- Brind’Amour says closing out a Cup is “the hardest one” he has ever chased
- Carolina leads Vegas 3-2 and can clinch its first title since 2006 in Game 6
- Read below for the 2006 lesson driving the Hurricanes into Sunday
Rod Brind’Amour says the last win is the hardest one to get.
Carolina beat Vegas 4-2 in Game 5 on Thursday to grab a 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup Final, and the Hurricanes can clinch their first title in 20 years with a win in Game 6 on Sunday in Las Vegas. Brind’Amour has stood in this exact spot before, just as a captain instead of a coach. He started prepping his group by pulling from what he went through trying to close out the 2006 Final.
Brind’Amour was asked what makes finishing a series so hard.
“It’s the hardest one, and we talk about this all the time. You have a team that you’re playing that knows how to win and has done it, and we know they’re not going away. You’ve got a little more distractions now.”
The team is preaching the same message:
The Hurricanes swept through their first three series this spring, closing each one on the first try. This one feels different. The Cup will be in the building, and chasing a lifelong dream comes with travel plans, ticket requests, and noise that has nothing to do with the game.
Justin Williams lived it. The 2006 Cup winner, now a special adviser to general manager Eric Tulsky, told NHL.com his advice is simple.
“Lean on everybody else but try to keep your same routine and not get ahead of anything that could potentially be there because it can get out of sight in a hurry.”
The 2006 run taught them how fast it can slip. Carolina took a 3-1 lead on Edmonton, dropped Game 5 in overtime at home, got blown out 4-0 in Game 6, then won Game 7 to lift the Cup. Brind’Amour was the captain who raised it.
Now they are one win from doing it again:
Rookie goalie Brandon Bussi has been the surprise of the run, winning both of his first two career playoff starts in the Final. He gives Carolina a real shot to finish it on the road.
These two have been on a collision course since the Final was set:
Game 6 drops Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in Las Vegas. Win it, and Brind’Amour pulls off something he has done only once, this time in a suit instead of a sweater.
