Round One
The Hurricanes drew a tough opponent in the opening round, facing off against the Martin Brodeur led Devils squad that had eliminated them the year before. An insanely raucous crowd welcomed the Hurricanes to the ice for the start of Game One.
That was the first playoff game that I ever attended and loud is not a strong enough word; I was sure that my eardrums were going to explode at any moment. You know that high pitched, squealing sound you get when something is really loud? I had that all night.
The home team won each of the first five games, a trend that the Hurricanes broke with a 1-0 victory in Game Six at the Continental Airlines Arena. Despite New Jersey outscoring Carolina 11-9, the Hurricanes came away with the series victory, exorcising their playoff demons.
Of course, you can’t talk about this series without mentioning Kevin Weekes’ jaw-dropping save on John Madden in overtime of Game Five: