The Carolina Hurricanes spent an entire season preparing to lift the Stanley Cup because of their head coach, Rod Brind'Amour. He made them lift a 35-pound cinder block as a drill he called the "Blue Collar Press."

It stayed as a part of the team's workouts throughout the year. When the Carolina Hurricanes won their second championship on June 14, the Stanley Cup weighed almost the same as that cinder block.

Carolina missed the playoffs for nine straight seasons before the arrival of Brind'Amour. He turned the Hurricanes into one of the most reliable teams in the league.

He had made a mark this postseason as a head coach by winning more combined regular-season and playoff games than any other team in that span. 

This championship personally means a lot to the coach. He won the Stanley Cup as Carolina's captain in 2006, and with this title became just the fourth person in NHL history to captain and coach the same team to championships. Brind'Amour joins the list, standing right below Toe Blake, Hap Day, and Cooney Weiland. 

Later, when speaking on the ice after the win, he appreciated the players around him.

"I don't even know what to say right now, I'm so happy for these guys," said the head coach. "I won it as a player, but I wanted it for these guys as a coach because it just means so much. I'm an old guy now, but I had my one."

Even though the journey to the cup was long, Brind'Amour helped the team to tap into the winner's mindset by lifting the cinder block, resembling the Stanley Cup, which weighs exactly 34.5 pounds and stands 35.25 inches tall.

The success came after Carolina lost in the Eastern Conference Final in 2019, 2023, and 2025.

Carolina Hurricanes Road to the Stanley Cup

Carolina entered the series as one of the top seeds in the league. The Hurricanes defeated the Ottawa Senators in Round 1 and the Philadelphia Flyers in Round 2. They became just the fifth team in NHL history to open a postseason with 8-0. 

They won against the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Final before facing the Vegas Golden Knights. Soon, they took the lead 4-2 in the Stanley Cup Final. Brandon Bussi made a 22-save shutout in the intense Game 6 match.

Jordan Staal, the captain of Carolina, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. Carolina finished the playoffs 16-3, which stands to be the second-best postseason record since the league expanded to four best-of-seven rounds in 1987.

The Hurricanes’ win this season will be remembered as a dominant one with relentless effort put into it. 

What do you think of the blue-collar press that Brind'Amour introduced? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar