Rod Brind’Amour, often described as the heart and soul of the Carolina Hurricanes by players, has signed a new multi-year coaching contract extension with the team, the Hurricanes announced on Sunday. The news was initially reported by NHL insider, ESPN analyst, and former Hurricanes goalie Kevin Weekes on Saturday night.
Brind’Amour, who led the Canes to their 2006 Stanley Cup victory as team captain, has taken the team to the playoffs six times in his six years as head coach. He was also recognized as the NHL coach of the year with the Jack Adams Award in 2020-21.
Alongside Brind’Amour, assistant coaches Jeff Daniels and Tim Gleason, video coach Chris Huffine, and goaltending coach Paul Schonfelder have also received multi-year extensions. Brind’Amour, 53, was approaching the end of a three-year contract this season, leading to speculation about his future with the team as the 2024 playoffs began. However, Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho and others expressed confidence that Brind’Amour would return.
In a news release, Canes president and general manager Don Waddell praised Brind’Amour as “instrumental to the success” of the team over the past six seasons, adding, “Rod has embodied what it means to be a Hurricane. We hope to keep him a Hurricane for life.”
Brind’Amour has compiled a 278-130-44 record in his six seasons behind the bench, guiding the team to 52 wins this season and becoming one of six teams in NHL history with three consecutive 50-win seasons. Under his leadership, the Hurricanes won the Central Division in the pandemic-shortened 2021 season and followed that with back-to-back Metropolitan Division titles in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Additionally, the Hurricanes have won at least one round in the playoffs in all six of Brind’Amour’s seasons, making him only the second coach in NHL history to achieve that feat, alongside Pat Burns.
“He’s the heart and soul of the organization,” forward Seth Jarvis said of Brind’Amour. Majority owner Tom Dundon also expressed confidence in the negotiations, stating, “I think it’s all but done,” in a telephone interview with The News & Observer on April 30.
After initial concerns about a contract “impasse,” negotiations progressed, with Waddell expressing confidence that a deal would be reached. Brind’Amour echoed this sentiment, stating, “I feel really good that we’ll figure it out quickly. Yeah, I’m not concerned.”
Since starting out as one of the NHL’s lowest-paid coaches in 2018, Brind’Amour has signed multiple extensions, including in June 2021, after securing raises for his staff.
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