The 25 most memorable moments in Carolina Hurricanes history

By Ryan Bisesi, WRAL multiplatform producer

Raleigh, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes have reached a quarter-century of professional hockey in North Carolina.

At the end of the 25th regular season in The Old North State, the Hurricanes are making their fifth-straight playoff appearance after winning a third-straight division title.

Revisiting the Carolina Hurricanes' history has its highs and lows. The team has been around since the turn of the century in Raleigh after a two-season stint in Greensboro. The last five years have seen the team reenter the league's good graces after one-year flukes in 2002, 2006 and 2009. There's been an upward trajectory since the 2019 season broke a decade-long period of dormancy. Meanwhile, a new generation of fans continue to get familiar with the team and hockey continues to make inroads at youth levels in the Triangle.

Let's take a look at the franchise's 25 most memorable moments since moving to North Carolina in 1997.

The most memorable 25 moments in Carolina Hurricanes history

25. Jan. 30, 2011 - Raleigh hosts the 2011 All-Star Game - Recognition came gradually for Raleigh as a hockey market from the league, and five years after winning the Stanley Cup, another big moment came in earning the All-Star Game. A downtown FanFest and a celebration showed the NHL could count on the Raleigh market to show up for big events, which would come in handy years later for the Stadium Series game.

24. Jan. 3, 2002 - Ron Francis scores 500th goal - Any chronicles of the early Hurricanes days have to include a nod to Ronnie Franchise, who became the fifth player in NHL history to score 500 goals and collect 1,000 assists. He’d go on to win the Lady Byng and King Clancy trophies that season. Francis was one of the few recognizable faces in Raleigh for most fans and helped give the team credibility in the first few seasons.

23. Oct. 7, 2005 - Rookie Cam Ward shuts down Pittsburgh in first start - The sprinkles of promise were there early for Ward and the league took notice in his first start in net. Ward stopped Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux, Zigmund Palffy and then-rookie Sidney Crosby in a shootout to preserve a victory for the Hurricanes. Ward went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy and made multiple notable saves throughout the playoffs, none of which were more celebrated than a stop of Fernando Pisani that required a full extension of the leg in the third period of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

22. Jan. 23, 2000 - Hurricanes trade for Rod Brind'Amour - On Jan. 23, 2000, the Hurricanes acquired Rod Brind'Amour in exchange for Keith Primeau. Entering as a nine-year veteran, Brind'Amour was a mainstay with the Philadelphia Flyers and was shocked to be headed to Raleigh. Beyond the early stages of trepidation, Brind'Amour went on to become one of the pillars of the franchise through winning faceoffs, scoring key goals and earning the captaincy. His steady hand on the ice and in the locker room led to a natural move to the coaching sphere, which leads us to...

21. May 8, 2018 - Rod Brind'Amour named head coach - Brind'Amour fostered a relationship with Tom Dundon in the weeks after his purchase of the team and it proved to be an important hallmark in the franchise's resurgence. It combined a rookie coach with a rookie owner in a smaller market. Brind'Amour has fostered a winning culture and generally had teams that were prepared to play. "I was in the back seat, now I want to drive," he said at the time of his hiring. His grip on the wheel is secure.

20. Jan. 11, 2018 - Tom Dundon becomes majority owner of the team - Dundon became majority owner in early 2018 when he bought 52% of the Hurricanes and PNC Arena for $425 million. Peter Karmanos had owned the team since moving the Hartford Whalers to North Carolina in 1997. Under Dundon's ownership, the Hurricanes have reached stability in making the playoffs consistently and bringing a never-before-seen spectacle event to Raleigh in February's Stadium Series game. Talks for developing the area around PNC Arena have progressed for more than a year and momentum is building for renovations for the 24-year-old venue.

19. May 27, 2021 - Aho's overtime goal sends Hurricanes to second round - Two straight overtime victories helped Carolina eliminate a pesky Nashville team that rallied to tie the first-round playoff series days prior. Sebastian Aho tipped in a shot from defenseman Jaccob Slavin for his second goal of the game 1:06 into the extra period. The series featured four overtime games with the Hurricanes taking the last two.

18. April 9, 1999 - Hurricanes clinch first division title since 1987 - The Hurricanes became the first team to win the newly-formed Southeast Division and clinch their first playoff berth since moving to North Carolina. The Hurricanes went on to take a 2-1 series lead against Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, but dropped the series 4-2.

17. June 4, 2002 - Ron Francis' overtime goal gives Hurricanes Game 1 victory against heavily-favored Red Wings - Francis scored 58 seconds into overtime, marking the team's seventh overtime win of the postseason and providing the jolt of energy needed to make what would have been a monumental upset seem possible in the interim. The small-budget Hurricanes landed the first punch in the series against a team loaded with Hall of Famers and "stunned everybody," as announcer Bob Cole put it.

