The Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the New Jersey Devils in five games Tuesday night at Lenovo Center thanks to a 5-4 double overtime win.
As always following the conclusion of a series, the two teams met at center ice for the ceremonial handshake line, a show of respect between the clubs.
But it was an even more special moment for the Canes as they finally got to drop the masks with a few long-time teammates, but most notably Brett Pesce.
It was valiant effort from the veteran blueliner, who logged an average of 26:43 of ice time per game due to New Jersey's injury issues and, in that time, he had 18 blocks, three points and had a +3 5v5 goal differential.
It was the kind of game one would expect out of Pesce, having watched him for nine seasons in Carolina.
The 2013 third-round pick was a big part of the Hurricanes' organization for so many years and is still a very much beloved figure even though he left in free agency this summer.
And you could tell how much his old teammates still love him as he went down the handshake line, embracing so many of the Hurricanes players.
Our first #HockeyHandshakes of the #StanleyCup Playoffs. 🤝
— NHL (@NHL) April 30, 2025
Still the best tradition in sports. pic.twitter.com/2RWUx91ZRe
"There's a lot of respect there both ways," said Sebastian Aho, who shared an elongated moment with Pesce. "He's our brother. We played here together for so many years. He's a really good friend of mine and obviously a great competitor and, in my opinion, one of the better players to play against. It was definitely kind of an emotional handshake, but it just showed we have a lot of respect for each other."
"That was one of the most unique handshake lines that I've ever been in because there was just so many guys that were Hurricanes," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "It was nice to see them and actually be able to hug them. Hated them for the 10-day stretch here, but they were big parts of building what we've got going here. So that was kind of interesting."
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