2005–06 Carolina Hurricanes season

2005–06 Carolina Hurricanes
Stanley Cup champions
Eastern Conference champions
Southeast Division champions
Division	1st Southeast
Conference	2nd Eastern
2005–06 record	52–22–8
Goals for	294
Goals against	260
Team information
General manager	Jim Rutherford
Coach	Peter Laviolette
Captain	Rod Brind'Amour
Alternate captains	Kevyn Adams Cory Stillman Glen Wesley
Arena	RBC Center
Average attendance	18,680
Team leaders
Goals	Eric Staal (45)
Assists	Eric Staal, Cory Stillman (55)
Points	Eric Staal (100)
Penalty minutes	Mike Commodore (138)
Plus/minus	Erik Cole (+19)
Wins	Martin Gerber (38)
Goals against average	Martin Gerber (2.78)
← 2004–05 2006–07 →

The 2005–06 Carolina Hurricanes season was the franchise's 34th season, 27th season in the National Hockey League and ninth as the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup to win the second championship in franchise history. Their first was in 1973, when the team was known as the New England Whalers and played in the World Hockey Association; the Whalers were the inaugural champions of that league.

Offseason[]

Key dates prior to the start of the season:

• The 2005 NHL Entry Draft took place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on July 30, 2005.
• The free agency period began on July 1.

NHL Draft[]

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team
1	3	Jack Johnson	Defense	United States	U.S. National Team Development Program
2	58	Nate Hagemo	Defense	United States	University of Minnesota (WCHA)
3	64	Joe Barnes	Center	Canada	Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
4	94	Jakub Vojta	Defense	Czech Republic	HC Sparta Praha Jr. (Czech)
4	123	Ondrej Otcenas	Center/Winger	Slovakia	Trenčín Jr. (Slovakia)
5	145		Center	United States	New England Jr. Falcons (EJHL)
5	159	Risto Korhonen	Winger	Finland	Kärpät Jr. (Finnish Jr.)
6	192	Nicolas Blanchard	Center	Canada	Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
7	198	Kyle Lawson	Defense	United States	U.S. National Team Development Program

Free agency[]

• On August 6, 2005, Whitney signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL's Eastern Conference, paying him $1.5 million per year.
• During the free agent signing period following the end of the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Stillman agreed to a three-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on August 2, 2005.

Regular season[]

On Friday, April 7, 2006, the Hurricanes scored three short-handed goals in a 4–3 win over the Washington Capitals.^[1]

Final standings[]

Southeast Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	2	Carolina Hurricanes	82	52	22	8	294	260	112
2	8	Tampa Bay Lightning	82	43	33	6	252	260	92
3	10	Atlanta Thrashers	82	41	33	8	281	275	90
4	11	Florida Panthers	82	37	34	11	240	257	85
5	14	Washington Capitals	82	29	41	12	237	306	70

^[2] Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference^[3]

R		Div	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	Z- Ottawa Senators	NE	82	52	21	9	314	211	113
2	Y- Carolina Hurricanes	SE	82	52	22	8	294	260	112
3	Y- New Jersey Devils	AT	82	46	27	9	242	229	101
4	X- Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	52	24	6	242	239	110
5	X- Philadelphia Flyers	AT	82	45	26	11	267	259	101
6	X- New York Rangers	AT	82	44	26	12	257	215	100
7	X- Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	42	31	9	243	247	93
8	X- Tampa Bay Lightning	SE	82	43	33	6	252	260	92
8.5
9	Toronto Maple Leafs	NE	82	41	33	8	257	270	90
10	Atlanta Thrashers	SE	82	41	33	8	281	275	90
11	Florida Panthers	SE	82	37	34	11	240	257	85
12	New York Islanders	AT	82	36	40	6	230	278	78
13	Boston Bruins	NE	82	29	37	16	230	266	74
14	Washington Capitals	SE	82	29	41	12	237	306	70
15	Pittsburgh Penguins	AT	82	22	46	14	244	316	58

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

Schedule and results[]

October[]

Record for month 8-2-1 (Home 5-0-0 Away 3-2-1)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	L	October 5, 2005	2–5	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)	0–1–0
2	W	October 7, 2005	3–2 SO	Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)	1–1–0
3	L	October 8, 2005	2–3	@ New York Islanders (2005–06)	1–2–0
4	W	October 12, 2005	7–2	Washington Capitals (2005–06)	2–2–0
5	W	October 15, 2005	6–1	@ New Jersey Devils (2005–06)	3–2–0
6	L	October 20, 2005	4–5 OT	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)	3–2–1
7	W	October 22, 2005	4–0	@ Washington Capitals (2005–06)	4–2–1
8	W	October 24, 2005	3–2	Ottawa Senators (2005–06)	5–2–1
9	W	October 26, 2005	4–3 OT	Boston Bruins (2005–06)	6–2–1
10	W	October 28, 2005	8–6	Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)	7–2–1
11	W	October 29, 2005	5–3	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)	8–2–1

