Rod stealing cup from Bettman apparently wasn’t a mistake in 2006

Those of you that follow Cardiac Cane on Twitter will know that I’ve been very much enjoying my time listening to NHL Player Agent Allan Walsh and the stories he can share as he sheds light on what happens behind the sense in hockey world with contract negotiations. Something one of the most successful agents in the sport shared recently is a story that has been circling the hockey world for some time and while this is not directly from Rod, it’s still funny.

If we go back to the year that was 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes had just beaten the Edmonton Oilers in the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals and captured the Stanley Cup for the first and currently the only time in the history of the organization. It is known to be the most awkward hand-off of a Stanley Cup ever. Usually, the captain grabs the cup and poses for a photo with the commissioner.

However, 2005-06 was the first season of the salary cap era, and it was coming out of the season lost to a lockout in 2004-05. A lot of players were not happy about not being able to play the sport they love in the previous season. It was not something that had gone over well, and former Hurricanes captain Rod Brind’Amour was unhappy. One of the biggest chips on his shoulder was having that season taken from him.

As the seconds ticked down in Game 7 between the Canes and Oilers, Brind’amour was going to lift the cup. Finally, he was going to get his dream. However, his anger towards the league had not faded, and he did not want to pose for pictures with the commissioner of a league that treated its players even worse then than it does now. Rod was not happy with the league for taking away the 2004-05 season because of their stubbornness.

Hence, when Rod skated over to grab the Stanley Cup, instead of posing with Bettman as is tradition, he just takes the cup and throws it over his head, and just skated away from the NHL’s commissioner. This might not seem like much, but it might explain why the league seems to throw the book at Roddy every chance they get for fines about penalty complaints or speaking out to the media.

Whether this is why it happened, or Rod was just overexcited, it is what it is now. Perhaps Rod Brind’amour was unfamiliar with the tradition and routine. Perhaps Rod was excited and wanted to get Lord Stanley’s Cup to the teammates that had won it with him and this is just an old wives tale. But I thought it was worth sharing because this would be very much like Rod Brind’amour, wouldn’t it?