Carolina Hurricanes to play preseason game in Greensboro

Carolina Hurricanes to play preseason game in Greensboro against Nashville Predators

MISSES, THROUGH SEASONS THAT ENDED ONE STEP SHORT. BUT THIS YEAR THE HURRICANES FINISHED THE JOURNEY, STORMING THROUGH THE PLAYOFFS, WINNING THEIR SECOND STANLEY CUP IN FRANCHISE HISTORY AND BRINGING HOCKEY’S GREATEST TROPHY BACK TO NORTH CAROLINA. NOW A CELEBRATION 20 YEARS IN THE MAKING FROM DOWNTOWN RALEIGH TO COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE CAROLINAS, THIS IS WXII 12 SPECIAL COVERAGE. THE CAROLINA HURRICANES STANLEY CUP PARADE OF CHAMPIONS. YOU’RE LOOKING LIVE AT DOWNTOWN RALEIGH. LOOK AT THE CHOPPER SKY. LOOK A CELEBRATION DAY FOR THE CAROLINA HURRICANES AS THE FANS ARE FLOODING THE STREETS OF DOWNTOWN RALEIGH IN CELEBRATION OF THE FIRST STANLEY CUP TITLE IN 20 YEARS. JOHN JOHNSON WITH CHANEL PORTER CHANEL. WHAT A. WHAT AN AFTERNOON THIS IS FOR THIS CAROLINA HURRICANES HOCKEY TEAM. 20 YEARS IN THE MAKING, JOHN. AND IF YOU REMEMBER, BACK IN ZERO SIX, THEY DIDN’T EVEN GET THIS FULL EXPERIENCE. SO THESE FANS, WE’VE SEEN THEM STICK THROUGH THE HARD SEASONS. NOW THEY’RE HERE SUPPORTING THEIR TEAM. THEIR TEAM WON ON THE ROAD IN VEGAS. BUT NOW THEY GET TO SOAK IT ALL IN. THERE’S 18,000 PEOPLE THAT USUALLY FILL UP THIS. LENNY. WE’RE EXPECTING WAY MORE THAN 18,000 PEOPLE. WE SAW SOME PEOPLE THAT DROVE IN FROM ASHEVILLE, SOME PEOPLE FROM ASHEBORO ALREADY. THEY CAME TO THE LENNY LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO PARK, GET SOME DIRECTIONS TO GET DOWNTOWN. IT’S GOING TO BE A HUGE CELEBRATION TONIGHT. WE SAW SOME OF THOSE AERIAL SHOTS ALREADY, THE PEOPLE IN THE STREETS AND OBVIOUSLY THIS HURRICANES ORGANIZATION GETTING ON THEIR LITTLE BUSSES AND YEAH, GOING TO HAVE A NICE LITTLE FUN TIME HERE IN RALEIGH. AND PEOPLE TALK ABOUT WHAT DO YOU GET IN THIS AREA WHEN YOU COMBINE ALL OF THE SPORTS FANS, YOU TALK ABOUT STATE, DUKE, CAROLINA, ALL OF THEM COME TOGETHER AND NOW SUPPORT THE CANES. SO THAT’S WHERE ALL OF THAT FAN BASE COMES FROM. AND THAT’S WHERE ALL THAT PASSION COMES FROM WITHIN THIS FAN BASE, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, RIGHT, IT’S JUST THE SECOND PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN A MAJOR SPORT HERE IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA. SO I KNOW THE CANES PLAY IN RALEIGH, BUT THIS IS REALLY A STATE WIDE THING. IT’S REALLY A MULTIPLE STATE WIDE THING. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, SOUTH CAROLINA IS INVOLVED AND THEN YOU’VE GOT HOCKEY FANS ACROSS THE NATION BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE OUT IN VEGAS THAT IT WAS CAROLINA FANS FLOODING THE PLACE. THEY TOOK THE NATION BY STORM THIS SEASON AND SHOWING RIGHT HERE AT THIS PARADE TODAY. IT’S BEEN REALLY FUN TO WATCH. JUST ROLLING THROUGH THE POSTSEASON. YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE 16 DOTS BEHIND US, 16 WINS, JUST THREE LOSSES THIS POSTSEASON. I MEAN WHAT A RUN TO A TIME THAT THEY’VE BEEN KNOCKING ON THE DOOR YEAR AFTER YEAR. AND NOW FINALLY KICKING IT DOWN. NOW WHAT WE SHOULD DO IS LET THE VIEWERS KNOW WHAT THIS PARADE ROUTE IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE. NOW WE’VE GOT TEAM COVERAGE THROUGHOUT THIS ONE, BUT WE’RE GOING TO TELL YOU WHERE THIS PARADE IS GOING TO START. IT’S GOING TO START AT THE INTERSECTION OF HILLSBOROUGH STREET AND MARY STREET. NOW THE PARADE WILL TRAVEL EAST THROUGH THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN BY THE STATE CAPITOL, AND IT WILL EVENTUALLY END AT FAYETTEVILLE STREET. NOW THAT’S WHERE WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TEAM COVERAGE. AS I MENTIONED, LINED UP. WE’VE GOT DAVE AIKEN OUT THERE. WE’VE GOT ERIN BURNETT KELLY KENDALL OUT THERE, JOSHUA DAVIS JEFF AMERNICK IS GOING TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE. IT’S A GREAT DAY. AND WXII IS SHOWING OUT HERE FOR THIS ONE. FULL CREWS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. SO YOU’LL BE ABLE TO SEE THE BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END OF THIS PARADE. THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE TIME WE TALKED ABOUT, WE’VE GOT OUR FULL TEAM COVERAGE. THERE’S EVERYBODY LOOKING DAPPER. DAVE AIKEN GOT THE SUNGLASSES ON TODAY. USUALLY THAT’S MY ROLE, BUT WE’RE GOING TO START, I THINK, WITH ERIN BURNETT, WHO’S AT THE START OF THE ROUTE. ERIN, THIS IS A BIG DAY. I KNOW YOU GOT A TON OF FANS HANGING OUT WITH YOU. WHAT’S THE SCENE LOOK LIKE OUT THERE? OFFICERS STARTING TO ROLL DOWN THE STREET IN THEIR CARS AND BIKES AS WELL THERE. WE’VE TALKED TO SO MANY FANS OUT HERE TODAY, GUYS WHO HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE 4:00 IN THE MORNING, OUT HERE IN THE MUD WITH US, OKAY? AND IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR IT. I MEAN, THEY ARE JUST SO EXCITED TO CELEBRATE THEIR STANLEY CUP CHAMPION. IT’S SO LOUD. YOU GUYS CAN REALLY HEAR THAT ENERGY OUT HERE. I MEAN, LIKE THE ENERGY. I LITERALLY AM BUZZING AT JUST HOW EXCITED THIS CROWD IS. NEXT, WE’RE ALSO SEEING THE MARCHING BAND COME THROUGH, AND I SPOKE TO SOME OF THEIR MEMBERS ON FACEBOOK LIVE EARLIER, ACTUALLY. THEY’RE ALSO SO EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THIS. I MEAN, IT REALLY IS A COMMUNITY OPERATION. THEY ARE OUT HERE READY TO CELEBRATE THEIR HOMETOWN TEAM, AND THEY JUST CAN’T BE PROUDER. SO IT’S AMAZING TO BE A PART OF IT IN THIS WAY, WHETHER YOU’RE IN THE CROWD OR WHETHER YOU’RE ALSO A PART OF IT, LIKE A PART OF THE BAND. I’M GOING TO SEND IT BACK TO YOU GUYS, JOHN AND CHANEL, BECAUSE I CAN NO LONGER HEAR ANYTHING. THAT’S HOW HOT IT IS. BUT YOU GUYS GOT IT. YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU GOT TO LOVE IT, RIGHT? JOHN? WE’VE BEEN IN THAT POSITION SO MANY TIMES WHERE WE CAN’T HEAR THEM. IT’S THE ARENA, RIGHT? WE CAN’T HEAR ON THE OTHER END. SO ERIN, WE SYMPATHIZE WITH YOU, BUT HAVE FUN OUT THERE. YOU GOT TO HAVE FUN WITH IT, RIGHT? IT DOESN’T GET BETTER THAN NO, THIS IS THIS IS THE MOST FUN THAT WE’RE GOING TO HAVE ALL SEASON. ASIDE FROM SEEING THEM WIN THE STANLEY CUP ON THE ICE AND CHANEL, WHAT A SEASON. IT REALLY WAS ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT TO START THE SHOW. FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS, THEY’VE BEEN BUILDING THIS SINCE ROD BRIND’AMOUR TOOK OVER AND NOW JUST KNOCKING DOWN THE DOOR AND BRINGING THE CUP HOME, ROLLING THROUGH THE POSTSEASON THIS SEASON, SOMETHING THAT FANS WILL REMEMBER FOR A VERY LONG TIME. SO LET’S LOOK BACK AT HOW IT ALL HAPPENED. AFTER LAST SEASON’S EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL LOSS TO THE CAROLINA HURRICANES WENT INTO THE OFF SEASON WITH ONE GOAL GET OVER THE HUMP AND ADVANCE TO THEIR FIRST CUP FINAL IN 20 YEARS. WITH THE LOSS OF BRANT BURNS VIA FREE AGENCY, THE CANES EMPHASIZED THE BLUE LINE ON JULY 2ND, THE FRANCHISE ACQUIRED KEANDRE MILLER FROM THE NEW YORK RANGERS, TRADING HIGHLY REGARDED PROSPECT SCOTT MOREAU. PRIOR TO JOINING CAROLINA, MILLER HAD BEEN PART OF TWO RANGERS TEAMS THAT HAD ELIMINATED CAROLINA FROM THE POSTSEASON. NOW, HIS IMPACT WAS IMMEDIATE. RECORDING 37 POINTS AND RANKING ABOVE THE 95TH PERCENTILE FOR DEFENSEMEN IN THE NHL. CAROLINA’S OTHER KEY ADDITION COMING OUT WEST ON JULY 5TH, THE CANES SIGNED FORWARD NICK EHLERS FROM THE WINNIPEG JETS TO A SIX YEAR, $51 MILLION DEAL. HE WAS BROUGHT TO CAROLINA TO BE THE OFFENSIVE GAME BREAKER THE TEAM SOUGHT AFTER, SCORING 225 GOALS AND 520 POINTS IN TEN SEASONS WITH THE JETS. EHLERS FIT IN IMMEDIATELY, SCORING 26 GOALS, THIRD MOST IN HIS CAREER. HIS 71 POINTS, A NEW CAREER HIGH. NOW, NO TEAM THIS YEAR PLAYED BETTER AT HOME THAN THE CAROLINA HURRICANES, BEHIND OVER 18,500 SCREAMING MANIACS. CAROLINA BOASTED AN NHL BEST 60 POINTS AT HOME, THE RECORD PROPELLING THEM TO THE TOP SEED IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE HEADING INTO THE PLAYOFFS. CAROLINA ALSO SAW KEY YOUNG PLAYERS TAKE THE NEXT STEP, ESPECIALLY LOGAN STANKOVIC, ACQUIRED FROM DALLAS IN THE MIKKO RANTANEN DEAL A YEAR AGO. STANKOVIC SCORED 19 REGULAR SEASON GOALS THAT PLAY, ELEVATING IN THE OPENING ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS AGAINST OTTAWA. STANKOVIC SCORING IN ALL FOUR GAMES WITH CAROLINA COMPLETING THE SWEEP OF THE SENATORS, THE SWEEPS CONTINUE IN ROUND TWO, WITH CAROLINA DEFEATING THE PHILADELPHIA FLIERS IN FOUR GAMES. IN THE PROCESS. THE FRANCHISE MAKING HISTORY, BECOMING THE FIRST TEAM IN NHL HISTORY TO SWEEP THE FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS IN THE SAME POSTSEASON SINCE THE LEAGUE ADOPTED ITS BEST OF SEVEN FORMAT IN 1987. CONFERENCE FINALS HAS BEEN THE CANES BIGGEST HURDLE, LOSING IN THE ROUND IN TWO OF THE LAST THREE SEASONS AND AFTER SUFFERING THEIR FIRST LOSS OF THE PLAYOFFS IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL OPENER TO MONTREAL, CAROLINA LOOKED INWARD. RONNIE, ONE OF THEIR LONGEST TENURED CANES GOALTENDER, FREDDIE ANDERSON. FREDDIE WINNING FOUR STRAIGHT, ALLOWING JUST ONE GOAL OVER THE FINAL TWO GAMES. CAROLINA WOULD HEAD TO THEIR FIRST STANLEY CUP FINAL IN 20 YEARS. STANDING IN FRONT OF CAROLINA, A VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS TEAM LED BY MITCH MARNER, THE