Rod Brind'Amour

Rod Brind'Amour
Brind'Amour as captain of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2009
Born	(1970-08-09) August 9, 1970 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	St. Louis Blues Philadelphia Flyers Carolina Hurricanes Kloten Flyers
Current NHL coach	Carolina Hurricanes
National team	Canada
NHL draft	9th overall, 1988 St. Louis Blues
Playing career	1989–2010
Coaching career	2011–present
Medal record Representing Canada Ice hockey World Championships 1994 Italy Ice hockey

Roderic Jean Brind'Amour (/ˈbrɪndəˌmʊər/; born August 9, 1970) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He was selected in the first round, ninth overall, by the St. Louis Blues in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. Brind'Amour has also played for the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes, the latter with whom he captained to the Stanley Cup in 2006, marking the first championship in franchise history.

Playing career

Early years

Born in Ottawa but raised in Prince Rupert and Campbell River, British Columbia, Brind'Amour was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the first round, ninth overall, of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. He played the next season at Michigan State University.

He became known for working out constantly, earning the nickname "Rod the Bod". During his time at Michigan State, Brind'Amour would go from a game directly into the weight room, where he would undertake a strenuous workout. Spartans head coach Ron Mason said Brind'Amour's workouts became so intense they would turn the lights out on him, and when that failed to work, they would padlock the room to bar his entry.

St. Louis Blues

At the conclusion of the 1988–89 Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) season with the Spartans, Brind'Amour joined the Blues during the 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs. He made his debut in Game 5 of the Blues' division semifinals against the Minnesota North Stars, and scored a goal on his first shot. In his first full NHL season, 1989–90, Brind'Amour scored 27 points in the Blues' first 24 games and finished third on the Blues with 26 goals. For his efforts, Brind'Amour was selected to the 1989–90 All-Rookie Team.

When the Blues lost team captain and top defenceman Scott Stevens as compensation for the free agent signing of Brendan Shanahan, they suddenly had a big hole on their defense. General Manager Ron Caron targeted Philadelphia Flyers blue liner Murray Baron as his solution.

Philadelphia Flyers

Brind'Amour was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers (along with Dan Quinn) in exchange for Murray Baron and Ron Sutter just before the start of the 1991–92 season. He spent his years in Philadelphia as an alternate to captain Kevin Dineen and then Eric Lindros, filling in as captain and wearing the "C" when the latter was out of the lineup. It was there he started his reputation of being one of the best shutdown centres of the NHL.

When the Flyers faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 1997 playoffs, Brind'Amour scored two short-handed goals during a single power play. The Flyers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, which they lost to the Detroit Red Wings.

During his stint with Philadelphia, Brind'Amour was considered one of the NHL's "ironmen" with a consecutive games streak of 484 played, a Flyers franchise record. He culminated his career as a Flyer after 633 games with franchise records as the seventh all-time in assists with 366, tenth all time in goals with 235 and ninth overall in points with 601. He was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame on November 23, 2015, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, with whom he was an assistant coach at the time.

Carolina Hurricanes

Following his return from an ankle injury during the 1999–2000 season, Brind'Amour was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes (along with Jean-Marc Pelletier) in exchange for Keith Primeau.

Brind'Amour formed one-third of Carolina's "BBC Line", also featuring Bates Battaglia and Erik Cole, during the Hurricanes' run to the Finals in 2002.

Brind'Amour was named captain of the Hurricanes before the 2005–06 season and led the Hurricanes to win the Stanley Cup that season, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in the Finals in seven games. During the subsequent off-season, Brind'Amour signed a five-year contract extension with the Hurricanes.

In November 2006, Brind'Amour recorded his 1,000th career NHL point, and in February 2007, he scored his 400th career goal.

On February 14, 2008, in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Brind'Amour tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the first period, ending his season. However, Brind'Amour would return for the 2008–09 season, playing in 80 games while recording 16 goals and 35 assists as the Hurricanes reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

On January 20, 2010, Brind'Amour was replaced as Hurricanes captain by Eric Staal, previously an alternate captain. Brind'Amour then served as an alternate captain for the remainder of the season. Following the conclusion of the season, Brind'Amour retired from professional hockey, having played 1,484 career NHL games, after which he moved into Hurricanes' management as a director of forwards development. His number 17 jersey was retired in a ceremony on February 18, 2011. The ceremony took place prior to a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, which at the time was coached by Peter Laviolette. Thus the two teams Brind'Amour spent the bulk of his career with, as well as the coach he won the Stanley Cup with, were present to honour him. It is the third number to be officially retired by the Hurricanes since moving to Raleigh, North Carolina, after Ron Francis' number 10 and Glen Wesley's number 2. Brind'Amour was among the last few players in the NHL who had also played in the league during the 1980s. At the time of his retirement, he finished his professional career 18th in all-time NHL games played.

