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A former Chipotle employee, who was just 1 year ago a fourth string goalie without a single NHL game under his belt, just capped off one of the most incredible runs in sports. Brandon Bussi is the Stanley Cup champion goaltender this season. If you were to say that sentence to anyone just a year ago, even to Bussi himself, they'd look at you like you have three heads. But now, just 8 months after making his NHL debut at 27 years old, he's responsible for one of the greatest rookie seasons any goalie in hockey history has ever had. Born in Sound Beach, New York, Bussi became all too familiar with being passed on from a
young age, being cut from numerous teams growing up. But it was then that he honed in on his greatest attribute, patience, something he largely credits his younger brother and biggest supporter Dylan for teaching him, who is nonverbal and on the autism spectrum. After a few years in the NAHL and USHL, Bussi didn't even sniff draft boards in his 2016 draft year, but he did play his way into a scholarship from Western Michigan. No, it wasn't the biggest of hockey programs in the state, but it was certainly something. He started 34 games for the Broncos with a 265 goals against average as a freshman in 2019. But even then, it already appeared clear that Bussi was getting himself prepared for a
backup plan if hockey didn't pan out, creating a LinkedIn profile and even working at Chipotle that summer to pay the bills. After most of his sophomore season was canceled due to COVID, Bussi returned to form as a junior in 2022 and posted another solid season, going 26 and 12 with a 255 goals against average and four shutouts, even lifting the Broncos to their first ever win in the NCAA tournament, stopping 30 of 31 shots in a 2-1 overtime win over Northeastern. And it was then that Bussi finally got his first real chance for pro hockey as the Boston Bruins signed him to a 1-year entry-level contract. He proceeded to spend the next 3 years in the Bruins organization entirely with
their AHL affiliate in Providence, and he was great. As a rookie in 2023, he finished second in the league in save percentage, notched 22 wins in 32 appearances, and even made the All-Star game. He continued to play well for the following 2 years, appearing in over 120 games in just a 3-year stretch. But, despite it all, not once did it warrant enough to be called up to the big leagues. In fact, by the time his third year came to a close, he found himself fourth on the pecking order in the Bruins system, losing his starting job in Providence to another goalie. Clearly, Boston just wasn't sold on their AHL prospect. But, luckily for Bussi, someone else appeared to be: the Florida Panthers. Fresh off of
back-to-back Stanley Cups, Florida swooped in and signed the netminder in July of 2025. Everything was looking up for him, finally. Right? Well, wrong, actually. Despite an aging Sergei Bobrovsky in the crease who had played more games than any other goalie in the past 2 years, and a shaky backup situation, the Panthers deemed Bussi just wasn't a match and forced him to yet again test his patience, waving him just 3 months after signing him, and sending him packing to their farm team just days before the season began. And, that is when Carolina struck gold. As Bussi and his fiance were mid-drive from Sunrise, Florida to Charlotte, North Carolina, where the Panthers AHL
team plays, he received the call. After Canes backup Pyotr Kochetkov was injured in preseason, Carolina was desperate for options and saw the recently available netminder as their most viable solution. After years of grinding, Bussi's NHL opportunity had suddenly appeared out of thin air. And, no less than 5 days after being waived by the Panthers, he was on the opening night roster in Carolina, backing up Frederik Andersen. And, from that very point on, he never looked back. At the ripe old age of 27 years old, Bussi made his NHL debut October 14th, stopping 20 of 21 shots in a 5-1 win over the San Jose Sharks. And, once he got his first taste of winning, he just could not stop. He won the first
nine games he started in and became the fastest goalie to record 10 career wins, doing so in just 11 games. And again, he just kept going. He became the fastest goalie to 15 wins and then 20 and then 25, going an unthinkable 25-3-1 in his first 29 starts. When the season came to a close, he finished with 31 wins and six, yes, six losses to go along with the sixth best goals against average in the entire league in his first year of NHL hockey. How the hell was this guy on waivers to start the season? Of course, come playoff time, he resumed his role of backup and with Freddie Andersen playing lights out, it seemed as though Bussi's historic year between the pipes had come to a close. That is until Andersen
suffered a knee injury in game three of the Stanley Cup Finals. And after not having played in almost two entire months, Bussi stepped in and did what he does best, win. He started the final three games Hurricanes season, which were also the biggest three games of the Hurricanes season, and of course, he just kept winning. Three starts, three wins, 63 saves on 68 shots, and the cherry on top, a shutout in game six of the Stanley Cup Finals to clinch Carolina's first cup in 20 years. It's really not often players in any sport spend years and years being doubted only to be finally given a shot. And it's even rarer for those same guys to actually perform well when they do get
their chance. But whatever the word is that you can find to sum up the year Brandon Bussi just had, I promise it's still an understatement because there is no player in sports right now that truly epitomizes the zero-to-hero moniker than him. And in the matter of a year, he went from a nobody with absolutely zero NHL experience to one of the best goalies in the league and a Stanley Cup champion. Utterly insane.
