Carolina Hurricanes: Five Storm Surges We Want To See
Carolina Hurricanes fans were treated to an array of different storm surges in the 2018-19 season. Here’s what could be in store next season.
The storm surges were epic. They brought the entire fanbase together, made the Carolina Hurricanes relevant again and I’m sure gave the players a boost. As the storm surge looks set to return next season, now’s our chance to explore some creative avenues.
Star Wars Night
I have to admit, come Star Wars night this season, I hadn’t seen a single instalment of the film franchise, ever. That has since changed and I’m fully on board with the possibility of a Star Wars related storm surge. This one could be a dandy.
As we all know by now, the Carolina Hurricanes must win in order for there to be a storm surge. Winning on Star Wars night isn’t a must, because it’s a fairly transferable surge, but it would be pretty cool. So let’s start with the win. The Carolina Hurricanes have just beaten the Edmonton Oilers. Time to surge.
After the victory, the players leave the ice leaving Stormy on the ice to lead the skol clap. Upon its completion, the lights go out, leaving PNC Arena in total darkness and the fans in the stands itching to know what’s about to happen.
It starts with the infamous long breaths of Darth Vader. The sound of a readied lightsaber beams across the PA system, while a shaft of red light appears at the bench. Another light, this time green, appears in the opposing bench. This is what I’m going for (SPOILER ALERT!)
Jordan Martinook, complete with Darth Vader mask and Warren Foegele, imitating Yoda square off at centre ice in an epic lightsaber battle. Then, rushing out of the tunnel comes Justin Williams, dressed as Chewbacca to put an end to the fight.
I’m almost a little bit surprised that a Star Wars themed storm surge hasn’t happened yet. I certainly think this would get the crowd going. The only thing that would make it better would be the addition of Harrison Ford as Han Solo!
NFL Play
So far, the Carolina Hurricanes have covered basketball and baseball. To this point they’ve left out football, yet it doesn’t seem like it would be that hard to engineer. If they managed to get a basketball hoop onto the ice, surely the can give a guy a football?
This one is pretty self explanatory. Two teams line up to face off against each other, it shall be designed so that Jaccob Slavin ends up as quarterback and Sebastian Aho the receiver, scoring the touchdown that should hopefully come.
The issue you might have with this one is whether Sebastian Aho can actually catch the long pass! Maybe this is why it is yet to be done. Even with Aho’s great hands, it could still be a little difficult to catch while on skates.
By having other sports involved, it opens the Carolina Hurricanes up to other fanbases that solely follow other sports. Football is arguably the biggest sport in the US, with the Super Bowl possibly the biggest sporting event in the world.
Now they actually had one planned on the same day as the super bowl vs the Calgary Flame last season. But their celebration had to be put on ice as they failed to secure the win. Perhaps this year we can get to see it.
Penalty Kick
Adding an additional sport to the mix, this time we’re going with soccer. It’s got a growing reputation in the US and would be pretty hilarious on ice. Also, it’s a chance to get the goaltenders involved in a surge, something that’s been rare.
The idea is a simple one. A pop up soccer net is pushed onto the ice, with Petr Mrazek assuming position in goal. The penalty is to be taken by European forward Nino Niederreiter. So long as he gets his shot on target, the outcome is win win.
We’ll either have another fantastic Mrazek belly slide celebration, or we’ll be able to see what Niederreiter can cook up. The Swiss are half decent at soccer, Niederreiter should be well versed. There has to be an overzealous celebration though, the fans will love it.
A twist to this could be to add some competition for Niederreiter. I’d go for one of the most successful college soccer teams in the country, the North Carolina Tar Heels women’s team. Heather O’Reilly, former student and one of US soccer’s most decorated players, would be perfect.
Fan Involvement
For the last one of my selections, I’m going to go with fan involvement, giving some lucky fans a chance to take part in a surge. It gives the Carolina Hurricanes an opportunity to run a contest in which you enter for a chance to take part.
The winner of this competition will have two weeks to think up what kind of surge they would like to be a part of. They can either choose to repeat an older surge (I would always pick to be Thor…) or come up with their own idea. Their own idea would obviously have to be run by the team, just to check it was appropriate.
The storm surges worked wonders with engaging the fans throughout the season. This takes it to the next step by getting them involved. Imagine being on the ice with all your favourite stars, you’ll become fan hero.
Zamboni
I have to admit, I hate the Zamboni. There is nothing more annoying than watching the Zamboni drive round and round the ice after a period has ended. You just sit there bored, waiting for the next period.
Still, that doesn’t mean it can’t be a useful tool for a storm surge. It represents a fresh start and many fans enjoy the satisfaction of watching it miss no spots on the ice. So perhaps it’s time to incorporate the Zambonis into a celebration that also celebrates what it represents.
While the players lead the skol clap on the ice, two will be missing. It doesn’t really matter who, but let’s pick Greg KcKegg and Teuvo Teravainen, who have both gone to get ready with the Zamboni.
The Zamboni enters the ice, being driven by McKegg, while Teravainen stands on the back firing Bunch of Jerks t-shirts into the crowd. Hopefully, McKegg knows how to drive. Maybe he’ll even pull off a few doughnuts on the ice before he’s led off, as long as they don’t pull a Deadpool reenactment, the fans should enjoy it!
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Hey Canes fans! We’d like to know if you have any ideas for surges you’d like to see. Let us know in the comments.