After 17 Years, Red Wings’ 2009 Playoff Benchmark Is Finally Equaled
A record that was set by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs was broken on Saturday afternoon by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Follow Michael Whitaker On X Fans of the Detroit Red Wings will have to wait another year for their beloved franchise to play beyond the 82nd game of the regular season. Unfortunately, the Red Wings unraveled in the month of March once again, losing what was a comfortable playoff cushion and eventually being eliminated from contention in the 80th game of their centennial campaign. Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes have already punched their ticket to the second round of the postseason thanks to a clean four-game sweep of Detroit's Atlantic Division rival, the Ottawa Senators.
In doing so, they matched an impressive mark set by the Red Wings in 2009 that had not been repeated until now. The Hurricanes became the first team since the 2009 Red Wings, who swept the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Western Conference Quarterfinal, to never trail at any point during an opening-round series. Talk about staying ahead of the game 🏃♂️💨 The Canes are the first team to never trail in a game in the first round series since the Red Wings vs.
the Blue Jackets in 2009 🙌 pic. twitter. com/YiUboBdkFN — ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) April 25, 2026 Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news , game-day coverage, and player features .
As Red Wings fans may remember, they entered the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the defending Stanley Cup champions. "We Had Concerns": Steve Yzerman Saw Warning Signs For Red Wings During Thursday's press conference, Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman spoke honestly about what needs to improve for his club, which just missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season. Detroit was matched against the Blue Jackets, who were making their very first playoff appearance.