November[]

Record for month 8-5-0 (Home 4-4-0 Away 4-1-0)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
12	W	November 3, 2005	4–3	Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)	9–2–1
13	W	November 5, 2005	2–0	Florida Panthers (2005–06)	10–2–1
14	W	November 9, 2005	5–3	@ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06)	11–2–1
15	W	November 11, 2005	1–0	@ Florida Panthers (2005–06)	12–2–1
16	L	November 12, 2005	0–9	Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)	12–3–1
17	W	November 15, 2005	2–1	@ Ottawa Senators (2005–06)	13–3–1
18	W	November 17, 2005	5–1	New York Rangers (2005��06)	14–3–1
19	L	November 19, 2005	3–4	@ New York Rangers (2005–06)	14–4–1
20	L	November 20, 2005	2–5	Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)	14–5–1
21	L	November 22, 2005	3–5	Ottawa Senators (2005–06)	14–6–1
22	W	November 25, 2005	4–3 SO	Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)	15–6–1
23	L	November 27, 2005	2–5	Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)	15–7–1
24	W	November 29, 2005	4–3 OT	@ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)	16–7–1

December[]

Record for month 8-3-3 (Home 6-0-1 Away 2-3-2)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
25	L	December 2, 2005	4–5 SO	@ Dallas Stars (2005–06)	16–7–2
26	L	December 3, 2005	4–8	@ Phoenix Coyotes (2005–06)	16–8–2
27	W	December 6, 2005	6–2	@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2005–06)	17–8–2
28	W	December 8, 2005	3–2	@ Los Angeles Kings (2005–06)	18–8–2
29	L	December 10, 2005	3–4	@ San Jose Sharks (2005–06)	18–9–2
30	W	December 13, 2005	5–3	Chicago Blackhawks (2005–06)	19–9–2
31	W	December 15, 2005	2–1	Columbus Blue Jackets (2005–06)	20–9–2
32	W	December 17, 2005	4–1	New Jersey Devils (2005–06)	21–9–2
33	W	December 20, 2005	6–4	Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)	22–9–2
34	W	December 23, 2005	4–3	Florida Panthers (2005–06)	23–9–2
35	L	December 26, 2005	4–5 OT	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)	23–9–3
36	L	December 28, 2005	2–6	@ Ottawa Senators (2005–06)	23–10–3
37	L	December 29, 2005	3–4 OT	Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)	23–10–4
38	W	December 31, 2005	5–3	Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)	24–10–4

January[]

Record for month 13-1-0 (Home 8-0-0 Away 5-1-0)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
39	W	January 4, 2006	4–3	Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)	25–10–4
40	W	January 6, 2006	4–1	New York Islanders (2005–06)	26–10–4
41	W	January 7, 2006	3–0	@ New York Islanders (2005–06)	27–10–4
42	W	January 10, 2006	3–2	Detroit Red Wings (2005–06)	28–10–4
43	W	January 13, 2006	5–4 OT	Nashville Predators (2005–06)	29–10–4
44	W	January 15, 2006	4–2	St. Louis Blues (2005–06)	30–10–4
45	W	January 17, 2006	4–3 SO	@ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)	31–10–4
46	W	January 19, 2006	4–3	New York Islanders (2005–06)	32–10–4
47	L	January 21, 2006	2–5	@ Washington Capitals (2005–06)	32–11–4
48	W	January 23, 2006	7–3	Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)	33–11–4
49	W	January 25, 2006	4–3 SO	@ Florida Panthers (2005–06)	34–11–4
50	W	January 26, 2006	5–1	@ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)	35–11–4
51	W	January 28, 2006	4–1	Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)	36–11–4
52	W	January 31, 2006	8–2	@ Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)	37–11–4

February[]

Record for month 2-3-0 (Home 1-1-0 Away 1-2-0)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
53	L	February 3, 2006	0–3	@ New Jersey Devils (2005–06)	37–12–4
54	W	February 5, 2006	4–3 SO	@ Boston Bruins (2005–06)	38–12–4
55	L	February 9, 2006	3–5	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)	38–13–4
56	L	February 10, 2006	3–4	Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)	38–14–4
57	W	February 12, 2006	4–3 SO	Buffalo Sabres (2005–06)	39–14–4