LEADING POINT SCORER IN THE POSTSEASON AT THE TIME. NOW HIS PLAY WAS IMMEDIATE, SCORING A HAT TRICK IN GAME THREE TO GIVE VEGAS A TWO ONE SERIES LEAD OVER CAROLINA. WHEN ROD BRIND’AMOUR CHANGED THE SERIES, HE MADE THE BOLD DECISION TO CHANGE GOALIES, OPTING TO REPLACE FREDDIE ANDERSON FOR BRANDON BUSSIE, THE BUS DRIVING CAROLINA TO THREE STRAIGHT WINS, INCLUDING A GAME SIX SHUTOUT IN VEGAS. THE BUS GETTING PLENTY OF SUPPORT FROM HIS CAPTAIN, JORDAN STAAL, WHO SAVED HIS BEST PLAY OF HIS CAREER FOR THE CUP FINAL, JORDAN SCORING IN FIVE STRAIGHT CUP FINAL GAMES, TYING AN NHL RECORD. HIS PLAY EARNING HIM THE CONN SMYTHE AWARD, WHERE HE BECAME THE OLDEST RECIPIENT IN LEAGUE HISTORY. AS CAROLINA SECURED THEIR FIRST STANLEY CUP TITLE IN TWO DECADES. AND CHANEL, IT WASN’T JUST A CELEBRATION IN VEGAS. THIS PLACE BEHIND US, THE LENOVO CENTER WAS PACKED WITH SCREAMING DEACS! WHEN VEGAS WENT DOWN TO DEFEAT TO CAROLINA IN GAME SIX OF THE STANLEY CUP FINAL. I THINK THAT’S BEEN ONE OF THE MOST FUN THINGS TO WATCH. JUST POSTING VIDEOS, SEEING VIDEOS INSIDE OF THESE FANS WHEN THERE WASN’T EVEN A GAME TAKING PLACE INSIDE, RIGHT? BUT IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS A GAME TAKING PLACE INSIDE. I KNOW OUR JOSHUA DAVIS IS IN DOWNTOWN. RALEIGH HAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST MANIACS. IT JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE OUR GOVERNOR. GOVERNOR JOSH STEIN IS WITH JOSHUA DAVIS JOSHUA. GO AHEAD AND TAKE IT AWAY. I KNOW JOSH HAS GOT TO BE PUMPED ABOUT THIS CHAMPIONSHIP. OH, JON CHANEL, HE ABSOLUTELY IS. HERE’S GOVERNOR JOSH. GOVERNOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. I MEAN, THE FIRST THING I WANT TO ASK YOU AS A CANES FAN, HOW ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT NOW? JOYFUL, JOYFUL, EVERYBODY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE HERE. DOES NOT MATTER HOW HOT IT IS. EVERYBODY HAS A SMILE ON THEIR FACE. AND I REALLY WANT TO THANK THE CANES BECAUSE THEY DID THAT. THEY HELPED TO BRING THIS ENTIRE STATE TOGETHER. THEY ARE THE STANLEY CUP CHAMPS. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO SAY THAT NORTH CAROLINA HAS ONE OF THE BEST, IF NOT THE BEST HOCKEY TEAMS IN THE NHL RIGHT NOW? THE BEST HOCKEY TEAM. THEY JUST PROVED IT ON THE ICE. IT FEELS GREAT. AND EVERYONE LIKES TO SAY, OH, NORTH CAROLINA’S NOT A HOCKEY STATE. WE ARE A HOCKEY STICK. AND THE CANES HAVE PROVEN THAT TODAY. THEY’VE SHOWN THAT THE WIN 20 YEARS AGO WAS NOT A FLUKE. THIS ORGANIZATION IS COMMITTED. AND WHAT’S SO EXCITING IS NOT ONLY DID THEY WIN THIS TIME. AND YES, LET’S TAKE A MOMENT TO CELEBRATE IT, BUT WE’VE GOT THE CHANCE TO COMPETE FOR YEARS TO COME WITH THE CONTRACTS THAT THEY HAVE ON ALL OF OUR CORE GUYS. SO I WANT TO ASK YOU, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A CANES FAN? YEARS. I MEAN, I STARTED WATCHING. 0206 ROY COOPER WAS ACTUALLY THE ONE WHO TURNED ME ON TO IT. HE WAS ATTORNEY GENERAL AND I WORKED THE OFFICE AND HE GAVE ME SOME OF HIS TICKETS WHEN HE COULDN’T GO. SO I FOLLOWED THEM FOR A LONG TIME. BUT I WOULD SAY ABOUT 3 OR 4 YEARS AGO, I REALIZED THAT MY KIDS WERE WATCHING EVERY HOME GAME OR EVERY GAME ON THE INTERNET. AND SO I JUST DOVE IN BECAUSE IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO BUILD BONDS WITH MY KIDS. WHEN THE KIDS GET INTO IF YOU’RE A PARENT AND YOUR KIDS ARE IN YOUR 20S, YOU’RE ALWAYS SCRAPPING TO TRY TO HAVE A REASON TO CONNECT. AND IT REALLY HAS BEEN A SHARED FAMILY EXPERIENCE. AND I’M SO GRATEFUL. I MEAN, HOW DOES IT FEEL FOR YOU TO JUST SEE SO MANY PEOPLE OUT HERE RIGHT NOW? I WAS TALKING TO A COUPLE FOLKS FROM ALL OVER THE STATE. WE’RE TALKING GREENSBORO, CHARLOTTE, OBVIOUSLY HERE IN RALEIGH, NC, FANS, DUKE FANS, NTANT WHAT HAVE YOU. I MEAN, HOW DOES IT FEEL FOR EVERYONE HERE TO BE CONNECTED FOR ONE MOMENT? I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT. LOOK, COLLEGE RIVALRIES, THERE’S NOTHING BETTER. YOU KNOW, DUKE STATE, CAROLINA, DUKE, CAROLINA STATE. THESE RIVALRIES ARE INTENSE. THEY’RE FUN. IT’S NICE TO HAVE THOSE RIVALRIES, BUT I LOVE THAT EVERYBODY CAN COME TOGETHER AROUND THE HURRICANES. IT’S NICE TO HAVE THAT ONE THING THAT WE CAN ALL AGREE ON. AND YOU KNOW, THE LAST THING I WANT TO ASK YOU IS, YOU KNOW, THAT LAST GAME AGAINST THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS OUT IN VEGAS. I MEAN, IT WAS INCREDIBLE A THREE ZERO. IT’S ALREADY HARD ENOUGH TO SCORE ONE GOAL IN HOCKEY. WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN IT’S LIKE, OH WAIT, THE HURRICANES GOT THREE NIL AGAINST THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS? IT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND. WELL, I WAS SO THRILLED FOR BRANDON BUSSEY. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE STORY. ALL YEAR LONG HE GOT A SHUTOUT IN THE STANLEY CUP FINAL AND THE DECIDING GAME. BUT IT WASN’T JUST BUSSEY. I THINK IT WAS A 20 MINUTE PERIOD WHERE THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS DID NOT GET A SHOT, OR THEY GOT 1 OR 2 SHOTS. THIS TEAM IS JUST INCREDIBLY FEROCIOUS AND PRESSING, GIVING PLAYERS NO SPACE, NO TIME TO DO ANYTHING WITH THE PUCK. AND WHAT TEAM DEFENSE THAT THEY PLAYED. AND IT WAS ECSTATIC. WE WERE. I WAS AT THE LENOVO CENTER, ALONG WITH 20,000 OTHER PEOPLE SCREAMING OUR LUNGS OUT, HAVING A GREAT TIME. PERFECT. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN SAY AT THIS TIME? LET’S GO CANES. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, GOVERNOR. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. AND REALLY QUICK, JOHN CHANEL, BEFORE WE TOSS IT BACK TO YOU GUYS AT THE LENOVO CENTER, I JUST WANT TO SHOW YOU MY VIEW FROM HERE. RICH, IF YOU CAN FOLLOW ME, THIS IS THE ENTIRE AREA. WHAT WE SEE. THIS IS JUST A SMALL PART OF THE FANS LINING THE STREETS, BOTH SIDES, ALL THE WAY BACK HERE FROM WHERE THE STREET IS CURRENTLY. I MEAN, IT’S ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING. AND LIKE I SAID IN MY INTERVIEW WITH THE GOVERNOR, I’VE BEEN SPEAKING TO PEOPLE FROM GREENSBORO, FROM CHARLOTTE, FROM RALEIGH. I MET FANS WHO ARE FROM NEW ZEALAND, WHO ARE FROM LONDON. TRULY, THE CANES ARE AN INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISE, AND RIGHT NOW IT IS CANE MANIA OUT HERE. BACK TO YOU GUYS IN THE CENTER. CANES MANIA. JOHN CANES MANIA WITH JOSH. SQUARE. JOSH SQUARE. IT DOESN’T GET BETTER THAN THAT. GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT. AND WHEN HE SAID THIS IS A HOCKEY STATE, I WAS LIKE, PEOPLE ARE NOW JUST CATCHING ON TO THAT. YOU KNOW, IT’S TRUE BECAUSE I THINK NORTH CAROLINA AND THE CAROLINAS ARE LITTLE, SMALL, LITTLE. AND IT DOES HAVE THAT FEEL. RIGHT. AND I ACTUALLY HAD A CHANCE TO CATCH WITH SHAYNE GOSTISBEHERE ON ICE. AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE SPOKE ABOUT WAS, YOU KNOW, IT REMINDED HIM OF PLAYING AT UNION COLLEGE. WE BOTH WENT TO UNION. IT’S A SMALL SCHOOL UPSTATE, AND HE WAS LIKE, THE CAROLINAS ARE LIKE THIS LITTLE SMALL SCHOOL FEEL, BUT IT’S PASSIONATE. BUT THERE THEY ARE. AND THERE THEY ARE, THOUSANDS OF THOUSANDS OF THEM. AND THEY REALLY TOOK THE NATION BY STORM. AND, YOU KNOW, WE GOT PEOPLE FROM LONDON, APPARENTLY. RIGHT. YOU KNOW, IT’S AN INTERNATIONAL BRAND NOW. CHANEL YOU KNOW, THIS CANES RUN WOULD NOT HAVE STARTED AND COULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT THEIR HEAD COACH. HE WON THIS 20 YEARS AGO AS A PLAYER, AND IT TOOK HIM SOME YEARS TO BUILD IT UP. OBVIOUSLY, TALKING ABOUT ROD BRIND’AMOUR, WHO’S REALLY THE ARCHITECT OF THE WAY THIS CAROLINA HURRICANES TEAM PLAYS. YEAH, ONE THING JOSH STEIN JUST SAID WAS THIS TEAM IS BUILT FOR THE FUTURE. AND THAT’S THE WAY ROD BRIND’AMOUR HAS BUILT IT. THE MOVES THAT HE MADE THIS OFFSEASON TO BUILD THIS TEAM TO WHAT IT WAS. HE HEARD THE NARRATIVE OF THIS TEAM WAS GETTING THERE AND FALLING SHORT, BUT HE MADE SURE THAT THIS YEAR THAT WASN’T THE CASE. SO LET’S LOOK AT THE JOURNEY THAT ROD HAS HAD AS A PLAYER AND NOW AS A HEAD COACH HERE IN CAROLINA. A DEJA VU MOMENT FOR HURRICANES FANS 20 YEARS IN THE MAKING. STILL AWESOME. IT’S JUST AS AWESOME. THE SHINING SILVER CUP MAY BE THE SAME, BUT THE JOURNEY TO GET IT A SECOND TIME FOR ROD BRIND’AMOUR LOOKED MUCH DIFFERENT AS A PLAYER. ROD WAS KNOWN FOR HIS RELENTLESS WORK ETHIC AND LEGENDARY WEIGHTLIFTING ROUTINE, EARNING HIM THE NICKNAME ROD THE BOD, THE DEMANDING STANDARD BECAME THE FOUNDATION FOR HIS COACHING PHILOSOPHY. NO ONE WANTS IT MORE THAN HE DOES. BRIND’AMOUR CAPTAINED THE HURRICANES TO THE FRANCHISE’S FIRST STANLEY CUP IN 2006, BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE FIGURES IN TEAM HISTORY WHEN BRIND’AMOUR TOOK OVER AS HEAD COACH IN 2018, THE HURRICANES WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A NINE YEAR PLAYOFF DROUGHT. THAT’S WHEN THE REBUILD BEGAN, WITH A CORE GROUP THAT BELIEVED IN HIS VISION. SEBASTIAN AHO, JACOB SLAVIN, ANDREI SVESHNIKOV, JORDAN MARTINOOK AND CAPTAIN JORDAN STAAL, PLAYERS WHO HELPED TURN ROD’S CULTURE INTO CHAMPIONSHIP HOCKEY. HE DEMANDS RESPECT, BUT HE ALSO GIVES US RESPECT. SO IT’S IT’S EASY TO PLAY FOR HIM. WHAT I SAID TO HIM WAS, THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN ME. I MEAN, HE HE GAVE ME SO MUCH TRUST, SO MUCH. I MEAN, SO