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Carolina Hurricanes: Top Stanley Cup Playoff Moments

By Robert Leonard

RALEIGH, NC - JUNE 01: Rod Brind'Amour #17 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his game-winning goal in front of teammate Justin Williams #11 during the third period against the Buffalo Sabres in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2006 NHL Playoffs on June 1, 2006 at RBC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes won the game 4-2 and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - JUNE 01: Rod Brind'Amour #17 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates his game-winning goal in front of teammate Justin Williams #11 during the third period against the Buffalo Sabres in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2006 NHL Playoffs on June 1, 2006 at RBC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes won the game 4-2 and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour (left) scores a wraparound goal into an empty net as Edmonton’s Chris Pronger (44) arrives too late. The goal at 19:28 of the third period gave Carolina its final margin of victory. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina in game one of the Stanley Cup Final. (Photo by Scott Bales/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)
Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour (left) scores a wraparound goal into an empty net as Edmonton’s Chris Pronger (44) arrives too late. The goal at 19:28 of the third period gave Carolina its final margin of victory. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina in game one of the Stanley Cup Final. (Photo by Scott Bales/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images) /

Brind’Amour’s Steal

It’s Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Carolina Hurricanes have just survived a Game 7 against the Buffalo Sabres and are matched up with the eighth overall seed from the West, the Edmonton Oilers. Carolina is rolling and everything is set up for this team to win the Cup.

But everything that could go wrong early in game 1, did.

Edmonton scored in the first and then Chris Pronger scored on a penalty shot – the first in Stanley Cup Playoff history –  in the second. Ethan Moreau then tallied Edmonton’s third goal with 3:37 left in the second.

Carolina stormed back, with Rod Brind’Amour scoring just 54 seconds later to cut the deficit to 2 heading to the third. Ray Whitney quickly tied it up with two goals 3:29 apart and Justin Williams put the Hurricanes up 4-3 half way through the third just before Ales Hemsky tied it right back up.

At this point, the Hurricanes had clawed back from a 3-0 defect to take the lead only to lose it. There was a lot going against them this night, but the Captain had other plans for how this iconic game should end.

Mike Commodore dumped the puck in on a line change and Edmonton goalie Ty Conklin went behind the net to play it. In typical Brind’Amour fashion, he skated hard and chased the puck just as Conklin got confused and mishandled the puck. The Captain stole the puck and scored a wrap around backhand go-ahead goal with just 31.1 seconds left.

The play is probably more remembered for Conklin’s blunder, but you can’t ignore the other aspects of this goal. Brind’Amour’s work ethic, the team coming back from a horrendous start and the eventual Cup winning team’s ability to score big timely goals.

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