Celebrities the Carolina Hurricanes should invite for the Storm Surge

Last Season, the storm surge became a world-wide phenomenon bringing together players, fans, and even some celebrities to join in on the fun. This year, who should the Carolina Hurricanes bring in to up the ante on this unique celebration. 

During the 2018-2019 season, the Carolina Hurricanes gained a massive amount of media attention. Not only for their play on the ice, but also thanks to their post game celebrations known as the storm surge.

This whole crazy idea came from captain Justin Williams, who was trying to create a new way for the players to connect with the Hurricanes fan base. Little did he realize how these celebrations would grow and galvanized the caniacs to this team.

The celebrations started out small with simple skits like running into the boards and Andrei Svechnikov sliding into the goal. However over time, the storm surge began to pick up more momentum and became far more elaborate with the addition of videos, on-ice projections, and the lighting become a part of the fun.

Then on March 1st, 2019 after the bunch of jerks defeated a red-hot, and the eventual Stanley Cup champions, St. Louis Blues 5-2 inside

PNC Arena, the storm surge was taken to a whole new level. The team gathered around center ice for another storm surge, and out of the tunnel came the four-time world heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield who presided to knockout Jordan Martinook to thunderous cheers.

From Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly to county music star Scotty McCreery, celebrities have always been apart of the Hurricanes game day experience as many have been the warning siren sounder to lead the Hurricanes onto the ice for years. However, Holyfield’s appearance in the storm surge now opens a brand new door.

Which leads to the question, what celebrities the Carolina Hurricanes should invite for the Storm Surge?

Michael Jordan

MJ. Air Jordan. The GOAT. Call him what you will, Michael Jordan is one of the greatest athletes to come from the state of North Carolina. After growing up in Wilmington, Jordan attended UNC-Chapel Hill where he is, to this day, the symbol of UNC basketball.

Not only is he a six-time NBA champion, he has one of the most recognizable shoe brands in the world and is the current owner of the Charlotte Hornets. This man is one of the most recognizable figures in the world and he would be a welcome part to all the fun happening in Raleigh.

Just coming to a Carolina Hurricanes game would bring the crowd to their feet, but many people, including myself, would love see him dunk on someone. Maybe if the Hurricanes try to bring him in on UNC’s College night and get involved in another basketball themed storm surge it would make that victory just a little more sweeter.

Stephen Colbert

This might be the hardest person to get on this list due to the recording schedule of his show, but you miss every shot you don’t take.

The host of CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he has graced the televisions of millions of people for years. However, many don’t know that Colbert actually grew up in South Carolina just four hours away from Raleigh.

By no means is Colbert a big fan of the Carolina Hurricanes or hockey in general, but he has shown his affiliation to the Hurricanes in the past. In 2006 after the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup, Colbert even congratulated the team on his previous show on Comedy Central “The Colbert Report” calling them his “hometown team.”

He could show up at PNC Arena or it could just be a video. Either way, Colbert involved in the storm surge would make noise on social media.

The Duffer Brothers

We go from T.V. to Netflix with these celebrities. The Duffer brothers, Matt and Ross, are the creators of the hit show Stranger Things. These two Durham, North Carolina natives grew up less than an hour away from PNC Arena and even attended Jordan High School.

Their creation of Stanger Things has become a cultural phenomenon in recent years with millions of people watching Season 3 that released on July 4th.

Though the pair mainly live in LA the pair, they have remained connected with their roots as they allowed their local minor league baseball team, the Durham Bulls, to have a Stranger Things themed night last year. The event drew over 11,000 fans to DBAP and was a massive success.

What weird and creepy things could happen if the Carolina Hurricanes decide to host a Stranger Things night near Halloween and get these two involved in a storm surge.

Ric and Charlotte Flair

“IT’S A CAROLINA HURRICANES GOAL!!! WOO!! WOO!!!! WOO!!!

You hear his voice after every goal. You hear his trademark woo echo throughout PNC Arena. He has sounded the warning siren in the past. Now, it is time to bring the Nature Boy and the Nature Girl back to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Flairs that hails from the Queens City of Charlotte are a corner stone in North Carolina history. Even if you don’t watch wrestling, you know who Ric Flair is. He is a cultural phenomenon with his limousine riding and jet flying antics. Plus, his daughter Charlotte is a main stay on the current WWE roster.

Just imagine watching both Flairs’ strutting out onto the ice, wooing as they go, the players gather around them, and then in true Ric Flair fashion he hits a low blow on someone. The player falls to the ice, Flair covers him up for the pin, Stormy runs in for the three count, and the crowd goes wild.

WOOOOO!!!!!!!

With the storm surge looking like it will continue for many years to come, the Carolina Hurricanes marketing and production teams will have a lot of work to do along with the players to decide which , if any, celebrities they decide to bring in for the storm surge. If last season was any indicator for the future, we, the caniacs, are in for another fun year of celebrations.

Question for Cardiac Cane readers: What celebrity would you bring in for a storm surge?