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Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast retires after missing season with neck injury

Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast retires after missing season with neck injury

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer

Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast is retiring after missing this season with a neck injury sustained in the 2023-24 regular-season finale.

Fast, 33, announced his decision Monday.

“I never took for granted the privilege of playing in the best league in the world,” Fast said in a statement issued by the team.

“I am grateful for all of the teammates, coaches, staff and fans from the Rangers and Hurricanes who made my time in the NHL so special, and for my family for everything they did to help me achieve and live my dream. I’d also like to thank Nassjo HC and HV71, organizations that played a vital role in my development into an NHL player.”

Fast hadn’t played since April 2024 when Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson cross-checked him from behind into the boards. Carolina was headed to the playoffs and resting numerous players in a game that had no bearing on the standings.

“That’s the part that just makes you sick, to be honest with you,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said that night. “You’re just trying to get through the game without having that. I’m not sure where that’s going to go.”

Fast wore a neck brace when he spoke with reporters during end-of-year interviews roughly a month later.

“It’s definitely one of the toughest periods of my career,” Fast said after the Hurricanes fell to the Rangers in Round 2 of the playoffs.

The team announced in August that Fast had neck surgery and would miss the 2024-25 season.

Fast first signed with Carolina in October 2020, then re-signed to a two-year, $4.8 million extension in July 2023.

He had six postseason goals during Carolina’s run to the 2023 Eastern Conference final, including an overtime winner in Game 2 of the first-round series against the New York Islanders and the series clincher against the New Jersey Devils in a five-game second-round series.

Fast played 703 career regular-season games in the NHL with the Rangers and Hurricanes over 11 seasons, tallying 91 goals and 157 assists. He was a sixth-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2010.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Defending champion Panthers head back to Stanley Cup Final with 5-3 Game 5 win over Hurricanes

Defending champion Panthers head back to Stanley Cup Final with 5-3 Game 5 win over Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Carter Verhaeghe broke a tie off a feed from Aleksander Barkov with 7:39 left and the defending champion Florida Panthers advanced to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Wednesday night in Game 5. The Panthers beat the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final for the second time in three seasons. The Panthers will face the winner of the Western final between Dallas and Edmonton, with the Oilers up 3-1 to put them within a win of a rematch with Florida for the Cup. Sam Bennett added an empty-net goal with 54 seconds left by skating down a loose puck straight out of the penalty box after Florida had held up against a critical late power play for the Hurricanes.… Continue Reading

Hurricanes get another home-ice shot at Panthers with Game 5 in Eastern final

Hurricanes get another home-ice shot at Panthers with Game 5 in Eastern final

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes host the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference final series. The Hurricanes extended their season with Monday’s road shutout after falling in a 3-0 series hole. Florida took the first two games in Raleigh to start this series. Carolina started 5-0 in the playoffs at home through two rounds. Florida is unsure of the status of Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola and A.J. Greer after they missed Game 4 with injuries. Carolina defenseman Jalen Chatfield hasn’t played in the series while fellow blue-liner Sean Walker has missed the past two games.… Continue Reading

Hurricanes’ 15-loss streak in East finals games is over. And Rod Brind’Amour is thrilled by that

Hurricanes’ 15-loss streak in East finals games is over. And Rod Brind’Amour is thrilled by that

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Go back to June 1, 2006. Rod Brind’Amour was a captain then; he’s a coach now. Logan Stankoven was 3 years old then; he’s a budding star now. And in those days, when people talked about Cam Ward, they meant the goalie for the Carolina Hurricanes, not the quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes. That was also the last day on which Carolina won an Eastern Conference finals game. Until Monday, that is. It’s over. Not the season. The streak. Carolina’s 15-game streak of consecutive losses in the East finals ended Monday night, with the Hurricanes beating the Florida Panthers 3-0 in Game 4 of their matchup.… Continue Reading

Bennett, Verhaeghe help Panthers roll past Hurricanes 5-0, take 2-0 lead in Eastern final

