Four Carolina Hurricanes who were on the wrong side of the 2006 Finals
The Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers played a memorable seven-game series for Lord Stanley’s Cup in 2006. That, however, wasn’t the end of their connection.
Like many of you, I’ve spent some time during the NHL’s forced exodus revisiting the Carolina Hurricanes’ 2006 Championship. One thing that kept standing out to me was the Edmonton players who ended up playing for Carolina.
Of course, trades happen. Free agency happens. Players staying with one team throughout their career—while it does happen—is rare. Even teams who have die-hard rivalries occasionally see players move between them.
The 2006 Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers wasn’t a breeding ground for hate despite the series going the full 7 games. There were big hits and hard-nosed play. Edmonton lost Dwayne Roloson; Carolina lost Doug Weight. Still, the series played out largely without incident.
Still, there were a handful of players from that Oilers team who eventually suited up for the Hurricanes (and a couple that went the other way). So settle in as we take an alphabetically ordered look at those players and their tenure with the Hurricanes.
Marc-Andre Bergeron and Radek Dvorak
Defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron broke into the NHL with Edmonton during the 2002-03 season and became a regular the following season. The Quebec native posted 15 goals and 35 points for the Oilers in the 2005-06 season only to see his production drop to 2 goals and 1 assist during their run to the Finals.
Bergeron’s most well-known moment from those Finals is a dark one, as he was the defender who drove Andrew Ladd into Edmonton goaltender Dwayne Roloson in Game 1. Roloson had been stellar throughout the playoffs but was unable to return to the series.
Bergeron came to Carolina in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning in early April of 2013 and suited up for just 13 games. He picked up 4 assists—3 on the power play—while averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time.
After season’s end, he signed with Zürich of the Swiss National League, where he spent 3 seasons. He returned to North America for the 2016-17 season, where he played 22 games with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters while under contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Radek Dvorak, in his 10th NHL season, had a rough 05-06, posting 28 points (8g, 20a) in 64 games. The postseason didn’t fare much better for the Czech winger, as he put up just 2 assists in 16 games. His ice time also took a hit, dropping 3 minutes per game compared to the regular season.
Dvorak received a training camp invitation from the Hurricanes prior to the 2013-14 season and subsequently earned a two-way contract. He appeared in 60 games with Carolina, posting 4 goals and 5 assists while playing in a defensive, bottom-six role. He announced his retirement from the NHL in January of 2015.
Sergei Samsonov and Jaroslav Spacek
Unlike the other entries on this list, Sergei Samsonov actually spent a significant amount of time with the Hurricanes. I recently did a piece on him, so I won’t go fully into his history here. The Oiler acquired Samsonov from the Boston Bruins at the 2006 trade deadline and he paid dividends immediately, posting 16 points (5g, 11a) in 19 games.
The Russian winger added 4 goals and 11 assists in the playoffs—including the first goal in Game 4—though it wasn’t enough to get the Oilers over the hump. He went on to spend time with Montreal and Chicago before being claimed off waivers by the Hurricanes in January of 2008.
Samsonov meshed with his new team right away, putting up 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in 38 games after his arrival. He went on to play 249 games with Carolina, picking up 54 goals and 81 assists. He also played a solid role in the Hurricanes’ trip to the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, notching 5 goals and 3 assists in 17 postseason games.
The Hurricanes made what they hoped would be a substantial move in the summer of 2011 when they signed free agent Tomas Kaberle. He was, after all, a defenseman who had put up 545 points in the NHL, so it was a no-brainer, right?
Well…
Kaberle appeared in just 29 games, picking up 9 assists before he was shipped off to Montreal in return for fellow defender (and former Oiler) Jaroslav Spacek. In the 2006 run, Spacek potted 14 points for Edmonton while logging a lot of ice time (second only to Chris Pronger).
He played well for the Hurricanes, picking up 5 goals and 7 assists in 34 games but, with a lockout in effect, Spacek announced his retirement in November of 2012 at the age of 38.
Canes in Oil Land
Now that we’ve covered members of the 06 Oilers who became Hurricanes, let’s take a look at those who went the other way. There weren’t as many, though there was one standout name. I know, the picture spoiled it.
Erik Cole was having a career year during the 2005-06 season before a neck injury cost him the final 22 games of the regular season and all but 2 playoff games. The grinding winger was on pace for a 41 goal, 80 point campaign at the time of his injury.
Cole returned for Game 6 of the finals and, while he did not register a point, he brought a surge of energy to the team. His strong skating drew a penalty in the second period of Game 7 that led to Frank Kaberle‘s game-winning power-play tally.
While Cole continued to be a valuable member of the team over the next 2 seasons, he was traded to the Oilers in return for Joni Pitkanen on July 1, 2008. Cole put up 27 points (16 goals, 11 assists) in 63 games before he was traded back to the Hurricanes. His production immediately picked up as he potted 15 points in 17 games.
Some of you may have forgotten that the next player ever suited up for the Oilers, as his stay in central Alberta was brief. Then again, he only played one season in Carolina but managed to make a very big impact.
Martin Gerber—ready to prove his worth as a starter—was traded to the Hurricanes during the summer of 2004. The season-long lockout delayed his debut with his new team but once the season started, the Swiss goalie proved that he was worth his salt.
Gerber appeared in 60 games, posting a 38-14-6 record along with a 2.78 goals-against average, a .906 save percentage, and 3 shutouts. His play atrophied in the playoffs, allowing rookie Cam Ward to take over and steal the show. Regardless, Gerber’s regular-season play helped the Hurricanes to the best regular season in franchise history.
Once his Hurricanes time was over, Gerber spent time with Ottawa and Toronto in the NHL, Binghamton and Oklahoma City in the AHL, and one season in the KHL. He signed with the Oilers as a free agent in the summer of 2010.
Edmonton’s duo of Nikolai Khabibulin and Devan Dubnyk saw the majority of games, leaving just 3 appearances for Gerber. However, he made the most of the opportunity, going 3-0 and posting sterling numbers in both goals against (1.30) and save percentage (.958).
His stint in Edmonton would be his last in the NHL. Gerber returned to Europe, playing two seasons in the Swedish Elite League and four in the Swiss National League before retiring in 2017.
Also of note
There are a couple of players who spent time in both organizations during this span, though neither suited up for the finals. I want to be a completist, so I’m adding them. Plus, they each played a part in big trades for the Hurricanes.
Jesse Boulerice—who played 150 of his 172 NHL games with the Hurricanes—dressed for 26 games with Carolina during the 2005-06 season, racking up 64 penalty minutes. On January 30, 2006, Boulerice was part of the trade that brought Doug Weight to the Hurricanes.
Fast forward to November of 2008; Boulerice—under contract with the Colorado Avalance—was claimed off waivers by the Oilers. He appeared in two games for Edmonton that month, being held off the score sheet. It would be his last time on NHL ice.
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Then there’s Krys Kolanos. Acquired by the Hurricanes in a trade that sent Pavel Brendl (remember him?) to Phoenix, Kolanos never played a game for Carolina. Despite this, he did end up playing a big part in the Hurricanes’ championship season.
How?
On March 9, 2006, Kolanos was one of 3 pieces sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for veteran winger Mark Recchi. How does he fit into the theme of this article? Kolanos was waived by the Coyotes and picked up by the Oilers, for whom he went pointless in 6 games. Five weeks later, Edmonton placed him on waivers and he was re-claimed by the Coyotes. They, in turn, traded him to the Hurricanes 9 days later.
Ah, the circle of life.
What did you think of this list? Were there any names that surprised you? Do you remember Pavel Brendl?
Next. The season's over for several Hurricanes' prospects. dark