The best NHL fans have sacred playoff traditions. In Montréal they chant “Olé, Olé, Olé.” In Detroit they toss octopus on the ice. And in Raleigh, the fans stand for much of the game, a commitment rarely seen in hockey. If this fanaticism isn’t reason enough for the South to rally behind Carolina as they take on the Vegas Golden Knights, consider Shayne Gostisbehere. The ’Canes star defenseman grew up in Florida.
Here’s a double hat trick of more reasons Carolina’s got serious puck cred this June.
Rod the Bod
Rod Brind’Amour is the seventh person in NHL history to play for and coach the same NHL team in a Stanley Cup Final. Amazingly, the captain of the 2006 Stanley Cup champs has participated as a player or coach in 98 of the 100 playoff victories in Hurricanes history.
Always the Bridesmaid
Carolina has qualified for the playoffs for eight straight years under Brind’Amour, but this is the ’Canes first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final during that run—and their first Cup appearance since beating the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. (They lost to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals two of the past three years.)
Pro Hockey in a College Hoops Town
The erstwhile Hartford Whalers relocated to North Carolina in 1997 and played in Greensboro until Raleigh’s arena was completed in 1999, at which point the Carolina Hurricanes became the first professional sports franchise in the Research Triangle, a region best known for college athletics at Duke, UNC, and NC State. As a nod to their history, the Hurricanes don Whalers throwback sweaters (hockey-speak for jerseys) several times a year.
Staying Power
Several Canadian-born former Hurricanes established residency in the area after their playing careers, including Justin Williams, one of six members of the team’s Hall of Fame. Two other ’Cane Hall of Famers, 2006 Cup champion Glen Wesley and 2006 Stanley Cup Conn Smythe (MVP) Award winner Cam Ward, also call Raleigh home. Aaron Ward, a three-time Stanley Cup champ (and passionate bourbon collector) who relocated to Raleigh after his NHL retirement, says, “If you’re open to discovery, North Carolina offers you everything you need.”
A Long Staal Between Cups
Thirty-seven-year-old Jordan Staal won his first Stanley Cup as a twenty-year-old rookie with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. If the longtime Hurricanes captain hoists the Cup this spring, it would mark the longest span for a player between Cup wins in NHL history.
Four More Wins to Go
The Carolina Hurricanes amassed an impressive 12–1 postseason record on their way to the Stanley Cup Final—the best record in the modern four-round playoff era. Should the ’Canes vanquish the favored Vegas Golden Knights in five games, they would equal the 1988 Edmonton Oilers 16–2 record.
Crai Bower regularly writes about golf, gardens, nature, human-powered adventures, and other passions for Garden & Gun and many other publications. Follow his sojourns to the South and around the world on Instagram @travelcrais.
