 Several Hurricanes raised the Cup for the first time in their long NHL careers; Rod Brind'Amour and Bret Hedican had both played over 15 years without winning the Cup, while Glen Wesley, the last remaining member of the Hartford Whalers on the Hurricanes' roster, had waited 18 seasons.On the managerial side, general manager Jim Rutherford finally won the Cup in his twelfth year with the franchise since joining the Whalers in 1994.The Hurricanes Stanley Cup championship marked the first professional major league sports title for a team from North Carolina.