The 2008–09

Carolina Hurricanes 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 Con ...

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

was the franchise's 37th season, 30th season in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

and 11th as the Hurricanes. This was the last season the Hurricanes made the playoffs until

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Off-season

* June 5: After 20 seasons in the NHL and 13 as one of the most popular faces of the Hurricanes' franchise,

Glen Wesley Glen Edwin Wesley (born October 2, 1968) is a Canadian- American former ice hockey defenceman. Wesley played 13 seasons for the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. He began his career with the Boston Bruins, and b ...

announced his retirement. * September 11: The club announced that they have signed Eric Staal to a seven-year contract extension worth US$57.75 million.

Regular season

* November 7:

Peter Laviolette Peter Philip Laviolette Jr. (born December 7, 1964) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Originally undrafted by t ...

made NHL history by becoming the winningest American-born NHL coach with his 240th victory, as Carolina defeated the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

, 2–1. * December 2: Peter Laviolette was fired as the head coach and

Paul Maurice Paul Maurice (born January 30, 1967) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). At age 43, Maurice became the youngest coach in NHL history to ...

was rehired in his place.

Ron Francis Ronald Michael Francis Jr. (born March 1, 1963) is a Canadian ice hockey sports executive and former player. He currently serves as the president of hockey operations for the Seattle Kraken. He spent most of his career as either a player or ex ...

became the team's associate head coach. The Hurricanes finished the regular season having tied the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

for the most power-play opportunities, with 374.

Divisional standings

2 points for a win, 1 for an OT or shootout loss, 0 for a loss in regulation

Conference standings

Schedule and results

Record vs. opponents

''Notes: * denotes division winner; teams in bold are in the Southeast Division; teams in'' italics ''qualified for the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

; points refer to the points achieved by the team whom the Hurricanes played against'' = Member of the Atlantic Division
= Member of the Northeast Division
= Member of the Southeast Division
= Member of the Central Division
= Member of the Northeast Division
= Member of the Pacific Division

Playoffs

The Carolina Hurricanes ended the 2008–09 regular season as the Eastern Conference's sixth seed. In the first round, they defeated the New Jersey Devils following a game 7 victory following two goals with 1:20 minutes in the game from

Jussi Jokinen Jussi Petteri Jokinen (born April 1, 1983) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. After playing in his native Finland with Oulun Kärpät of the Liiga he was drafted by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Dallas Stars in 2001 in t ...

and

Eric Staal Eric Craig Staal (born October 29, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre who played eighteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Buff ...

in what is known as the “Shock at the Rock”. In the second round, they defeated the Boston Bruins in 7 games, denying Boston's 3–1 series comeback attempt following an overtime goal from Scott Walker. In doing so, they reached the eastern conference final for the first time since 2006. However, they got swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Player statistics

Skaters

Goaltenders

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Hurricanes. Stats reflect season totals.
^‡Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record

Awards and records

Milestones

News

On June 14, the Hurricanes agreed to an extension of their lease at the RBC Center by five years through to 2023-24.

Trades

Free agents

Claimed from waivers

Draft picks

The

2008 NHL entry draft The 2008 NHL entry draft was the 46th entry draft for the National Hockey League. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario, on June 20–21, 2008. The Senators were originally awarded the 2005 NHL entry draft ...

was in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. The Hurricanes had the 14th overall pick

Farm teams

American Hockey League

The

Albany River Rats The Albany River Rats were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center. History Before the formation of the franchise Without a viable indoor arena with ...

are the Hurricanes

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

affiliate for the

2008–09 AHL season The 2008–09 AHL season was the 73rd season of the American Hockey League. 29 teams each played 80 games in the regular season, which ran from October 8 until April 12. Team and NHL affiliation changes The Iowa Stars are renamed and are now ca ...

ECHL

The

Florida Everblades The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliat ...

are the Hurricanes

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

affiliate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2008-09 Carolina Hurricanes Season Carolina Hurricanes seasons C Hurr Hurr 2000s in Raleigh, North Carolina