Bussi 'made himself a star' to help Hurricanes become Stanley Cup champions

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Also known as "The Hockey Maven," Fischler delivers his insight and humor for readers each Wednesday.  An unlikely goaltending hero emerged from the Stanley Cup Final won by the Carolina Hurricanes, and exactly 75 years ago a similar saga involved the 1951 Toronto Maple Leafs when Al Rollins starred in a Stanley Cup victory. This time, Brandon Bussi's adventure followed much of the Rollins' script to victory with arresting similarities.

"What pitching is in a short series in baseball, goaltending is in the Stanley Cup Playoffs," said Jack Adams in the book "Hockey Shorts" written by Glenn Liebman.

The Jack Adams Award given annually to the best coach in the NHL by members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association is named in honor of the longtime Hockey Hall of Fame coach and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. Adams nurtured goalies Harry Lumley, Terry Sawchuk and Glenn Hall to Hall of Fame careers.

Never was Adams' maxim more accurate than now after goalie Brandon Bussi, the pride of Sound Beach, New York, emerged as an unlikely Stanley Cup hero. He was claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes off waivers from the Florida Panthers on Oct. 5, 2025, as insurance for Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov. Today, he's a Stanley Cup champion and not only the toast of North Carolina, but all hockey points South, East, North and West.

"We wouldn't have won it without him," Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. "He gave us a chance."

New York Rangers radio analyst Dave Starman scouted Bussi through his teenage years, college and the minors.

"Bussi is the thinking man's goalie," Starman said in an email. "He might look fluid and clunky at times, but his top dimensional quality is that he's square to pucks and challenges shooters well. His low-panic threshold shows his attention to detail. Plus, he has quick hands and can make a second save from a position of strength when he has to."

Bussi was a backup at the start of the playoffs. This was especially true following Andersen's performance in series wins against the Ottawa Senators (4-0), Philadelphia Flyers (4-0) and Montreal Canadiens (4-1). Bussi replaced Andersen to start the third period of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final and made 18 saves in a 5-4 double-overtime loss to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

The switch was made to Bussi for Game 4, and the Hurricanes would not lose another game. The 27-year-old stopped 81 of 87 shots for a 1.60 goals-against average and .931 save percentage including 22 saves in a 3-0 win to clinch the Stanley Cup for Carolina.

A critic wouldn't have known this was in Bussi based on his development in a tiny, seaside Suffolk County hamlet where a lighthouse and Captain Leon's Boating are major sites. 

"Brandon was a late bloomer who got a break when he made it to Western Michigan University," Starman said. "Coaches developed him, playing him a ton. After that, it was his experience in the minor pros that helped his game. He worked hard at Providence (in the American Hockey League) and made himself a star."

In many ways Bussi's success story follows an earlier Stanley Cup rags-to-riches goalie script. This one involved Al Rollins of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who played for seven minor league teams before peaking in the 1951 Stanley Cup Final. The series against the Canadiens was tied 1-1 when Rollins replaced fading 36-year-old future Hall of Famer Walter "Turk" Broda. 

Rollins played 40 regular-season games for the Maple Leafs and Bussi 39 for the Hurricanes.

"At the time, I liked the gamble. We had seen enough of Rollins in the regular season and knew he could handle the pressure," Toronto coach Joe Primeau told me for my book "Those were the days: The lore of hockey."

The Maple Leafs won 2-1 in Game 3 behind Ted Kennedy's goal 4:47 into overtime and 3-2 in OT in Game 4. Bill Barilko's flying backhander beat Canadiens goalie Gerry McNeil at 2:53 of OT for a 3-2 OT victory in Game 5 and the Stanley Cup.

"It was once in a lifetime thrill," said Rollins, who with Broda won the 1951 Vezina Trophy that prior to 1981-82 was awarded to the goalies from the team allowing the fewest number of goals in the regular season.

Since Sunday, a torrential downpour of kudos have been heaped on the champion Hurricanes and especially Bussi.

"This team is special," he said.

The same can -- and will -- be said about a most unlikely hero.