.
In the2007–08, Carolina again missed out asWashington Capitals stormed back to take the division title on the last day of the season, leaving the Hurricanes second in the division and ninth overall in the conference, and making the Hurricanes only the second club in NHL history to miss the playoffs for two seasons running after a Stanley Cup triumph.
After a slow start to the2008–09 season, Cup-winning coachPeter Laviolette was fired in early December and replaced by his own predecessor,Paul Maurice. Teetering on the edge of the playoff picture again, the club, on February 7, acquired utility forwardJussi Jokinen from theTampa Bay Lightning in exchange forWade Brookbank,Josef Melichar and Carolina's fourth-round draft pick in2009, then reacquired wingerErik Cole from theEdmonton Oilers at the March trade deadline and proceeded on a 12–3–2 run to close out the season. The stretch run included nine straight wins, matching a franchise record from the 2005–06 season, and capped off a streak of 12 straight home wins, which set a new franchise mark. The team finished sixth in the Eastern Conference with 97 points, the second-most points in franchise history.
The Hurricanes'2009 playoff run featured two tight series with dramatic finishes. Game 4 of the first-round matchup with the New Jersey Devils saw Stanley Cup playoff history when Jussi Jokinen scored with 0.2 seconds left in regulation to win the game, the latest regulation game-winning goal in NHL history. Then, in game 7, the Devils took a 3–2 lead into the final two minutes of the game at thePrudential Center inNewark before the Hurricanes struck. With 1:20 to play,Tim Gleason saved a puck on his knees at the right point, passed it toJoni Pitkanen on the left boards, who then hit game 4 hero Jussi Jokinen at the far post for the tying goal. Just 48 seconds later,Chad LaRose sprangEric Staal for a solo down-ice rush to give the Hurricanes 4–3 game and series win; Staal's goal was the latest regulation game 7-winning goal in playoff history. The game 7 comeback would become known as the "Shock at the Rock".[19] In the second-round matchup with the top-seededBoston Bruins, the Hurricanes ran out to a 3–1 lead before the Bruins battled back for two wins. In game 7 in Boston,Scott Walker scored the game and series winner 18:46 into overtime to send Carolina to the conference finals against thePittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins, though, put a decisive end to the Hurricanes' string, sweeping the series 4–0 on the way to their ownStanley Cup championship.
As a result of their surprise run, very few changes were made in the off-season. Veterans such asAaron Ward,Andrew Alberts, andStephane Yelle were brought in to help drive the team further, but things did not go according to plan. The Hurricanes experienced a 14-game losing streak spanning October and November, and midway through the year, the Hurricanes replaced their only post-lockout captainRod Brind'Amour with Eric Staal. Despite improved play during the second half of the season, they could not overcome the deficit from early on in the season. The Hurricanes would end up with the seventh overall pick in the2010 NHL entry draft, eventually selectingJeff Skinner from theKitchener Rangers of theOntario Hockey League (OHL). Brind'Amour retired over the 2010 off-season to take a coaching job with the club.
The2010–11 season was widely expected to be a transitional year from the veteran-heavy, high-salary club that opened 2009–10 to a younger, cheaper base. The Hurricanes contended for a playoff slot for the entire season aided by Skinner's emergence as an offensive phenomenon who, as the youngest player in the league, would lead all rookies in points. Raleigh hosted the2011 NHL All-Star Game in January, and Eric Staal captained a team he selected (opposite a team selected by the Detroit Red Wings'Nicklas Lidstrom) that featured Skinner (the youngest All-Star in NHL history),Cam Ward, and (for the SuperSkills competition) defensemanJamie McBain. The Hurricanes went into the final day of the season able to determine their own fate, but lost 6–2 to theTampa Bay Lightning to finish ninth in the East.[20] Skinner was awarded theCalder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year, the first player in franchise history to receive that honor.
