@FlameRaptorRaven

Stanley Cup Heroes, 2026 Special: Experience Pays Off

Frederik Andersen is one of the most accomplished playoff goaltenders of his generation. That statement may sound extreme at first, but I will explain. In all of NHL history, there are just 22 goaltenders who have played 100 playoff games in their career. Frederik Andersen is one of those goaltenders. If we look at playoff wins, Andersen's 59 ranks 19th all-time. That number is ahead of some goalies you probably associate as playoff legends, like Jonathan Quick (49), Pekka Rinne (45), and Carey Price (43). Considering Andersen didn't play an NHL game until he was 24 and spent 5 years with a handicap known as "playing on the Leafs", these numbers are very impressive. However, they were all formed thanks to Frederik Andersen's 2026 playoff run. Heading into the 2026 playoffs, the Hurricanes weren't respected. Looking at Sportsnet's predictions, 10/20 reporters predicted the Ottawa Senators to beat Carolina in round 1. There were a couple of reasons for that. The biggest one is that people had lost faith in the Hurricanes. They made the playoffs each of the 7 previous years, only to fall short. But the other reason came down to Carolina's goaltending. For a team that finished with the 2nd most points, their goaltending was poor. Their team save percentage (.880) ranked 26th, only slightly above teams with notoriously bad goaltending like the Oilers and Ducks. Frederik Andersen was perhaps the biggest culprit, finishing with the 4th-lowest save percentage in the entire NHL (among qualified goaltenders). Even if you thought the "cakewalk" narrative was BS, it was hard to ignore a fatal flaw that has destroyed so many contenders before them. Yet the Hurricanes immediately trusted Andersen between the pipes in round 1. Freddy rewarded that faith by dominating the Senators in a sweep. He put up a fantastic .955 save percentage in 4 games, including a shutout in game 1, which gave him more shutouts in the playoffs than he had in the regular season. This performance was very much needed because the goalie on the other side, Linus Ullmark, was also brilliant. Ironically, he was another goalie who had been awful in the regular season, only to show up in the playoffs. Andersen ultimately won the duel, and if not for him, the Hurricanes may have stumbled in round 1. The Philadelphia Flyers met Carolina in round 2, and they had a goaltender who was performing great in the playoffs while also being great in the regular season. Dan Vladar was a major reason why the Flyers upset the favoured Penguins in round 1; Andersen would have to carry over his strong round 1 form if the Hurricanes were going to beat the Flyers. Andersen did exactly that when he got another game 1 shutout. The Hurricanes swept the Flyers, and Andersen put up a .945 save percentage. Freddy had proven everyone wrong so far, but the conference finals presented a real challenge. The Montreal Canadiens were the youngest team in the NHL, yet were closing out playoff series like veterans. They had beaten the Lightning and Sabres in 7 each, and many liked both those teams more than Carolina. Not to mention the Habs had their own special goaltender in Jakub Dobes, who had emerged as a young stud. He came up clutch in both series against Tampa and Buffalo, which reminded people of a certain other rookie Habs goalie who came up clutch for Montreal: Patrick Roy. Considering this was the 40th anniversary of that 1986 run, the narratives wrote themselves. When Montreal won game 1 6-2 and left Freddy with a gross .762 save percentage, the Hurricanes and Andersen narratives ramped back up. They're frauds. Andersen is overrated. They're only here because they had an easy path. The real conference final was Montreal-Buffalo. You name it, someone probably said it. Although the numbers weren't pretty the rest of the way, Frederik Andersen recovered and eventually thrived. This included a game 4 shutout that firmly turned the tide in Carolina's favour and allowed them to win in 5, making it to the Cup Final. In the Cup Final, Andersen entered as one of the favourites for the Conn Smythe Trophy only to run out of gas. He struggled mightily and was eventually pulled for Bussi, who finished the job and won the Final in 6 games. That move likely killed any chance Freddy had of winning playoff MVP. His playoff numbers don't do him justice. A .910 save percentage for the entire playoff run looks pretty good, but a .931 in the first 3 rounds shows he was essential to their success. If you think that is solely because of the team in front of him, you're wrong. His 11.5 goals saved above expected were 2nd best through 3 rounds, only behind Dobes. Even with -5.54 in his last 3 games, he finished 4th. The Carolina Hurricanes beat all their narratives in the 2026 playoffs. Rod the Bod proved he could be a winning coach. The team proved their talent was enough to scare teams in the playoffs. And Frederik Andersen finally proved he could be a Stanley Cup hero.