Coaching career

Brind'Amour as an assistant coach for the Carolina Hurricanes in December 2011

On June 7, 2011, Brind'Amour was introduced by the Carolina Hurricanes as their assistant coach and development coach, retaining his role in developing the franchise's forwards while also spending time behind the bench in the NHL.

Brind'Amour represented the Hurricanes in a ceremony before the Charlotte Checkers' first home game as Carolina's new American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.

On May 8, 2018, Brind'Amour was hired as the Hurricanes' head coach. In his first season as head coach, Brind'Amour guided the team to its first playoff berth in a decade, leading them to the Eastern Conference finals where they were swept by the Boston Bruins.

On April 26, 2021, Brind'Amour became the first head coach in Hurricanes history to lead the team to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. On June 17, Brind'Amour agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Hurricanes. That same day, Brind'Amour was awarded the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the NHL's coach of the year. On December 28th, 2024, Brind'Amour became the fastest coach to 300 wins in NHL history, achieving the mark in 452 games, more than 40 games faster than the next fastest coach.

Personal life

Brind'Amour was married to Kelle Sullivan Gardner, with whom he had three children. The couple divorced in 2004.

On July 10, 2010, Brind'Amour married Amy Biedenbach, the daughter of former North Carolina State University basketball standout and former UNC Asheville men's basketball coach, Eddie Biedenbach. The couple have one son together.

Brind'Amour's oldest son, Skyler, was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers 177th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and currently plays as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes organization for their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. He was previously a member of the Florida Panthers organization playing for the Charlotte Checkers. The Checkers became affiliated with the Panthers following the 2019–20 season after the Carolina Hurricanes ended their affiliation with the team after ten seasons. Skyler Brind'Amour played for the Quinnipiac University Bobcats, and helped the team to win its first NCAA title in 2023.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1986–87	Notre Dame Hounds AAA	SMHL		33	38	50	88	66		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Notre Dame Hounds	SJHL		56	46	61	107	136		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Notre Dame Hounds	Cen-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		5	5	9	14	4
1988–89	Michigan State University	CCHA		42	27	32	59	63		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	St. Louis Blues	NHL		—	—	—	—	—		5	2	0	2	4
1989–90	St. Louis Blues	NHL		79	26	35	61	46		12	5	8	13	6
1990–91	St. Louis Blues	NHL		78	17	32	49	93		13	2	5	7	10
1991–92	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		80	33	44	77	100		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		81	37	49	86	89		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		84	35	62	97	85		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		48	12	27	39	33		15	6	9	15	8
1995–96	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	26	61	87	110		12	2	5	7	6
1996–97	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	27	32	59	41		19	13	8	21	10
1997–98	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	36	38	74	54		5	2	2	4	7
1998–99	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	24	50	74	47		6	1	3	4	0
1999–00	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		12	5	3	8	4		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		33	4	10	14	22		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		79	20	36	56	47		6	1	3	4	6
2001–02	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		81	23	32	55	40		23	4	8	12	16
2002–03	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		48	14	23	37	37		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		78	12	26	38	28		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Kloten Flyers	NLA		2	2	1	3	0		5	2	4	6	6
2005–06	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		78	31	39	70	68		25	12	6	18	16
2006–07	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		78	26	56	82	46		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		59	19	32	51	38		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		80	16	35	51	36		18	1	3	4	8
2009–10	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		80	9	10	19	36		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				1,484	452	732	1,184	1,100		159	51	60	111	97

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1989	Canada	WJC		7	2	3	5	4
1992	Canada	WC		6	1	1	2	4
1993	Canada	WC		8	3	1	4	6
1994	Canada	WC		8	4	2	6	2
1996	Canada	WCH		7	1	2	3	0
1998	Canada	OLY		6	1	2	3	0
Junior totals				7	2	3	5	4
Senior totals				35	10	8	18	12

Head coaching record

Team	Year	Regular season						Postseason
		G	W	L	OTL	Pts	Finish	W	L	Win%	Result
CAR	2018–19	82	46	29	7	99	4th in Metropolitan	8	7	.533	Lost in conference finals (BOS)
CAR	2019–20	68	38	25	5	81	4th in Metropolitan	4	4	.500	Lost in first round (BOS)
CAR	2020–21	56	36	12	8	80	1st in Central	5	6	.455	Lost in second round (TBL)
CAR	2021–22	82	54	20	8	116	1st in Metropolitan	7	7	.500	Lost in second round (NYR)
CAR	2022–23	82	52	21	9	113	1st in Metropolitan	8	7	.533	Lost in conference finals (FLA)
CAR	2023–24	82	52	23	7	111	2nd in Metropolitan	6	5	.545	Lost in second round (NYR)
Total		452	278	130	44			38	36	.514	6 playoff appearances

Awards and honours

Award	Year
College
All-CCHA Rookie Team	1989
NHL
As player
NHL All-Star Game	1992
Stanley Cup champion	2006
Frank J. Selke Trophy	2006, 2007
As coach
Jack Adams Award	2021

See also

• List of NHL players with 1,000 points
• List of NHL players with 1,000 games played

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database