Bennett, Verhaeghe help Panthers roll past Hurricanes 5-0, take 2-0 lead in Eastern final

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sam Bennett scored one of his two goals in Florida’s three-goal first period, Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves and the Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-0 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference final. Gustav Forsling and Matthew Tkachuk also scored in another tone-setting opening 20 minutes for the reigning Stanley Cup champions, while Carter Verhaeghe had three assists. Bennett scored a second time by skating in to clean up an attempt at the right post in the final minute of the second period to make it 4-0, ending a long shift in Carolina’s end prolonged by Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns being stuck on the ice after breaking his stick. Aleksander Barkov scored midway through the third as punctuation.… Continue Reading

Reigning Stanley Cup champ Florida Panthers beat Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 in Eastern final opener

Reigning Stanley Cup champ Florida Panthers beat Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 in Eastern final opener

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Carter Verhaeghe and Aaron Ekblad scored two tone-setting first-period goals while Sergei Bobrovsky remained strong in net as the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 in Tuesday night’s opener of their Eastern Conference final series. A.J. Greer added a goal by finishing off a perfect 2-on-1 transition chance in the second period for Florida. Sam Bennett and Eetu Luostarinen scored in the third period. Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake scored Carolina’s lone goals in the opener of a series that is a rematch of the 2023 Eastern final. Game 2 is Thursday night at Carolina.… Continue Reading

The Carolina Hurricanes keep leaning on their penalty kill in another deep postseason push

The Carolina Hurricanes keep leaning on their penalty kill in another deep postseason push

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes continue to lean on a reliable penalty kill in their latest playoff run. The Hurricanes have been the No. 1 kill through the past seven regular seasons of coach Rod Brind’Amour’s tenure. That unit has stepped up to deny 28 of 30 power plays in two rounds this postseason. They also have a shorthanded goal. The Hurricanes are back in the Eastern Conference final for the second time in three seasons. They’ll face the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers… Continue Reading

Svechnikov breaks late tie as the Hurricanes beat the Capitals to reach Eastern Conference final

Svechnikov breaks late tie as the Hurricanes beat the Capitals to reach Eastern Conference final

WASHINGTON (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov scored the go-ahead goal with just under two minutes left and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 in Game 5 on Thursday night, winning the second-round series and advancing to the Eastern Conference final for a second time in three years. Captain Jordan Staal got his first goal of the playoffs, and Frederik Andersen stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced, including several on Alex Ovechkin. After a give and go with defenseman Sean Walker, Svechnikov’s shot got through Logan Thompson from a bad angle with 1:59 remaining, and that was the difference in a game that was back and forth. Seth Jarvis sealed it with an empty-net goal with 26.1 seconds remaining.… Continue Reading

Hurricanes and Stars ride stellar special teams to the verge of the conference finals

Hurricanes and Stars ride stellar special teams to the verge of the conference finals

The Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars are each one win away from winning their second-round series and moving on to the conference finals. Carolina is up 3-1 on Washington and Dallas up 3-1 on Winnipeg and have gotten to this point thanks to some of the best special teams play in the NHL playoffs. They have the top two power plays and penalty kills among the teams that made it past the first round. Scoring with the man advantage and preventing goals on the kill is a big reason they’re on the verge of eliminating the Capitals and Jets.… Continue Reading

Walker, Svechnikov score late as Hurricanes push Capitals to brink of elimination in 5-2 win

Walker, Svechnikov score late as Hurricanes push Capitals to brink of elimination in 5-2 win

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sean Walker scored late and Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net clincher to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Monday night for a 3-1 lead in their second-round playoff series. Walker’s score came at the 16:45 mark of the third period after the Capitals had pulled to within 3-2 on Alex Ovechkin’s one-timer on a 5-on-3 power play. Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist, while Shayne Gostisbehere and Seth Jarvis also scored. Jakob Chychrun also scored for Washington. The series shifts back to Washington for Game 5 on Thursday with the Capitals facing elimination.… Continue Reading

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