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Carolina Hurricanes: They May Not Like Us, And We Don’t Care

By Joshua Ryan

RALEIGH, NC - MAY 03: Jordan Martinook #48 of the Carolina Hurricanes and teammate Patrick Brown #36 celebrate following a victory over the New York Islanders in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 3, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - MAY 03: Jordan Martinook #48 of the Carolina Hurricanes and teammate Patrick Brown #36 celebrate following a victory over the New York Islanders in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 3, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NC – MAY 03: Carolina Hurricanes fans celebrate a goal in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the New York Islanders during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 3, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – MAY 03: Carolina Hurricanes fans celebrate a goal in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the New York Islanders during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 3, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

The Year Carolina Found Their Place

There wasn’t much expected from the Hurricanes entering the 2019 season. There was a changing of the guard, and a new regime was making their presence known. An involved owner, a formerly failed general manager, and a potential future Hall of Famer trading in his skates for a clipboard.

This was perceived as an impending disaster. There where teams who had less talent, and perhaps teams projected to underperform, but there was no team that started the season with such a certain ceiling placed on them as this one.

Consider the other teams of the now coined ‘Wild Card Chaos Squad’. Dallas has three superstars, Colorado sported one of the seasons most dominant lines to start the year, and Columbus was a team that faltered late, but invested in a roster that was built to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup.

The Carolina Hurricanes overcame adversity; they took their talent, took their chances, and came away with a team facing the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals. This is a story that should be celebrated but isn’t by the hockey media. The resentment is palpable. The Hurricanes, after all, didn’t spend in free agency or tank for top picks like other, high-profile, Canadian teams did.

That seems to be where the problem lies. The Canadian media hasn’t given Carolina their due.  After all, it was supposed to be Calgary that fleeced the Hurricanes in their draft day trade. It was supposed to be Calgary that utilized former Hurricanes coach, and players, to dominant and show this team how inept they are.

And so the Canadian media looks at Carolina with, what one commentator calls an, “uncomfortable”, look. They mock our attendance, never once considering the 14,000 fans they insist aren’t worthy of winning. They fail to recognize the unity that we share, the community that we’ve created.

But what creates this rift for Carolina, what makes these analyst so “ uncomfortable”, is what made this season so darn fun.

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