In December 2011, the Carolina Hurricanes fired coach Paul Maurice and hiredKirk Muller. On February 20, 2012, the Carolina Hurricanes signed Tim Gleason to a four-year, $16 million extension and two days later, on February 22, they also signedTuomo Ruutu to a four-year, $19 million extension. Two months later the Carolina Hurricanes announced that they had signedJiri Tlusty to a two-year deal that would pay him $1.5 million for 2012–13 and $1.7 million for 2013–14 (Gleason and Tlusty would eventually be traded to theWashington Capitals and theWinnipeg Jets over the next few seasons). Despite the signings of Gleason, Ruutu, and Tlusty, the Hurricanes would finish fifth in the Southeast Division and twelfth in the Eastern Conference during the 2011–12 season, which forced them to miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
On May 9, 2012, the 2006 Stanley Cup champions Hurricanes' game 7 victory was recognized as one of the NC Hall of Fame's "Great Moments" series.[21] During the2012 NHL entry draft, the Carolina Hurricanes tradedBrandon Sutter,Brian Dumoulin and their2012 first-round draft pick (Derrick Pouliot) to the Penguins in exchange forJordan Staal, uniting the player with his older brother, Eric Staal. On March 25, 2013, the Hurricanes signedAlexander Semin to a five-year deal, worth $35 million.[22] However, in the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, the team would finish third in the Southeast Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference, which would make the team miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season after a strong start was cut short by an injury to starting goaltender Cam Ward.
Before the 2013–14 season, the Hurricanes were realigned into the newMetropolitan Division. They would finish seventh in the division during the 2013–14 season (ahead of only theNew York Islanders) and would miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, which prompted management to fire head coach Kirk Muller.[23] In addition, longtime general manager Jim Rutherford was moved to an advisory role after the season with longtime Whalers/Hurricanes star Ron Francis announced as his replacement on April 28, 2014.[24]
On June 19, 2014,Bill Peters was named head coach, becoming the fifth head coach in franchise history. Peters' teams would not break the Hurricanes' playoff drought. During the 2014–15 season, the team finished last in the Metropolitan Division and would miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.[25] After team captain Eric Staal was traded to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline, the team finished sixth in the division during the 2015–16 season. Things did not improve in the 2016–17 season. The Hurricanes finished seventh in the division, missing the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.
The Hurricanes also experienced uncertainty about their future in Raleigh during this time. Karmanos was looking to sell the team, something he'd been trying to do for years. Attendance at PNC Arena had declined at a consistent rate since 2009. It became so bad the team finished second-to-last in average league attendance in 2014 and 2015.[26] Rumors started circulating in 2015 that the Hurricanes were possible contenders to move to eitherLas Vegas orQuebec City.[27] The Quebec rumors in particular were widely reported, with the Hurricanes and the NHL both refuting the claims.[28][29] Las Vegas would eventually gain an expansion team in theVegas Golden Knights.
Before the 2017–18 season, the Hurricanes unveiled new uniforms. On July 13, 2017, it was reported thatChuck Greenberg had sent Karmanos a letter of intent to buy the team for $500 million.[30][31] Greenberg would ultimately back out of a deal. On December 7, 2017, it was announced thatThomas Dundon signed an agreement to purchase the Hurricanes,[32] which ensured that the team would not be relocated.[33] The deal was finalized on January 11, 2018, with Dundon becoming majority owner and having a 61 percent stake in the team, while Karmanos retained a minority interest.[34] Dundon wasted little time in overhauling the Hurricanes' front office. On March 8, 2018, the team announced that general manager Ron Francis had been moved to the role of president of hockey operations.[35] However,Sportsnet reporterElliotte Friedman reported that the "promotion" was likely in name only, noting that there were rumblings Francis and Dundon did not see "eye-to-eye".[36][non-primary source needed] Subsequently, coach Bill Peters resigned from his position on April 20, 2018,[37] to pursue a similar opportunity with theCalgary Flames (he ultimately replacedGlen Gulutzan as the Flames' head coach three days later),[38] and the Hurricanes officially fired Francis from the organization altogether on April 30, 2018,[39] leaving vacancies in both the head coach and general manager positions.
