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Rod Brind'Amour praised Brandon Bussi before the Stanley Cup Final, relieved the Carolina Hurricanes hadn't needed their backup goalie
“Haven’t had to use him, to be honest, I hope we don’t because something’s gone wrong,” Brind'Amour said. Turns out the late-blooming goaltender came out of the bullpen after all and backstopped the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup.was in net for every minute of the first three rounds and the start of the final, Bussi came in during Game 3 and finished out the series.
He stopped 81 of the 87 shots he faced against Vegas as Andersen’s status was shrouded in mystery; the veteran from Denmark did not dress from Game 4 on because of a knee injury that was only revealed after the final was over.
“Freddie battled," Brind'Amour said. “He got a little nicked up, wasn’t 100%. I felt for him, but he got us here and then Bus took over. This is a team.
” Bussi and Andersen embraced after Game 6 ended Sunday night. Andersen, at 36 the second-oldest player on the team, was the first player captain and playoff MVP“It’s disbelief, really," Andersen said.
"I did not expect that. It really beat every emotion I could think of or what I’ve been feeling.
" Bussi, a 27-year-old from Long Island, was not an unknown quantity for the Hurricanes because he played in nearly half their games this season, winning 31 of his 39 starts to help Carolina earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference. He got a three-year extension at a bargain-basement $5.7 million price in February.
' farm system with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL and Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. Liking what they saw, the astute back-to-back championTrying to get him to the AHL in Charlotte, the Panthers lost Bussi when Carolina claimed him off waivers. He and fiancée Mary Raclawski were 10 hours into a drive from from South Florida to North Carolina when his agent called to tell him the Hurricanes had claimed him.
“The next thing you know, the following day I’m in Raleigh and I’m on the opening night roster,” Bussi said. "It’s crazy. ” Bussi was even more needed in the final. He entered at the second intermission in Game 3 with the Hurricanes down 4-0.
He stopped all 18 shots to allow a stirring comeback, and the only goal he allowed was the Golden Knights' winner in double overtime when the puck took a bad bounce off the end boards behind him and Bussi inadvertently kicked it in. In the Game 6 clincher, Bussi denied playoff-leading goal-scorer Brett Howden, who got in all alone in the first period.
He stopped Tomas Hertl on a 2-on-1 rush in the second, much to the joy of family members watching from the stands. Then Bussi robbed Hertl and Mark Stone on quality scoring chances in the final few minutes of regulation. Hurricanes fans in Las Vegas chanted “Buss-i! Buss-i!
” on the way to his third career shutout. A journeyman no more, Bussi is now a Stanley Cup champion.
“This is something everyone dreams of," Andersen said. "You don’t really know what it feels like until you try it, and now we’re here. ”The story of Ralph Cox, the last guy cut from the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey teamThe story of Ralph Cox, the last guy cut from the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey teamFOX SPORTS™, SPEED™, SPEED. COM™ & © 2026 Fox Media LLC and Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC.
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