Goodbye Brind'Amour

Rod Brind'Amour has announced his retirement today.

From an on-the-ice only perspective, I'm glad to hear that he has retired. His play wasn't the same in the past two years and he wouldn't help the Canes get any younger.

From a nostalgic perspective, I feel a bit sad. Rod was the captain that led the Canes to the Stanley Cup, and for many years he was one of the main faces of the franchise. (One of the most recognizable faces as well...) He was a good two-way player who was clutch in the faceoff circle and known for his workouts off the ice. It's always a bummer to see the career of someone so integral to a team come to an end.

It seems, though, like this was the best way Rod could go out. He isn't forced to part ways with the Canes and seek out a contract with a different team. He repeated several times during his press conference how he loves the area and the people in it - retiring now allows him to remain with the organization where he can still be a part of the Canes "family".


So today is a melancholy sort of day for Caniacs - but I think that the future will be much better for it.