March[]

Record for month 9-5-2 (Home 5-2-0 Away 4-3-2)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
58	W	March 1, 2006	4–3	Boston Bruins (2005–06)	40–14–4
59	W	March 3, 2006	5–2	Florida Panthers (2005–06)	41–14–4
60	W	March 4, 2006	7–5	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2005–06)	42–14–4
61	W	March 6, 2006	2–1	@ New York Rangers (2005–06)	43–14–4
62	L	March 8, 2006	2–3 SO	@ Philadelphia Flyers (2005–06)	43–14–5
63	L	March 10, 2006	3–5	@ Florida Panthers (2005–06)	43–15–5
64	L	March 11, 2006	3–4 OT	@ Florida Panthers (2005–06)	43–15–6
65	W	March 14, 2006	5–3	New York Rangers (2005–06)	44–15–6
66	W	March 16, 2006	5–1	@ Montreal Canadiens (2005–06)	45–15–6
67	L	March 18, 2006	2–4	@ Boston Bruins (2005–06)	45–16–6
68	L	March 21, 2006	2–3	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2005–06)	45–17–6
69	W	March 22, 2006	4–3	@ Buffalo Sabres (2005–06)	46–17–6
70	L	March 25, 2006	1–3	Washington Capitals (2005–06)	46–18–6
71	W	March 27, 2006	2–1	Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)	47–18–6
72	L	March 29, 2006	1–5	Washington Capitals (2005–06)	47–19–6
73	W	March 31, 2006	3–2	Florida Panthers (2005–06)	48–19–6

April[]

Record for month 4-3-2 (Home 2-1-1 Away 2-2-1)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
74	L	April 1, 2006	2–5	@ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)	48–20–6
75	W	April 3, 2006	6–5 OT	Washington Capitals (2005–06)	49–20–6
76	W	April 5, 2006	4–3 SO	@ Washington Capitals (2005–06)	50–20–6
77	W	April 7, 2006	4–3	@ Washington Capitals (2005–06)	51–20–6
78	L	April 8, 2006	2–5	@ Atlanta Thrashers (2005–06)	51–21–6
79	L	April 11, 2006	3–4 OT	New Jersey Devils (2005–06)	51–21–7
80	W	April 14, 2006	5–4 SO	Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)	52–21–7
81	L	April 15, 2006	2–3 OT	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2005–06)	52–21–8
82	L	April 18, 2006	0–4	Buffalo Sabres (2005–06)	52–22–8

Player statistics[]

Forwards[]

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
Eric Staal	82	45	55	100	-8	81
Cory Stillman	72	21	55	76	-9	32
Justin Williams	82	31	45	76	1	60
Rod Brind'Amour	78	31	39	70	8	68
Erik Cole	60	30	29	59	19	54
Ray Whitney	63	17	38	55	0	42
Matt Cullen	78	25	24	49	4	40
Kevyn Adams	82	15	8	23	0	36
Craig Adams	67	10	11	21	1	51
Doug Weight	23	4	9	13	-6	25
Chad LaRose	49	1	12	13	7	35
Andrew Ladd	29	6	5	11	0	4
Josef Vasicek	23	4	5	9	3	8
Mark Recchi	20	4	3	7	-8	12
Niklas Nordgren	43	4	2	6	-4	40
Radim Vrbata	16	2	3	5	0	6
Michael Zigomanis	21	1	0	1	1	4
David Gove	1	0	1	1	2	0
Keith Aucoin	7	0	1	1	-4	4
Jesse Boulerice	26	0	0	0	-3	51

Defensemen[]

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
Frantisek Kaberle	77	6	38	44	8	46
Bret Hedican	74	5	22	27	11	58
Aaron Ward	71	6	19	25	2	62
Oleg Tverdovsky	72	3	20	23	-1	37
Mike Commodore	72	3	10	13	12	138
Andrew Hutchinson	36	3	8	11	-2	18
Glen Wesley	64	2	8	10	10	46
Niclas Wallin	50	4	4	8	2	42
Anton Babchuk	22	3	2	5	-2	6
Danny Richmond	10	0	1	1	-3	7

Goaltending[]

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

Player	GP	W	L	OTL	SO	GAA
Martin Gerber	60	38	14	6	3	2.78
Cam Ward	28	14	8	2	0	3.68

Playoffs[]

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals[]

Carolina Hurricanes (2) vs. Montreal Canadiens (7)

