Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour is widely regarded as one of the top coaches in the NHL. After all, the club’s former captain has led his team to the postseason every year he has been in place. Not only that, but he has an impressive .583 win rate in the playoffs since being hired by management in 2018.
After years of qualifying for the postseason but failing to deliver late in the season, Carolina dominated the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. In fact, Brind’Amour led his team to a 16-3 postseason record en route to the championship. It is safe to assume Hurricanes fans want their coach to remain in place for a very long time. The Athletic’s Joe Smith, however, recently quizzed Brind’Amour about his future.
Not only is being an NHL coach a demanding job, but Brind’Amour still has a teenage son at home. As a result, the Carolina Hurricanes leader is obviously not always able to be there for his family. Despite this, the coach claims that he is not leaving his team anytime soon. “I just don’t know what else I would do that would even come close to this,” Brind’Amour tells Smith.
“We have some bad days. I don’t like missing my son’s stuff. But he wants me to do this. Monday, we went out on the ice with (Seth) Jarvis, and we skated with him. Three people on the ice. He’s like, ‘You can’t quit.’ I’m not going to quit. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to be doing this. It might not be my choice.”
Carolina Hurricanes Owner Wants Rod Brind’Amour to Stay for a Long Time
Brind’Amour’s comment that coaching the Carolina Hurricanes may not always be up to him underscores the precarious nature of job security in sports. Successful coaches get fired sometimes. Bruce Cassidy won a Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and was let go less than three years later. This, however, is a fairly unlikely scenario in Carolina.
As Smith points out, Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon previously claimed that Brind’Amour will be Carolina’s coach “as long as he’ll do it.” Although this appears to be a lifetime contract, Brind’Amour’s actual deal only runs through the 2028-29 season.
The Carolina Hurricanes previously left it late, but got their beloved coach to sign a contract extension back in 2024. At the time, his deal with the team was set to expire within about a month. While the Hurricanes did not release specific details on the deal, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reported that it was a five-year agreement.
Carolina Looks to Win Another Cup Soon
The comments on LeBrun’s social media post detailing Brind’Amour’s long-term extension with the Carolina Hurricanes are funny to look back on. While many fans from rival teams criticized the deal, it has already paid off. The Hurricanes have won another Cup and do not appear willing to let off the gas going forward.
In fact, Carolina currently has the most points in the NHL so far this season. With a returning roster and a relatively weak Metro Division, the Hurricanes are likely set for another lengthy postseason run in the near future.
Hurricanes Coach Opens up on Future Amid Retirement Question