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119-720: The Condors replaced the ECHL team of the same name , which played as a charter member of the West Coast Hockey League from 1995 until 2003 and then in the ECHL from 2003 until the end of the 2014–15 season , after which they moved to Norfolk, Virginia , to play as the Norfolk Admirals . The Condors are the only AHL team in the United States affiliated with a Canadian team. On December 18, 2014,

238-668: A 2006 interview, Karmanos admitted that "as it turns out, [Greensboro] was probably a mistake." 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. For 1998–99 , 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

357-472: A best-of-seven format. The alignment changed back to four divisions for the 2016–17 season , but the playoffs kept the divisional format. The top four teams in each division qualify for the playoffs and play in the division for the first two rounds. After the division finals, the winners then play the conference finals and followed by the Kelly Cup finals. In celebration of the league's 20th year of play,

476-614: A bout of intestinal flu, in favor of rookie Cam 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 by Cory Stillman . Carolina then faced the New Jersey Devils in the Conference Semifinals, which proved surprisingly one-sided, as the Hurricanes beat

595-1081: A club in either the ECHL or the AHL. Additionally, the league's players are represented by the Professional Hockey Players' Association (PHPA) in negotiations with the ECHL itself. At least 739 players have played at least one game in the NHL after appearing in the ECHL. As of the 2024–25 season , 29 of the 32 NHL teams held affiliations with an ECHL team with only the Carolina Hurricanes , Columbus Blue Jackets , and Ottawa Senators having no such franchise affiliations. NHL teams sometimes lend contracted players to ECHL teams with whom they have no affiliation agreements for development and increased playing time. The league's regular season typically begins in October and ends in April, followed by

714-423: A consistent rate since 2009. It became so bad the team finished second-to-last in average league attendance in 2014 and 2015. Rumors started circulating in 2015 that the Hurricanes were possible contenders to move to either Las Vegas or Quebec City . The Quebec rumors in particular were widely reported, with the Hurricanes and the NHL both refuting the claims. Las Vegas would eventually gain an expansion team in

833-554: 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

952-509: A higher-ranking position. Leading up to Kypreos' report, candidates such as Nashville Predators assistant general manager Paul Fenton , New Jersey Devils assistant general manager Tom Fitzgerald , and Los Angeles Kings assistant general manager Mike Futa had all reportedly passed on the position. Ultimately, on May 8, 2018, the Hurricanes announced the hiring of former Atlanta Thrashers general manager Don Waddell as team president and general manager. Waddell had previously been serving as

1071-471: 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 the Flag 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

1190-542: A last-round goal. The Hurricanes looked poised to pick up where they left off in the 2002–03 , but never recovered from a 10-loss January and finished dead last in the league with 61 points. After a similarly slow start to the 2003–04 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 former New York Islanders bench boss Peter Laviolette . Under Laviolette, Weekes remained tough, but

1309-497: A minor-league player), and equipment managers Wally 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 PNC Arena. Kaiton and Forslund would both eventually leave the franchise; Kaiton in 2018 and Forslund in 2021. The Whalers were plagued for most of their existence by limited marketability. Hartford

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1428-697: A new Pacific Division beginning in the 2015–16 season . A name-the-team contest was held from January 30 until February 15, 2015. The Condors name was announced as the winner on February 25, 2015. The Condors unveiled their new logo and colors on April 2, 2015. On December 18, 2015, the Condors participated in the AHL's first outdoor game in California, called the Golden State Hockey Rush, at Raley Field in West Sacramento against

1547-744: 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) defenseman Jamie McBain . The Hurricanes went into the final day of the season able to determine their own fate, but lost 6–2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning to finish ninth in the East. Skinner was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of

1666-472: 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 the 2011 NHL All-Star Game in January, and Eric Staal captained a team he selected (opposite

1785-401: 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

1904-620: 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 the Washington Capitals and the Winnipeg 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

2023-425: The 2015–16 season , the playoffs changed once again to a six-division format. At the end of the regular season, the top team in each division qualified for the playoffs and be seeded either 1, 2, or 3 based on the highest point total earned in the season. Then the five non-division winning teams with the highest point totals in each conference qualified for the playoffs and be seeded 4 through 8. All four rounds will be

2142-520: The 2024 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 a storm warning flag on a hockey stick as the secondary logo. A stylized black triangle sat behind

