2002 Eastern Conference Finals vs New Jersey
From Whalers to Hurricanes: Carolina's championship legacy.
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at the Lenovo Center.
Quick Facts
- Series result
- Carolina Hurricanes 4, New Jersey Devils 1
- Season
- 2001–02 NHL Playoffs
- Opponent
- New Jersey Devils (defending Stanley Cup champions, 2000 & 2001)
- Franchise captain
- Ron Francis
- Outcome
- Advanced to 2002 Stanley Cup Finals (lost 4–0 to Detroit Red Wings)
- Significance
- First Stanley Cup Finals appearance in franchise history
Lore & Background
The franchise was formed in 1971 as the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association (WHA). The Whalers saw success immediately, winning the Eastern Division in the WHA's first three seasons and becoming the inaugural Avco World Trophy champions at the end of the 1972–73 season. The Whalers again competed for the World Trophy in 1978, this time falling short to the Winnipeg Jets in a rematch of the 1973 Avco Cup Final. The franchise joined the NHL in 1979 as part of the NHL–WHA merger, renaming themselves the Hartford Whalers. The team relocated to North Carolina in 1997, rebranding themselves as the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have won the Stanley Cup Final once in 2006. They are the only professional team from North Carolina to have won a major sports championship.
Reader's Guide
The Hurricanes play at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The team's goal horn from the Hartford Civic Center remains in use at Lenovo Center.
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