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Rewind: Revisiting the 1999-2000 Carolina Hurricanes

By Jeb Bohn

19 Nov 1999: Bates Battaglia #13 of the Carolina Hurricanes stands on the ice during a game against the Washington Capitals at the MCI Center in Washington,D.C. The Capitals tied the Hurricanes 3-3. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport
19 Nov 1999: Bates Battaglia #13 of the Carolina Hurricanes stands on the ice during a game against the Washington Capitals at the MCI Center in Washington,D.C. The Capitals tied the Hurricanes 3-3. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport /
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Goaltender Arturs Irbe of the Carolina Hurricanes.
2003 Season: Player Arturs Irbe of the Carolina Hurricanes. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images) /

The Goaltending

On the opening page, I mentioned that Arturs Irbe saw most of the action for the Hurricanes in net.  I wasn’t being hyperbolic.  Of the Hurricanes’ 82 games, Irbe played in 75.  No, that’s not a typo.  The little Latvian was a workhorse for Paul Maurice‘s squad.  That said, it should also be said that his backups didn’t perform exceedingly well.

Eric Fichaud, on his third team in 5 years, showed some solid play only to nullify it with extreme bouts of inconsistency.  His first appearance of the season, a 4-1 win in Vancouver on October 15, saw Fichaud surrender only one goal.  While not tested extensively, he did his job.  In his next appearance one week later, Fichaud was beaten 4 times on 15 shots before giving way to Irbe.

Eight days later, the Francophone pitched a 24-save shutout against the team that drafted him, the New York Islanders.  He followed that up by yielding 6 goals on 26 shots against Toronto.  Things went downhill for the young goalie after that point, the lone exception being a relief win against the Atlanta Thrashers in which he stopped all 23 shots he faced after relieving Irbe early in the 1st period.

Veteran Mark Fitzpatrick got into 3 games, surrendering 8 goals total in his first 2 appearances.  His third appearance was a brief stint in relief of Irbe in which he did not face a shot.  The 1999-2000 season was Fitzpatrick’s last in the NHL.

Here’s how the Hurricanes’ goalies fared once the fog lifted:

  • Arturs Irbe – 75GP; 34-28-9; 2.42GAA; .906SV%; 5SO
  • Eric Fichaud – 9GP; 3-5-1; 2.94GAA; .883SV%; 1SO
  • Mark Fitzpatrick – 3GP; 0-2-0; 4.48GAA; .882SV%; 0SO

Irbe, like Cam Ward, was pressed into action more and more due to the inconsistent play of his backups.  He didn’t have a bad season, but there was only so much that he could do with a team that was still working to find its identity.

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