Hurricanes

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Stanley Cup Heroes, Part 5: Avoiding a Disaster

The Carolina Hurricanes entered the 2006 playoffs as one of the favourites to win the Cup. Carolina had exceeded all expectations. They finished 2nd in the Eastern Conference and 4th in the entire NHL. It was the best team in Hurricanes history. They were expected to easily dispatch the Montreal Canadiens in round 1 and at least make it to the conference finals. This had to be the year. After the first 2 games, the Canadiens had a 2-0 series lead. The Habs won game 1 6-1 and game 2 6-5 in overtime. All of a sudden, the Hurricanes were on death row. Nobody had made a 3-0 series comeback in decades. If they lost game 3, they were surely cooked. Head coach Peter Laviolette decided to make a drastic change. Throughout the regular season, Martin Gerber had been Carolina’s starter. After giving up 6 goals in back-to-back games, Laviolette turned to their backup, a 22-year-old rookie, Cam Ward. Carolina’s 1st round pick back in 2002, he had a grand total of 28 NHL games under his belt at this point; and those games hadn’t been good. Understandable considering he is a rookie. Now he is trusted to save a team’s season. No pressure kid. What did he do in game 3? He stopped 27 of 28 shots and helped Carolina win in overtime. With renewed confidence, the Hurricanes won 3 straight and sealed up the series in game 6. Ward allowed just 4 goals in those 3 wins. He was their guy. In round 2 they faced the Devils. Ward would go against his idol, Martin Brodeur. What did he do this time? Get a shutout in game 1. Other than a struggle-fest in game 4, Ward continued to be brilliant. Once again allowing 2 or less goals in each win. Now in the conference finals, the Hurricanes had their toughest challenge, the dynamic Buffalo Sabres. Ngl, Ward was far from flawless. He was even replaced by Gerber for games 4 and 5. Gerber faltered in game 5 and Ward was tossed back in. In games 5, 6 and 7, Ward came through again and the Hurricanes won the series in 7. Setting up a Cup Final with the Oilers. The Hurricanes won a rollercoaster game 1 5-4 and then Ward got his 2nd shutout with a 5-0 win in game 2. Ward only allowed 3 goals in the next 2 games and set up Carolina with a 3-1 lead in the series. Unfortunately, disaster nearly struck again. Edmonton won games 5 and 6, scoring 4 in each one. Who would Laviolette trust for game 7? Laviolette chose Ward. He rewarded that faith with one last brilliant performance. Besides a crazy sequence where he was nearly ran over, Ward was essentially flawless. This includes a crazy save in the final minutes of the 3rd where he prevented Pisani from potting home a rebound (see photo). He only allowed 1 goal and the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. For his efforts, Cam Ward was rewarded the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. He is just 1 of 14 goalie to win the award. He is just 1 of 2 to do it in their rookie season. The other is Patrick Roy. Cam Ward’s career lasted 14 years. He retired as Carolina’s all-time leader in games played, wins, and shutouts. His jersey number has not been retired, but he is a member of the Hurricanes’ Hall of Fame. He will forever be their first Stanley Cup Hero. PS: Cam Ward is very aware that there is a currently an NFL player who also played for a team called the Hurricanes named Cam Ward. The NHL’s Ward poked fun at the coincidence on draft night with an Instagram reel.

@nationalryanleague

Vegas joins the NHL!

On June 22, 2016, Las Vegas officially became an NHL city when the league awarded Bill Foley’s expansion group the franchise that would become the Vegas Golden Knights. A decade later, that announcement looks like one of the best decisions the NHL has ever made. The Golden Knights became the first major professional sports team in Las Vegas, helping change the city’s reputation as a sports market, and paving the way for the NFL’s Raiders, MLB’s Athletics, and continued NBA expansion talks. Nobody could have known just how quickly the franchise would take off, seeing a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in its debut season, playoff appearances in eight of the first nine years, and a Stanley Cup championship in 2023. Foley ended the announcement with a line that resonates in the heart of all who adore the team and have grown with them, “Las Vegas is hockey-ready. We’re convinced of it. We know it.” Go Vegas, baby!

@Bro

Biggest loser in Hockey?

This has been on my mind a lot lately and yes you can call me salty or whatever. On December 12th 2025 the Vancouver Canucks traded star player Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buimm, Liam Ohgren and a first round pick. Many Canucks like myself were very upset but saw it coming a 100 kilometres away. Buy as soon as Quinn Goes to the Wild he shows his true self. Before his first game against his former team he was asked about his former team and his response “honestly I don’t know any of there guys” Not a good look as*hat He was the Captain of the Canucks for two years and played there for almost 7 seasons. You know at least AT LEAST SIXTEEN OF THEM He also treated his tenure with the Canucks as a prison sentence always with one word answers but as soon as he goes to the Wild he’s all jolly. He never seemed happy even though his best years so far are with Vancouver. He never smiled and never did anything for this community he never cared to help people less fortunate in Vancouver especially going to B.C. Children’s Hospital where Canucks captains always have gone. No he’s done nothing. Sorry this was kinda a rant