Forgotten Carolina Hurricanes: Kevin Weekes’ Interesting Tenure in Raleigh – The Hockey Writers – Carolina Hurricanes

As we continue the “Forgotten Hurricanes” series, we will turn our focus to former Carolina Hurricanes netminder Kevin Weekes. While his tenure was short in Raleigh, “Shady 80” showed he could win games; unfortunately, the teams in front of him didn’t give much support. Despite playing only 119 games in a little over two seasons in Carolina, Weekes became well-beloved by fans.

Will Shady 80 Please Stand Up?

Before joining the Hurricanes, Weekes was drafted 41st overall by the Florida Panthers in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. The second-round pick went 9-12-5 with a 5.22 goals-against average (GAA) and an .868 save percentage (SV%) with the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Owen Sound Platers. After spending time with the Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, and New York Islanders, Weekes was traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Hurricanes in the 2001-02 season.

Weekes played in two regular-season games for the Hurricanes, going 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and a .927 SV%. He only allowed three goals in his two starts, stopping 38 of 41 shots faced. During his only postseason with the team, he had a 3-2-0 record in eight games (six starts), a 1.62 GAA, a .939 SV%, and two shutouts. This came in a postseason that saw the Hurricanes lose to the Detroit Red Wings in six games in the 2002 Stanley Cup Final. He was part of a tandem with Arturs Irbe, who had a stellar 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs of his own.

Over the next two seasons, Weekes started 114 games (117 games played). In 2002-03, he had a 14-24-9 record, with a 2.55 GAA, a .912 SV%, and five shutouts. The following season, he had a 23-30-11 record with a 2.33 GAA, a .912 SV%, and six shutouts. The 2003-04 season saw Weekes start 65 games, after starting 49 the season before. The interesting part is that out of his 39 wins in Carolina, almost a third of them were shutouts (11).

Over the course of his time in Raleigh, Weekes had a 39-54-20 record with a .912 SV%, a 2.41 GAA, and 11 shutouts. What makes those numbers interesting is that the leading scorer in the 2002-03 season was Jeff O’Neill (61 points). The leading scorer in 2003-04? Josef Vašíček with 45 points. The 2002-03 team averaged 2.09 goals for per game, while allowing 2.93 goals against. In 2003-04, it was 2.10 goals for and 2.55 goals against. This was an era before the two-line pass was removed, and scoring wasn’t as prevalent as it is now.

When it comes down to it, Weekes was a very good goalie but did not get much support in goal scoring. The 2002-03 Hurricanes went 22-43-11-6, and the 2003-04 team went 28-34-14-6 over the two seasons Weekes was the main starter in the crease. Once the NHL returned from the lockout season of 2004-05, he went on to finish his career with the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils.

While his tenure was short-lived in Raleigh, Weekes was more than capable of winning games for the Hurricanes, and the numbers showed it. Being able to tally 11 shutouts, while having a sub-2.60 GAA and a .912 SV% in back-to-back seasons, is impressive. However, it’s tough when the team in front of him barely scored over two goals a game, along with the top scorers having 61 and 45 points, respectively.

In the end, Weekes is well-liked in Raleigh and someone who could have had success overall. Despite only playing barely over two full seasons, along with one postseason, he made a mark with the Hurricanes. It’s one of those “What-Ifs” where, if the team played well, who knows what his record could have been, along with the success of the team.