Claude Lemieux became a successful agent after his 21-season NHL career, and one of the first players he signed up was Frederik Andersen.
"It's been a difficult couple of days. However, the way we showed up for each other today is incredible. I can't talk about enough good things about this team and the way they supported me," Andersen said in a postgame interview on TNT, following Carolina's 6-1 victory in Game 5 over Montreal to the series 4-1.
Andersen made 23 saves, including some key second-period stops, as the Danish keeper did not allow Montreal a way back into the game on the back of the Hurricanes securing a 4-0 advantage in the first 27:19 of the game.
"He's like family," Andersen said after Game 3, where the former Stanley Cup star Lemieux allegedly had reached out to let him know he had been asked to carry the torch.
Captain Jordan Staal said the Hurricanes had supported their goaltender through his grief.
"Freddie was unbelievable. We were playing for him as best we could. It's a tough couple of days here for him, and we're just a family here, and we all felt that hurt," Staal said. "We tried to share as best we could and play well in front of him as best we could. But I thought he played unbelievably."
The Carolina Hurricanes will face the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup final.