Early in the Hurricanes' search for a replacement general manager, it was reported that Dundon's salary offerings for the position could be prohibitive in attracting quality candidates.[40] Sportsnet'sNick Kypreos reported that the Hurricanes were offering "in the ballpark of $400,000 a year",[41] a fraction of the salary figures of many other teams' coaches,[42] let alone those of their general managers, who serve in a higher-ranking position. Leading up to Kypreos' report, candidates such asNashville Predators assistant general managerPaul Fenton, New Jersey Devils assistant general managerTom Fitzgerald, andLos Angeles Kings assistant general manager Mike Futa had all reportedly passed on the position.[40]
Ultimately, on May 8, 2018, the Hurricanes announced the hiring of formerAtlanta Thrashers general managerDon Waddell as team president and general manager. Waddell had previously been serving as the team's interim general manager since the promotion of Francis. At the same time, it was announced that former team captain Rod Brind'Amour had been named head coach, after serving with the team as an assistant coach since 2011.[43] On April 4, 2019, the Hurricanes won 3–1 over theNew Jersey Devils, clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2009 and only the second time since their Cup win. During their stretch run, the Hurricanes gained notice for their on-ice victory celebrations, which they called "Storm Surges". This ledDon Cherry ofHockey Night in Canada to call the Hurricanes a "bunch of jerks". The Hurricanes adopted "Bunch of Jerks" as a battle cry,[44] even going as far as projecting it on the ice at PNC Arena before and after games.[45] During the2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, on April 24, the Hurricanes defeated the defending 2018 Stanley Cup champions, theWashington Capitals, 4–3 in double overtime in game seven, winning their first playoff series since 2009. The team would then go on to defeat theNew York Islanders in four straight games in the second round, recording the first best-of-seven playoff series sweep in franchise history, and advancing to the conference finals for the first time since 2009.[46] It was also the first time since 1993 that an opposing team (the Islanders), that swept their opponent in the first round, thePittsburgh Penguins, would then go on to lose four straight and drop the series.[46] This trend continued into the third round against the Hurricanes' favor as they themselves were swept by the Boston Bruins, thus losing the conference finals.[47]
On February 22, 2020, on the 40th anniversary of theMiracle on Ice, Hurricanes emergency goaltenderDavid Ayres became the first emergency goaltender in NHL history to win a game, a 6–3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team whose minor league affiliate he works for as a Zamboni driver and maintenance man. The season would come to an abrupt end on March 11 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. On August 3, 2020, Andrei Svechnikov became the first Hurricanes/Whalers player to score a hat trick in the postseason in a 4–1 win over theNew York Rangers. By beating the Rangers, the Hurricanes made the playoffs for a second straight season. However, they lost to the Bruins in five games.[48][49] The loss also marked the first time since the 2001 playoffs that the Hurricanes lost in the first round.
The2020–21 season concluded with the Hurricanes winning theCentral Division, their first division championship since winning the Southeast Division in 2006. It was also the first time since moving to Raleigh that they had qualified for the postseason three years in a row and the first time in the history of the franchise that a head coach had taken the team to the playoffs in three consecutive years. They defeated the Nashville Predators in the first round in six games but lost to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round in five games. DefensemanJaccob Slavin won theLady Byng Memorial Trophy, notably only having two penalty minutes (PIM) for the entire season. DefensemanDougie Hamilton was named to the NHL All-Star second team, and goaltenderAlex Nedeljkovic was named to the NHL All-Rookie team and placed third in theCalder Memorial Trophy voting, while head coach Brind'Amour was awarded theJack Adams Award, being the first in Hartford/Carolina history to receive it. On June 30, 2021, it was announced that Tom Dundon had purchased all remaining minority shares in the team.[50]
The 2021 off-season saw the Hurricanes overhaul the roster, resulting in many players departing.Warren Foegele was traded to Edmonton forEthan Bear,Ian Cole and Brendan Smith was signed to complement the depth on defense. The team also overhauled their goaltending, trading awayAlex Nedeljkovic for a pick and signingFrederik Andersen andAntti Raanta as the new goalie tandem. In perhaps their most talked-about moves, the Hurricanes signedTony DeAngelo and signedJesperi Kotkaniemi to an offer sheet. The2021–22 season concluded with the Hurricanes winning theMetropolitan Division for the first time in franchise history. This was the first time the Hurricanes had ever won division titles in back-to-back years since relocation. The Hurricanes finished the regular season with 54 wins, the most in franchise history. Andersen andSebastian Aho each represented the team at the2022 NHL All-Star Game. In the playoffs, the top-seeded Hurricanes defeated the Boston Bruins in the first round, before falling to the New York Rangers in seven games.
