Hurricanes Agree to Terms with Rod Brind’Amour

[Thrillhouse]

RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with Captain Rod Brind’Amour on a five-year contract.

The deal will pay the veteran centerman $4 million in each of the first three years, and $3 million in each of the last two years, and is in lieu of the 2006-07 option on his prior contract.

“There is no substitute for having a player as dedicated and determined as Rod to lead the team,” said Rutherford. “His leadership and play on the ice were key components to winning the Stanley Cup, and his commitment to the Hurricanes organization and the community off the ice makes him a great ambassador for our team and the Triangle area.”

The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association selected Brind’Amour as the 2005-06 recipient of the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the Best Defensive Forward at Thursday’s NHL Awards. During the regular season, the Ottawa, Ont., native played in 78 of 82 regular-season games and scored 31 goals and 39 assists (70 points) to rank tied for second on the team in goals and fourth on the team in points. Brind’Amour’s 19 power-play goals ranked tied for first on the team and eighth in the NHL, and his 59.1 faceoff-win percentage ranked third in the NHL. Brind’Amour, 35, took 347 more faceoffs than any other NHL player (Joe Thornton ranked second with 1,798), finished the season with a plus-8 plus/minus rating and led all NHL forwards averaging 24:17 time on ice, 1:32 more than the next nearest forward (Brad Richards – 22:45).

In the postseason, Brind’Amour ranked first on the team and second in the NHL with 12 goals, including an NHL second-best six power-play markers. His 18 postseason points ranked third on the team and tied for sixth among NHL players. Brind’Amour posted a plus-9 rating in Carolina’s 25 playoff games to rank third on the team and tie for ninth in the league. Since breaking into the league with St. Louis during the 1989 playoffs, Brind’Amour (6’ 1”, 205 lbs.) has scored 50 goals, 57 assists (107 points) and accumulated 89 penalty minutes in 141 postseason games.

The Hurricanes acquired Brind’Amour from Philadelphia on Jan. 23, 2000, along with goaltender Jean-Marc Pelletier and a second-round draft pick, in exchange for Keith Primeau and a fifth-round draft choice. Since joining the Hurricanes, Brind’Amour has scored 104 goals and added 166 assists (270 points) in 397 regular-season games with, and he has twice been the recipient of the Hurricanes’ Steve Chaisson Award for determination, dedication and proving to be an inspiration to his teammates.

In 1,187 regular-season NHL games, Brind'Amour has scored 382 goals, earned 599 assists (981 points) and accumulated 944 penalty minutes with St. Louis, Philadelphia and Carolina. The Blues selected Brind’Amour with the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. He represented Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympics, was named to the 1990 NHL All-Rookie Team and played in the 1992 NHL All-Star Game.

[votingbooth_42]

That is absolutely great to hear. It's always awesome to see a guy stay in a city he's been playing in for years. And a nice 5 more years to boot. Beautiful. I like Rod. He's a competitor all right.

[TNG]

Everything is going right for him: the cup, the award, the new contract...
This way Carolina get to have a solid figure as a captain for 5 more years and can be very important.

[bengino]

too long of a contract, age is bound to catch up to him, i wouldn't have given him more then 3 years.

[Daigle]

Originally Posted by bengino

too long of a contract, age is bound to catch up to him, i wouldn't have given him more then 3 years.

Think have to agree with ya Bengino, he'd be 40 when his contract is done and think there's a year or two too many in the contract, but we'll see.. look at guys like Chelios, could work-out fine, but won't put my money on it, that's for sure!

[danski]

It seems like a few too many years to me as well but he's a helluva player. As much as I like Primeau I'm still sad that Brindamour had to go to get him.

Also nice to see him hoist the cup...well deserved.

[BM24]

If I had to put money down on players I think will still be good at the age of 40 Brind Amour would be my first pick.

Anyone who knows anything about Rod, knows he is a beast in the weight room and one of the hardest working guys in the game. I don't doubt for a second that he will continue to work as hard now as he did when he was in his early twenties and keep playing at a high level.

[Jensen]

Great move for the 'Canes.

[jkidd]

BM24 said it right, the guy is in great shape (aside from his ****ed up nose, see signature), and he plays more minutes than most defenseman, and his body is able to take it. I think this is an absolute steal by the Canes. $4 million a year for Rod is a great deal. He could have easily went above and got $5-$5.5 million. His defensive skills, work ethic and leadership are enough alone to earn his paycheck.

[habs_rocks]

he is their best player no dout