Hurricanes to Retire Brind’Amour’s Jersey
The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that they will be retiring forward Rod Brind’Amour’s number 17 next year. Brind’Amour, who played with the Hurricanes for 10 seasons, retired earlier this summer, ending a 21-year National Hockey League Career.
Rod Brind’Amour
Brind’Amour was born in Ottawa, Ontario and raised in Prince Rupert, and Campbell River British Columbia. He was selected ninth overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 1988 NHL entry draft. After being drafted Brind’Amour elected to go to Michigan University, where he spent one season before being called up to join the Blues in the 1989 playoffs.
Brind’Amour joined the club for game five in their playoff series against the Minnesota North Stars. He scored a goal on his first shot of the game. He spent the entire next season with the Blues, finishing third on the team in scoring and earning a spot on the all-rookie team. Brind’Amour spent his next season with St. Louis recording 49 points, and at the end of the year was shipped to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Brind’Amour would spend nine seasons with the flyers, earning an ‘A’ as the team’s assistant captain. Brind’Amour was a hard worker all the way through his time with Philadelphia. He rarely missed a game setting a Flyers consecutive game record with 484 games in a row. Brind’Amour started off with the Flyers as a lights-out offensive talent, recording over 70 points six times with the club. He enjoyed his most successful offensive season with the Flyers in 1993-94 in which he notched 35 goals, and 62 assists for 97 points. It was in Philadelphia that he was also able to make a name for himself as one of the game’s best defensive forwards, going an unbelievable plus 20 in the 1995-96 season.
In 1999-2000 Brind’Amour was dealt to the Hurricanes, in exchange for Keith Primeau. Brind’Amour experienced a bit of resurgence in Carolina, being named the team’s captain for the 2005-06 season. That year he tallied 70 points for the first time since 1998-99 and led the Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Brind’Amour continued his strong play the following season registering 82 points, which included 26 goals, in only 78 games. That season he also recorded his 1000th NHL point and his 400th NHL goal. Brind’Amour’s career began to wind down in 2008-09, and it was clear the superstar was done when he only managed 19 points in a full 2009-10 season. That summer he decided to finally hang them up.
Brind’Amour scored 452 goals, registered 752 assists for a total of 1,184 points. He finished his career with an all-star appearance, two Selke Trophies won consecutively in 2006, 2007, and a 2006 Stanley Cup Championship as the Hurricanes captain.
Hurricanes Legacy
Brind’Amour joins the likes of Glen Wesley and Ron Francis as the only three players to have their numbers retired for the 'Canes.
Brind’Amour sits third all time on the Hurricanes list of point-getters with 473, second in assists with 299, and eighth in goals with 174.
Brind’Amour’s most important legacy to the Hurricanes was his rate of playoff success. In his seven seasons with the Hurricanes he took them to the playoffs four times, once taking them as far as the Eastern Conference Finals, and also leading them to a Stanley Cup Victory.
Brind’Amour was the NHL’s last remaining ‘iron man’. Playing in so many consecutive games is not easy in today’s game, but Brind’Amour was able to because of his unmatchable work ethic. Said to work out harder than anyone else on every team he played for, Brind’Amour made a career of playing hard and staying healthy. Without such a strong ethic it is impossible to play 21 seasons in the NHL, and win a Stanley Cup.
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