16. Feb. 16, 2019 - Don Cherry's "Bunch of Jerks" comment starts an era - A tagline gave the Hurricanes life as the NHL's counterculture. When CBC analyst and longtime hockey voice Don Cherry took exception to the team's "storm surge" celebrations that become popular during the 2018-2019 season, he spoke his mind on CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada," calling the Hurricanes "a bunch of jerks," which launched a T-shirt and branding opportunity. The organization embraced the new attitude and the story went viral, galvanizing players and fans.

15. Dec. 31, 2016 - Manager Jorge Alves becomes goalie for a game - In the first instance of an emergency goalie making headlines for the Hurricanes, Alves, a 37-year-old equipment manager, played the final 7.6 seconds of the team's 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. Alves signed a professional tryout contract to be the backup goaltender in place of Eddie Lack, who was ill. Alves led the team onto the ice for warmups with the No. 40 jersey and got some ice time, replacing Cam Ward.

14. May 14, 2009 - Scott Walker's knockout punch in Game 7 sends Hurricanes to conference final - Walker's putback past Bruins goalie Tim Thomas made him the latest in a string of overtime heroes and continued another monumental postseason. The goal came days after Walker and former Hurricane Aaron Ward brawled at the end of a lopsided Game 5. The Bruins rallied to tie the series after going down 3-1, but were disappointed that Walker wasn't suspended for instigating the fight. Instead, he was only fined. The veteran winger got in a gut punch with the series-deciding goal.

13. April 24, 2019 - Unlikely hero Brock McGinn eliminates defending champs - Another Game 7 memory that will live in Hurricanes lore. Brock McGinn took a centering feed from "Mr. Game 7" Justin Williams and tapped it home past Braden Holtby for the first playoff series win in 10 years. It solidified a new front office's vision for success at an organizational level. The Hurricanes went on to sweep the New York Islanders in the second round to reach the conference final and cement Brind'Amour's status as a coach who can maximize a team's potential.

12. April 4, 2019 - NHL's longest playoff drought comes to an end - The Hurricanes clinched a playoff berth with a 3-1 win against New Jersey and a Montreal loss to Washington on the same night. It ended a 10-year playoff absence, which was the longest in the league at the time. Consistency had eluded the franchise to that point, but that ushered in a new era of continuity and success under Brind'Amour's guidance and a young core group of players that bought in. Most of that group stuck around to help win three consecutive division titles, the last of which was clinched on Thursday night.

11. May 21, 2002 - The eye of the hurricane - Jeff O'Neill took a puck to the eye during Game 3 of the eastern conference finals against Toronto, but returned to score the game-winner in overtime in what became one of the defining moments of the playoffs and one of the team's best showings of resilience. The swollen eye became the unofficial logo for the 2002 playoff appearance.

10. April 21, 2009 - Jussi Jokinen's buzzer beater - Another chapter in the long odyssey in thrilling playoff moments between the Hurricanes and Devils, Game 4 of the first-round series appeared to be headed for another overtime session. Jokinen's tip-in on a deflection from a Dennis Seidenberg slapshot from the blue line tied the series and gave fans on Tobacco Road another form of "buzzer beater."

9. May 8, 2006 - Staal's Hail Mary - In Game 2 of the Hurricanes' second-round series with New Jersey, Scott Gomez appeared to have essentially tied the series for the Devils by giving New Jersey a 2-1 lead with a goal with just 21 seconds remaining. John Madden won the ensuing faceoff so cleanly, the puck went flying back into the Devils' own end and Cory Stillman eventually dug the puck out of the corner to Eric Staal to tie the game with three seconds left. It was the hockey version of a Hail Mary. In a rare occurrence, Niclas Wallin got behind the defense, closed in on Martin Brodeur and somehow beat the Hall of Famer through the five hole. The sequence swung the series from a competitive trajectory to the seeing the Hurricanes swiftly move on in five games.

8. Feb. 18, 2023 - Taking it outside - The NHL Stadium Series game between the Hurricanes and Capitals brought around 59,000 fans to Carter-Finley Stadium and went nearly as smooth as it could have gone aside from some traffic congestion. Tailgates were plentiful, and the pomp and circumstance was embraced with marching bands, cheerleaders and special entrances in front of a nationally televised audience. The game was never really in doubt, with Jesperi Kotkaniemi scoring 2:11 into action. The Hurricanes won 4-1 amid a rock concert atmosphere and all the fanfare of a college football game.