2261-463: The 2025–26 ECHL season . Alignment, affiliations, and locations for the 2024–25 season . Representatives from all potential expansion franchises, markets that have been granted expansion franchises and franchises that have suspended operations must attend the league's annual Board of Governors Meeting between seasons and provide progress reports on their situations in order to keep their ECHL franchise rights. For dormant and existing franchises,

2380-568: The Albany River Rats history following the club's move to Charlotte following the 2009–10 season and assumed the Checkers identity . In each of these cases, the ECHL franchise was relinquished to the league by its respective ownership group. In 2015, the three California franchises ( Bakersfield Condors , Ontario Reign , and Stockton Thunder ) were displaced by the formation of an AHL Pacific Division. Each ECHL franchise involved in

2499-940: The Anchorage/Alaska Aces , the Bakersfield Condors , the Fresno Falcons , the Idaho Steelheads , the Las Vegas Wranglers , the Long Beach Ice Dogs and the San Diego Gulls as well as from potential teams in Ontario, California , and Reno, Nevada . Alaska, Bakersfield, Fresno, Idaho, Las Vegas, Long Beach and San Diego began play in the 2003–04 season as expansion teams. In a change reflective of

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2618-769: The Bloomington Bison in Bloomington, IL. The Knight Monsters are planned to play in the Mountain division, with the Bison planned to compete in the Central division. These additions were intended to bring the ECHL to 30 teams before the Newfoundland Growlers folded late in the 2023–24 ECHL season , but plans are still there to expand the league to 32 in the future to match the number of teams in

2737-594: The Carolina Monarchs in 1995 . The Hampton Roads Admirals were the second, giving way to the Norfolk Admirals in 2000 . The Peoria Rivermen were the third. In their case, the replacement franchise retained the Worcester IceCats history but assumed the Rivermen identity for their first AHL season of 2005–06 . The Charlotte Checkers were the fourth, yielding to a franchise that retained

2856-569: The Central 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

2975-840: The Central Hockey League ) the league played the 2012–13 season with 23 teams. That number dropped to 22 for the 2013–14 season with the folding of the Trenton Titans and subsequently fell to 21 with the mid-season folding of the San Francisco Bulls on January 27, 2014. On October 7, 2014, the ECHL announced that the seven remaining active members of the Central Hockey League (the Allen Americans , Brampton Beast , Quad City Mallards , Missouri Mavericks , Rapid City Rush , Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder ) would be admitted as new members for

3094-714: The Detroit Red Wings . The Hurricanes won the 2006 Stanley Cup over the Edmonton Oilers , giving the state of North Carolina its first major professional sports championship and its only major championship as of 2023–24. The New England Whalers were established in November 1971 when the World Hockey Association (WHA) awarded a franchise to begin play in Boston , Massachusetts . For

3213-895: The Iowa Heartlanders and the Trois-Rivières Lions , with Iowa going into the Central Division and Trois-Rivières going into the North. This brought the league up to 27 teams. The league added the Savannah Ghost Pirates , bringing the league to 28 teams, and balancing the divisions for the 2022–23 season . There are two expansion teams to be added for the 2024–25 season ; the Tahoe Knight Monsters in Stateline, NV, and

3332-751: The Kelly Cup playoffs. The most recent playoff champions are the Florida Everblades in 2024 . The league, which combined teams from the defunct Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) and All-American Hockey League (AAHL), began to play as the East Coast Hockey League in 1988 with five teams – the (Winston-Salem, North) Carolina Thunderbirds (now the Wheeling Nailers ); the Erie Panthers (folded in 2011 as

3451-819: The Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference , and play their home games at the Lenovo Center . The franchise was formed in 1971 as the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association (WHA). The Whalers saw success immediately, winning the Eastern Division in the WHA's first three seasons and becoming the inaugural Avco World Trophy Champions to cap off the 1972–73 season . The Whalers again competed for

3570-565: The NHL and the AHL per ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. On April 2, 2024, the league announced that the Newfoundland Growlers ' membership had been terminated due to failure to fulfill its obligations under league bylaws, bringing the league down to 29 teams and forcing the Wheeling Nailers to move to the North Division. On October 18, 2024, the league announced a new expansion team for Greensboro, North Carolina set to begin play for

3689-651: The Norfolk Admirals , Manchester Monarchs , and Adirondack Thunder , respectively. By the 2018–19 season , the ECHL lost both the Quad City Mallards and Manchester Monarchs by folding, and the ECHL kept the Quad City Mallards name as a trademark. But the East Coast Hockey League expanded into other markets recently vacated by the AHL in the Maine Mariners , Newfoundland Growlers , and Worcester Railers . There were two expansion teams added in 2021–22 ,