MUCH BACK. I MEAN, HE WAS HE’S THE MAIN REASON WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY. NOW, BRIND’AMOUR BECOMES JUST THE FOURTH PERSON IN NHL HISTORY TO CAPTAIN AND COACH THE SAME TEAM TO THE STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONSHIP. AND HE’S BEEN A PART OF ALL BUT TWO OF THE TEAM’S 104 PLAYOFF WINS. YET, DESPITE KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO RAISE HOCKEY’S ULTIMATE PRIZE, BRIND’AMOUR SAYS THIS CHAMPIONSHIP WASN’T ABOUT HIM. IT WAS ABOUT THE PLAYERS WHO TRUSTED THE PROCESS, ABOUT WINNING THE CUP MY WHOLE LIFE. AND SO THAT WAS LIKE A PIANO CAME OFF MY BACK. THIS TIME AROUND, I WANTED IT, IT WAS FOR THE GROUP. LIKE I WANTED THEM TO FEEL WHAT IT’S LIKE, AND I WANTED IT SO BAD FOR THEM. SO TO WATCH THEM FINALLY GET IT. AND THEN WHEN I’M GRABBING IT, THEY GIVE IT JUST TO SEE THE LOOK ON THEIR FACES IS IT’S WORTH IT’S PRICELESS. AND THOSE PLAYERS KNOW EXACTLY WHY THEY’VE REACHED THE TOP. HE’S LIVED IT. HE’S BEEN THROUGH IT. HE’S LIFTED IT. AND NOW TO LIFT IT AS A COACH, WE HAVE THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR HIM. EVERYTHING HE SAYS GOES AND HE’S A BIG REASON WHY WE WON TONIGHT. I WAS ON THE BENCH FOR THE LAST 10S AND I LOOKED BACK AND I SAW HIM CRYING AND I WAS LIKE, WOW, HE REALLY CARES. AND IT’S THE THING ABOUT ROD, HE’S HE DEFINITELY CARES ABOUT HOCKEY. BUT YOU KNOW, HE CARES ABOUT THE PLAYER AND THE PERSON AND THE FAMILY FIRST. AND THAT’S SOMETHING PRETTY SPECIAL. FOR YEARS, THE HURRICANES CARRIED THE LABEL OF BEING A CONTENDER WHO COULDN’T QUITE FINISH THE JOB YEAR AFTER YEAR, KNOCKING ON THE DOOR UNTIL THIS TIME KICKING IT DOWN. NOW THE NARRATIVE IS FINALLY PUT TO REST BECAUSE OF THE MAN WHO DEFINES WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A HURRICANE. HAS HIS TEAM BACK ON TOP OF THE HOCKEY WORLD. IT WAS OUR TIME. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE WE WEREN’T GOING TO BE DENIED. LIKE IT WAS JUST I JUST SAW IT. I MEAN, ALL PLAYOFFS. IT WAS THEIR TIME. JOHN. I DON’T THINK ANYBODY COULD DENY THAT ALL PLAYOFFS WHEN THEY WERE STEAM ROLLING THROUGH TEAMS, ESPECIALLY IN THOSE FIRST TWO ROUNDS. AND THEN WHEN THEY HAD THAT OPENING LOSS AGAINST MONTREAL FROM THEN ON, IT WAS JUST DOMINATION. THIS TEAM EPITOMIZED WHAT ROD BRIND’AMOUR EPITOMIZES WITH THE CAROLINA HURRICANES GRIT, TOUGHNESS AND UNRELENTING STYLE OF PLAY. THAT REALLY WAS, AS YOU MENTIONED, THEY WERE ON A MISSION THIS SEASON. THEY WERE THIS WAS WHERE THEY NEEDED TO GET TO. BECAUSE IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, HEADING INTO THE YEAR TWO OF THE LAST THREE SEASONS, THEY HAD MADE IT TO THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL AND FALLEN SHORT. THEY JUST THEY WERE RIGHT THERE ON THE CUSP OF THINGS, AND IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME IF THEY JUST STUCK WITH WHAT THEY WERE DOING. YEAH. AND THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE THIS MOMENT. AND IT’S WELL DESERVING FOR THIS ORGANIZATION. IT’S WELL DESERVING FOR ROD BECAUSE HE COULD HAVE LEFT CAROLINA YEARS AGO. ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, A COUPLE YEARS AGO, I KNOW THE NEW YORK RANGERS WERE INTERESTED IN BRINGING HIM IN AND HE STAYED HERE. HE SAID, I’M A HURRICANE THROUGH AND THROUGH HURRICANE ROD’S GOOD. ROD’S GOING TO DIE HERE. YEAH. YOU KNOW, AS A HURRICANE THAT’S THE WAY IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE. AND AND THE GUYS LAID IT ALL ON THE LINE FOR HIM. NOW OUR COVERAGE IS GOING TO GO BACK DOWN, DOWN. AND PEOPLE ARE DONE TALKING. WANT TO HEAR US TALK? WE’VE GOT KELLY KENDALL. OH, WE DID HAVE KELLY KENDALL. LOOKS LIKE SHE’S ACTUALLY HUNTING FOR SOMEONE ELSE AT THIS MOMENT TO GET DOWN IN DOWNTOWN. SO WE’RE HANGING OUT HERE. SO, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT WITH THIS HURRICANES HOCKEY TEAM, WE TALKED ABOUT THE GRIT, THE TOUGHNESS, THE DETERMINATION OF THIS TEAM. BUT IT REALLY STARTED WITH SOME OF THE ADDITIONS THAT THEY MADE IN THE OFFSEASON. I TALKED ABOUT THEM BEING TWO OUT OF THE LAST THREE YEARS IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL, NOT QUITE GETTING THERE, BUT THE ADDITIONS OF ANDRE MILLER WAS HUGE FOR THIS HOCKEY TEAM. HE WAS GREAT DEFENSIVELY ALL SEASON LONG, GAVE THEM SOME ABILITY ON OFFENSE FROM THE DEFENSIVE END THAT THEY HADN’T SEEN BEFORE. AND THEN THE ADDITION OF NIK EHLERS FROM WINNIPEG. HE WAS A GAME BREAKING OFFENSIVE PLAYER. HE SCORED 225 CAREER GOALS IN WINNIPEG IN TEN SEASONS, BROUGHT ALL OF THAT HERE. HE WAS THE SECOND LEADING POINT SCORER FOR CAROLINA THIS SEASON. HE WAS THE TYPE OF PLAYER THIS IN THE POSTSEASON THAT SHOWED UP WHEN THEY NEEDED HIM THE MOST. AND I THINK THOSE WERE THE ADDITIONS THAT REALLY PROPELLED THEM OVER THE HUMP. I THINK YOU COULD FEEL IT LAST SEASON STARTING TO BUILD RIGHT WHEN THEY BROUGHT IN A GUY LIKE LOGAN, STAN KOVEN, WHO HAD 11 GOALS IN THE POSTSEASON. BRINGING IN A GUY LIKE THAT, A YOUNG GUY, AND HE’S SMALL, BUT HE IS MIGHTY. WATCHING HIM AGAINST SOME OF THE GUYS GET INTO SCRUMS ON THE ICE. IT’S ALWAYS A FUN THING TO SEE, BUT HAVING YOUNG GUYS LIKE THAT AND THEN BRINGING IN THE EXPERIENCE LIKE ANDRE, LIKE NIK EHLERS, THOSE ARE HUGE ADDITIONS. KEEPING GUYS LIKE JORDAN STAAL, THAT’S THAT’S WHY IT ALL CAME TOGETHER. WE’RE GOING TO HEAD BACK TO DOWNTOWN RALEIGH. WE’RE ACTUALLY GO TO THE START OF THE PARADE WHERE OUR METEOROLOGIST, DAVE AIKEN, IS OUT THERE WITH HIS SUNGLASSES HANGING OUT. DAVE, IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS, NOW, DOES IT? CHANEL PORTER FOR SURE. HEY, GUYS. YEAH, IT’S WEATHER DAY HERE DOWNTOWN. AND I’LL TELL YOU WHAT, GUYS, I’VE BEEN TO A LOT OF PARADES. THIS IS THE MOST ATTENDED. THIS IS THE BIGGEST PARADE I’VE EVER SEEN. AS FAR AS ATTENDEES. IT IS HUGE OUT HERE. AND IT’S NOT JUST A PARADE. I MEAN, IT IS A PARTY OUT HERE. WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF FOLKS COME THROUGH ALREADY. IT’S A HOT DAY NOW. WE’VE SEEN STORMY AND THE CAROLINA HURRICANES ENTERTAINMENT GROUP COME OUT HERE. THEY’VE GONE PAST THE PARADE ALREADY. WE’VE SEEN THE OPERATIONS GROUP HAVE COME THROUGH THE WHOLE ORGANIZATION OF THE CAROLINA HURRICANES ARE INVOLVED IN THIS PARADE BECAUSE THEY ARE THE 2026 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS GOING DOWN HILLSBOROUGH STREET RIGHT NOW AND GOING TO WORK THEIR WAY DOWN TOWARDS DOWNTOWN AND JUST PAST THE CAPITOL JUST A LITTLE WHILE. BUT THIS CROWD IS HORRENDOUS. I MEAN, FROM PARKING DECKS ARE FULL, PEOPLE WATCHING FROM PARKING DECKS. THE STREET IS LINED. IT’S NOT JUST LINED. THESE THESE GROUPS OF PEOPLE OUT HERE, WE’RE TALKING, THEY ARE FIVE, SIX, TEN PEOPLE DEEP. THIS HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST PARADES THAT RALEIGH HAS EVER SEEN. I DON’T REMEMBER THE 120 YEARS AGO, BUT I CAN TELL YOU WHAT THIS ONE IS GOING TO BE ONE TO BEAT. IF THEY EVER HAD TO BEAT ANOTHER PARADE OR ATTENDANCE AT A PARADE, IT IS A CELEBRATION AND THEY CERTAINLY DESERVE IT. WE HOPE WE CAN DO IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR, BUT WE’LL SEE AS WE CONTINUE TO WATCH A LOT OF THE CAROLINA HURRICANES ORGANIZATION, WHETHER THEY’RE FRONT OFFICE, BACK OFFICE, ENTERTAINMENT GROUP DANCERS, YOU NAME IT, THEY’VE ALL BEEN OUT HERE SO FAR. WE HAD ONE BAND GO BY AND I DON’T THINK IT’S GOING TO BE TOO LONG BEFORE WE START TO SEE THE HURRICANES THEMSELVES. ALONG WITH HEAD COACH ROD BRIND’AMOUR, COME ALONG IN JUST A LITTLE WHILE. AND OF COURSE, MAYBE THE STAR OF THE SHOW, NOT JUST THE HOCKEY PLAYERS, BUT THE STANLEY CUP GUYS. ALL RIGHT, DAVE, THANKS SO MUCH. AND CHANEL, LOOK AT THIS. I MEAN, YOU HEARD DAVE TALK ABOUT IT. THOUSANDS ON TOP OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE OUT HERE. WE’RE GETTING A LIVE LOOK HERE FROM DOWNTOWN RALEIGH AS WELL, WHERE YOU CAN SEE ALL THESE PEOPLE LINED UP. WE JUST SAW A, I GUESS YOU CALL IT A DUCK FLOAT GO BY WITH SOME SCREAMING CANDY ON THERE. WE’VE SEEN SOME OF THE ORGANIZATION COME THROUGH AS WELL. THAT’S A NICE RIDE. I MEAN, THAT’S A PRETTY SWEET LOOKING CORVETTE THERE RIGHT NOW. CAN I TAKE THAT HOME A FREE RIDE BACK HOME WOULD BE IT’D BE LOVELY. WE’LL TAKE AN ESCORT BACK. AND YOU KNOW, WE’VE GOT A WONDERFUL SET HERE OUTSIDE OF THE LENOVO CENTER WHERE WE’RE WE’RE SEPARATED FROM THE DOWNTOWN PARADE ITSELF, BUT YOU CAN STILL FEEL THE ENERGY FROM WHERE WE’RE SITTING BECAUSE AS I MENTIONED, WE HAD PEOPLE COME UP TO US HERE AT THE LENOVO PARK HERE AND THEN HEAD DOWNTOWN AS WELL TO BE PART OF THIS CELEBRATION AS WE GET SOME AERIAL VIEWS OF DOWNTOWN RALEIGH AS WELL. CHANEL. IT’S REALLY JUST FUN TO SEE EVERYBODY COME TOGETHER AND CELEBRATE. ONE THING I REMEMBER I COVERED THE CHIEFS SUPER BOWL PARADE A FEW YEARS AGO. IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY, WASN’T VERY ENJOYABLE, BUT WHEN YOU GET A PARADE LIKE THIS, BEAUTIFUL WEATHER, JUNE AND EVEN THE CANES HOLDING THIS PARADE UNTIL SATURDAY, MAKING SURE THAT FANS HAD THE ABILITY. YOU’RE OFF WORK. IT’S A HOLIDAY WEEKEND. YOU GOT TO TRAVEL OUT AND JUST BE A PART OF THIS. I THINK THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT THAT MUCH MORE SPECIAL. YEAH. AND YOU KNOW, WE’LL GIVE VIEWERS A REMINDER WHILE WE’RE TAKING A LOOK AT THIS AERIAL VIEW OF HOW THIS PARADE IS GOING. IT’S GOING TO START AT THE INTERSECTION OF HILLSBOROUGH STREET AND SAINT MARY STREET. NOW THE PARADE IS GOING TO TRAVEL EAST THROUGH THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN RALEIGH BY THE STATE CAPITOL. AND IT’S GOING TO EVENTUALLY END AT FAYETTEVILLE STREET AS WE SEE SOME MORE SCREAMING CANES ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THERE, SHOUTING AND HOOTING AND HOLLERING. AND THIS IS REALLY THE EPITOME OF WHAT NORTH CAROLINA SPORTS IS LIKE. I MEAN, IT’S A COLLEGE FEEL. IT’S A SMALL TOWN VIBE, BUT IT’S A PASSIONATE, PASSIONATE FAN BASE. AND THEY REALLY GET BEHIND THEIR SPORTS TEAMS HERE. THEY REALLY GET BEHIND THEIR PROFESSIONAL TEAMS HERE, WHETHER IT’S THE PANTHERS. AND MAN, LET ME TELL YOU, IT HAS BEEN A GREAT SPORTS YEAR IN THIS STATE. