Once upon a time, there was a kid from Long Island with a dream to be like his hero. Thursday, […]
Once upon a time, there was a kid from Long Island with a dream to be like his hero. Thursday, the hero came to see who that kid had become as he completed a shutout in the most famous arena in North America.
The Carolina Hurricanes closed out the final game before the Olympic break on a high note with a 2-0 shutout versus the New York Rangers. However, the night was a little more special than meets the eye, as goaltender Brandon Bussi put up one of his greatest performances on an important stage.
It is rare to hear anyone in Madison Square Garden cheer for any goaltender who doesn’t wear the blue shirts, but stop after stop, applause rang out. Bussi, who played his first game in the arena of his childhood favorite team, had an entourage of fans with number 32 sweaters in the audience. Over forty family members and friends of the Hurricanes’ goalie attended Thursday’s game, many seeing him play in-person at the top level for the first time.
When asked how much he spent on tickets, he replied with a sigh and a laugh.
“Oh, a little bit, a little bit. So, my family helped me out with a lot of it, but yeah, you know.”
Throughout the course of the game, he made 16 saves, matching the number of stops he made in his first career NHL shutout against the Calgary Flames on November 30, 2025.
The Rangers continued their centennial celebration, ironically, honoring the legendary goalies of the franchise. In attendance was Bussi’s childhood hero, the Rangers’ leader in wins and shutouts, Henrik Lundqvist.
“I think, obviously, tonight was about the goalies – not just me and Quick,” Bussi said, referring to the celebration and his opponent, Jonathan Quick. “But I mean the whole day … hearing all about all the legends that have played for the Rangers.
“Being a Rangers fan growing up, I guess that also makes this pretty special. So, a lot of very cool things to check off my bucket list.”
When it was brought up that Lundqvist was in the arena, Bussi, clearly excited, mustered a quick response before trailing off:
“Yeah, that’s pretty crazy, too! So, I mean, you know, just…yeah, that’s all I got.”
In the early 2000s, Bussi and his grandmother waited in line at a mall to meet Lundqvist. Thursday night, Lundqvist waited outside the visitors’ dressing room in Madison Square Garden to meet Bussi.
Just a kid from New York and the King pic.twitter.com/H6Z36T4sbU
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 6, 2026
Hurricanes Notes
The Hurricanes embark on the Olympic break with a ten-game point streak.
Jordan Staal recorded a goal in his third game straight. Additionally, Andrei Svechnikov recorded a point in his third game straight with the game-winning goal.
Thursday afternoon, it was announced that Seth Jarvis had been named to Team Canada to play in the Olympics, replacing Brayden Point.
The Hurricanes’ Olympians are expected to depart New York on Saturday for Milan-Cortina, Italy. Jaccob Slavin (USA), Sebastian Aho (Finland), Frederik Andersen (Denmark), Nikolaj Ehlers (Denmark), and Seth Jarvis (Canada) will all represent their nations.
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