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3808-973: The North Carolina State University Wolfpack , with whose men's basketball team they would share the arena in Raleigh. The Hurricanes inherited the Whalers' place in the Northeast 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-old Dorton Arena ; at 5,100 seats, it was too small even for temporary use. The Hurricanes chose to play home games in Greensboro , 90 minutes west of Raleigh, for their first two seasons after

3927-578: The Oklahoma City Barons and Edmonton Oilers mutually agreed to end the Barons' operations after the end of the 2014–15 season , with the Barons management citing financial problems and the Oilers citing a desire to "move on." One month later, on January 29, 2015, the AHL announced that the Oilers would relocate their franchise to Bakersfield as one of five charter members to form the basis of

4046-409: The Stanley Cup Finals , Carolina would face the Detroit Red Wings , thought to be the prohibitive favorite all year. Though the Hurricanes stunned the Wings in game one when Ron 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's Igor Larionov , the oldest player to score

4165-463: The Stockton Heat . The Heat would defeat the Condors 3–2 in front of 9,357 fans. Despite not making the playoffs in their first season, the Condors still contributed to the overall increase in AHL attendance with an average of 5195 per night, an increase of about 1900 spectators compared to the former Barons and similar to the former ECHL Condors . In the 2016–17 season , the Condors were named as hosts for their second AHL Outdoor Classic game, named

4284-422: The Tampa 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. In the playoffs, after losing the first two games of the Conference Quarterfinal series against the Montreal Canadiens , Laviolette lifted goalkeeper Martin Gerber , who had been struggling to regain his form after playing through

4403-441: The Vegas Golden Knights . Before the 2017–18 season, the Hurricanes unveiled new uniforms. On July 13, 2017, it was reported that Chuck Greenberg had sent Karmanos a letter of intent to buy the team for $ 500 million. Greenberg would ultimately back out of a deal. On December 7, 2017, it was announced that Thomas Dundon signed an agreement to purchase the Hurricanes, which ensured that the team would not be relocated. The deal

4522-406: The Victoria Salmon Kings ); the Johnstown Chiefs (now the Greenville Swamp Rabbits ); the Knoxville Cherokees (ceased operations as the Pee Dee Pride in 2005; folded in 2009 following failed relocation efforts); and the Virginia Lancers (now the Utah Grizzlies ). In 2003, the West Coast Hockey League ceased operations, and the ECHL board of governors approved membership applications from

4641-542: The "Miracle at Molson "; Carolina won the next two games by a combined 13–3 margin over a dejected Habs club to take the series. In the Eastern Conference Finals, Carolina met the heavily favored Toronto Maple Leafs . In Game 6 in Toronto , the Leafs' Mats Sundin tied the game with 22 seconds remaining to send it to overtime, where Carolina's Martin Gelinas would score to send the franchise to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance. During this series, several Hurricanes fan traditions drew hockey-wide media attention for

4760-466: The "promotion" was likely in name only, noting that there were rumblings Francis and Dundon did not see "eye-to-eye". Subsequently, coach Bill Peters resigned from his position on April 20, 2018, to pursue a similar opportunity with the Calgary Flames (he ultimately replaced Glen Gulutzan as the Flames' head coach three days later), and the Hurricanes officially fired Francis from the organization altogether on April 30, 2018, leaving vacancies in both

4879-406: The 2013–14 season, the Hurricanes were realigned into the new Metropolitan Division . They would finish seventh in the division during the 2013–14 season (ahead of only the New York Islanders ) and would miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, which prompted management to fire head coach Kirk Muller. In addition, longtime general manager Jim Rutherford was moved to an advisory role after

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4998-418: The 2014–15 season. The addition of the former CHL teams plus the expansion Indy Fuel raised the number of teams to 28 and placed a team in Canada for the first time since 2011. Before the 2015–16 season , the AHL's creation of a Pacific Division led the three California ECHL teams to relocate to former AHL cities with the Bakersfield Condors , Ontario Reign , and Stockton Thunder relocating to become

5117-401: The 2019 St 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 the 2006–07 , the team struggled throughout the regular season, and once eliminated in the last game, the Hurricanes finished third in the Southeast and 11th overall in

