In Their Words: 2006 Stanley Cup Final, Game 2

FOX Sports Carolinas is airing a series of Canes Classics, a collection of some of the most memorable postseason triumphs in Hurricanes history, beginning with the team's four wins against the Edmonton Oilers in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final.

Game 2 airs on Tuesday, April 21 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports Carolinas and is also available to stream on the FOX Sports GO app.

If Game 2 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers is a picture, then Game 1 is the frame.

That is to say, the events of a wild and crazy Game 1 directly impacted the result of Game 2, a 5-0 blowout win for the Canes, who took a 2-0 series lead to Edmonton.

Rod Brind'Amour: "Totally. That's a game (Game 1) they should have had. If I'm up 3-0, I want to win that game."

Aaron Ward: "Game 2 was honestly the exhale moment for both teams. You kind of knew what you were up against. After going through 60 minutes and seeing what the West brings, how we matched up against them, what Pasani was doing, stylistically how the Oilers were playing the game, it was almost a comfort level now where we could settle in for Game 2."

Now without Dwayne Roloson in net, the Oilers turned to Jussi Markkanen.

Just as quickly as the Oilers jumped on the Canes and spoiled the party early in Game 1 did the home team return the favor to the visitors in Game 2.

And the Canes never let up.

Ward: "We knew through the fearless leader we had in Peter Laviolette, as you sat down and watched the video of what this team had to do to be successful, it was really put your foot on the gas pedal. It's give them no opportunity after you have them down, the step-on-your-throat moment."

Justin Williams: "We just imposed our will in that game. This is what we were capable of. We just kind of flexed our muscles that game. That's all it was."

Andrew Ladd opened the scoring on a 2-on-1 rush just about six-and-a-half minutes into the game. The Canes netted two goals in the second period, one on the power play and one with just 2.4 seconds left in the stanza, before adding another two on the power play in the first 4:12 of the third period. Frantisek Kaberle (1g, 2a) and Matt Cullen (3a) each recorded three points, while Cam Ward posted a 25-save shutout.

It was a rout, a dominant performance from a confident team.

Brind'Amour: "[Game 1] was tough to recover from [for Edmonton]. You saw that the next game when we blew them out. It had a lasting effect. It was the same drain when we lost in overtime at home in Game 5. That had an absolute drain on you mentally, and it's tough to overcome that."

The crackdown on obstruction didn't end in Game 82 of the 2005-06 season. Each playoff game was officiated just the same, and the Stanley Cup Final was no different. The Canes had the 17th-ranked power play in the regular season, converting at nearly 18 percent. In the playoffs, that conversion rate jumped to 24 percent, the second-most lethal man advantage of the 2006 postseason behind the Ottawa Senators, who were eliminated by Buffalo in the second round.

Williams: "Two units that can just go out there and snap it around. When you go out there for the power play, you know there is a very, very capable player who is going to change for you. There was no drop off. First unit, second unit. They were completely interchangeable. That's what it was that year."

Ward: "The one thing that remained consistent for me was the creativity of that group, and a lot of it fell on the shoulders of Ray Whitney. I remember Ray sitting there talking, and he would bring other players in. There would be kind of like a powwow between the coaching staff and some of the players. That was one of the most unique things for me. Generally, coaches coach. They set down a game plan, and you execute it. With this team, there was an open-door policy where you could come in and give your two cents. You could have input, and it was fully embraced. Then you start to add Doug Weight and Mark Recchi. And the role of Matt Cullen, when you pull a forward back, you think, 'Oh, this is going to be an experiment.' Matt Cullen that year became a defenseman who was embraced by the defensemen's unit. He was pretty damn good at what he did. That was the experimentation of guys thinking outside the box and trying to determine the ways we could win. It wasn't just the talent. It was also guys being open to new opportunities with the group."

In Game 2, the Canes had a remarkable 10 power plays, half of which came in the third period as the game had already come unraveled. In addition to killing off six of their own penalties, the Canes scored three of their five goals on the power play.

Ward: "When you get 10 power plays, on the surface what it says to me is that we didn't sit back. We absolutely felt as though we were going to dominate the game and dictate the game, and in doing so, you're going to make them play up to your level. If they're able to play at that speed, they'll be fine and the game will play itself out. If they're not - and that's what happened in Game 2 - the tactical part is going to play a bigger role, and we're going to dominate in Game 2."

Two totally different games but two of the same outcomes for the Canes as the series shifted to Edmonton for Games 3 and 4.

Brind'Amour: "It's great. That's what you're supposed to do, and now you're that much closer to winning it all. That's what we play for. That was a pretty special time. My whole family - Skyler, he was only like, I don't know how old, 5 or 6 years old, he's on the plane. Everyone is flying out there to come watch because there was a chance you could win them both. Who knows? It was an exciting time, for sure."