Rod Brind'Amour reflects on his extension with Hurricanes and pursuit of Stanley Cup

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified May 20, 2024 16:31 GMT

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Rod Brind'Amour, the coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, recently signed a five-year extension. In a statement shared by NHL insider Chip Alexander, Rod Brind'Amour offered his perspective on the team's progress, likening it to a gradual approach toward success and ultimately the Stanley Cup. He said:

"We're knocking on the door. That's better than being two houses down, which we were."

Expressing a deep-rooted connection to the Hurricanes, Rod Brind'Amour emphasized his difficulty envisioning coaching elsewhere:

"It's hard for me to envision doing this anywhere else."

Walt Ruff shared Hurricanes GM Don Waddell's insights on the extension, via X (formerly twitter):

"The number one priority for us was to make sure that we got Rod taken care of... The whole coaching staff will be back and we're excited about that."

Rod Brind'Amour has done a great job coaching the Hurricanes. He's won a lot of games, 278 in the regular season and multiple playoff appearances. Notably, the Hurricanes' resurgence under his coaching includes three consecutive seasons of at least 50 wins.

Coach Rod Brind'Amour and Hurricanes’ second playoff exit in a row

In the 2023 playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes, led by coach Rod Brind'Amour, advanced to the Eastern Conference finals after defeating the New York Islanders in six games. However, they lost against the Florida Panthers in four games.

This season, the Hurricanes faced the New York Rangers in the second round and lost in six games. The Rangers, who had a perfect playoff record, started out strong but struggled in Games 4 and 5. However, they managed to close the series in Game 6 with a dramatic comeback.

Chris Kreider's third-period hat trick turned a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 victory, eliminating the Hurricanes.

Carolina, who had won two straight games and were close to forcing a potential Game 7, couldn't maintain their streak. Vincent Trocheck and Barclay Goodrow also contributed key goals for the Rangers, who moved on to the Eastern Conference finals.

The Hurricanes had several missed opportunities, including crucial chances by Jordan Martinook and Sebastian Aho. Despite a strong season, finishing three points behind the Rangers for the Presidents’ Trophy, the Hurricanes once again lost the opportunity to win the Stanley Cup. Brind'Amour praised his team’s effort but acknowledged the heartbreak of another early exit,

“This puts a tough way to end a really good year," Brind'Amour said. "These guys played their butts off all year. But this is what you’re going to remember. And that's the hard part.”

Now that he is signed with Carolina for the long term, the expectation is for the team to come back stronger next year.