Hurricanes Star Brandon Bussi Says Wild Ride to Stanley Cup Win Still Doesn't Feel 'Real' (Exclusive)

Kelsie GibsonWed, June 24, 2026 at 4:49 PM UTC

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Carolina Hurricanes star Brandon Bussi with Stanley CupCredit: Brian Babineau/NHLI/Getty -

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi became a Stanley Cup hero after making his finals debut when he took over for Frederik Andersen during Game 3

The Raleigh-based team later went on to win the Stanley Cup, marking their first win in 20 years

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, Bussi recalls his wild ride to fame and how he's received support from his loved ones behind the scenes

Overnight, Carolina Hurricanes star Brandon Bussi's life completely changed, but he's taking it all in stride.

Bussi, 27, wasn't expecting to play in the Stanley Cup Final as the Hurricanes' backup goaltender for Frederik Andersen, but in the third period of Game 3, he was tapped to take the net — and over that period and the next three games, led the team to a championship over the Vegas Golden Knights.

It's the Raleigh team's first Stanley Cup win in 20 years, and not only did Bussi lead the way with save after save, but he sealed the win with a shutout in Game 6.

But as Bussi recalls it all to PEOPLE, he's incredibly modest about his exploding rise to fame — from people dressing up as buses as a nod to his moniker to crowds chanting his name at the recent Hurricanes parade — perhaps because it still hasn't fully hit him yet.

“It's very honoring because I don't necessarily feel like a person that warrants that,” he says of the fanfare. “It's not normal to me and it probably will never be normal, but it is the new normal now, right?”

Brandon Bussi and his fiancée Mary Raclawski at Hurricanes paradeCredit: Garrett Poulos

Having played hockey since he was seven years old, Bussi admits that he always dreamed of winning a Stanley Cup, but tried to stay level-headed throughout his entire career.

“You dream about it, but it's so hard to do that,” he says. “You never know if or when you might get an opportunity [to play professionally in the NHL]. When I joined the [Hurricanes], our aspirations were to win the Stanley Cup and I had full confidence that we could do that, but until it actually happens, you never know. Could I have believed this 20 years ago? No. But, you know, it happened and it's been so special and it still hasn't really hit me yet in that sense. It feels like it's not real.”

Taking it back to Game 3 when his name was called to take over the net, Bussi admits there were “levels” to the moment. “On a personal level, it was excitement, right? I'm gonna be making an impact on the ice in the Stanley Cup Final,” he recalls. “That's an opportunity that people dream of. Obviously, the situation wasn't what I wanted, right? I was okay with not playing if that meant we won, but my name was called and it's my job to deliver regardless of the situation. So I'm fortunate I have a very good mindset when I go into games. I just play hard and have fun and I don't try to be anything more than myself and I let the cards fall where they will, whether it's good or bad.”

He also credits the team's “trust in each other” as a big factor in those final games. He adds that he learned a lot from watching Andersen, 36, play throughout the season.

“Freddie's process is why he has the career he has,” he says of the Hurricanes goaltender. “Like his day-to-day, how does he keep his body right? How does he stay ready for the next game and then especially in playoffs, how do you manage your emotions? How do you stay even keel? That's what I appreciate about Fred, how he's able to handle everything and the way he led us there through the majority of playoffs was unbelievable to see.”

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Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour and Brandon BussiCredit: Ethan Miller/Getty

He also has a lot of appreciation for head coach Rod Brind'Amour, who previously won the Stanley Cup as a player with the Hurricanes in 2006, for believing in him.

“Motivation-wise, he's a family guy, right? He believes in a group that's close; he believes in a group that all of our families are close," he says of Brind'Amour, 55. "That care shows on the ice, the sacrifice we have for one another. He's the core of that and it's not hard to get on that bandwagon when you join the team. It's something you wanna be a part of. Whenever Roddy's done, there should be a statue outside of our arena of him because of the impact he's made on the community and the franchise as a whole.”

Though Bussi notes that the team's celebration on the ice after the Stanley Cup win was a moment he'll “remember [for] the rest of [his] life,” the highlight was bringing the cup home to Raleigh and celebrating with the community and his family at the parade on June 20.

Brandon Bussi at Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final Victory ParadeCredit: Jaylynn Nash/Getty

“In a way, that part of it almost makes it more emotional for me,” he recalls of the celebration that brought out an estimated 180,000 fans to downtown Raleigh. “It was probably the best day of the whole week, honestly. The support of our fans is quite remarkable. We had very high expectations [for the parade] and they were exceeded.”

When asked what has been the most incredible part of this whole journey, Bussi immediately points to his family, including his parents and brother Dylan, the latter of whom he honored throughout the hockey season with his helmet that paid tribute to the autism community.

Behind the scenes, he also had the support of his fiancée, Mary Raclawski, whom he is set to marry this summer.

Brandon Bussi and his fiancée Mary RaclawskiCredit: Matthew Bolt/Icon Sportswire/Getty

“That's the only reason why all of us are able to make it to the level we're at right now, let alone win a cup,” he says of the team's support from their loved ones. “I wouldn't be here without them. Like anything in life, it's better to celebrate with people than by yourself and that makes it so special that I have this [support system].”

When asked what he's most looking forward to about his wedding day, Bussi has a hard time coming up with just one moment. “I can't really pick,” he admits. “I think just the whole weekend itself is gonna be something special. Obviously, winning a Stanley Cup is a childhood dream, but we're talking about the rest of my life, you know? So in a way, it's probably my two best moments happening a month apart from each other. You can't really make it up.”

Carolina Hurricanes celebrating Stanley Cup winCredit: Ethan Miller/Getty

Though Bussi is excited to take a “breather” and get “back to normal life” before the new season starts, he's also aware that his life will never be the same going forward. “All of my teammates, we've done something that is special and we have a bond that we're gonna have the rest of our lives,” he says of becoming Stanley Cup winners. “20, 30, 40 years down the line, we'll have reunions, we'll see each other and our name is engraved in hockey history.”

“It's something that I'll be able to tell my kids one day and they'll be able to see it. When we eventually have [kids] and I bring them to the Stanley Cup, they'll see their dad's [name] on it. It's something that I won't really be able to appreciate now. A lot of this, I feel like I'm gonna be able to appreciate more when I'm done playing.”

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Source: “AOL Sports”