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THE PANTHERS MADE THE POSTSEASON. THE CUP CAME HOME WITH THE CAROLINA HURRICANES. DUKE MADE ANOTHER DEEP RUN AND THE NC DOUBLE A TOURNAMENT. IT’S JUST IT’S MADE THE PLAY. THE HORNETS MADE THE PLAYOFFS. THIS. THIS IS WHAT IT’S ABOUT. THIS IS FOR THESE YEARS THAT WE’VE BEEN HERE. THIS IS WHAT WE’VE BEEN HOPING TO SEE IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IS THE PROFESSIONAL TEAMS AND OUR COLLEGE TEAMS BRING HOME SOME CHAMPIONSHIPS. AND WE’RE SEEING ONE HERE TODAY IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH, THE STANLEY CUP. AND DAVE MENTIONED THAT CUP WILL BE AROUND HERE AT SOME POINT, SOME TIME, WHERE VIEWERS GET A CHANCE TO SEE IT. AND WE GOT A CHANCE TO SEE IT AS WELL. PHOTOJOURNALIST RUSH MOORE AND I WERE OUT IN VEGAS. WE WERE TWO FEET AWAY FROM IT. HOW WAS THAT FEELING? WELL, I DIDN’T TOUCH THE CUP, OKAY? I DIDN’T KISS THE CUP. NO, I DIDN’T TOUCH IT. I DIDN’T EARN IT. YEAH. MY JOB IS TO COVER IT. I DIDN’T I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING TO EARN THAT CUP, BUT I WAS NEAR IT. AND I TELL YOU, IT’S ONE OF THE GREATEST JOYS OF MY WORK CAREER. TO BE THERE ON THE ICE, TO SEE THAT CELEBRATION, TO SEE THE CUP AND REALLY SEE THE WAY THE FAMILIES GOT TOGETHER ON THE ICE WITH THE PLAYERS. I THINK WE SOMETIMES WE KIND OF FORGET THAT, THAT THIS YEAR TOOK A LOT OF PEOPLE TO GET THESE PLAYERS TO THIS POINT WHERE THEY CAN HAVE THIS CELEBRATION. IT’S THE FAMILIES BEHIND THEM. IT’S THE COACHES THAT ARE COACHING THEM. WHEN THEY WERE JUNIORS AND THEY WERE LITTLE KIDS, THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND MONEY THAT MOM AND DAD PUT OUT THERE FOR THEM TO GET TO THIS POINT, I MEAN, IT’S A FULL DEDICATION AND TO SEE THAT JOY AND THAT THAT THAT SENSE OF RELIEF, THAT WE’VE ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING SO TREMENDOUS, IT WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL TO SEE. AND THEY CALLED US THE LOUDEST HOUSE IN THE NHL FOR A REASON. THESE FANS ARE UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE. THERE’S A LOT OF EXCITEMENT DOWN THERE AS YOU SEE THE BAND ROLL THROUGH FROM NC STATE, BUT JUST WAIT TILL THESE PLAYERS COME OUT. IT’S GOING TO BE A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF EXCITEMENT. STORMY’S COME THROUGH, HE’S GETTING THE FANS PUMPED UP. SETH JARVIS’S FRIENDS, THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE THEIR OWN FLOAT, BUT WHEN WE GET DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PARADE, WE GET ERIC TULSKY, WE GET THE LOCKER ROOM STAFF, THE ASSISTANT COACHES, AND THEN ROLLING INTO ROD BRIND’AMOUR AND THE GUYS, THESE FANS. JOHN, YOU HEARD IT FIRSTHAND ON THE ICE, AND I HAVE SINCE WATCHED BACK ALL THOSE INTERVIEWS AND LISTENED TO THOSE GUYS SAY, HEY, WE JUST CAN’T WAIT TO GET BACK HOME AND CELEBRATE WITH THE FANS, THE FANS THAT WERE THERE THROUGH THAT NINE YEAR PLAYOFF DROUGHT. AND THEY’RE EVERY YEAR THAT IT FELL SHORT AND NOW GET TO BE HERE TO CELEBRATE THIS MOMENT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ALSO NOTICED WAS THE WAY THE FANS FLOODED VEGAS WAS, WAS SOMETHING TO BEHOLD. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS TREMENDOUS. AND I’M NOT SURE I’VE SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT IN MY TIME. YOU KNOW, THESE TEN YEARS I’VE BEEN WORKING IN THIS BUSINESS WHERE I’VE SEEN A FAN BASE TRAVEL THAT MUCH FOR THAT MOMENT, AND IT WASN’T LOST ON THE PLAYERS. I KNOW WE’VE GOT SOME SOUND FROM JORDAN STAAL THAT WE’LL HEAR A LITTLE BIT LATER, WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE FANS BANGING ON THE GLASS BEHIND HIM. THEY HAD COME DOWN TO ICE LEVEL FOR IT. IT WAS IT WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN’T YOU CAN’T PUT A FINGER ON IT. YOU CAN’T YOU CAN’T PUT A PRICE ON IT. IT’S SOMETHING THE PLAYERS REALLY NOTICE. NOW I KNOW WE HAVE JOSHUA DAVIS BACK OUT. HE’S NEAR THE CAPITOL WHILE THE PARADE IS STILL GOING ON. HE’S PROBABLY MIGHT HAVE SEEN STORMY BY NOW. JOSHUA, YOU KNOW YOU HAD A CHANCE TO TALK WITH GOVERNOR JOSH STEIN. NOW YOU GOT A CHANCE TO TALK TO SOME SCREAMING FANS. YOU MENTIONED PEOPLE FROM LONDON. WHAT’S THE SCENE LIKE DOWN THERE FOR YOU? WELL, JOHN CHANEL MIGHT BE ABLE TO TELL. IT’S EXCEEDINGLY LETTING THESE FANS ARE ABSOLUTELY. THESE FANS ARE ABSOLUTELY SCREAMING THEIR HEADS OFF. THEY’RE THERE. YOU CAN SEE THESE. EXCUSE ME. YOU CAN SEE THESE FLOATS GOING BY. JUST SEEING THE BANDS, SEEING THE POLICE OFFICERS, THE FIREFIGHTERS SEEING LIKE YOUTH HOCKEY PLAYERS. YOU KNOW, EVERYONE HAS SHOWN OUT AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT. NOW SPEAKING WITH FANS OUT HERE, I MEAN, THEY’RE ABSOLUTELY ECSTATIC. I WAS TALKING TO ONE WOMAN WHO SHE ACTUALLY CAME FROM OUR AREA IN THE PIEDMONT TRIAD IN GREENSBORO. SHE WAS ON THE ROAD BY 5 A.M. BECAUSE SHE KNEW SHE HAD TO BE HERE. SHE’S BEEN A LONGTIME HOCKEY FAN, AND SHE TOLD ME THAT THE HURRICANES WERE ALWAYS JUST SO IMPRESSIVE TO HER. AND SEEING THEM PLAY AGAINST THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS, SHE. THERE WAS NO DOUBT IN HER MIND THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BRING THE STANLEY CUP BACK HOME. I SPOKE TO ANOTHER MAN WHO. ANOTHER GUY JUST WALKED PASS BY ME RUNNING BY GETTING. GETTING HIGH FIVES FROM THE CROWD. THERE WAS ANOTHER MAN I SPOKE TO WHO’S HERE WITH HIS BROTHER AND HIS SON. THEY’VE BEEN LONG TIME CANES FANS. HIS SON ACTUALLY PLAYS A LITTLE BIT OF HOCKEY THEMSELVES, AND THEY SAY THAT FOR THEM, THE CANES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A BIG BONDING OPPORTUNITY. AND TO SEE THEM AT THIS LEVEL OF PLAY, TO SEE THE CELEBRATION, TO BE AROUND SO MANY OTHER FANS AT THIS POINT IN TIME, TO SEE THIS MOMENT, TO CELEBRATE, TO BE A PART OF IT. IT’S ABSOLUTELY HUGE FOR THEM. I’M NOT SURE IF RICH MAY BE ABLE TO SHOW YOU I’M A LITTLE BIT A WAYS AWAY FROM HIM, BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE LINING BALCONIES HERE AT THE INTERSECTION OF MORGAN STREET AND FAYETTEVILLE STREET. THERE ARE CANES, FLAGS HANGING EVERYWHERE DOWN HERE IN FAYETTEVILLE. YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO SEE AT THE CORNER OF THE CAMERA CANES, FLAGS LINING THE WAY DOWN. AS PEOPLE WALK BY, I MEAN, TRULY THIS. THE CANES HAVE TRANSFORMED RALEIGH IN AN AMAZING WAY. IT IS A SEA OF RED AND BLACK AND THERE’S A LOT OF LOVE. THERE’S A LOT OF CELEBRATION. THERE’S A LOT OF JOY HAPPENING HERE RIGHT NOW. REPORTING FROM MORGAN STREET IN FAYETTEVILLE STREET, I’M JOSHUA DAVIS BACK TO YOU GUYS AT THE LENOVO CENTER. BACK TO YOU GUYS. GOT SOME SCREAMING MANIACS BEHIND IT. THAT’S THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. YOU KNOW, IT’S LIKE THIS IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. SCREAMING, CELEBRATING SOMETHING THAT HASN’T BEEN DONE IN 20 YEARS. CHANEL. YEAH, I THINK IT’S SO FUN TO JUST TALK, LISTEN TO JOSH TALK ABOUT WHERE ALL THESE FANS ARE COMING FROM. AND I HAD SOME MESSAGES OF PEOPLE BEING LIKE, HEY, I’M THINKING OF HEADING OUT THERE. DO YOU THINK 8:00 IS A GOOD TIME TO ARRIVE? I WAS LIKE, 8:00. I KNOW THIS PARADE STARTED AT 11:00. 8:00 IS LATE. AARON MENTIONED WHEN SHE WAS UP AT 4:00 AND PEOPLE WERE ALREADY OUT THERE. AND THAT’S THE DEDICATION OF THESE FANS. WE SAW FOLKS WHEN WE LEFT THE HOTEL THIS MORNING THAT WERE TAILGATING ALREADY, AND WE LEFT THE HOTEL AROUND 8:00. YEAH. AND THEY HAD THEIR TAILGATE SET UP. SO WE KNOW THEY HAD GOTTEN THERE A LITTLE BIT BEFORE THAT, AND THEY WERE HAVING THEMSELVES A GOOD TIME. BUT THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS HERE, RIGHT? LIKE IF YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO THE LENOVO CENTER FOR A GAME DAY, IT’S AN EXPERIENCE THAT I THINK ALL FANS SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT. AND YOU REALLY SHOULD MAKE A TRIP. THERE’S TAILGATING LIKE IT’S A COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME OR COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAME. THEY’RE PARTYING INSIDE THAT ARENA WHERE IT’S THE LOUDEST HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY. AND I THINK NORTH CAROLINA FANS AND CAROLINA HURRICANES FANS TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN THAT. YEAH, IT’S AN EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY OTHER. AND THEY REALLY SHOW OUT. AND I MEAN, AS YOU SAW JOSHUA TALKING ABOUT IT, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THESE AERIAL VIEWS, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF CANNY ACTS LINING THE STREET. I KNOW IT’S AN EMOTIONAL MOMENT FOR SOME OF THEM, AND IT’S A GENERATIONAL THING FOR SOME OF THEM AS WELL. SOME OF THEM WHO SAW THE CUP WON 20 YEARS AGO NOW HAVE THEIR KIDS WITH THEM SEEING IT ONE TWO DECADES LATER. IT’S ONE OF THOSE SPECIAL MOMENTS IN LIFE. AND I KNOW BEING A KID OF A FRANCHISE THAT WINS PRETTY EARLY IN YOUR LIFE, IT’S KIND OF SPOILING YOU FOR WHAT’S TO COME. YEAH, SOME OF US DON’T KNOW THAT CHANEL, BUT HOPEFULLY IN THEIR CASE, THERE’S MORE TO COME BECAUSE OF WHAT’S BEING BUILT HERE IN CAROLINA. LET’S LET’S PULL THE CURTAIN BACK HERE FOR THE PEOPLE AS WE TAKE SOME MORE VIEWS. CHANEL PORTER IS A BIG TIME PITTSBURGH STEELERS FAN. SO SHE KNEW ALL THIS WINNING GROWING UP, WRAPPED IN A TERRIBLE TOWEL. I WAS RIGHT OFF THE BAT. WE HAD WINNING AND SINCE THEN. BUT YOU GOT TO STICK BY YOUR TEAMS AND SOME OF THESE LONGTIME FANS, YOU KNOW THEY WAITED FOR THIS MOMENT. HOPEFULLY IN 20 YEARS, I’LL GET MY MOMENT AGAIN. