RALEIGH, N.C. — As Caniacs are gearing up for the Carolina Hurricanes 2026 Championship Celebration on Saturday, fans are showing out in full force for the team. One fan even learned how to drive a Zamboni.
What You Need To Know
Caniacs are still celebrating the Carolina Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup
Jennifer Bosk loves the Canes and went to Zamboni Driving School for her 75th birthday
She can’t drive an ice resurfacer whenever she wants after taking the course but still dreams or driving one for the Canes
The Carolina Hurricanes 2026 Championship Celebration will take place in downtown Raleigh on Saturday
Caniacs are the real deal. The fans definitely are getting their recognition this year for their support for the Carolina Hurricanes, from Caniacs like Jennifer Bosk.
“The embracing of this team is just phenomenal” Bosk said.
Seth Jarvis memorabilia in Jennifer Bock’s home. (Spectrum News 1/Sydney McCoy)
Bosk, whose grandson is a goalie on the Junior Hurricanes, watches quite a few games and learns many of the rules from her grandson.
“I think one of the secrets to loving hockey is to learn the rules early and fast,” said Bosk, who is a member of the Ladies of the Hurricanes.
Her love for the sport has continued to grow throughout the years, including her love for Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis.
“He’s just a cutie, but he’s also an excellent player,” Bosk said. “And if you watch him and watch his stick action, he just has this intuitive nature of about how to get the puck into the net.”
In her home lives what she calls her Seth Jarvis Shrine, including trading cards, a bobble head and a stuffed Hurricanes Zamboni. She also has numerous Seth Jarvis cups from Goodberry’s Frozen Custard and Canes merch from blankets to jerseys. All used to better her viewing experience.
“You want to be able to enjoy the game, and you want to be loose enough, although, [want] to be able to jump up and down to cheer or yell at the refs, whatever the case may be,” Bosk said.
Her son is a season ticket holder, and she tags along when she can for the games but makes sure to watch every game on TV. While she may not be able to go to every home game, when she does, her eye is always caught by a secret star in the rink.
“I was at a Canes game, and I said to my son, ‘hey, you know, in another year or so I’m going to turn 75,’ which was a couple weeks ago. I said, ‘I’d really like to ride on a Zamboni,’” Bosk said.
Soon she found a Zamboni driving school outside of Washington, D.C. and signed up for the class for her 75th birthday, keeping it a surprise from her family.
“I just wanted to go, and I wanted to learn about a Zamboni, and it was the best day of my life,” Bosk said.
Jennifer Bosk holding her certificate of completion of Zamboni driving school. (Courtesy: Jennifer Bosk)
During the class, she said she learned the history of Zambonis, how they work, lay a sheet, how to operate one, why drivers take the path they do and more.
“It was really a good educational opportunity, a good chance to learn and then to really understand and respect the equipment and what it does,” Bosk said.
Zambonis are brought out to help resurface the ice. First a blade shaves off the top layer of the damaged ice and collects the shavings. Then, a conditioner is sprayed on the ice, which is water that cleans the dirty ice and squeegeed. Lastly, hot water is released onto the ice to help fill in any divots or imperfections on the ice and smoothed.
“It was combination of steering, revving, dropping. It’s just coordination,” Bosk said.
While Bosk can’t hop on an ice resurfacer in between periods at the Canes games, she dreams to be the backup to the backup driver just in case.
The Carolina Hurricanes 2026 Championship Celebration will take place in downtown Raleigh on Saturday. The parade will begin at 11 a.m.