2006 Carolina Hurricanes

It doesn’t get much better than how 2005-06 turned out for the Carolina Hurricanes! Just one point behind the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference, Carolina ended the season at the top of the Southeast Division. Then they proceeded to battle through an enthralling NHL Playoff tournament all the way to their first Stanley Cup. Time to lock in tickets to cheer on the champs at the RBC Center!

Cam Ward, aged 22, who stepped up as goalie during the NHL playoffs and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, now hopes to prove his mettle in the 82-game season. The Hurricanes will have the speed and skill of young stars Eric Staal, Eric Cole and Justin Williams, not to mention the steadying influence of Captain Rod Brind’Amour.

Will Carolina be able to pull off a repeat of their Stanley Cup triumph? Not without you in the stands, right? Let Coast to Coast connect you with the Carolina Hurricanes tickets you need to see them defend their title in 2006-07.

The Hurricanes play at the RBC Center - Raleigh Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, and wear uniforms of red, black, and white. The team name and logo are taken from the high-velocity wind storms that often strike North Carolina's Atlantic seaboard in late fall and winter.

Before becoming the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997, the franchise played as the New England Whalers in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 to 1978, and as the Hartford Whalers in the NHL from 1979 to 1997.

As members of the Eastern Division of the WHA during the 1970s, the Whalers earned three division titles and one league championship. In 1977, 49-year-old Gordie Howe, who had already been named to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and his sons Mark and Marty joined the team. Gordie and Mark produced top scoring efforts that year, powering New England to a second trip to the WHA Finals. The Whalers lost the series to the Jets, whose offense was led by left wing Bobby Hull.

In 1979 the Whalers joined the NHL after the WHA and NHL merged. That same year the team changed its name to the Hartford Whalers. Gordie Howe played one more year with the team before retiring in 1980 at age 52.

In the 1980s and 1990s Hartford qualified for the NHL playoffs for seven consecutive seasons with lineups starring center Ron Francis and goalie Mike Liut. The team owners moved the franchise to North Carolina before the 1997-98 season and renamed the team the Hurricanes. In 2001-02, the Hurricanes went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to the Detroit Red Wings.