It was a sea of red Saturday in downtown Raleigh as Caniacs from across the state packed the city to celebrate the Carolina Hurricanes during the team’s Stanley Cup victory parade.
“It’s unbelieveable,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour as the parade began. “We’re in the fight, we don’t really realize the magnitude of what’s going on. I love it, this turn out is unbelievable.”
According to the city of Raleigh, more than 150,000 people attended the parade, which began on Hillsborough Street and ended on Fayetteville Street.
“To have an opportunity for thousands and thousands of North Carolinians to come together and celebrate? We are all Caniacs, this is a joyous day for North Carolina,” said Josh Stein, governor of North Carolina.
In addition to Canes players, coaches, team entertainment and staff, several groups were also part of the parade on Saturday, including:
Raleigh Police Department Motorcade.Raleigh Fire Department Honor Guard.NC State Power of the South Band and Dance.Communty Hockey Groups.
“It’s exciting for the NC State Band to be part of the Raleigh and greater North Carolina community and come out and celebrate the Canes with everybody,” said Colby Vasquez, NC State assistant band director.
The Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup in 20 years days earlier, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in six games and going 16-3 in the postseason, the second-best postseason record since the National Hockey League went to four best-of-seven series in 1987.
The Canes rode down the parade on four double decker busses, greeted by screaming and chanting from Caniacs as they made their way to City Plaza.
“This is unbelievable, but it’s what they do all year,” said Jackson Blake, Hurricanes winger, when asked about the support the city has shown the team.
Fans line the parade route hours ahead of start time
Fans began lining Fayetteville Street and the parade route hours before the Hurricanes began parading through downtown Raleigh. Some told WRAL News that they set up shop around 6 a.m.
“We got here at 6:45 a.m.,” said Jennifer, a Hurricanes fan watching the parade on Fayetteville Street. “We were kind of surprised of how not busy it was, but it filled up pretty quickly.”
John Presby, who has brought a massive horn in the shape of the Stanley Cup to all three of the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup Final appearances, said he got set up to watch the parade just after 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning on Hillsborough Street.
“Being a 25-year season-ticket holder, and getting to see two winning Stanley Cup teams, this one means a lot to me, just as much as the last one,” Presby said.
Caniacs from across NC made the journey to Raleigh to glimpse Stanley Cup.
For Scott Stiles and his son Joey, Concord natives, they got in their car around 3 a.m. for a 2 1/2-hour drive to celebrate the Canes’ victory.
“When’s the next time they’re going to win a Cup?” Scott said, pausing as a “Let’s go Canes!” chant wrapped up. “They might win it again next year, who knows? But we wanted to be a part of it.”
Canes show appreciation for fans in speeches following parade
After the parade finished its route, Hurricanes players and coaches gathered on the stage at City Plaza to address the fans who waited hours to get a glimpse of the players and the Stanley Cup.
“This staff, this team, put it all on the line to deliver the Stanley Cup,” Stein said. “They said we were a ‘Bunch of Jerks,’ they said North Carolina is not a hockey state…it is because of you. You made sure every home game was a sell-out the last three years.”
Before the team addressed the fans, Stein announced that a section of Edwards Mill Road would be renamed.
“These Canes brought us together, and the next time you go to a Canes game, you’ll feel the storm surge before you even hit the parking lot because by the power vested in me… that stretch of Edwards Mill Road is now known as Hurricanes Highway,” Stein said.
The team then took the stage with Scorpions’ “Rock You Like a Hurricane” playing behind them. As the team’s radio team, Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy, called the players up to kiss the cup, players swarmed Brind’Amour to make him go “Tarps Off” with fans.
“When people talk about this team, they are going to say it’s the greatest team that’s ever won the Stanley Cup,” Brind’Amour said. “Let me leave you with this: there’s no better fan base in the National Hockey League, and you guys just proved it.”
Brind’Amour wouldn’t be the only one who went tarps off on stage, being joined by Andrei Svechnikov and Jordan Staal’s son. Staal spoke with gratitude for the fans and his team.
“What a team we had, we needed everyone,” Staal said. “We needed all of you. That arena, that passion from y’all, I felt it. Thank you, Caniacs, for all of it.”
General Manager Eric Tulsky signed Nicolas Deslauriers to a two-year extension, and players and coaches came to the podium one by one to thank the fans. The celebration concluded with Martinook leading Caniacs in a “storm surge” and Brind’Amour making a promise to fans.
“We want to enjoy it, these guys are enjoying it, but I promise you we’re going to try and do it again,” Brind’Amour said. “Thank you very much.”
Stanley Cup trophy caps first exciting week in Raleigh
The Stanley Cup has seen its fair share of Raleigh in the days leading up to the parade, from a party with fans on Glenwood South when the Canes returned from Vegas on Monday to various stops through Saturday.
“We haven’t even got started yet, and the Caniacs are killing it,” said Jordan Martinook, who was one of the first acquisitions the team made under Brind’Amour in 2018.
Phil Pritchard, the Keeper of the Stanley Cup, said he and his crew have been working hard to keep the trophy in the best condition for the parade, adding that they clean it the morning after every outing.
“The community is so behind their team, and the team is so behind their community,” Pritchard said. “You can see why they’re Stanley Cup champions.”
WRAL’s Ashley Rowe, Grace Hayba, Chris Lea, Brian Murphy, Pat Welter, Louis Fernandez, Chris Lovingood, Dan Haggerty, Michelle Mackonochie, Elizabeth Gardner, Brian Shrader, Renee Chou, Heidi Kirk & Eric Miller, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.