This Day in Canes History: May 21

On this day in Canes history ...

May 21, 2002

Jeff O'Neill takes a puck to his right eye early in the first period of Game 3 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but returns to the game shortly after and goes on to score the game-winning goal in overtime.

After rattling off three straight wins against the Montreal Canadiens, beginning with the Miracle at Molson, the Carolina Hurricanes advanced to the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals, where they met the Toronto Maple Leafs. As champions of the Southeast Division, the Canes were the higher seed, but many favored the Leafs, who finished the regular season with the second-most points in the Eastern Conference and third-most in the league.

The teams split the first two games of the series, a pair of 2-1 finals in Raleigh.

Just over four minutes into the first period of Game 3, Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe kicked the puck to his stick to clear it out of the zone on the penalty kill. The puck struck Jeff O'Neill in the right eye, and No. 92 had to skate off to receive medical attention at the bench.

Shortly after, while still on the power play, Ron Francis redirected a shot off the stick of Sami Kapanen to put the Canes on the board first.

Though his right eye quickly swelled, O'Neill was back on the ice in just about three minutes of game time. In between shifts, the training staff attended to his eye and regularly applied ice in an attempt to prevent it from swelling shut.

A 1-1 deadlock in regulation forced overtime, the two teams destined for a third straight 2-1 decision.

Six minutes deep in overtime, Francis weaved his way around a defender at the blue line, and though he couldn't dangle around another, O'Neill popped into frame and buried the loose puck top shelf over Curtis Joseph.

O'Neill's heroics spawned the "Eye of the Hurricane" legend, and, fittingly enough, the Canes grabbed a 2-1 series lead.

The Canes bested the Maple Leafs in six games, a 2-1 overtime final (of course) in Game 6 being the difference, and it was on to face the Detroit Red Wings in the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.