7. May 9, 2002 - The Molson Miracle - The Game 4 overtime saw the Hurricanes rally from a 3-0 deficit with three goals in the third period to even the second-round series with the Montreal Canadiens at 2. After Sean Hill and Bates Battaglia scored to make it 3-2, Erik Cole found a way to get one past José Théodore in the final minute to send the game to overtime. Wallin wristed one from near the blue line early in overtime and the nickname "The Secret Weapon" was born. Carolina went on to win games 5 and 6 to advance to the conference final.

6. April 24, 2002 - Weekes' stops save season - Backup goalie Kevin Weekes was called upon in Game 5 of the first-round series against the Devils with Arturs Irbe having a rough go of it in games 3 and 4. With Game 4 in New Jersey coming the night before Game 5 in Raleigh, the Hurricanes shook off the rough trip and forced overtime with a late goal in regulation from Jeff O'Neill. Weekes left a rebound chance for John Madden with most of the net empty, but came up with a point blank glove save that gave the Hurricanes hope. Josef Vašíček scored the game-winner minutes later and set the stage for the Hurricanes to win their first playoff series.

5. April 28, 2009 - The shock at the rock - The most glaring display of the playoff hex the Hurricanes seemed to have on the Devils for much of the 2000s. Not just a rally, but a rebirth - all within the final two minutes of a Game 7. Two goals in the final 1:20 was a fitting way to end a back-and-forth series where neither team really seemed to have full control, until a pair of consecutive blows. The first goal scored by Jokinen was exciting. The second goal from the left hand of Staal was a jaw-dropper.

4. June 1, 2006 - Hurricanes reach the Stanley Cup Final at end of yo-yo series against Buffalo - With the Sabres just having taken a 2-1 lead on a ricochet goal with three seconds left in the second period, the Hurricanes needed a strong third period in a winner-take-all Game 7 of the eastern conference finals. That's exactly what happened. They dominated the final 20 minutes with three goals, one on the power play, and killed a penalty late that had given Buffalo life. Doug Weight scored a huge goal in the first 94 seconds to tie it. Brind'Amour found a loose puck in front of the crease and put it home for the lead and Williams' Game 7 legacy was born with the capper in the final minute.

3. Feb. 22, 2020 - Zamboni driver David Ayres becomes a Hurricanes legend - As the on-call emergency netminder, David Ayres was sitting in the stands with his wife at Scotiabank Arena when the Hurricanes took on the Maple Leafs in Toronto. By the third period, he was on the ice in a sequence of events that defied description. Hurricanes starting goalie James Reimer went down with an injury. Then midway through the second period, goalie Petr Mrazek was injured in a collision with Leafs forward Kyle Clifford. Next thing the 42-year-old Zamboni driver knew, he was walking down the tunnel and into the spotlight. Ayres, who served as the emergency goalie for Leafs games for either team who needs one, became the oldest goalie in NHL history to win his regular-season debut. His story got national recognition and the Hurricanes honored him at the next home game. Ayres, who received a kidney transplant years prior, was recognized as a human interest story in a inspiring confluence of sports and life.

2. May 28, 2002 - 'Strange, but true' - For a team that was maligned as boring and lacking star power, the 2002 Hurricanes found themselves in overtime of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. When Martin Gélinas scored the series-clincher in Game 6, ESPN play-by-play announcer Steve Levy captured the bewilderment of everyone at the Air Canada Centre and hockey fans in general. "It's strange, but true, folks. The Carolina Hurricanes are going to the Stanley Cup Finals," Levy said. The team returned to the airport among a smattering of fans with Francis carrying the Prince of Wales trophy while stepping off the plane. The Hurricanes lost to Detroit in the cup finals in five games, but the spring of 2002 marked the unofficial arrival of pro hockey in the Triangle.

1. June 19, 2006 - Whatever it took - Through the highs and lows of the Hurricanes tenure in North Carolina, Lord Stanley's trip to Tobacco Road was a winding one. It seemed like a fever dream to an NHL purist that coming off a lockout season there was an ultimate game in Raleigh to decide the Stanley Cup Final. Aaron Ward's goal came 86 seconds in and washed away a forgettable Game 6, giving the Hurricanes a shot in the arm that lasted throughout the night where most fans stood all game long. Ward's aforementioned save on the Pisani chance basically cemented the 22-year-old getting the Conn Smythe and embodied the "Whatever it Takes" motto promoted by the team. Williams peeled away for the series-clinching goal on an empty net. Radio announcer Chuck Kaiton's famed 'over the crossbarrrrrrr' call at the horn captured the elation of fans and Brind'Amour's expression while hoisting the cup was the most lasting image of a spring to remember.