Game-by-game			Score	CAR goals	MTL goals
1	April 22		Canadiens 6, at Hurricanes 1	Cullen	Bouillon, Bonk, Kovalev 2, Higgins, Souray
2	April 24	2:32, 2nd OT	Canadiens 6, at Hurricanes 5	Cullen, Brind'Amour 2, Whitney, Stillman	Bulis, Ryder 2, Bonk, Kovalev, Zednik
3	April 26	3:38, OT	Hurricanes 2, at Canadiens 1	Brind'Amour, Staal	Zednik
4	April 28		Hurricanes 3, at Canadiens 2	Williams, A. Ward, Brind'Amour	Perezhogin, Souray
5	April 30		at Hurricanes 2, Canadiens 1	Staal, Cullen	Kovalev
6	May 2	1:19, OT	Hurricanes 2, at Canadiens 1	Recchi, Stillman	Souray
Hurricanes win series 4–2				Brind'Amour 4, 4 with 2	Kovalev 4, 2 with 2

Eastern Conference Semifinals[]

Carolina Hurricanes (2) vs. New Jersey Devils (3)

Game-by-game			Score	CAR goals	NJ goals
1	May 6		at Hurricanes 6, Devils 0	Whitney 2, Staal, Stillman, Weight, Brind'Amour	none (Ward shutout)
2	May 8	3:09, OT	at Hurricanes 3, Devils 2	Recchi, Staal, Wallin	Langenbrunner, Gomez
3	May 10		Hurricanes 3, at Devils 2	Cullen, Williams, Brind'Amour	Brylin, Elias
4	May 13		at Devils 5, Hurricanes 1	Recchi	Gomez 2, Pandolfo, Brylin, Madden
5	May 14		at Hurricanes 4, at Devils 1	Kaberle, Stillman, Whitney, Staal	Gionta
Hurricanes win series 4–1				Staal 3, Whitney 3, 4 with 2	Gomez 3, 1 with 2

Eastern Conference Finals[]

Carolina Hurricanes (2) vs. Buffalo Sabres (4)

Game-by-game			Score	CAR goals	BUF goals
1	May 20		Sabres 3, at Hurricanes 2	Brind'Amour, Commodore	Tallinder, Briere, McKee
2	May 22		at Hurricanes 4, Sabres 3	Kaberle, Whitney 2, Williams	Vanek, Drury, Roy
3	May 24		at Sabres 4, Hurricanes 3	Stillman 2, Staal	Drury, Briere 2, Kotalik
4	May 26		Hurricanes 4, at Sabres 0	Recchi, Staal, Ladd, Hedican	none (Gerber shutout)
5	May 28	8:46, OT	at Hurricanes 4, at Sabres 3	Williams, Recchi, Brind'Amour, Stillman	Drury, Roy, Lydman
6	May 30	4:22, OT	at Sabres 2, Hurricanes 1	Hedican	Dumont, Briere
7	June 1		at Hurricanes 4, Sabres 2	Commodore, Weight, Brind'Amour, Williams	Janik, Hecht
Hurricanes win series 4–3				Brind'Amour 3, Williams 3, 4 with 2	Briere 4, 3 with 2

Stanley Cup Final[]

Carolina Hurricanes (E2) vs. Edmonton Oilers (W8)

Game-by-game			Score	CAR goals	EDM goals
1	June 5		at Hurricanes 5, Oilers 4	Brind'Amour 2, Whitney 2, Williams	Hemsky, Moreau, Pisani, Pronger
2	June 7		at Hurricanes 5, Oilers 0	Kaberle, Ladd, Recchi, Stillman, Weight	none (Ward shutout)
3	June 10		at Oilers 2, Hurricanes 1	Brind'Amour	Horcoff, Smyth
4	June 12		Hurricanes 2, at Oilers 1	Recchi, Stillman	Samsonov
5	June 14	3:31, OT	Oilers 4, at Hurricanes 3	Staal 2, Whitney	Pisani 2, Hemsky, Peca
6	June 17		at Oilers 4, Hurricanes 0	none (Markkanen shutout)	Horcoff, Pisani, Smyth, Torres
7	June 19		at Hurricanes 3, Oilers 1	Kaberle, A. Ward, Williams	Pisani
Hurricanes win series 4–3				Brind'Amour 3, Whitney 3, 4 with 2	Pisani 5, 3 with 2

Awards and honors[]

• Cam Ward, Conn Smythe Trophy

References[]

• Hurricanes on Hockey Database