2002 Miracle Run (8-seed to Stanley Cup Finals)
Carolina's first Stanley Cup Final appearance as the third seed, falling to the Red Wings in five games.
The 2002 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the NHL's 2001–02 season, contested by the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings and the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes finished the regular season with 91 points, clinching the Southeast Division and the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
Quick Facts
- Conference seed
- 3rd (Eastern Conference)
- First-round opponent
- New Jersey Devils (3rd seed)
Lore & Background
The Hurricanes defeated the two-time defending Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils in six games in the first round, then dispatched the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens in six games in the second round. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they defeated the fourth-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs in six games to advance to the Finals for the first time in franchise history, becoming the first team from North Carolina to ever play for a major professional sports championship.
Reader's Guide
The Hurricanes stunned the Red Wings in Game 1 on Ron Francis's overtime goal, but Detroit won four straight, including a triple-overtime win in Game 3, to take the series 4–1. The Red Wings became the first team in NHL history to win the Cup after starting the playoffs with two losses at home.
Did You Know?
- The Hurricanes' first-round opponent was the New Jersey Devils, who were not the first seed; the Boston Bruins were the first seed that year.
- The 25-point differential between the Red Wings (116 points) and the Hurricanes (91 points) was the largest between two teams in a Stanley Cup Final since 1994.
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