5236-421: The 40th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice , Hurricanes emergency goaltender David 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 the COVID-19 pandemic . On August 3, 2020, Andrei Svechnikov became

5355-543: The 80-mile drive down I-40 to Greensboro. Likewise, fans from the Piedmont Triad mostly refused to support a lame-duck team that had displaced the popular Greensboro/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 on WPTF

5474-404: The Board of Governors changed the Western Conference seeding such that eight teams qualify: two division winners and the next six teams in the conference. This eliminated the Western Conference first-round bye. Similar to the National Hockey League (NHL) at the time, the division winners were seeded as the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference and the top two seeds in the Western Conference;

5593-414: The Board of Governors votes whether or not to extend a franchise's league license until the next Board of Governors Meeting. At the 2012 Board of Governors meeting, the Board elected to limit the league to 26 teams, with an emphasis on adding teams to the Western Conference. However, it was decided at the 2015 Board of Governors meeting that the cap should be expanded to 30 teams, hoping to eventually match

5712-408: The Boston Bruins, and landed a first-round match-up with the defending champions, the New 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. Despite the 5–1 loss, Carolina

5831-423: 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 Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins . The Penguins, though, put a decisive end to the Hurricanes' string, sweeping the series 4–0 on the way to their own Stanley Cup championship . As a result of their surprise run, very few changes were made in

5950-401: The Canadiens. Two years later, the team hired Jim Rutherford as general 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, broadcasters Chuck Kaiton , John Forslund and Tripp Tracy (at the time

6069-437: The Condorstown Outdoor Classic, against the Ontario Reign held on January 7, 2017, at Bakersfield College's Memorial Stadium . Despite sometimes heavy rain, the game went on as scheduled and the Condors defeated the Reign 3–2 in overtime. During the 2018–19 season , the Condors tied the second-longest AHL winning streak at 17 games from January 12 to February 25, 2019. The Condors finished in first place in Pacific Division in

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6188-419: 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 2014 Los Angeles Kings , the 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins , and

6307-399: The Devils in five games. Stillman struck again, once again scoring the series-winning goal. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Hurricanes faced the Buffalo 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,

6426-415: The ECHL Board of Governors created the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2008, to recognize the achievements of players, coaches, and personnel who dedicated their careers to the league. Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes ) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina . The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as part of

6545-416: The Eastern Conference. This finish made them the first champions since the 1938–39 Chicago 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 the 2007–08 , Carolina again missed out as Washington Capitals stormed back to take

6664-417: The Hurricanes gained notice for their on-ice victory celebrations, which they called "Storm Surges". This led Don Cherry of Hockey Night in Canada to call the Hurricanes a "bunch of jerks". The Hurricanes adopted "Bunch of Jerks" as a battle cry, even going as far as projecting it on the ice at PNC Arena before and after games. During the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs , on April 24, the Hurricanes defeated

6783-408: 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 the Stanley Cup finals for the second time in team history. The Stanley Cup Finals saw the Hurricanes facing the Edmonton 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,

6902-443: The Hurricanes shelled the Oilers 5–0 to take a two-game lead. The Oilers won game three in Edmonton , 2–1, as Ryan 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 by Fernando Pisani . In Game 6 in Edmonton, Carolina

7021-460: The Hurricanes won two games in overtime as they defeated the Devils in six games. Their second-round matchup was against the Montreal Canadiens , who were riding a wave of emotion after their captain Saku Koivu 's return from cancer treatment. In the third period of game four in Montreal , down 2–1 in the series and 3–0 in the game, Carolina would tie the game and later win on Niclas Wallin 's overtime goal. The game became known to Hurricanes fans as

7140-409: The NHL and AHL's (then) 30-team totals. In 2023, ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin commented that the eventual goal was to match the AHL and NHL expansion to 32 teams. Since starting with five franchises in its inaugural season, the ECHL has had dozens of franchises join and leave the league. Typically, these teams fold or relocate due to operation issues or financial losses. The Johnstown Chiefs became

7259-417: The NHL when the rival leagues merged in 1979 . However, under pressure from the extant NHL team in the New England area, the Boston Bruins, the Whalers were compelled to rename the team the Hartford 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 in 1986 over

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7378-410: The New York Rangers in seven games. In the following season , the Hurricanes won their division. In the 2023 playoffs , they defeated the New York Islanders in six games in the first round, then defeated the New Jersey Devils in five games in the second round, but were swept by the Florida Panthers in the Conference Finals. In the 2023–24 season , the Hurricanes finished second in the division. In

