All Time Top American Players in Carolina Hurricanes History
Happy 4th of July to all the great American fans of the Carolina Hurricanes! Today we look at some of the top American Players in team history!
Red, White, and Blue. Or in the case of the Carolina Hurricanes, Red, White, Black, and Blue line. Nested between two of the most important Army and Marine bases in the nation, the Carolina Hurricanes have made it a habit to be one of the most American patriotic teams in the league, hosting several military appreciation nights, and always taking time to honor those who served.
They also take great pride in how they present their American heritage. All the great American Heros on and off the ice. From the Broadcast team to the players on the ice, the Carolina Hurricanes have had a good share of Americans who will go down into history as some of the best at what they do.
Today, Independence day, we look back, as well as forward, at some of these great American players and breakdown the top five American skaters to ever don a Carolina Hurricanes jersey and play the great sport in the city of Raleigh.
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Independence day is always a fun day of fireworks, food, and fun. Let’s get to the american players that give us the fireworks on the ice during the rest of the year:
Tim Gleason
Of all the players on this list, Tim Gleason of Clawson, Michigan, has probably worn the Carolina Hurricanes jersey the longest. Joining the team after their 2006 Stanley Cup win, he stayed a Hurricane and a pivotal member of the defensive core for nine years. During that time he got traded twice from the Hurricanes.
That’s right. After being traded to Toronto during the 2013-2014 season that saw him not do much to help the Maple Leafs in their bid for a playoff spot that fell flat, the Maple Leafs bought him out. What did this American blueliner do after a Canadian team told him to kick rocks? He came back to the Carolina Hurricanes on a one year team friendly deal.
Gleason isn’t on this list for his prowess on the ice. Not that he wasn’t a great player. Early in his Carolina Hurricanes career, he posted great defensive numbers and helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009. But it is his loyalty to Carolina that gets him on this list of great American Hurricanes.
Unfortunately that loyalty wasn’t rewarded. The incredible combo that was GM Ron Francis and HC Bill Peters sent Tim Gleason to the Washington Capitals for Jack Hillen and a fourth rounder. Both men would retire the very next season.
Bret Hedican
Stanley Cup Champion. Need we say more? Bret Hedican of St.Paul Minnesota, Joined the Carolina Hurricanes in the 11th season of his career after being traded from the Florida Panthers. Immediately he made his mark on the team taking them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002 where they lost to the Red Wings.
It’s not about how you fall, it’s about how you get up. Four years after the loss to the Red Wings, the Carolina Hurricanes found themselves in another Stanley Cup final. This time Bret Hedican didn’t allow the Stanley Cup to fall from their grasp. Paired with other great Carolina Hurricanes players, he didn’t stop pushing until he got to hoist the 35 Lbs of Silver.
Hedican played for two more years with the Hurricanes before signing a one year contract with the ducks for the 08-09 season. Perhaps if that contract were signed with the Hurricanes their run wouldn’t have ended with a sweep in the ECF at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins? We will never know.
These days Bret Hedican is doing color commentary for the San Jose Sharks and doing analytics for NHL on NBCSN. But that hasn’t stopped him from remembering his roots as one of the greatest American blueline defensemen for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Justin Faulk
The king of Queso. Justin Faulk, another Native of St.Paul, Minnesota, is somehow the second most tenured play on this list. If he stays on the roster for this upcoming year, he will have reached nine seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes matching Tim Gleason.
A second round pick in the 2010 draft, Faulk played one year in Charlotte before making his way to the big leagues where he made an impact. While he has only made the playoffs once, this last season, he has been around long enough to be a presence in the locker room and even had a short stint as team Co-Captain with Jordan Staal.
Faulk is an All-American player. He has joined Team USA for the U-18 World Junior Championships, the U-20 World Junior Championships, World Cup (three times!), and the Olympic Games in 2014. This has all earned him a pair of bronze medals. This is a man that puts his nation first and is proud to do so.
He is currently hosting the True Defenders Program that supports Military Groups and gives them a suite at a game following a meet and greet with himself and another American blueliner on the team. This was his idea originally and he even personally designed the logo for it himself. Talk about dedication.
Much like Gleason, Faulk’s membership on this list is more about his loyalty to this team and his country than about his on-ice performance. However he has been concidered one of the best defenemen in the league, making the All-Star game three times! Say what you will about his miscues on the ice, Faulk has managed to garner quiet the fanbase and I would be remiss to not include him here.
Jaccob Slavin
The second “c” stands for great American player. Jaccob Slavin has been one of the most underrated players in the league. There is a reason for that. In his four years in the league, it wasn’t until last season that he made a playoff appearance and then suddenly the entire league is asking where did this talent come from. Spoiler alert, it was always there.
Slavin is probably one of the best defender on one of the best contracts in the NHL. This is a man who can wow the fanbase on both ends of the ice. Playing excellent defense and thwarting even the most skilled and fastest players in the league while also showing off a cannon of a shot from the point that seems to go in whenever the Hurricanes need it to the most.
He is also a staple of one of the best Penalty Killing units in the league. Without him the Carolina Hurricanes would never have sniffed the offseason last year, let alone the Eastern Conference Finals. But great defense isn’t the only thing he delivers.
Jaccob Slavin is also a natural leader on and off the ice. When Jordan Staal was hurt, it was Slavin that who earned the “A” in his stead. There are even those who are calling for Slavin to earn the captaincy if and when Justin Williams retires. He truly sets the standard of what defensive play in for the Carolina Hurricanes should look like.
Erik Cole
Somehow the only forward on this list. Erik Cole is a living Carolina Hurricanes legend. Which is saying something for a forward who never topped 35 goals. And that was for the now very much disliked Montreal Canadiens. But what is fascinating about Cole is that he almost always ends up back in Carolina, one way or another.
Drafted in the third round of the 1998 NHL draft, Erik Cole returned to Clarkson University for a a pair of years before joining the Cincinnati Cyclones. He Finally made the move up to the NHL right on time for the 2001-2002 season joining Bret Hedican in helping the Carolina Hurricanes make their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
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Just like Hedican, he strapped his skates tighter and worked hard to help the team win their first first Stanley Cup. While not actually getting on the board during that magical run due to the egregious injury by then Penguin Brook Orpik, he managed to get on the roster for games six and seven, of the Cup Finals and helped indirectly set up the plays that helped seal the win.
Even after being traded to the Edmonton Oilers in the 2008 offseason he found his way back to the Carolina Hurricanes on another trade joining the team on another deep run into the playoffs that ended in a sweep to the Penguins in the Conference Finals.
The 2011-2012 season started a time in Cole’s life where he would jump between several teams. Signing a four year deal with the Montreal Canadiens he was traded twice to the Dallas Stars and eventually the Detroit Red Wings before returning home to Carolina in retirement.
Today Cole is one of the greatest supporters of the team and the fanbase and can be seen at virtually every Hurricanes game where he gives away a suite he pays for to children suffering from critical illness every game. Cole is also always seen around team events and always has time to give to the fans. A true humble American.
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Question for CC readers: Who is your favorite American Player?