In thefollowing season, the Hurricanes won their division. In the2023 playoffs, they defeated theNew York Islanders in six games in the first round, then defeated theNew Jersey Devils in five games in the second round, but were swept by theFlorida Panthers in the conference finals.
In the2023–24 season, the Hurricanes finished second in the division. In the2024 playoffs, they defeated the Islanders in the first round again, this time in five games, but then got eliminated by the Rangers in six games in the second round despite staving off elimination in the fourth and fifth games.
The Hurricanes' primary logo has always been a stylized hurricane with astorm warning flag on a hockey stick as the secondary logo. A stylized black triangle sat behind the flag, referencing the Triangle region. After the team's first season in 1997, the team altered the color scheme to a slightly darker shade of red and kept the other colors.
The Carolina Hurricanes currently wear black uniforms at home and white uniforms on the road. While black is one of the team's core colors, until 2022, the Hurricanes kept its usage at a minimum, opting for red helmets, red shirts, and red pants while using black exclusively as a trim color along with silver. Nevertheless, the Hurricanes have worn black alternate uniforms for select games since 2007.
The initial Hurricanes uniforms featured the primary logo in front with the secondary logo on the shoulders. One enduring feature of this uniform was the red and black storm warning flags that dot the tail along with silver, red, black and white stripes. In 2000, black trim was added on the player's name, and upon moving toReebok's Edge template in 2007, piping was added on the shoulder yoke.
In 2008, the Hurricanes unveiled their first black alternate uniform, featuring the flag logo in front and the primary logo (recolored to dark grey) on the shoulders. As with the primary uniforms, warning flag patterns dot the tail, albeit recolored to silver and black. "V" stripes of red and silver accent the sleeves and socks.
In 2013, the Hurricanes replaced their primary uniforms with a new set. The biggest changes for these uniforms included the omission of black and silver. On the red uniform, black was relegated exclusively to the neck piping, letter trim and logo, while on the white uniform, it was featured more prominently on the numbers and striping. Silver was almost completely removed from both the red and white uniforms except for the logo outline. In addition, a red nameplate with white letters and black trim was placed near the red shoulder yoke of the white uniforms. Both sets removed the flag logo and warning flag patterns while letters were updated toUnivers Condensed font. The front logo also reduced in size compared to the prior set. Despite these changes, the Hurricanes continued to wear the prior black alternate uniform with this new set.
Upon moving toAdidas' AdiZero template in 2017, the Hurricanes made little changes to their white uniform. However, their new red uniform brought back a few elements from the original set, including black striping and the warning flag pattern (now recolored with a dark red shade) on the tail.
In 2018, the Hurricanes unveiled a new black alternate uniform, featuring an updated flag logo corrected to a hurricane warning flag. This flag logo also became the new additional logo. On the dark grey shoulder yoke, the primary logo was placed on the right while theFlag of North Carolina was added to the left. Both logos were recolored in black and grey. The logo also features the state of North Carolina in the negative space between the flags. This alternate has since become the Hurricanes' primary home uniform during the playoffs.
In 2019, a new white uniform was released, replacing the one worn since 2013. This new uniform featured the "CANES" nickname written diagonally in front with the flag logo returning on the shoulders. The warning flag patterns and red letters with black trim also returned from the original set. The new uniform came at the behest of owner Tom Dundon, who was not a fan of the previous white uniform.