7497-405: The Nordiques before bowing out in the second round to the Montreal Canadiens , taking the Habs to overtime of Game 7 in the process. The next year , the club secured the regular season Adams Division title, only to fall to the Nordiques in six games in the first round of the playoffs. In 1992 , the Whalers made the playoffs for the final time, but were bounced in the first round in seven games by

7616-426: The Storm in order to demolish their present arena and construct a new one in downtown Toledo. The Mississippi Sea Wolves resumed play for the 2007–08 season, while the Toledo Walleye resumed play in their new arena for the 2009–10 season. Seven former ECHL franchises have been directly replaced in their respective markets by American Hockey League franchises. The Greensboro Monarchs were the first, being replaced by

7735-470: The United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The league serves as a farm system to the AHL and the National Hockey League (NHL). The ECHL and the AHL are the only minor leagues recognized by the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), meaning any player signed to an entry-level NHL contract and designated for assignment must report to

7854-416: The Whalers). Tragedy struck hours after the team's first-round loss to the Bruins, when defenseman Steve 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 first major sports team to play in Raleigh, and remain the only such team there as of 2024. The aforementioned season

7973-410: The World Trophy in 1978 , this time falling short to the Winnipeg Jets in a rematch of the 1973 Finals. The franchise joined the NHL in 1979 as part of the NHL–WHA merger , renaming themselves the Hartford Whalers . The team relocated to North Carolina in 1997, rebranding themselves as the Hurricanes. Carolina advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 2002, where they were defeated by

8092-402: The conference winner faced the eighth seed, second faces seventh, third faces sixth and fourth faces fifth in the conference quarterfinal round. The winner of the 1st/8th series played the winner of the 4th/5th series while the 2nd/7th winner played against the 3rd/6th winner in the conference semifinal series. The Board of Governors also elected to change the playoff format such that all rounds of

8211-417: The defending 2018 Stanley Cup champions, the Washington Capitals , 4–3 in double overtime in game seven, winning their first playoff series since 2009. The team would then go on to defeat the New 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 Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2009. It

8330-409: The depth on defense. The team also overhauled their goaltending, trading away Alex Nedeljkovic for a pick and signing Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta as the new goalie tandem. In perhaps their most talked-about moves, the Hurricanes signed Tony DeAngelo and signed Jesperi Kotkaniemi to an offer sheet. The 2021–22 season concluded with the Hurricanes winning the Metropolitan Division for

8449-445: 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 the 2008–09 season , Cup-winning coach Peter Laviolette was fired in early December and replaced by his own predecessor, Paul Maurice . Teetering on

8568-487: The edge of the playoff picture again, the club, on February 7, acquired utility forward Jussi Jokinen from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Wade Brookbank , Josef Melichar and Carolina's fourth-round draft pick in 2009 , then reacquired winger Erik Cole from the Edmonton 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

8687-643: The eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round in five games. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy , notably only having two penalty minutes (PIM) for the entire season. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton was named to the NHL All-Star second team, and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was named to the NHL All-Rookie team and placed third in the Calder Memorial Trophy voting, while head coach Brind'Amour

8806-538: The first Hurricanes/Whalers player to score a hat trick in the postseason in a 4–1 win over the New 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. The loss also marked the first time since the 2001 playoffs that the Hurricanes lost in the first round. The 2020–21 season concluded with the Hurricanes winning

8925-552: The first part of the season at The Big E Coliseum in West Springfield, Massachusetts . On January 11, 1975, the team played its first game in front of a sellout crowd at the Hartford Civic Center Coliseum , and would maintain its home there through 1997. As one of the most stable WHA teams, the Whalers, along with the Edmonton Oilers , Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets , were admitted to

9044-491: 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 and Sebastian Aho each represented the team at the 2022 NHL All-Star Game . In the playoffs, the top-seeded Hurricanes defeated the Boston Bruins in the first round, before falling to

9163-531: The first time: fans met the team at the airport on the return from every road trip and echoed football -season habits honed for games across the parking lot by hosting massive tailgate parties before each home game, a relative novelty in the cold-weather-centric NHL. Inside the building, the CBC 's Don Cherry lauded the RBC Center as "the loudest building in the NHL", praise that would be echoed in 2006. In

