Canes coach Brind’Amour shares NHL bench for the first time with a familiar face: his son

It was quite the sight Tuesday night: Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour behind the bench and forward Skyler Brind’Amour on it.

The Canes were putting in their first preseason exhibition game, on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning. For Skyler Brind’Amour, it was his first time wearing the Canes jersey in a game and being coached by his father, the former Carolina captain whose No. 17 jersey hangs in the Lenovo Center rafters.

“I’ve played for him before but it’s been a long time,” Skyler Brind’Amour said Tuesday after the morning skate in Raleigh. “I think that I was 14 or 15. I was playing for the Junior Hurricanes and it was after he had finished playing and helped coach my team for a year or two.”

To both Brind’Amours, father and son, that now seems like eons ago. Rod Brind’Amour was a Hurricanes assistant coach, then became head coach in 2018 after Tom Dundon bought in as the team’s majority owner. He has taken the Canes to the Stanley Cup playoffs each of his six seasons and won the NHL’s Jack Adams Award in 2021 as coach of the year.

Skyler Brind’Amour’s hockey path has taken him to the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), and then four years of college hockey at Quinnipiac, where the Bobcats won the 2023 NCAA national championship.

The Bobcats edged top-seeded Minnesota in overtime in the title game, played before a sellout crowd at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Skyler Brind’Amour returned to Amalie on Tuesday along with Yaniv Perets, the goalie on Quinnipiac’s champions. That had stirred some pregame memories for both before facing the Lightning.

But it was more about the game. Skyler Brind’Amour, 25, is at the Canes preseason training camp on a professional tryout (PTO), getting his chance to make a good impression with his work ethic and play.

“I’m just trying to get better each day, hopefully make the most of this camp and see where it goes from here,” he said Tuesday.

Brind’Amour spent last season with the Charlotte Checkers, the Florida Panthers’ AHL affiliate, and it was anything but a smooth ride. Brind’Amour was sidelined with injuries, getting in 54 games and three in the Calder Cup playoffs.

Rod Brind’Amour mentioned last season that Skyler had taken a shot near the ear and later fractured an orbital bone, saying, “He’s had a tough go.”

But one highlight was a preseason game last September. The Florida Panthers came to Raleigh and Panthers coach Paul Maurice had Skyler on the roster, the team allowing him to take a quick solo lap before his teammates took the ice for pregame warmups.

“Obviously that was a lot of fun,” Skyler said. “It was my first preseason (NHL) game. It was a lot of fun and to be able to be back here in front of family and friends made it extra special.”

Maurice penciled “Brind’Amour” into the starting lineup, another flashback of sorts. In the Canes’ net was Perets, the winning goalie as the Canes took a 4-1 victory.

“I’m happy for him to get that opportunity,” Rod Brind’Amour said before the game. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I think it will be pretty special.”

A year later, it was another preseason game. And, this time, in a Hurricanes uniform.

“Obviously it’s special any time you get to put on that sweater,” Skyler said.

Brind’Amour got about 14 minutes of playing time in the Canes’ 2-1 victory, centering Rocco Grimaldi and Juha Jaaska and splitting his 14 draws.

“It’ll be special moment to look back on some day, but in the heat of it he’s just trying to prove himself and we’re trying to get through the day here,” Rod Brind’Amour said. “But it was a nice moment.”

Skyler Brind’Amour said his best memory of the Hurricanes was during the 2006 Stanley Cup run, seeing his dad raising the Cup at the end and then jumping into his dad’s arms.

“I do remember that pretty vividly.” he said.

One well-told story is that on the morning of Game 7 of the Cup final against Edmonton, Skyler told his dad the Canes had to win. That added another level of pressure for the captain, who was 35 and after his first Cup.

“I hopefully gave him a little something to help get the job done,” Skyler said, smiling. “But there are also a lot of memories of growing up here and being around the arena.”

At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Brind’Amour doesn’t shy away from contact and has become a sound defensive player and penalty killer who is effective on defensive-zone draws — much like his dad. He said he also realizes the need to be better in the offensive zone.

“For me, it’s getting a little more confidence and being around the puck a little more and being a little better offensively.” he said. “I showed that a little bit at the end of my college career. Last year was a little struggle but I’m trying to get back to that.”

Rod Brind’Amour said Tuesday morning that with the “whirlwind” of camp he has not given much thought to coaching his son in a game.

“It’s a good opportunity for him and hopefully it’s a special night for both of us,” he said.