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Carolina Hurricanes: Ghosts of Goaltenders Past

By Jeb Bohn

27 Nov 2001: Goaltender Tom Barrasso #35 of the Carolina Huricanes guards the net during the NHL game against the Toronto Malple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. The Hurricanes defeated the Maple Leafs 5-2. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2001 NHLI Mandatory Credit: Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI
27 Nov 2001: Goaltender Tom Barrasso #35 of the Carolina Huricanes guards the net during the NHL game against the Toronto Malple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. The Hurricanes defeated the Maple Leafs 5-2. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2001 NHLI Mandatory Credit: Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI /
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2004 Season: Player Patrick Desrochers of the Carolina Hurricanes. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
2004 Season: Player Patrick Desrochers of the Carolina Hurricanes. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images) /

Patrick DesRochers

A former 1st round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes (14th overall in 1998), Patrick DesRochers falls squarely into the category of “bust”.  Leading up to the draft, DesRochers was widely believed to be a franchise goalie.

In the immortal words of Dave Mustaine, hindsight is always 20/20.

After going 1-5 over parts of two season with the Coyotes, DesRochers was traded to the Hurricanes in exchange for goaltender Jean-Marc Pelletier (originally acquired in the trade that brought Rod Brind’Amour to Carolina) on New Year’s Eve, 2002.

Now, for those who don’t remember, the 2002-03 season was a dumpster fire for the Hurricanes.  Arturs Irbe (7-24-2, 3.18 GAA) and Kevin Weekes (14-24-9, 2.50 GAA) were getting no support, and the Hurricanes finished the year dead last in the NHL with 171 goals for.

Sounds like an ideal situation for a young and struggling goalie, eh?

In the end, DesRochers only played in two games with the Hurricanes.  The first, a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, saw the goalie turn aside 32 shots.  Not bad, though the Sabres weren’t exactly a powerhouse.

The second was a 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in which DesRochers surrendered three goals in the 3rd period.

That was it for DesRochers in the NHL.  He bounced around the minors before playing in Europe for 7 seasons.  After retiring, he served as the goaltending coach for his former OHL team, the Sarnia Sting.

Reflections: DesRochers had good size (6’3″, 209 lbs) but was hounded by inconsistency after turning pro.

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