Understanding Raleigh and the Carolina Hurricanes
Jordan Staal's goal to put the Carolina Hurricanes up and the Las Vegas Golden Knights to bed last night was pure Raleigh. Staying under the radar, a little messy, a little later than you'd like, and getting the job done all the same.
I first moved to Raleigh, NC to attend NC State University in 1999 -- I've never left. One key thing I've learned since day one of being here, is this area takes its college sports very, very seriously. You are either an NC State fan, a Chapel Hill fan, or Lord help us, a Duke fan (although most Duke fans are out of state...another conversation worth an entire separate column).
You can look back to the deep roots of Coach Dean Smith, Jim Valvano, Coach K, and fast forward to today and say, "Well that makes sense, I'd be a huge fan of one of those schools too." But the story goes deeper than that.
Raleigh -- and even when you add surrounding areas Durham and Chapel Hill -- is a small city, we are a small market and always will be when compared to Philly, Boston, or San Francisco.
There are more fans here of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Commanders than of the Carolina Panthers -- and let's get one thing straight...there is no Carolina. There is a North Carolina and there is a South Carolina. The Canes play in Raleigh and the Panthers play in Charlotte. To locals, 'Carolina' is a myth invented by TV networks and clothing brands. NC and SC were two of the original 13 colonies, let's show some respect! ...I digress.
Why the Braves / Commanders? Raleigh was such a small market that before cable was a thing and we had choices, those were the teams programmed for us on network TV. I saw grown men weep when the Braves beat the Stros in 2021...they used to watch these games with their dads back in the 80's.
All of that changed when the Hurricanes landed in Raleigh in 1999. It was the one team we could all get behind, it united everyone here. We became Caniacs, even more so when we went to the Stanley Cup and lost in 2002 and went back and won it in 2006 (with Jordan's brother Eric going insane in that series). We didn't have watch parties, we didn't close down any streets, and the parade for the cup was marching around the coliseum -- at the time named the RBC Center (now the Lenovo Center).
Today, there are watch parties at the amphitheater, at the Lenovo Center while they're away, at our neighborhood movie theater the Rialto, Smoky Hollow, ... and they are all full.
In the 20 years since we were last in the Stanley Cup, our population has grown more by more than 40% (if you include our surrounding towns, we've added nearly one million people). Comparing that growth to other major metros, only our rivals down I-85 in Charlotte beat us. And trust me, as someone who grew up in the QC on a steady diet of Alonzo, Muggsy, and Grandmama himself, Larry Johnson, it pains me to give them credit but the numbers don't lie.
The Canes have grown and so has Raleigh. We've been in the playoffs every year for what seems like forever, and much like the 90's Bulls, we kept running into the Florida Panthers. Our local sports guys Ovies and Giglio liken that to video games: We've been leveling up to beat the boss. Well, taking care of all the side quests first before the main storyline seems to be paying off, we made it out of the East and are heading home to a tied 2-2 Stanley Cup final.
Well, now here we are. In front of the boss, and we didn't hear no bell. We'd love you to come visit, we say ya'll, and ma'am and sir. BBQ means we are smoking a pig and/or parts of it. You'll encounter that should you go tailgate for a Canes game, and yes that is something we do proudly.
When people ask me what Raleigh's like, I often reply: "It's the biggest town you'll ever experience." I think to understand Raleigh, is to understand what in my mind is the "New" South. A booming tech hub, a fierce biotech center, all anchored by our three major universities, and at the heart of it all, Caniac nation.
If -- IF -- we win this year, I don't think we'll be parading around the Lenovo Center this time, the city will shut down. That’s how much Raleigh has changed, and that’s how deep our love for this team runs.
