I'm not so naive as to think that my happiness about the Carolina Hurricanes making it to the Stanley Cup Final is coming at the expense of 30 other teams whose fans are sitting at home watching, or not watching, the series. The Hurricanes and the Golden Knights will go to battle for the sport's top prize, but there are plenty of reasons for everyone else to jump on the Hurricanes' bandwagon.
Below is one reason for each of the 30 teams to support the Canes, or at the very least tolerate them, over the next few weeks. They won't all be "so and so played for this team, so you should like them," though there will be a few of them. Not all of them are necessarily strong reasons, too, because, after all, most of these teams don't like the Hurricanes. Then again, some of them like Vegas even less.
The "enemy of my enemy is my friend" path for the Pacific Division
On one hand, a Golden Knights win does wonders to silence everyone talking about the division being soft. However, Vegas won the division despite having fewer wins than Anaheim and Edmonton, while San Jose missed the playoffs with the same number of wins. For the Oilers, it might go a little deeper. Jack Eichel could earn a second Stanley Cup before Connor McDavid even gets one.
Seattle would continue to hear about how Vegas has been one of the most successful expansion teams ever. Calgary has a former draft pick on the Canes' roster in Mark Jankowski. Los Angeles and Vancouver were also the first stops for Sean Walker and Jalen Chatfield, respectively. Truthfully, some of these teams couldn't care less, but we'd welcome them with open arms.
The Central ranges from revenge seekers to trade facilitators to bragging rights
To get to the Stanley Cup Final, Vegas had to go through a pair of Central Division foes. Utah and Colorado each fell victim to the Golden Knights, with former Hurricane Brent Burns' chances to finally win a Stanley Cup going with it. There's also the fact that we didn't get a Disaster Bros Cup Final. Meanwhile, Nashville is one half of the coolest scoreboard bug in the NHL with Carolina.
Chicago played a big part in the Mikko Rantanen trade saga, giving the Canes the potential Conn Smythe winner, and there doesn't seem to be any bad blood. Dallas was also part of it, though I don't think they're nearly as thrilled about the current arrangement. Instead, they should cheer for the Canes because Vegas was where their long line of conference finals defeats began.
St. Louis holds a rare distinction over others in the league, being one of three teams to hold the Canes without a win this season. The others were Montreal and Vegas. Winnipeg can come at this from two angles by supporting Nikolaj Ehlers and showing solidarity with a former division comrade. Minnesota is tough to figure out. Maybe we'll stop talking about the Rask-Niederreiter trade.
Old rivals who treated the Canes like punching bags could be on their side
Over the last seven seasons, only one team outside of the Atlantic Division has beaten the Canes in the playoffs. Twice, the Canes fell at the hands of Boston and Florida, while Tampa Bay beat them once. Their old Southeast pals did it during a year when they won the Cup. If the Canes can overcome Vegas for the Cup, there's a chance for them all to say that they prepared them for this moment.
Ottawa and Montreal are in a boat together, which probably makes their fans a little mad. Ottawa gave Carolina its toughest series to date, while Montreal handed them their first loss. Speaking of only losses, a Canes win ensures that Detroit remains the only team to beat Carolina in the Stanley Cup Final, which is about all they have to hold onto right now as they struggle to make the playoffs.
Buffalo was there for one of the first big moments under the new regime, facilitating the deal that sent Jeff Skinner to the Sabres. In return, the Canes turned two of their picks into Pyotr Kochetkov and Alexander Nikishin. Toronto has also done a lot for the Canes. From the pick that became Seth Jarvis, to Freddie Andersen, to the David Ayres game, we've had plenty of fun at their expense.
Division foes might be the toughest to convince
One team in the Metropolitan Division is in the same boat as a few others in the Atlantic. The New York Rangers have joined some of their inter-conference foes to torture the Canes in the playoffs. On the other side of things, New Jersey and the New York Islanders have to wonder if years of taking it on the chin will come to an end if the Canes reach the summit.
Philadelphia is with Ottawa and Montreal, sitting four wins away from the claim that they too lost to the champs and took them to overtime twice in four games. Washington is another team that has been there since the very beginning. Not only are they also part of the Southeast Division fraternity, but they were the first team that the Canes beat in the playoffs when they returned in 2019.
There are also a few wholesome reasons. Columbus' centers around Eric Robinson. Not only is he a former Blue Jacket, but he also had a bond with Johnny Gaudreau. The Gaudreau family has posted in support of Robinson making it to the Cup Final. For Pittsburgh, it would mean a full-circle moment for Jordan Staal. The Canes captain won it all in 2009. Now, he can lead his own team to victory.
Regardless of the reason, we want as many people as possible on the bandwagon for the next few weeks. You have your own teams that you cheer for, but I promise that we aren't so bad when you get to know us. The Canes can actually be a fun team, contrary to popular belief. We know you don't have many options during this time of year, and we'll be grateful if you choose Carolina.
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