Brind'Amour makes history: first since 1968 to win Stanley Cup as captain and coach
Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour has become the first person since 1968 to win the Stanley Cup with the same team as both captain and head coach.
Rod Brind'Amour, head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, has joined an exclusive NHL historical list. After the team's victory in the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals, Brind'Amour became the seventh person in league history to win the trophy both as a player and as a head coach with the same team. Moreover, he is only the fourth to do so after previously serving as the team's captain.
Brind'Amour was the captain of the Hurricanes when they won their first Stanley Cup in 2006. After a 20-year gap, he lifted the Cup again, this time as head coach. The last person to achieve this was Toe Blake, who triumphed with the Montreal Canadiens from 1956 to 1968, but Blake had already won the Cup as a player in 1944 and 1946.
In the 2006 playoffs, Brind'Amour recorded 18 points and 12 goals in 25 games, which remains a team record. Since taking over as Hurricanes' bench boss in 2018, no other NHL head coach has accumulated more wins.
Brind'Amour has participated in 102 of 104 playoff wins in Hurricanes history: 39 as a player and 63 as a coach, including both Stanley Cup-clinching victories.
