This summer, CardiacCane will be counting down the greatest Carolina Hurricanes players of all-time, ranking them from number 50 to number 1.
Starting June 1st, we will be unveiling our list of the best Canes players ever, ordering them from 1 to 50. The players ranked 50 through 26 will be unveiled in June, then the top 25 in July and August.
Our list was complied from the personal lists of all of our contributors. Each player ranking was averaged between all the lists to make one truly definitive Carolina Hurricanes all-time player list.
#44 – Sean Hill
In the early days of the Carolina Hurricanes, most of the remembered history is focused on the forwards and goalies, and for good reason. Francis, Brind’Amour, O’Neil, Irbe, these are legendary names in Canes history. Often though, the defense is overlooked on those early teams. Everyone remembers Wesley, but many forget just how good others were, others like Sean Hill.
Eyes On Isles
Never the fastest skater, never the most offensively gifted, and never the largest, Sean Hill was able to still put together a formidable defensive package with the Hurricanes. In this 5 total seasons with Carolina, Hill was not only dependable, but a complete well-rounded defensive work horse.
Hill had the ability to make an impact on both ends of the ice. Offensively, he could be a more than reliable point producer from the back end as he was in 2000 and 2002. When his points weren’t coming though, he’d contribute by being a shutdown guy.
If you were looking for a spark though, Hill was many times the man for the job. Either with his stick or fists, he could light up the bench. His most famous goal is probably his bomb that started the Molson Miracle in the 2002 playoffs. Just the same, he could get his teammates going with hits and fights.
In this range of the all-time list, many of these players were underrated commodities during their time in Carolina. Hill is no different. Many Canes fans would probably be surprised to know Hill has the best points per game from a defenseman in a season with 0.71. That’s the point, Hill is unfairly forgotten in Canes history.
Next: Carolina Hurricanes All-Time List: #45 Scott Walker
Sean Hill’s stints with Carolina were the best of his career and he helped carry his team to the Cup Final in 2002. Few defensmen have been as important to the Hurricanes as Hill.