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW, I GREW UP AN ORIOLES FAN, SO I CAN RELATE TO THE BAD YEARS THAT SOME OF THESE HURRICANES PLAYERS WENT THROUGH AND SOME OF THESE THESE WHAT THESE FAN BASE WENT THROUGH FOR THAT NINE YEAR WINDOW WHERE THEY WERE JUST AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EASTERN CONFERENCE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE NHL. BUT GOOD FAN BASE IS STICK BY THROUGH THICK AND THIN. I KNOW YOU DO THAT WITH YOUR STEELERS. I’VE DONE IT WITH MY ORIOLES. AND I KNOW THIS FAN BASE HERE STICKS THROUGH IT THROUGH THICK AND THIN. WITH THIS CAROLINA HURRICANES TEAM. I KNOW WE GOT OUR KELLY KENDALL WHO’S IN DOWNTOWN. SHE’S OFF FAYETTEVILLE STREET NEAR THE END OF THIS PARADE ROUTE. KELLY I KNOW YOU DON’T HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF THAT’S COME THROUGH YET BY YOU, BUT I’M SURE THERE’S JUST AS MANY FANS SCREAMING AND GOING CRAZY AS WELL. JOHN CHANEL. THERE REALLY ARE. THERE ARE SO MANY FANS OUT HERE. THE STREETS ON FAYETTEVILLE ARE JUST PACKED BRIM TO BRIM THESE SIDEWALKS. AND YOU MENTIONED HOW MANY FANS JUST ALL ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA HAVE COME TOGETHER. I HAVE TALKED TO FOLKS HERE WHO SAY, THIS IS THE ONE OCCASION THAT COULD BRING TOGETHER AN NC STATE FAN, A DUKE FAN, AND A CAROLINA FAN, AND THAT HAS TRULY BEEN THE CASE. I’VE SPOKEN TO FANS OF ALL AGES, INCLUDING A MOTHER AND SON FROM MEBANE. THEY CAME HERE 20 YEARS AGO WHEN THE HURRICANES WON IN 2006. 20 YEARS LATER, THEY ARE HERE TOGETHER AGAIN. I SPOKE WITH THE SON. HIS NAME IS JACOB. THE HURRICANES WINNING THE STANLEY CUP WITH SOME OF HIS EARLIEST MEMORIES OF JUST THREE YEARS OLD. AND NOW, AT 23, HE IS GETTING TO SEE THIS TEAM DO IT ONCE AGAIN. SO THE EXCITEMENT FOR THESE FANS, IT TRULY IS 20 YEARS IN THE MAKING FOR SOME OF THESE FOLKS HERE. THE ENTIRE MORNING, EVERYONE WHO HAS LOOKED AT US, LET’S GO CANES. THE UNITY HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE. AGAIN, FANS OF ALL AGES COMING TOGETHER. I SPOKE WITH ANOTHER MAN WHO IS HERE ON HIS 11TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. THE CAROLINA HURRICANES ARE SO IMPORTANT THAT HE AND HIS WIFE ARE SPENDING THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION HERE IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH, BECAUSE THEY LOVE THIS TEAM AND EACH OTHER SO MUCH. IT IS TRULY BEAUTIFUL TO SEE THIS COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER AND CELEBRATING THIS TEAM AFTER SUCH A HISTORIC WIN. AND AGAIN HERE ON FAYETTEVILLE STREET WHERE THE PARADE IS GOING TO BE. THIS IS THE FINAL STRETCH DOWN HERE. FOLKS ARE JUST GOING INSANE AS WE SEE THAT THESE PARADE FLOATS ARE COMING DOWN THE STREET. OF COURSE, THERE’S A TON OF ANTICIPATION FOR THE PLAYERS COMING DOWN HERE. WE’LL HAVE MORE FOR YOU AS WE BEGIN TO SEE MORE AND MORE FROM THIS PARADE. JOHN CHANEL. THAT’S THE SHOT. YEAH. KELLY KELLY’S GOT IT. SHE’S TALKING ABOUT THESE PEOPLE GOING CRAZY, THESE FANS GOING NUTS. AND WE GET THE SHOT OF THE STANLEY CUP RIGHT THERE, RIGHT ON YOUR SCREEN. AND I TALKED ABOUT IT BEING RIGHT NEXT TO ME ON THE ICE. THAT’S THE SHOT EVERYBODY WANTED RIGHT THERE. THE STANLEY CUP BEING HOISTED BY THE CAROLINA HURRICANES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TWO DECADES. CHANEL AND KELLY HAD A LOT OF GUYS THAT SHE TALKED TO AS WELL THAT WERE THERE. SHE HAD A COUPLE CELEBRATING THEIR ANNIVERSARY. WHAT A WAY TO DO IT. I SAW THERE’S GOING TO BE A COUPLE GETTING MARRIED DURING THE PARADE TODAY. SO JUST SHOWS YOU, THESE FANS AND I, JOHN, YOU KNOW, AS LONGTIME SPORTS FANS, IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO CELEBRATE YOUR ANNIVERSARY AT A CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE, I MEAN, THERE’S THERE’S NO BETTER FEELING THAN THAT. SO IT’S NO QUESTION THAT THIS WOULD BE A PERFECT TIME TO DO THAT. YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. AND, YOU KNOW, I WE’VE GOT SMILES ON OUR FACES AS WE SIT OUTSIDE THE CENTER. AND I TALKED ABOUT IT EARLIER. YOU CAN KIND OF FEEL THAT ENERGY, THAT EXCITEMENT THAT THIS FAN BASE HAS FOR SOMETHING THAT’S BEEN SO MANY YEARS IN THE MAKING. THEY DESERVE THIS. ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, THIS FAN BASE DESERVES IT. THEY’VE BEEN A GREAT FAN BASE. THEY TREAT US REALLY WELL WHEN WE’RE AT THE GAMES. THIS ORGANIZATION TREATS US SO WELL. THEY DESERVE THIS MOMENT. THEY DESERVE TO BE AT THE PEAK OF THE SPORTS WORLD WITH THIS CHAMPIONSHIP, BRINGING IT HOME TO RALEIGH FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TWO DECADES. AND FROM WHAT I CAN SEE, JOHN, I KNOW THE PLAYERS AREN’T OUT YET, BUT TARPS ARE STILL ON, TARPS ARE STILL ON, OVER, UNDER, THOUGH. HOW MUCH LONGER? AS SOON AS THOSE PLAYERS COME OUT TARPS UP? YEAH, WE’RE GOING TO KEEP OUR TARPS ON. OUR TARPS ARE ON, BUT WE’RE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE A BREAK. WE’RE GOING TO STEP ASIDE HERE FOR A LITTLE BIT. OUR COVERAGE OF THE CHAMPION’S PARADE FOR THE CAROLINA HURRICANES WILL CONTINUE. AS WE STEP ASIDE HERE OUTSIDE THE LENOVO CENTER. WAS THAT HERE WE GO AGAIN. WHAT WILL YOU DO? AND WE’RE BACK HERE OUTSIDE OF THE LENOVO CENTER IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH. LOOK AT THE CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE HERE AS THE PARADE OF CHAMPIONS CELEBRATION CONTINUES FOR THIS CAROLINA HURRICANES HOCKEY TEAM. A CELEBRATION THAT’S SO WELL DESERVING FOR THIS TEAM 20 YEARS IN THE MAKING. CHANEL AS WE SEE THE SKY CHOPPER VIEW OF DOWNTOWN RALEIGH WITH THOSE THOUSANDS OF FANS, WE’VE SEEN SOME PLAYERS START TO GET ON THE ROUTE AS WELL. WE’VE SEEN FROM OUR REPORTERS. NOW I SHOULD RECAP, RESET EVERYONE. WE’VE GOT AARON BURNETT AND DAVE AIKEN AT THE START OF THE PARADE, WHICH IS AT HILLSBOROUGH STREET IN SAINT MARY’S. WE’VE GOT JOSHUA DAVIS HANGING OUT AT THE CAPITOL. EARLIER ON IN OUR SHOW. HE GOT A CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH JOSH STINE, THE GOVERNOR KELLY KENDALL, WHO YOU HEARD FROM BEFORE THE BREAK IS ON FAYETTEVILLE STREET. OUR JEFF AMERNICK, OUR PHOTOJOURNALIST. HE’S ACTUALLY AT THE MARRIOTT. HE’S GOING TO GET SOUND FROM THE PLAYERS AFTER THE PARADE CONCLUDES. ONCE THEY GET TO FAYETTEVILLE STREET, THEY’RE GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME, SPEAK TO THE MEDIA. ASIDE FROM THEIR TIME THAT THEY’LL EVENTUALLY GET ON THE PODIUM AND TALK TO THE FANS AND BRING OUT THE STANLEY CUP AGAIN AND CELEBRATE. SO THE PARADE IS GOING TO TRAVEL EAST THROUGH THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN. AS YOU’RE SEEING RIGHT NOW THROUGH THE STATE CAPITOL. IT’S GOING TO END AT FAYETTEVILLE STREET. DARE CHANEL. YEAH, JON, LET’S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PEOPLE WE’VE ALREADY SEEN COME THROUGH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. START US OFF FIRE CREWS RIGHT BEHIND THEM. THE NC STATE POWER OF THE SOUTH BAND AND DANCE TEAM GOT AFTER IT. COMMUNITY HOCKEY GROUPS COMING, WHICH HAS BEEN A BIG THING FOR THIS CANES TEAM. JUST BUILDING UP THE COMMUNITY, THE YOUTH GROUPS THAT THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO BUILD UP. SOME ALUMNI. THEY’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT AS WELL AS THESE FANS, ALUMNI WAITING 20 YEARS TO HOIST UP THE TROPHY FOR NOW, A SECOND TIME. STORMY AND THE HURRICANES ENTERTAINMENT THEN ROLLING IN THE GOOD OLD CANADIAN BOYS. THE. ALL OF THE BROADCASTING CREW COMING BEHIND THEM. AND WE’RE ALL LEADING UP TO THE MAIN EVENT. IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS, WE’LL SEE THE PLAYERS. WHAT A GREAT YEAR FOR JACOB SLAVIN. HE WON AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL. WE’LL SEE HIM. HE ALSO WON THE STANLEY CUP WITH THE CAROLINA HURRICANES, JUST THE SECOND AMERICAN IN NHL HISTORY TO DO THAT WIN A GOLD MEDAL AT THE OLYMPICS AND THE STANLEY CUP IN THE SAME YEAR. WHAT A YEAR IT’S BEEN FOR HIM AS WELL. SO WE’LL SEE JACOB SLAVIN A LITTLE BIT LATER, OBVIOUSLY SEE THE CAPTAIN, JORDAN STAAL, SPEAKING OF THE CAPTAIN, JOSHUA DAVIS. HE’S CAPTAINING THE SHIP TODAY. CAPTAIN OF THE CAPITAL. YEAH HE’S THE HE IS OUR CAPTAIN. JOSHUA DAVIS HAD A CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH JOSH STEIN, THE GOVERNOR. BUT JOSHUA DAVIS IS IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH RIGHT NOW. PART OF THE CELEBRATION. JOSHUA, YOU SET THE SCENE WITH SOME FANS THAT YOU’VE SEEN ALREADY. YOU SET THE SCENE WITH JOSH STEIN. WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU SEEN SO FAR FROM THE STREET LEVEL THAT WE CAN’T EXACTLY SEE HERE? FROM OUR VANTAGE POINT HERE OUTSIDE THE LENOVO CENTER? RIGHT HERE. WELL, CHANEL JOHN, I DON’T KNOW. CHANEL JOHN, GOOD TO TALK TO YOU AGAIN. I DON’T KNOW IF YOU SAW, BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE IN IN WINDOWS ALONG THESE BUILDINGS HERE WHO ARE WHO ARE WATCHING, WHO ARE CELEBRATING, WHO ARE CLAPPING WITH CANES, FLAGS HANGING FROM THE WINDOWS. AND JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS A FATHER AND SON. WE HAVE MARSHALL AND LUCAS MARSHALL. LUCAS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING A COUPLE MINUTES. I MEAN, FIRST OF ALL, WHERE ARE YOU? WHERE ARE YOU BOTH FROM? WE’RE FROM SMITHFIELD, NORTH CAROLINA. SO RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD HERE, SMITHFIELD FROM NORTH CAROLINA. