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Rod Brind’Amour spent the past week relishing the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup championship.
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But the Canes captain-turned-head coach, now with a Cup as a player and a coach, received disappointing news Monday.
The Hall of Fame announced its selections for the Class of 2026, and Brind’Amour was not among the six inductees chosen.
Five former players were chosen: former Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron; goalies Carey Price (Montreal) and Pekka Rinne (Nashville); forward Keith Tkachuk and former Team USA standout Cindy Curley. Brian Burke will enter the hall in the builder category.
The Hall of Fame induction celebration will be held in Toronto in November.
Brind’Amour’s hockey credentials are many and distinguished. His resume has now been enhanced as head coach of the Hurricanes the past eight seasons, capped by the Stanley Cup title this year.
Brind’Amour, 55, was the captain of the Hurricanes’ 2006 Stanley Cup champions. In a career that had him first play for the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers and then Carolina, he competed in 1,484 regular-season and 159 playoff games.
Brind’Amour finished with 1,184 points, including 452 goals and twice was named the Selke Trophy winner as the league’s best defensive forward with the Canes. Productive on the power play and intensely competitive on the penalty kill, he also was one of the league’s best at faceoffs.
Matt Cullen
“He played at such a high level for such a long time and understood both ends of the ice probably better than anybody,” said Matt Cullen, a forward on the 2006 Stanley Cup champs.
Brind’Amour did not receive the 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy as the Canes’ rookie goaltender, Cam Ward, was named the playoffs MVP. Many believe if Brind’Amour would have won, the Conn Smythe might have bolstered his resume for Hall of Fame induction.
The Hurricanes have three representatives in the Hockey Hall of Fame in former owner Peter Karmanos Jr.; former president and general manager Jim Rutherford and Francis, who won two Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins before coming to Carolina.
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Karmanos (2015) and Rutherford (2019) entered the hall in the “builder” category; Francis was inducted as a player in 2007.
Brind’Amour was named to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (2016) and the Flyers Hall of Fame (2015.) His jersey number, No. 17, was retired by the Hurricanes during a ceremony in 2011.
But many believe Brind’Amour is worthy of the Hockey Hall of Fame. In the 14th year of eligibility, the 18-member selection committee chaired by Francis chose otherwise.
Among the first-year eligible players this year was Eric Staal, the former Hurricanes captain and a member of the 2006 champions. He also was not selected.
While Brind’Amour will be inducted as a player, his coaching success only adds to his full hockey resume.
As a head coach, Brind’Amour has led the Hurricanes to eight consecutive playoff appearances. The Canes won the newly formed Central Division in the condensed 2020-21 season, then returned to the Metropolitan Division the next season.
“He’s such a special coach from many standpoints,” former defenseman Brent Burns said. “Like the automatic respect he demands from everybody, the buy-in he gets from everybody. That’s a gift not everybody has.”
The Hurricanes have reached the Eastern Conference Final four times under Brind’Amour – in 2019, 2023, 2025 and this season.
After being named the 2021 Jack Adams Award winner as NHL coach of the year, Brind’Amour guided the Hurricanes to franchise records for wins and points in 2021-22, topping the previous marks set by the 2006 Cup champions.
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Source: Hockey Hall of Fame, NHL
This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 3:36 PM.