9282-466: The first two years of their existence, the club played their home games at the Boston Arena and Boston Garden . With the increasing difficulty of scheduling games at Boston Garden (owned by the NHL rival Boston Bruins ), the owners decided to move the team to Hartford, Connecticut , beginning with the 1974–75 season . While waiting for the completion of a new arena in Hartford, the Whalers played

9401-444: 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 and red pants while using black exclusively as

9520-807: The folding of the Victoria Salmon Kings subsequent to the 2010–11 season , but increased to 20 teams for the 2011–12 season with the addition of the expansion franchise Chicago Express and the Colorado Eagles who previously played in the Central Hockey League . With the folding of the Chicago Express at the conclusion of the 2011–12 season and the announcement of expansion franchises in Orlando , San Francisco , Evansville , and Fort Wayne (both in Indiana and both from

9639-627: 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 the Prudential Center in Newark before the Hurricanes struck. With 1:20 to play, Tim Gleason saved a puck on his knees at the right point, passed it to Joni Pitkanen on the left boards, who then hit Game 4 hero Jussi Jokinen at the far post for

9758-463: 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. Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos reported that the Hurricanes were offering "in the ballpark of $ 400,000 a year", a fraction of the salary figures of many other teams' coaches, let alone those of their general managers, who serve in

9877-472: The ice the Hurricanes' performance improved led by the return of longtime Whalers' captain Ron Francis , Keith Primeau 's 30 goals, and Gary Roberts ' 178 penalty minutes. They tallied their first winning season and playoff appearance since 1992. They also won the newly formed Southeast Division by eight points, only their second division title as an NHL team (following the 1987 Adams Division title as

9996-685: The last remaining founding franchise of the East Coast Hockey League to remain in its original city until it relocated to Greenville, South Carolina, following the completion of the 2009–10 season . While the ECHL has stated in recent years they would not grant voluntary suspensions of franchises for more than one year, both the Toledo Storm (now the Toledo Walleye ) and Mississippi Sea Wolves (now defunct) were granted two-year suspensions—the Sea Wolves because of Hurricane Katrina and

10115-518: The league introduced the ECHL toolbar for internet browsers which gave users short cut access to statistics, scores, transactions, and news updates. At the annual ECHL Board of Governors meeting on June 15, 2010, in Henderson, Nevada, the Board of Governors approved changes to the names of the conferences and divisions. The former American Conference (comprising eleven East Coast and Midwest teams)

10234-632: The league's now-nationwide presence, the East Coast Hockey League shortened its name to the orphan initialism ECHL on May 19, 2003. The ECHL reached its largest size to date (31 teams) that season before being reduced to 28 teams for the 2004–05 season . The ECHL has attempted to be more tech-friendly to its fans. Some improvements on the league's website have included a new schedule and statistics engine powered by League Stat, Inc. (introduced in 2006 ), internet radio coverage for most teams, and pay-per view broadcasting of ECHL games through B2 Networks (a subsidiary of America One Broadcasting ). In 2008,

10353-478: The move. However, the team would be based in Raleigh and practice in nearby Hillsborough —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 hockey, the Greensboro Coliseum was the highest-capacity arena in the NHL. However, Triangle-area fans balked at making

10472-455: The new Entertainment and Sports Arena (ESA) in Raleigh . Due to the relatively short time frame for the move, Karmanos himself thought of and decided upon the new name for the club, the Carolina 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

10591-461: The off-season. Veterans such as Aaron Ward , Andrew Alberts , and Stephane 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 captain Rod Brind'Amour with Eric Staal. Despite improved play during

10710-399: The offense was suspect; center Josef 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 of Eric Staal in 2003 . The outcome of the 2004–05 NHL lockout led to

10829-454: The player with his older brother, Eric Staal. On March 25, 2013, the Hurricanes signed Alexander Semin to a five-year deal, worth $ 35 million. 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

10948-524: The playoffs are now best of seven series. For 2012–13, the Conference Finals and Kelly Cup Finals will use a two-referee system. Because of the late addition of the CHL teams for the 2014–15 season and its subsequent conference alignment, the top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs and the first two playoff rounds were played within the divisions. For the realignment prior to

11067-600: The playoffs for a third consecutive season. On May 9, 2012, the 2006 Stanley Cup champions Carolina Hurricanes' Game 7 victory was recognized as one of the NC Hall of Fame's "Great Moments" series. During the 2012 NHL Entry Draft , the Carolina Hurricanes traded Brandon Sutter , Brian Dumoulin and their 2012 first round draft pick ( Derrick Pouliot ) to the Penguins in exchange for Jordan Staal , uniting