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BOTH BEEN CANES FANS? I’VE BEEN IN CANES FAN SINCE PROBABLY 2002, WHEN THEY MADE THEIR FIRST RUN, AND HE’S BEEN THE CANES FAN FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS NOW. SO I MEAN, THE LAST TIME THIS TEAM WON A STANLEY CUP WAS 2006. IT’S BEEN 20 YEARS SINCE THEN. IT’S 2026. WAS THERE EVER A MOMENT IN YOUR MIND WHERE YOU THOUGHT, WE’LL GET BACK TO THAT STANLEY CUP AGAIN? OH, OF COURSE, EVER SINCE ROD TOOK OVER IN 2019 OR SO, THEY MADE THAT RUN. I KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO GET THERE EVENTUALLY. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD MOST IMPRESS YOU ABOUT THIS TEAM? JUST THE WAY THEY PLAY TOGETHER, YOU CAN TELL THEY REALLY HAVE EACH OTHER’S BACKS, AND IT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE A LOT MORE PHYSICAL THIS YEAR, TOO, JUST KNOCKING PEOPLE AROUND. SO THAT WAS REALLY NICE TO SEE. I MEAN, WHAT IS THIS LIKE TO LIKE, SPEND THIS MOMENT WITH YOUR SON TO, TO CELEBRATE THIS, TO SHARE THIS MOMENT TOGETHER? OH YEAH. IT’S AWESOME. WE GOT, WE WON SEVERAL GAMES THIS YEAR, SEVERAL PLAYOFF GAMES. SO YEAH, HE HAS A TON OF FUN. SO YEAH. LUCAS, YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING? ALL RIGHT. SO LUCAS, YOU WANT TO LOOK AT ME? OKAY, I GOT YOU. ALL RIGHT. HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TODAY? VERY EXCITED. YOU KNOW WHAT? WHAT MAKES YOU REALLY LIKE THE CANES? WHY DO YOU LOVE THE CANES? I DON’T KNOW, YOU DON’T KNOW? MAYBE BECAUSE THEY PLAY GOOD OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I DON’T KNOW. DO YOU LIKE WATCHING THEM PLAY, BUDDY? YEAH. I MEAN, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE WITH SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE OUT HERE, SO MANY OF YOUR FRIENDS, SO MANY OTHER CANES FANS? HOW DO YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW? GOOD. ARE YOU EXCITED TO SEE THE PLAYERS? YES. THANK YOU KIDS. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY’RE GOING TO SAY. BUT CHANEL JOHN, I MEAN IT IS STILL INCREDIBLE OUT HERE. I’LL GET OUT THE WAY FOR A QUICK SECOND. YOU CAN SEE ALL THE WAY DOWN. THIS IS FAYETTEVILLE STREET RIGHT HERE. JUST THE THRONG OF MANIACS JUST LINING THE STREETS. EITHER SIDE FLAGS ARE WAVING, THE SCREAMING. I CAN BARELY HEAR MYSELF THINK. I CAN BARELY HEAR YOU GUYS IN MY EAR RIGHT NOW. IT IS TRULY ASTOUNDING TO SEE SO MANY FANS OUT HERE HAVING SUCH A FANTASTIC TIME. THERE’S SO MANY PEOPLE WITH THEIR FAMILIES, WITH. I’VE SEEN SO MANY KIDS WALK BY WITH REPLICA STANLEY CUPS MADE OUT OF TIN FOIL AND OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT, OR MADE OUT OF LIKE POTS AND PANS. IT’S JUST IT IS. EVEN FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO I WASN’T ALWAYS A CANES FAN. I’VE ONLY BEEN TO ONE GAME IN MY TIME HERE. BUT EVEN I AM BEING OVERCOME BY THIS INFECTIOUS ENERGY. NOW I’M THINKING, MAN, I GOT TO GO TO A GAME NOW. I GOT TO GO SEE WHAT THE HYPE IS ALL ABOUT AND REALLY GET A CHANCE TO BE A PART OF CANE MANIA, TO BE ONE OF THE CANES. BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, I WILL SEND IT BACK TO YOU AT CENTER. I’M JOSHUA DAVIS IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH. MECHANICS. THEY’RE GROWING TODAY. JOSHUA DAVIS IS NOW A CANE. YEAH. YOU KNOW WHAT? I GOT TO TALK ABOUT THE YOUNG MAN. HE JUST DOESN’T KNOW. THAT’S THE BEST PART ABOUT THIS, RIGHT? HE’S YOUNG, BUT HE KNOWS HE’S WITH HIS FAMILY THERE. AND IT’S IT’S IT’S SOMETHING THAT THERE’S A LOT OF EMOTIONS. YEAH. IT’S SOMETHING HE’S GOING TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YEARS FROM NOW AT THANKSGIVING. LIKE, HEY, DO YOU REMEMBER THAT TIME WHEN THE HURRICANES WON FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS? YOU WERE AT THAT PARADE AND HE’S GOING TO BE LIKE, I WAS. AND THEY’RE LIKE, YEAH, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT INTERVIEWED ON TV AND YOU SAID YOU DIDN’T KNOW WHY YOU WERE SENT HIM. THAT CLIP TO KEEP FOREVER. WE’RE GONNA HAVE TO CUT AND SEND IT TO THAT KID BECAUSE HE’S GOING TO REMEMBER THAT. BUT LIKE, THIS IS WHAT THIS MOMENT IS ALL ABOUT. HE’S JUST READY TO SEE HIS PLAYERS. HE JUST WANTS TO SEE THE HE WANTS TO SEE THE CUP. AND LIKE I SAID, HE’S A YOUNG FAN THAT’S BOUGHT IN AT THE RIGHT TIME. HE’S ONLY KNOWN WINNING NOW AT THIS POINT IN HIS LIFE BECAUSE I GOT TO IMAGINE HE’S PROBABLY LIKE SIX YEARS OLD, SEVEN YEARS OLD. HE’S ONLY SEEN GOOD CANES HOCKEY, RIGHT? SO HE KNOWS WHAT WINNING IS LIKE. AND THIS IS THE THE PINNACLE OF WINNING. IF YOU’RE A SPORTS FAN AND IT’S A PINNACLE OF WINNING FOR THESE CAROLINA HURRICANES FANS AS THEY CELEBRATE IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH RIGHT NOW. JOHN, SO MANY KEY PARTS TO THIS TEAM. SETH JARVIS HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN A KEY PART TO GETTING THIS TEAM. WE SAW THE LINE CHANGES HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE POSTSEASON, BUT HE STILL STEPPED UP. HE LED THIS TEAM WITH 32 GOALS THIS SEASON. HE REPRESENTED TEAM CANADA BACK IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES. HE WAS DRAFTED 13TH OVERALL IN 2020. AND REALLY, WHEN THEY MADE THAT LINE SWITCH, WHEN ROD BRIND’AMOUR, THEY LOST A FEW GAMES AND HE SAID, HEY, WE NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE. SETH JARVIS DIDN’T MISS A BEAT. HE WENT BACK TO THAT THIRD LINE AND HE MADE THAT IMPACT. CRITICAL GOALS THROUGHOUT THE SERIES, AND HE’S ONE OF THE KEY REASONS WHY CAROLINA CAME OUT BIG, EVEN THOUGH HE GOT MOVED OFF OF THE TOP LINE. YOU KNOW WHAT’S INTERESTING ABOUT THAT? CHANEL. AND IT WOULD BE EASY TO TALK ABOUT THE CAPTAIN, JORDAN STAAL, BUT SETH AND JORDAN WERE PART OF THAT LINE TOGETHER, AND THEY INSTANTLY CLICKED. AND THE CAPTAIN, JORDAN STAAL, PUT ON A PERFORMANCE UNLIKE ANY OTHER. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE WAY HE PLAYED THOSE FIVE GOALS CONSECUTIVE GAMES, TYING AN NHL RECORD, HE BECOMES THE OLDEST CONN SMYTHE AWARD WINNER, SURPASSING TIM THOMAS OF THE BOSTON BRUINS, WHO WAS 37 YEARS OLD AS WELL. I MEAN, YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A GUY WHO CAME TO CAROLINA FROM PITTSBURGH. HE CAME TO THE CANES FROM THE PENGUINS AFTER WINNING A CUP WITH THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS. HE JOINED HIS BROTHER ERIC STAAL HERE, AND ERIC WON A CUP EARLY IN HIS CAREER AS WELL. JORDAN COMES IN AND HE’S AS HE’S GETTING TO THE TAIL END OF HIS CAREER WITH THAT LINE WITH SETH JARVIS, AS YOU MENTIONED, THEY GO OUT AND THEY PERFORM AT THE TOP OF THEIR LEVEL AT THE BIGGEST MOMENT OF THEIR CAREERS AND AT THE BIGGEST MOMENT OF THE SEASON. AND I DON’T THINK YOU CAN OVERESTIMATE THE PLAY OF THAT LINE. AND I DON’T THINK YOU CAN OVERESTIMATE THE PLAY OF JORDAN STAAL IN THE STANLEY CUP FINAL. I KNOW THERE WAS SOME TALK THAT MAYBE HE WASN’T THE CONN SMYTHE WINNER HEADING IN, BUT IF YOU WATCHED HIM THE ENTIRE PLAYOFFS, IT WASN’T ABOUT THE GOALS FOR JORDAN. IT WAS HIM SHUTTING DOWN THE OPPOSING TEAM’S TOP LINE. IT WAS HIS PLAY ON THE PENALTY KILL. IT WAS HIS PLAY ON THE POWER PLAY, WHICH WE SHOULD GIVE A TON OF CREDIT TO AS WELL, BECAUSE THAT POWER PLAY HAD BEEN SO BAD ALL SEASON. IT WAS TERRIBLE. WE WERE EVEN TALKING ABOUT IT LAST PLAYOFFS. IT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST BUGABOO IN OUR TIME HERE. BEFORE THE CUP FINAL, THEY WERE CLICKING AT 12%. IT WAS NOT GOOD, BUT THEY FIGURED IT OUT. THE CAPTAIN, JORDAN STAAL, SAID, GET ON MY BACK, BOYS. WE’RE BRINGING THIS HOME. WE’VE BEEN SO CLOSE. AND AS YOU MENTIONED, THAT LINE WITH SETH JARVIS AND JORDAN STAAL, THEY EXECUTED, THEY CLICKED. AND HERE WE ARE LOOKING AT THIS CELEBRATION IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH. THERE’S THE END OF THE PARADE ROUTE RIGHT NOW. WE’RE GETTING A SHOT AT FAYETTEVILLE STREET, WHERE WE’RE EXPECTING TO SEE THE PLAYERS IN ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO. COME DOWN THIS WAY, WHERE THE END OF THE PARADE FANS WILL GET A CHANCE TO CELEBRATE WITH ALL THESE GUYS. YEAH, A LOT OF FUN STUFF. YOU TALKED ABOUT JORDAN STAAL. THAT WAS THE HE WAS MY