Do You Believe In Miracles: The Carolina Hurricanes Have Won A Conference Final Game After Getting Their Asses Kicked For 19 Years
Bruce Bennett. Getty Images.The Carolina Hurricanes took down the Buffalo Sabres in the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals. Coincidentally enough, they went on to win the Stanley Cup against the Edmonton Oilers, who look like they might be making it out of the West again this year.
But after beating the Sabres in game 7 of the 2006 ECF, the Hurricanes have made it back to the Eastern Conference Finals 4 different times. They got swept in 2009, they got swept 2019, and they got swept in 2023. They were well on their way to getting swept out of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals after finding themselves in a 0-3 hole to the Florida Panthers. 4 trips to the conference finals, and these dickless losers had managed to lose 15 straight games.
But just like the US Olympic Hockey team in 1980, miracles happen. Maybe, just maybe, the Carolina Hurricanes weren't the biggest group of dickless, gutless losers on the planet. Maybe, just maybe, they could dig down to the deepest depths of their souls and pull out a win in the conference finals for the first time since the invention of the iPhone.
Sure, it may have taken a little help from the refs stealing a powerplay away from Florida after calling this "embellishment" on Matthew Tkachuk.
But it's still impossible to win a hockey game when you score 0 goals. And that's what Carolina held Florida to last night as they sealed the deal with their first win in the Eastern Conference Final since Macklin Celebrini has been alive.
Game 7 of the 2006 ECF was played on June 1, 2006. Macklin Celebrini was born June 13, 2006.
Now obviously the funniest way for this to play out would be for the Hurricanes to reverse sweep the Panthers. Go on a 19-year streak in the ECF where they never lose a game. Something tells me they're still a tremendously soft hockey team, and the Panthers will still be able to close this one out in 5. But if anybody deserves a humiliating exit out of the playoffs right now to humble themselves, it's Florida Panthers fans. They've been getting way too cocky for a group of people who didn't even realize hockey existed before the Matthew Tkachuk trade.