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Carolina Hurricanes: Ranking every season in the history of the franchise

By Andrew Miller

RALEIGH, NC - JUNE 19: Rod Brind'Amour #17 of the Carolina Hurricanes kisses the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the 2006 NHL Stanley Cup Finals on June 19, 2006 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes defeated the Oilers 3-1 to win the Stanley Cup finals 4 games to 3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - JUNE 19: Rod Brind'Amour #17 of the Carolina Hurricanes kisses the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the 2006 NHL Stanley Cup Finals on June 19, 2006 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes defeated the Oilers 3-1 to win the Stanley Cup finals 4 games to 3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MI – JUNE 13: Center Ron Francis #10 of the Carolina Hurricanes chases down the puck while being pressured by defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom #5 of the Detroit Red Wings during game five of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on June 13, 2002 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The Red Wings won 3-1. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images/NHLI)
DETROIT, MI – JUNE 13: Center Ron Francis #10 of the Carolina Hurricanes chases down the puck while being pressured by defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom #5 of the Detroit Red Wings during game five of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on June 13, 2002 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The Red Wings won 3-1. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images/NHLI) /

2. 2001-02

Some might consider the 2001-02 season the most magical and spirited run for the Canes in franchise history. However, they ultimately fell short at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.

Carolina’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals was a tremendous underdog story that took Raleigh by storm. Many hailed the EA Sports Arena as the “loudest venue in hockey”. That’s something that sounds very foreign now with PNC Arena being half-empty now on many occasions.

The trio of Ron Francis, Jeff O’Neill, and Sami Kapanen powered the Canes to beat the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, and Toronto Maple Leafs before facing the Red Wings. Each of those series had the Canes slated as underdogs.

Every Canes fan will always remember this special season where Francis scored an overtime goal to beat the Wings in Game 1 of the Cup Finals and actually made the fans in Detroit a little bit nervous. Detroit would rattle off four straight wins to bring home the Stanley Cup, though.

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