Former MSU star Brind'Amour retires

Carolina Hurricanes Press Release

Carolina Hurricanes center Rod Brind’Amour today announced that he will retire from hockey and transition to a position in the Hurricanes front office.

“For 10 years, Rod Brind'Amour has represented the best of Hurricanes hockey,” said Hurricanes president and general manager Jim Rutherford. “He helped the franchise reach two Stanley Cup Finals and led the team to its first championship. His work ethic set the bar for what is expected in our locker room, as did his professionalism and leadership. I look forward to working with Rod as he begins his next chapter in hockey.”

Originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the first round (ninth overall) in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, Brind’Amour, 39, completes his career ranked 16th in NHL history in games played (1,484), 44th in assists (732), 46th in points (1,184) and 54th in goals (452), in 21 seasons with St. Louis, Philadelphia and Carolina.

The Ottawa, Ont., native debuted with the Blues during the 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs after completing one season at Michigan State, and scored a goal on his first NHL shot against the Minnesota North Stars. He was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 1990, after scoring 61 points (26g, 35a) in 79 games for St. Louis, and played in the NHL All-Star Game while a member of the Flyers in 1992.

Brind’Amour represented Canada in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, and won back-to-back Frank J. Selke trophies as the NHL’s top defensive forward in 2005-06 and 2006-07, as a member of the Hurricanes.

Brind’Amour played in 159 career Stanley Cup playoff games, totaling 51 goals and 60 assists (111 points). He participated in the Stanley Cup Final three times, reaching the Final in 1997 with Philadelphia and 2002 and 2006 with Carolina, captaining the Hurricanes to the 2006 Stanley Cup championship.

Acquired by the Hurricanes from the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 23, 2000, Brind’Amour is the career points leader for the Hurricanes since the team’s relocation to North Carolina, notching 473 points in 694 games played. He also ranks first in assists (299), first in shorthanded goals (10), third in goals (174) and third in power-play goals (60) in the team’s North Carolina history. Brind’Amour ranks second in overall franchise history (including Hartford) in assists (299), third in points (473) and fourth in games played (694).

Named the Hurricanes’ captain prior to the 2005-06 season, Brind’Amour netted 31 goals and earned 39 assists (70 points) that season to lead the team to a franchise-record 52 regular-season wins. His league-leading 12 playoff goals during the teams’ Stanley Cup run were also a franchise record.

Brind’Amour scored nine goals and had 10 assists (19 points) during his final season with the Hurricanes in 2009-10, and ranked first among Hurricanes and third in the NHL in face-off percentage (58.8%).