FIRST HOCKEY PLAYER THAT I EVER KNEW GROWING UP CLOSE TO PITTSBURGH. SO 17 YEARS LATER, NOW GETTING TO COVER HIM AND NOW SEEING HIM WINNING ANOTHER CUP HAS JUST BEEN A FULL CIRCLE MOMENT FOR ME. AND DEFINITELY ALL OF MY FRIENDS BACK IN PITTSBURGH THAT HAVE FOLLOWED HIM SO CLOSELY THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER. WE TALK ABOUT THE LINE CHANGES, THE TOP LINE. IT WASN’T JUST SETH JARVIS HAVING PROBLEMS SCORING, IT WAS THE ENTIRE TOP LINE. BUT WE SAW I REMEMBER SITTING HERE IN GAME FIVE AND SEEING SEBASTIAN AHO, SEEING ANDREI SVECHNIKOV FINALLY GET GOALS, AND THAT FEEL LIKE A WEIGHT HAS BEEN LIFTED OFF. DO I SEE SOME TAR? I THINK WE’VE GOT OUR FIRST SET OF TARPS OFF THE TARP. OFF MANIA HAS FINALLY STARTED. RALEIGH ON ONE OF THE FLOATS, AND IT’S USUALLY A DOMINO EFFECT. THERE WILL BE A LOT OF SHIRTLESS PEOPLE. I HOPE EVERYONE HAS THE THE SPF LIKE 50 TODAY. YEAH, BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE ARE TAKING THEIR TARPS OFF. SUNBURN MIGHT BE A THING. ABSOLUTELY. MAKE SURE YOU’RE USING PROTECTION IF YOU’RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF AND THE TARPS OFF USUALLY START IN THE 300 SECTION AND WORK ITS WAY DOWN. SO I’M THINKING STARTING UP TOP, IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. I MEAN, WE GOT TO GET IT AT THE END OF THE PARADE. WE’RE GONNA HAVE THE START OF THE PARADE. JUST SHIRTS OFF AND EVERYTHING. IT’S GOING TO BE UNBELIEVABLE. SCENE HERE IN RALEIGH. AND YOU TALKED ABOUT JORDAN. YEAH. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE FIRST PLAYERS THAT YOU GOT A CHANCE TO GROW UP WATCHING. YOU KNOW I KNOW FOR A LOT OF CANES FANS THAT HAD THAT 20 YEAR GAP, THEY SAW ERIC STAAL WIN THE STANLEY CUP AS WELL. 20 YEARS AGO. THEY BECAME AFTER THE STANLEY CUP FINAL VICTORY, THE 17TH SET OF BROTHERS IN NHL HISTORY TO WIN A STANLEY CUP WITH THE SAME FRANCHISE. WHICH IS PRETTY COOL THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO DO THAT HERE IN RALEIGH AND HERE IN THE CAROLINAS WITH THE CAROLINA HURRICANES, YOU GOT TO SEE THEM HUGGING ON THE ICE POST GAME, TOO. HOW WAS THAT MOMENT? SO IT WAS ALL FOR BROTHERS BECAUSE IT’S A SET OF FOUR. YOU GOT JARED STAAL, WHO PLAYED HAD A CUP OF COFFEE IN THE IN THE NHL. YOU HAD JORDAN STAAL, YOU HAD MARC STAAL, WHO WAS A LONG TIME DEFENSEMAN FOR THE NEW YORK RANGERS. AND THEN YOU HAD ERIC STAAL, THE FORMER CAPTAIN HERE FOR THE CAROLINA HURRICANES. AND WHEN I HAD A CHANCE TO CHECK IN WITH JORDAN AFTER THE GAME, HE WAS EMOTIONAL TALKING ABOUT HE SAID THEY’VE PUSHED HIM SO MUCH THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER TO GET TO THIS POINT. HE TALKED ABOUT DURING THE SUMMERS WHEN THEY DIDN’T REALLY FEEL LIKE WORKING OUT AND GETTING THE WORKOUT IN. THEY WERE PUSHING EACH OTHER, THEY WERE PUSHING HIM AND WITH HIS BROTHERS ALL RETIRED. JORDAN, WHO’S THE SECOND YOUNGEST, IF YOU WANT TO PHRASE IT THAT WAY, WE’RE STILL IN THE GAME. SO HE HAD THE SUPPORT OF ALL OF HIS BROTHERS BEHIND HIM, AND YOU COULD JUST SEE THAT EMOTION COME OUT AS WE SEE THE STANLEY CUP HERE MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH DOWNTOWN RALEIGH. YOU COULD JUST SEE THAT EMOTION COME OUT IN JORDAN WHERE HE’S LIKE, I FINALLY DID IT. YEAH, ALL THE HARD WORK HAS PAID OFF AGAIN, ALL THE TIME AND EFFORT. AND THEN BE ABLE TO CELEBRATE IT WITH HIS BROTHERS ON THE ICE, BECAUSE ALL OF THEM WERE NO LONGER PLAYING. I THINK IT MADE IT EVEN MORE SPECIAL FOR HIM, AND I KNOW IT MADE IT SPECIAL FOR ME TO SEE IT, TO DO IT. AT THIS POINT IN YOUR CAREER TOO, IS TRULY SOMETHING SPECIAL. I REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE TALKING TO JACKSON BLAKE AFTER THE GAME TOO, AND HE WAS LIKE, HEY, I’M 22 YEARS OLD AND THIS JUST HAPPENED. LIKE, I’M GLAD IT HAPPENED THIS EARLY IN MY CAREER, BUT I’M HOPING WE HAVE SOME MORE. AND I’M SURE JORDAN STAAL HAD THAT FEELING EARLY IN HIS CAREER, TOO. YOU REACH THAT PEAK AND THEN YOU JUST CRAVE GETTING BACK TO IT. SO THE FACT THAT HE IS ABLE TO DO THIS AT THIS POINT IN HIS CAREER, AND HOPEFULLY ONE DAY, NOT SOON, RIDE OFF INTO THE SUNSET AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE CLAIM A THIRD. THAT WOULD BE PERFECT. IT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS ROD BRIND’AMOUR SAID TO THIS TEAM, YOU ONLY GET SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO GET TO A CUP FINAL AND WIN IT. ROD HAD LOST A COUPLE BEFORE WAS 20 YEARS AGO WHEN HE WON IT, AND IT TOOK HIM ANOTHER 20 YEARS TO GET TO THIS POINT AS A HEAD COACH. SO, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, JACKSON SO YOUNG. HE’S GOT IT EARLY IN HIS CAREER, BUT YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO WIN IT AGAIN. THE GUYS ARE REALLY ENJOYING THIS MOMENT. WE’VE GOT OUR KELLY KENDALL WELL. KELLY’S GETTING TO ENJOY THE MOMENT WITH THE FANS. KELLY, TAKE IT AWAY. LET US KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON DOWN THERE. JOHN CHANEL PEOPLE ARE GOING ABSOLUTELY NUTS. WE ARE SEEING THESE BUSSES COME AROUND THE CORNER AND FANS ARE READY TO GET A GLIMPSE OF THESE PLAYERS, THE STAFF, THE COACHES. IT IS AN INDESCRIBABLE SCENE. THESE SIDEWALKS OF FAYETTEVILLE STREET ARE ABSOLUTELY PACKED, BRIMMING WITH PEOPLE. THERE ARE KIDS ON PARENTS SHOULDERS. THEY ARE BOTH YOUNG AND OLD. THEY ARE WAVING THEIR TOWELS AND LETTING THIS TEAM KNOW HOW MUCH THEY APPRECIATE THEIR HARD WORK. THIS YEAR. I JUST WANT TO STOP. YOU CAN HEAR THESE FOLKS LISTEN TO ALL OF THIS. THAT IS THE SOUND OF PEOPLE CELEBRATING A WIN 20 YEARS IN THE MAKING. SOME OF THESE FANS NEVER EXPECTED THIS MOMENT. SOME OF THESE FANS JUST BECAME CAROLINA HURRICANES FANS. WHETHER YOU WERE HERE FROM THE START OR JUST STARTED WATCHING THIS SEASON. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE WAY TO END IT. AND YOU ARE JUST HEARING THESE FOLKS GOING ABSOLUTELY CRAZY. I MEAN, BUSSES ARE COMING DOWN. FAYETTEVILLE STREET BOONE. EVERYONE IS GOING TO GET A GLIMPSE OF THOSE PLAYERS AND HOPEFULLY WITH THE SUN SHINING DOWN HERE IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH GET A VIEW OF THE STANLEY CUP ITSELF. BUT FOR NOW, JOHN CHANEL, IT IS JUST A CRAZY SCENE HERE. UNBELIEVABLE. CHANEL YOU SEE THE CHAMPAGNE BEING POPPED OFF THE SIDE, YOU SEE THE CUP UP IN THE AIR. ONLY ONE TEAM GETS TO EXPERIENCE THAT AT THE END OF EVERY SEASON. AND THEN TO HAVE IT HERE IN RALEIGH, AFTER WHAT HAS FELT LIKE FOREVER, I’M SURE TO SOME FANS, IT’S JUST A MOMENT THAT THEY’LL NEVER FORGET. YOU KNOW, WE SIT HERE AND, YOU KNOW, THIS JOB HAS ALLOWED US TO COVER A LOT OF REALLY COOL THINGS IN OUR LIFE, BE IT A LOT OF REALLY COOL EVENTS. AND I GOT TO TELL YOU, BEING IN VEGAS TO SEE CAROLINA WIN THE STANLEY CUP WAS THE PEAK OF MY SPORTS BROADCASTING JOURNALISM CAREER. THIS IS RIGHT UP THERE WITH IT. YEAH. AS AS A GUY WHO SITS HERE AND READILY TELLS PEOPLE, I’M A FAN TO BEGIN WITH, I LOVE SPORTS. I LOVE MY TEAMS. I LOVE THE ENERGY TO SEE THIS MOMENT, TO BE A PART OF THIS MOMENT, WITH THIS FAN BASE. YEAH, THIS IS COOL. THIS, THIS IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT. THIS IS FUN. THIS IS A TIME TO BE EMOTIONAL. AND THAT STANLEY CUP MAN, IT DON’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT. JOHN, YOU MENTIONED THE FEELING THAT YOU HAD AROUND THE STANLEY CUP. JOSHUA DAVIS IS DOWNTOWN AND HE JUST SAW THE STANLEY CUP. HE DID GO RIGHT PAST HIM. JOSHUA, DID YOU HAVE THE SAME FEELING THAT JOHN FELT WHEN HE SAW THE STANLEY CUP AS WELL? CHANEL JOHN, I FELT SOMETHING. I FELT A KIND OF JOY THAT I DID NOT THINK I COULD FEEL FOR A TEAM THAT I DIDN’T NECESSARILY ROOT FOR. CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME? I HOPE YOU CAN HEAR ME. RIGHT NOW. WE ARE HAVING A FEW CONNECTION ISSUES OUT HERE, BUT I FELT A TYPE OF JOY THAT I DIDN’T REALLY KNOW I COULD ACTUALLY FEEL FOR A TEAM. I DIDN’T NECESSARILY ROOT FOR, BUT SOMEONE WHO WAS ROOTING FOR THIS TEAM. CAN YOU SAY YOUR NAME FOR ME? MY NAME IS SUSIE BANES AND THIS IS ARJUN BANES. AND SO, I MEAN, HOW ARE YOU BOTH FEELING RIGHT NOW SEEING GOD? IF I SAY IT’S LOUD IN THE LENOVO CENTER, IT WAS LOUD AROUND HERE. IT WAS CRAZY BUSY. I COULD BARELY HEAR MYSELF THINK. WAS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU FELT TOO? OH MY GOD, MY HEART IS POUNDING. JUST THE LOUDNESS AND THE PASSION AND THE LOVE FOR THIS TEAM IS JUST AMAZING. SO WHEN YOU SAW THAT, WHEN YOU SAW THE TEAM COME BY, YOU SAW THAT STANLEY CUP IN THE AIR WAVING IT LIKE CHAMPIONS. I MEAN, WHAT’S GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND? OH, WE HAVE WAITED 20 YEARS FOR THIS CUP AND I’M NOT ORIGINALLY FROM HERE, BUT THE ATMOSPHERE IN RALEIGH IS JUST UNMATCHED. AND YOU KNOW, WE CAN’T GO ANYWHERE HIGHER THAN THIS. MAYBE GET AN MLB TEAM OR WHATEVER. BUT IT’S CRAZY. IT’S BRILLIANT. YOU KNOW, WE WERE TALKING EARLIER, YOU MENTIONED YOUR SON PLAYS HOCKEY, RIGHT? YEAH. SO HEY, BUD, SO YOU LIKE TO PLAY HOCKEY TOO, RIGHT? YEAH. ALL RIGHT. WHAT POSITION DO YOU PLAY? RIGHT WING. YOU KNOW, WERE YOU EXCITED TO SEE THIS PARADE TODAY? YEAH. YOU KNOW, WHY WERE YOU SO EXCITED? BECAUSE I GOT TO SEE THE PLAYERS AND THE. STALEY COACH AND. ROB BRIDGEWATER. AND IT WAS SO FUN. DO YOU THINK THAT DO YOU WANT TO BE A PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY PLAYER TOO SOMEDAY? YEAH. DO YOU THINK YOU COULD WIN A STANLEY CUP? YEAH. WOULD YOU WANT TO PLAY FOR THE CANES. YEAH. WELL YOU HEARD IT HERE FOLKS. WE GOT A A NEW CANES PLAYER RIGHT HERE IN THE MAKING. THE LAST THING I WANT TO ASK YOU RIGHT NOW IS JUST, YOU KNOW, FOR YOU AS SOMEONE NOT NECESSARILY ORIGINALLY FROM THIS AREA, YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY STUCK OUT TO YOU ABOUT THE HURRICANES COMMUNITY? COMMUNITY IS AMAZING. LIKE MY SON, LIKE THEY JUST BRING HIM IN. I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HOCKEY, AND YET THEY BRING ME IN AS A FAMILY. AND THAT IS THE ONE WORD I WOULD SAY. COMMUNITY. WELL, YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST, JOHN AND CHANEL. THIS IS A FAMILY. THIS IS A COMMUNITY. NICE JOB BUD. I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU ON THE RINK. AND SO WE HAVE A TON OF FANS OUT HERE TODAY. SOME FUTURE HOCKEY PLAYERS. IT’S A GREAT TIME TO BE A CANES FAN. BACK TO YOU AT THE LENOVO CENTER. ALL RIGHT. THANKS JOSHUA. LOOK AT THAT. WE GOT OUR NEXT MANIAC. WE GOT OUR NEXT CANES PLAYER. HE’S UP AND COMING. ERIC TULSKY SIGN HIM UP SIGN HIM. ERIC’S COMING ON THE PARADE SOON. LISTEN, KNOWING ERIC TULSKY PROBABLY ALREADY HAS THE KID SIGNED. ABSOLUTELY. THIS IS ONE OF THE. HE’S ALREADY ON THE RADAR. ONE OF THE BEST GAMES IN THE NHL WITH AN UNORTHODOX BACKGROUND TO GET THERE. