Every player should get to feel the excitement of playoff hockey at least once in their career, yet some have to wait forever to get that feeling. We just saw Jeff Skinner experience his first time, making it to the Stanley Cup Final with the Oilers this season. Not too long ago, the same was the case for defenseman Ron Hainsey.
Through the first decade of his career, Hainsey's teams had almost always come up short. He was with the Canadiens when they made the playoffs in 2004, but he only appeared in 11 games that season. Otherwise, the closest he'd come was during his final season with Winnipeg, when they missed by four points in 2012-13.
Despite his lack of team success, Hainsey posted decent numbers early in his career. With Columbus, he posted back-to-back 30+-point seasons before setting a career-high (39) in his first season with the Atlanta Thrashers. However, by the time he landed with the Hurricanes, he'd lost his scoring touch.
Hainsey signed a one-year deal with the Hurricanes in 2013 after announcing Joni Pitkanen would miss the entire 2013-14 season with a heel injury. His first goal with the Canes, in his 7th game, broke a 948-day goalless drought after going two full seasons without finding the back of the net. He scored 15 points in 82 games and played over 21 minutes a night, earning him a three-year contract.
The Hurricanes gave Hainsey a chance to finally realize his dream
Over the next two-and-a-half seasons, Hainsey continued to eat up minutes for the Hurricanes. His offense remained secondary, scoring 10 points and 19 points in each season, respectively. At the 2017 deadline, in the last year of Hainsey's deal, the Canes traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins for forward Danny Kristo and a 2nd-round pick in 2017.
The Penguins were the defending Stanley Cup champions, and they were well on their way to qualifying for the playoffs again in 2017. Hainsey finished the regular season with three assists in 16 games, but the biggest games of his life were ahead of him as he played in the playoffs for the very first time.
He scored his first postseason goal in a Game 4 loss to Columbus in the 1st round. The Penguins survived a grueling seven-game war with the Senators, earning the right to face the Predators for the Cup. Hainsey scored a goal and an assist in Game 5 to help Pittsburgh take a 3-2 series lead before repeating as champions with a Game 6 win. He was the first to hoist the Cup after Sidney Crosby.
Ron Hainsey went 14 NHL seasons without playing in a single playoff game... and on June 11, 2017, he became a Stanley Cup Champion. pic.twitter.com/zn4mTlXLNF
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 7, 2020
Hainsey spent the next two seasons in Toronto, recording 23 points in each season and qualifying for the playoffs, though the Maple Leafs were eliminated in seven games by the Bruins both times. He played his final season with the Senators before retiring after 17 seasons in the NHL. Hainsey played 1,132 games and scored 311 points with seven teams.
The 2nd-round pick has some Raleigh ties
The Hurricanes' return for Hainsey yielded little for the team. Danny Kristo only played 14 games with the Charlotte Checkers to finish the season. He went abroad after the completion of the campaign, never playing in North America again. He practically toured Europe, playing in Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Slovakia, Czechia, and the U.K.
The team never used the 2nd-round pick, trading it to Vegas to acquire Trevor van Riemsdyk shortly after their Expansion Draft. However, Raleigh was well-represented with the selection. With the 62nd pick, the Golden Knights selected forward Jake Leschyshyn, who was born in the state's capital while his father, Curtis, was a Hurricane.
While still only 26 years old, Leschyshyn has yet to make a major mark in the NHL. He broke into the league in 2021 with Vegas, scoring two goals and six points in 41 games during his first season. He was waived the following year and claimed by the Rangers. He spent the entire 2024-25 campaign in the AHL before signing with the Sabres this offseason.
By playing 907 games, Hainsey passed Olli Jokinen for the most games in NHL history before his first playoff game. That number was eventually passed by Skinner before his postseason debut this year. Still, it was great to see Hainsey finally get his moment in the sun, even if it meant watching the Penguins win the Stanley Cup again.