Captains of the Carolina Hurricanes: A Retrospective

Keith Primeau

As the Whalers’ time in Connecticut began to wane, power forward Brendan Shanahan not-so-subtly requested a trade out of Hartford.  On October 9th, 1996, Shanahan got his wish and was shipped to the Detroit Red Wings along with Brian Glynn in return for future Hall of Famer Paul Coffey, Keith Primeau, and the 1997 first-round pick that became Nikos Tselios.

Primeau, a 25-year-old power forward, was the centerpiece of the deal for Hartford.  The physical, offensively talented center was destined for the captaincy.  Prior to the 1998-99 season, that came to fruition as Primeau was named the second captain of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Primeau responded by leading the Hurricanes in goals (30) and points (62) while the team finished first in the newly-formed Southeast Division.  This earned them a first-round matchup against the Boston Bruins, a series that the Hurricanes lost in six games.  The first taste of postseason hockey in North Carolina saw Primeau manage only three assists through six games, accompanied by a -3 rating.

As it turned out, Game 6 against the Bruins would be Primeau’s last as a Hurricane.  With the team moving to their new home in Raleigh at the ESA, Primeau entered into a prolonged holdout.  After nearly being dealt to Phoenix in exchange for Keith Tkachuk (a move vetoed by Peter Karmanos), Primeau was shipped (along with a 5th round pick) to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Rod Brind’Amour, Jean-Marc Pelletier, and a 2nd round pick.

Primeau went on to post 213 points in 312 games with the Flyers before retiring due to the effects of post-concussion syndrome.

Memorable moment: Primeau started the 1998-99 season with a 7 game point streak (4G, 4A)