Pro Tips with Brandon Bussi Letting Go of Perfection Fuelled Run to NHL Record Start

Whatever else happens in Brandon Bussi’s NHL career, the Carolina Hurricanes’ goaltender has a place in the record books as the fastest-ever goalie to 10 wins.

The path he took to get there is so unlikely it barely exists. He’s already nearing the top-50 among undrafted goalies in the modern (post-1980) draft regime. Three years with Western Michigan University parlayed into a pro contract with the Boston Bruins in 2021-2022. An AHL All-Star in 2022-23. A free-agent in 2025-2026 signed by Florida, waived by Florida, then claimed by Carolina on October 5th.

An imperfect path. There’s a certain poetry in the fact that his 11-1-1 career start is ALMOST perfect. Because letting go of the idea that he could be perfect was part of what let him get this far in the first place.

“Mentally was where I needed to grow the most. I’ve always been very hard on myself. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, in a way which obviously you can’t [be perfect], but it’s good to strive towards it,” Bussi said on Episode 209 of the InGoal Radio Podcast, soon after the AHL All-Star season.

“But I was the kind of kid early on that really took losses to heart or bad performances and it would lead to me holding grudges or even tough nights where it affected me a lot more than it should have. And it led into the practices and the future games.”