The Hurricanes have not worn variants of their uniforms often. On April 5, 2022, the Hurricanes wore their alternate black pants with the white road uniforms for the first time in a game against the Buffalo Sabres. Two nights later, also against the Sabres, the Hurricanes paired their alternate black helmets and pants with the primary red home uniform. On December 23, 2022, against thePittsburgh Penguins, the Hurricanes began wearing red helmets with the white road uniforms; by 2023, the white road helmets were only worn sporadically, mainly in road games at theCalgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings who primarily wear red helmets at home.
In August 2022, the Hurricanes officially promoted their black uniform to their full time home uniform.[1] They also brought back the original 1997–2007 red uniform as an alternate in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the franchise in Carolina, wearing it for one season before replacing it with the modern red uniform they last wore in the 2021–22 season.[51] Later that year, the Hurricanes unveiled their second "Reverse Retro" uniform, this time using a red version of the "CANES" diagonal wordmark uniform.[52]
For the Hurricanes' appearances at the2023 Stadium Series, they wore black uniforms with red accents, but without any white elements. The uniform features the primary logo in front and enlarged numbers.[53]
In 2025, the Hurricanes updated their road white uniform, replacing the "CANES" diagonal wordmark with a recolored version of the Hurricanes logo minus the white elements. Updated fonts taken from the team's wordmark logo was used, along with a new Stormy patch on the right shoulder, and red and black stripes. The design was heavily influenced by the 2023 Stadium Series uniform.
In 2018, the Hurricanes began wearing green "Heritage" uniforms from the team's Hartford years. In its first season, the throwbacks were used twice, both against theBoston Bruins; for the 2019–20 season, the Hurricanes wore them once at home against theLos Angeles Kings, and in the 2021–22 season, they wore them once against theNew Jersey Devils. In 2022–23, the Hurricanes wore the Whalers "Heritage" uniform against the Bruins. During home games with the Whalers uniforms, theBrass Bonanza theme would be played after the horn.
For the 2020–21 season, the Hurricanes would wear a "Reverse Retro" uniform, using the template of the 1980s Whalers uniforms but with a grey base - grey being the only color used by both teams - as a nod to the 1992–1997 uniforms.[54]
In the 2023–24 season, the Hurricanes resurrected the white version of the Whalers uniform, wearing them against the Devils. They also woreCooperalls during warmups as a tribute.[55] The white Whalers uniform returned the following season for one game against theBuffalo Sabres. Then in the 2025–26 season, the Hurricanes wore these uniforms for three games: once at home against theUtah Mammoth, and two games of a home-and-away series against theColorado Avalanche, who wore theirQuebec Nordiques baby blue uniforms in homage to both franchises' WHA andAdams Division history.
This is a list of the last five seasons completed by the Hurricanes. For the full season-by-season history, seeList of Carolina Hurricanes seasons
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2020–21 | 56 | 36 | 12 | 8 | 80 | 179 | 136 | 1st, Central | Lost in second round, 1–4 (Lightning) |
| 2021–22 | 82 | 54 | 20 | 8 | 116 | 278 | 202 | 1st, Metropolitan | Lost in second round, 3–4 (Rangers) |
| 2022–23 | 82 | 52 | 21 | 9 | 113 | 266 | 213 | 1st, Metropolitan | Lost in conference finals, 0–4 (Panthers) |
| 2023–24 | 82 | 52 | 23 | 7 | 111 | 279 | 216 | 2nd, Metropolitan | Lost in second round, 2–4 (Rangers) |
| 2024–25 | 82 | 47 | 30 | 5 | 99 | 266 | 230 | 2nd, Metropolitan | Lost in conference finals, 1–4 (Panthers) |
Updated November 21, 2025[59][60]
The Carolina Hurricanes haveretired four numbers: 2, 10, 12, and 17. In addition,Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 was retired for all NHL teams at the2000 NHL All-Star Game.[61]
The Hurricanes also honor three numbers within the organization, but do not display their banners publicly:
When the Whalers moved to North Carolina to begin the1997–98 NHL season, they returned the previously retired #2 forRick Ley (D, 1972–1981) and #19 forJohn McKenzie (RW, 1977–1979) to circulation, while retainingGordie Howe's #9 without public display.Glen Wesley (who wore No. 20 in Hartford) was the only Hurricane to wear #2 prior to its re-retirement; #19 has been issued to several players since the move.
