The Company
The Carolina Hurricanes may not have the storied history of the Original Six franchises, but we have been blessed with immense talent. Although we’ve never had a player widely considered to be the best on the planet, there were many who have meant a lot to the fans of this team.
Players like Eric Staal, one of the top scorers in the league during his tenure with the Hurricanes, and a fan favorite during his 7-year stint as captain. Ron Francis, often referred to as one of the best players that ever played. Rod Brind’Amour is one of the NHL’s most underrated players of all time, and led the Hurricanes to their first, and only, Stanley Cup win.
Rod Brind'Amour timeline:
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 4, 2019
2002 – Assist on GWG in Game 6 to put CAR into CF
2006 – Assist on GWG in Game 5 to put CAR into CF
2009 – Scored tying goal in #Game7 to help put CAR into CF
2019 – Head coach as @NHLCanes swept 1st-ever best-of-seven to reach CF#NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/0Czw8kNEXm
There are also impact players who have become favored by Hurricanes fans. Goaltenders Cam Ward ,who was a mainstay in net for 13 years and Arturs Irbe, who was beloved for the 5 seasons he spent in Carolina.
Not to mention the impact of players like Glen Wesley, who’s number 2 hangs in the rafters, and was productive for his 10 years on the Carolina Defense; or Erik Cole, who spent 9 seasons in Carolina, putting up more than 40 points 6 times, and ranks inside the top 5 in points scored by a Hurricane.
These players have, in one way or another, contributed to the Hurricanes legacy. The question is, where does Justin Williams rank among those names? I would argue that Williams has the contribution to Carolina that leaves him among the teams very best.