14-7-4-1.
Fourteen men have won the Stanley Cup as a player and head coach.
Of those 14, half have done so with the same franchise.
Of those seven, just four have accomplished the feat as captain and head coach of the same franchise. However, only one has achieved has accomplished the feat in the post-expansion era.
For Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour, reaching the top of the NHL mountain in June was a study in perseverance which was synonymous of his playing career. Despite leading the 'Canes to the post-season in each of his first seven years behind the bench, the club consistently fell short...until this past spring where the team roared into the Final in only 13 games and the coach made history with the win over Vegas.
Brind'Amour joins Neil and Vic to discuss the run, the comparatives to 20 years earlier and the safeguards he has in place to ensure his team remains as a contender to repeat.
IN THIS EPISODE:
[02:03] - Stanley Cup-winning head coach Rod Brind'Amour is welcomed to the show and Neil does some reminiscing about the 1988 Draft when Rod was taken ninth overall by St. Louis.
[05:36] - Given his place in history, Brind'Amour shares where the true significance of that achievement lies.
[07:04] - After having his boys wake up to the Stanley Cup in their room in 2006, it was keeping it within Raleigh 20 years later.
[08:49] - To the beginning. Born in Ottawa, raised in BC, Rod traces the his path from youth through college.
[10:48] - Going back to his early days as a player, Rod tells the story of a brief playoff stint as Blue after finishing his college season at Michigan State.
[12:38] - The reality of the business: After just two full seasons in the Gateway City, the move to the City of Brotherly Love.
[13:49] - Can't have a Rod Brind'Amour discussion without talking about conditioning. The roots behind the a commitment which continues to this day.
[16:43] - After 20 pro seasons, the transition to coaching - something not originally in the crosshairs.
[19:30] - Despite having made the playoffs in his first seven seasons as Hurricanes head coach, something always derailed the team come playoff time. What made 2026 different?
[22:13] - Winning Stanley Cups two decades apart from the perspective of a player/captain and head coach. What felt the same and what was different?
[23:42] - Brind'Amour talks about his goaltending during this past spring. Maligned in the past, Freddie Andersen delivered into the Final with waiver-claim Brandon Bussi bringing the run across the finish line.
[28:11] - Nowhere to be found on the Conn Smythe radar entering the Final, Jordan Staal added scoring to the other components to his game to capture the award.
[31:34] - Every Stanley Cup winner is anointed "The Perfect Team." While that can be up for debate, the new season certainly looks bright with minimal change from June.
[34:03] - Cup winners in 2006, out of the playoffs in 2007. What Brind'Amour takes from that season as a cautionary tale with the Hurricanes looking to defend their title in 2027.
[37:09] - What makes the Raleigh market special and the origin of the post-game celebration.
[41:42] - Interview wrap and let's play "Connections" on nhlwraparound.com.
X: https://twitter.com/NHLWraparound
Neil Smith: https://twitter.com/NYCNeil
Vic Morren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vic-morren-7038737/
NHL Wraparound Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhlwraparound/
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