| No. | Player | Position | Career | Date of retirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Glen Wesley | D | 1994–2003, 2003–2008 | February 17, 2009[65] |
| 10 | Ron Francis | C | 1981–1991, 1998–2004 | January 28, 2006 |
| 12 | Eric Staal | C | 2003–2016 | January 12, 2025[66] |
| 17 | Rod Brind'Amour | C | 2000–2010 | February 18, 2011[67] |
Note: This list of teamcaptains does not include captains from theHartford Whalers (NHL) andNew England Whalers (WHA).
Six members of the Hockey Hall of Fame played for the team before the move to North Carolina:Gordie Howe,Mark Howe,Dave Keon,Bobby Hull,Brendan Shanahan, andChris Pronger. In addition, longtime franchise radio play-by-play announcerChuck Kaiton received theFoster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2004, an honor granted by the Hall of Fame.
The regional broadcasting rights for the Carolina Hurricanes is presently held byFanDuel Sports Network South (formerly Bally Sports South).[68]Color commentary for Bally Sports' broadcast is performed byTripp Tracy or former playerShane Willis, whileplay-by-play is provided by Mike Maniscalco.[69]
Chuck Kaiton was the team's radio play-by-play announcer from 1979 to 2018, dating to the team's days in Hartford.[70] On the television side,John Forslund was the play-by-play voice of the franchise starting in 1995, but left prior to the2020 Stanley Cup playoffs and has since moved toNBC and later withTNT and theSeattle Kraken. Since the2018–19 season, the Hurricanes have simulcasted audio from the television broadcasts to a network of four stations fronted byWCMC-FM in Raleigh.[69] Hurricanes games can also be heard onWWNB in New Bern,WECU in Greenville, andWZGV in Charlotte.[71]
Note: This list does not include selections of theHartford Whalers.
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise (Hartford and Carolina) history.[72] Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | P/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Francis | C | 1,186 | 382 | 793 | 1,175 | .99 |
| Eric Staal | C | 909 | 322 | 453 | 775 | .85 |
| Sebastian Aho* | C | 667 | 283 | 348 | 631 | .93 |
| Kevin Dineen | RW | 708 | 250 | 294 | 544 | .77 |
| Rod Brind'Amour | C | 694 | 174 | 299 | 473 | .68 |
| Jordan Staal* | C | 897 | 178 | 285 | 463 | .52 |
| Jeff O'Neill | RW | 673 | 198 | 218 | 416 | .62 |
| Teuvo Teravainen | LW | 555 | 138 | 277 | 415 | .75 |
| Pat Verbeek | RW | 433 | 192 | 211 | 403 | .93 |
| Jeff Skinner | LW | 579 | 204 | 175 | 379 | .65 |
| Player | Pos | G |
|---|---|---|
| Ron Francis | C | 382 |
| Eric Staal | C | 322 |
| Sebastian Aho* | C | 283 |
| Kevin Dineen | RW | 250 |
| Blaine Stoughton | RW | 219 |
| Jeff Skinner | LW | 204 |
| Jeff O'Neill | C | 198 |
| Geoff Sanderson | LW | 196 |
| Pat Verbeek | RW | 192 |
| Sylvain Turgeon | LW | 178 |
| Player | Pos | A |
|---|---|---|
| Ron Francis | C | 793 |
| Eric Staal | C | 453 |
| Sebastian Aho* | C | 348 |
| Rod Brind'Amour | C | 299 |
| Kevin Dineen | RW | 294 |
| Jordan Staal* | C | 285 |
| Teuvo Teravainen | LW | 277 |
| Andrew Cassels | C | 253 |
| Jaccob Slavin* | D | 244 |
| Jeff O'Neill | C | 218 |
Note: these records include those from the Hartford Whalers.
The team also announced that Don Waddell will officially serve as president and general manager.
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