Eastern Conference - Southeast Division
Carolina Hurricanes
| Team's name: Carolina Hurricanes Conference: Eastern Division: Southeast  Location: Raleigh, North Carolina Nickname: Hurricanes Mascot: Stormy Team Colors: Red and Black Joined the Conference: 1979 General Manager: Jim Rutherford Hockey Head Coach: Peter Laviolette Hockey Stadium: RBC Center Current Capacity: 18,680 First Year of Hockey: 1972 Team Titles: Stanley Cup: 2005-06 Conference Championships: 2001-02, 2005-06 Division Championships: 1998-99, 2001-02, 2005-06 |
Members of the National Hockey League since 1979, the Carolina Hurricanes are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference.
The team was originally established as a part of the World Hockey Association in New England and nicknamed the “Whalers.” After the team joined the NHL, it became known as the Hartford Whalers until 1997. After it was relocated to Carolina under the ownership of Peter Karmanos, it adopted its current name, the Carolina Hurricanes.
The 1990s were a difficult period for the Hurricanes, as they struggled with attendance. However, the team was able to make the playoffs in 1998-99, the first time it had done so in 6 years.
In 2000, the Canes made the playoffs again at eighth seed, and their performance against the New Jersey Devils – even though they lost – won the heart of their new city for the first time.
Although the team would face the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002, the next several years were rocky ones for the Canes. Dropping to the cellar, the Canes lost many of their newly-won fans. The payroll shrank after the 2004-05 lockout, and expectations were low.
The players, however, brought the franchise’s best year yet in 2005-06. The regular season ended with a 52-22-8 record and a franchise-record 112 points, giving the Carolina team second place in the East and fourth in the league. The Canes made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they faced their old WHA-team, the Edmonton Oilers. In a gripping seven-game series, the Canes managed to defeat the Oilers and take home the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup.
The next years were lackluster for the team, as it failed to qualify for the playoffs in both the 2007 and 2008 playoffs.
2008-09, however, proved a different story. Paul Maurice, a prior Carolina coach, was rehired in December 2008. The Canes had a strong season, finishing 45-30-7 with 82 points and entering the playoffs. They defeated the New Jersey Devils in a record-breaking 7-game series and overcame the top-seeded Boston Bruins before they were finally swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Conference Finals.
Carolina Hurricanes Current Roster
| Centers | |||||
| No. | Name | Age | HT | WT | Shot |
| 17 | Rod Brind'Amour | 38 | 6-1 | 205 | L |
| 8 | Matt Cullen | 32 | 6-1 | 200 | L |
| 63 | Dwight Helminen | 25 | 5-10 | 191 | L |
| 20 | Michael Ryan | 28 | 6-1 | 188 | L |
| 12 | Eric Staal | 24 | 6-4 | 205 | L |
| Left Wings | |||||
| No. | Name | Age | HT | WT | Shot |
| 18 | Ryan Bayda | 28 | 5-11 | 185 | L |
| 36 | Jussi Jokinen | 26 | 5-11 | 190 | L |
| 14 | Sergei Samsonov | 30 | 5-8 | 188 | R |
| 13 | Ray Whitney | 36 | 5-10 | 180 | R |
| Right Wings | |||||
| No. | Name | Age | HT | WT | Shot |
| 26 | Erik Cole | 30 | 6-2 | 205 | L |
| 44 | Patrick Eaves | 24 | 6-0 | 192 | R |
| 59 | Chad LaRose | 27 | 5-10 | 181 | R |
| 15 | Tuomo Ruutu | 26 | 6-0 | 200 | L |
| 24 | Scott Walker | 35 | 5-10 | 195 | R |
| Defense | |||||
| No. | Name | Age | HT | WT | Shot |
| 33 | Anton Babchuk | 24 | 6-5 | 212 | R |
| 38 | Tim Conboy | 27 | 6-2 | 210 | R |
| 77 | Joe Corvo | 31 | 6-0 | 205 | R |
| 6 | Tim Gleason | 26 | 6-0 | 217 | L |
| 5 | Frantisek Kaberle | 35 | 6-0 | 190 | L |
| 25 | Joni Pitkanen | 25 | 6-3 | 210 | L |
| 4 | Dennis Seidenberg | 27 | 6-0 | 210 | L |
| 7 | Niclas Wallin | 34 | 6-3 | 220 | L |
| Goalies | |||||
| No. | Name | Age | HT | WT | Shot |
| 49 | Michael Leighton | 27 | 6-3 | 186 | L |
| 30 | Cam Ward | 25 | 6-1 | 200 | L |