11186-575: 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 and Bret Hedican had both played over 15 years without winning the Cup, while Glen Wesley , the last remaining member of the Hartford Whalers on the Hurricanes' roster, had waited 18 seasons. On the managerial side, general manager Jim Rutherford finally won

11305-498: 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,

11424-461: The prior black alternate uniform with this new set. Upon moving to Adidas ' 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

11543-412: 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 to Univers Condensed font. The front logo also reduced in size compared to the prior set. Despite these changes, the Hurricanes continued to wear

11662-782: The regular season before they were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the San Diego Gulls. Updated November 27, 2024. List of Bakersfield Condors alumni who played more than 100 games in Bakersfield and 100 or more games in the National Hockey League . ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League ) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey , with teams across

11781-584: The season with longtime Whalers/Hurricanes star Ron Francis announced as his replacement on April 28, 2014. 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. After team captain Eric Staal

11900-558: 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 the 2010 NHL Entry Draft , eventually selecting Jeff Skinner from the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Brind'Amour retired over the 2010 off-season to take a coaching job with the club. The 2010–11 season was widely expected to be

12019-579: 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 in 1986–87 . It

12138-409: 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

12257-497: The team in 1994 that the Whalers would remain in Hartford at least through 1998, in March 1997, owner Peter Karmanos announced that the team would move elsewhere after the 1996–97 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 the Research Triangle area of North Carolina and

12376-556: 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. On April 4, 2019, the Hurricanes won 3–1 over the New 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,

12495-559: The territorial shift was either owned or purchased by their NHL affiliate prior to being relocated. Current member Former member Future member Opted out of season due to COVID-19 pandemic For the 2012–13 season , eight teams still qualify in the Eastern Conference: the three division winners plus the next five teams in the conference. With the addition of the expansion franchise in San Francisco ,

12614-452: The tying goal. Just 48 seconds later, Chad LaRose sprang Eric 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". In the second-round matchup with the top-seeded Boston Bruins , the Hurricanes ran out to a 3–1 lead before

12733-467: The year, the first player in franchise history to receive that honor. In December 2011, the Carolina Hurricanes fired coach Paul Maurice and hired Kirk 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 signed Tuomo Ruutu to a four-year, $ 19 million extension. Two months later the Carolina Hurricanes announced that they had signed Jiri Tlusty to

12852-433: Was added on the player's name, and upon moving to Reebok '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

12971-533: Was also the first time since 1993 that an opposing team (the Islanders), that swept their opponent in the first round, the Pittsburgh Penguins , would then go on to lose four straight and drop the series. This trend continued into the third round against the Hurricanes favor as they themselves were swept by the Boston Bruins, thus losing the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals. On February 22, 2020, on

13090-549: Was awarded the Jack 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. The 2021 off-season saw the Hurricanes overhaul the roster, resulting in many players departing. Warren Foegele was traded to Edmonton for Ethan Bear , Ian Cole and Brendan Smith was signed to complement

13209-429: 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. 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. However, Sportsnet reporter Elliotte Friedman reported that

13328-542: 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. The Hurricanes made national waves for the first time in the 2002 playoffs . They survived a late charge from the Washington Capitals to win the division, but expectations were low entering the first round against the defending Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils. However, Arturs Irbe and Kevin Weekes were solid in goal and

13447-534: Was marked by an ultimately franchise-altering mid-season trade which saw Primeau dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers for several players, including future captain Rod 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. In 2000–01 , the Hurricanes managed to claim the eighth seed, nosing out

13566-417: 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", and ESPN anchors mocked the "Green Acres" of empty seats; in

13685-751: Was renamed the Eastern Conference, while the National Conference (consisting of 8 West Coast teams, including the league's only Canadian team at the time) was re-designated the Western Conference. Within the Eastern Conference, the East Division was renamed the Atlantic Division, and the Western Conference's former West Division was dubbed the Mountain Division. The league lost its only Canadian team with

13804-473: Was soundly defeated 4–0; the only bright point for the Hurricanes was the return of forward Erik 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 the Conn Smythe Trophy for being

13923-579: 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-overall Dallas Stars in points, but with one fewer win than the Stars) and second in the East (one point behind the Ottawa Senators ). The Hurricanes also ran away with their third Southeast Division title, finishing 20 points ahead of

14042-460: 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

14161-559: 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

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