A Brief History of the Hurricanes
Conceived as The New England Whalers in 1971, The Hurricanes began playing in Boston. After being admitted to the National Hockey League in 1979, they were renamed Hartford Whalers. The Whalers were not very successful, winning the division title just once in the 1986-87 season. In 1997, the team relocated to North Carolina due to unsatisfactory performances and became the red and black Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes led by Ron Francis won the Southeast Division in 1998-99.
Carolina Hurricanes made it to the playoffs in 2002, winning the division title. The Hurricanes won the Conference Final that year, and put up a strong fight against Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final. The team acquired the promising star Eric Staal the following year. The next two seasons did not turn out to be the best for The Hurricanes. However, the 'Canes shut all the critics with a superb 2005-06 season. For the first time, The Hurricanes surpassed the 100 point mark, scoring 112 points and recording 52 wins in the season. They won another Southeast Division title, and started making profits for the first time after relocation. In the Eastern Conference Finals, The Hurricanes defeated a weakened Buffalo Sabres and went on to their second Stanley Cup Finals.
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