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A GUY WHO’S GOT DEGREES FROM HARVARD AND CAL BERKELEY. HE’S GOT OVER 27 PATENTS. HE WAS A NEUROSCIENTIST. I’M NOT EVEN SURE WHAT THAT MEANS. HE KNOWS WORDS THAT I WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN. YEAH, LIKE. BUT SOMEHOW HE USED ALL OF HIS BRAIN POWER BECAUSE HE’S GOT A TON OF IT TO CONSTRUCT A ROSTER THAT NOT ONLY WON THE STANLEY CUP, BUT WAS DOMINANT IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING THERE. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A TEAM THAT OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, AND HE, YOU KNOW, HE HASN’T BEEN THE GM FOR THE LAST FIVE. BUT OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, NO TEAM IN THE NHL OR IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE HAS WON MORE GAMES THAN THE CAROLINA HURRICANES THIS YEAR ALONE. NO ONE MORE, WON MORE GAMES AT HOME THAN THE CAROLINA HURRICANES. THERE, 113 POINTS THIS YEAR, THE MOST IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE, ALL BEHIND THE BUILDING OF THE ROSTER BY ERIC TULSKY, A GM. AS I MENTIONED, IT KIND OF CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. AN UNORTHODOX BACKGROUND, DIDN’T NECESSARILY PLAY HOCKEY. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE GM’S THAT YOU LOOK AROUND THE LEAGUE, BILL GUERIN, HE WAS A LONGTIME NHL PLAYER. HE’S NOW THE GM OF THE MINNESOTA WILD. YOU SEE GUYS LIKE THAT. JOE SAKIC, THE GM IN COLORADO. OBVIOUSLY AN AVALANCHE. FORMER PLAYER HIMSELF. CAROLINA DOES THINGS DIFFERENTLY. YEAH, IT FITS THE STATE. CAROLINA DOES THINGS DIFFERENTLY. BUT SOMEHOW, SOME WAY IT’S CHAMPIONSHIP STATE. YEAH IT’S BUILT ON CHAMPIONSHIPS. THEY OWN CHAMPIONSHIPS. AND NOW THEY GOT THEIR FIRST STANLEY CUP TITLE IN 20 YEARS. AND YOU CAN HEAR THE CELEBRATION BEHIND JOSHUA AND KELLY KENDALL. YOU CAN SEE THE FANS BEHIND IT. AND NOW WE HAVE THE COACHING STAFF CHANEL COMING THROUGH. ROD THE BOD, AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, ROD BRIND’AMOUR ON THE WAY, MR. CAROLINA HURRICANE HIMSELF WILL SEE HIM ON A FLOAT AS HE’S GOING TO COME THROUGH. AND I BET YOU HE GETS THE BIGGEST CHEER IN OVATION FROM THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF MASSIVE CHEERS THAT WE’RE GOING TO HEAR TODAY, ROD SAID. A LOT AFTER THEY WON. BUT ONE BIG THING THAT HE SAID THAT STUCK WITH ME WAS, WHY WOULD WE MAKE ALL THESE DRASTIC CHANGES WHEN WE’VE BEEN SO CLOSE? AND HE CREDITED THE INJURIES OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS TO WHY THIS TEAM HAS FALLEN JUST SHORT. AND ONE OF THE KEY REASONS TO WHY THEY MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE END AND NOW HAVE THE CUP IN THIS AMAZING CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS, IS BECAUSE THEY STAYED HEALTHY AND THEY STUCK TOGETHER AND THEY STUCK TO THE PROCESS. THIS TEAM WAS THERE. THEY JUST NEEDED A FEW MORE PIECES AND THEY BROUGHT THEM IN. ERIC TULSKY AT THE HELM OF ALL OF THAT, THIS TEAM HAS BEEN DOMINANT AT HOME. WE’VE MENTIONED, BUT THEIR ABILITY TO WIN ON THE ROAD THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE POSTSEASON, EVEN IN A GAME SIX SITUATION IN VEGAS WHERE THEY COULD HAVE VERY EASILY LOST IN VEGAS AND THEN BEEN IN A DO OR DIE SITUATION BACK HERE IN A GAME SEVEN, BEING ABLE TO CLOSE IT OUT THE WAY THEY DID AND IN SHUT OUT FASHION WITH YOUR GOALIE WHO JUST STARTED PLAYING IN THE POSTSEASON. THAT’S THAT’S A BIG MOMENT. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, ERIC TULSKY HAS DONE AND WE’LL TALK ABOUT BRANDON BUSSEY, THE GOALTENDER, AND A LITTLE BIT. BUT IT WAS LAST YEAR AT THE TRADE DEADLINE AND A PART OF A THREE TEAM DEAL. HE BROUGHT IN TAYLOR HALL. YEAH. AND AT THE TIME, A LOT OF PEOPLE LOOKED AT IT WAS LIKE, WELL, TAYLOR’S PROBABLY GOING TO BE A RESERVE PLAYER FOR THIS TEAM, NOT EXPECTING A WHOLE LOT. THE FORMER NUMBER ONE OVERALL DRAFT CHOICE OF THE EDMONTON OILERS BACK IN 2010. HE HAD HAD HIS HIS FUN IN THE SUN, RIGHT. HE WAS ON THE BACKSIDE OF HIS CAREER. THEN YOU COME TO THIS PLAYOFF POSTSEASON WHERE TAYLOR HALL, KIND OF LIKE JORDAN STAAL, PUT THE TEAM ON HIS BACK. HE FINISHED SECOND ON THE TEAM IN POINTS IN THIS POSTSEASON. HE WAS ACQUIRED, AS I MENTIONED, AS PART OF THAT THREE TEAM DEAL. HE STEPPED UP ON THE POWER PLAY WHEN IT WAS NEEDED MOST. HE ACTUALLY, IN WINNING THIS CUP, SET THE RECORD FOR THE LONGEST GAP BETWEEN A FIRST OVERALL CHOICE EVER, WINNING A STANLEY CUP 18 YEARS. HE WON AN MVP 4 IN 2018, AND HE PLAYED LIKE AN MVP TYPE PLAYER FOR THE CAROLINA HURRICANES, ESPECIALLY AGAINST VEGAS. HE HAD A COUPLE KEY GOALS. HE WAS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF THIS PLAYOFF PUSH, AND I WANTED THAT REASON BECAUSE ERIC TULSKY FOUND HIM AS PART OF THAT THREE TEAM DEAL, AND EVERYBODY THOUGHT IT WAS AN AFTERTHOUGHT. HE WAS JUST HE WAS JUST A PIECE. DIDN’T THINK MUCH OF IT, BUT THEY SAW SOMETHING THAT WAS LEFT IN THAT TANK AND HE PUT IT ON THE LINE FOR THIS HURRICANES TEAM IN THE POSTSEASON THIS YEAR. AND HERE WE ARE CELEBRATING A CHAMPIONSHIP 20 YEARS IN THE MAKING. AND A BIG PART OF IT WAS TAYLOR HALL’S PLAY. HE WAS A BIG PART OF THE SECOND LINE. YES. THE SECOND LINE WAS THE SUCCESS WHEN THE OTHER LINES WERE LACKING, WHEN YOU WEREN’T GETTING THE PRODUCTION OUT OF JARVIS AHO SVESHNIKOV, WHEN THEY WERE LACKING IN THE POSTSEASON. AND HE HAS TWO YOUNG GUYS ON HIS LINE. HE IS STAN, KOVIN AND BLAKE. SO LIKE TWO GUYS THAT ARE JUST UP AND COMING THAT HAVEN’T REALLY EXPERIENCED A DEEP PLAYOFF RUN LIKE THIS BEFORE. SO HIM BEING THE LEADING FORCE IN ALL OF THAT AND HELPING GUYS WHO ARE 22, 23 YEARS OLD STEP UP IN THE BIGGEST MOMENTS OF THEIR LIFE. JACKSON BLAKE, YOU KNOW, HE GREW UP AROUND HOCKEY. HIS FATHER WAS IN THE NHL FOR 13 SEASONS. HE RECORDED 20 POINTS, 19 POSTSEASON GAMES FOR THE HURRICANES THIS SEASON. I MEAN, THE IMPACT THAT BOTH OF THOSE GUYS LOGAN, STAN, COVID AND JACKSON BLAKE HAD REALLY START WITH THE VETERAN LEADERSHIP THAT THEY HAD IN THAT LINE WITH TAYLOR HALL. YOU KNOW, YOU TALK ABOUT JACKSON BLAKE. I GREW UP WATCHING HIS FATHER, JASON BLAKE, WHO PLAYED FOR THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS. NOW, I GREW UP IN NEW YORK RANGERS FAN, AS A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW, LIKE I LOVED MY RANGERS. I LOVE MY RANGERS. SO JASON WAS A THORN IN THE SIDE FOR ISLANDERS. HE WAS A GREAT LITTLE PLAYER. DID YOU EVER THINK YOU’D COVER HIS SON? I NEVER THOUGHT I’D GET A CHANCE TO COVER HIS SON. I DIDN’T KNOW HIS SON AT THE TIME, BUT I TELL YOU, HE WAS. HE’S A GREAT YOUNG MAN. I HAD A CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH JACKSON BLAKE ON THE ICE. AND I KNOW WE GOT SOME SOUND FROM HIM, FROM. YOU KNOW WHAT THIS CUP MEANT TO HIM. HE’D NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE. YEAH. HE HAD NEVER SEEN THE STANLEY CUP. I THINK WE ACTUALLY HAVE SOME SOUND FROM HIM THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO PULL UP. AND WE CAN HEAR FROM JACKSON BLAKE ABOUT THE CELEBRATION AND ABOUT THE WAY IT FELT LIKE TO BE ON THE ICE AND BE AROUND HIS FAMILY AS THEY BRING HOME THE STANLEY CUP. LET’S GO AHEAD. LET’S GO AHEAD AND WE’RE WE’RE WE’RE GOING TO TRY TO PULL THAT UP FOR THE VIEWERS HERE IN A LITTLE BIT SO THEY CAN HEAR FROM JACKSON BLAKE. BUT YEAH, HIS FATHER, JASON, WAS AN EXCELLENT PLAYER IN HIS OWN RIGHT. AND THIS GOES WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT WITH CAROLINA HURRICANES THEY THEY’RE ABLE TO FIND THESE DRAFT PICKS LATER ON RIGHT. YEAH. HE SELECTED 109TH OVERALL. THE NHL IS REALLY WEIRD WITH THE WAY THE DRAFT PROCESS BECAUSE IT’S SO DIFFERENT. THE WAY THINGS GO WITH IT IS THAT AFTER THE FIRST ROUND, YOU GOT TO FIND SOME DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH, RIGHT? YOU GOT TO FIND SOME SMALL THINGS. AND THEY WERE ABLE TO DO THAT WITH JACKSON BLAKE, WHO’S A REALLY GOOD PLAYER NOW. ONE OF THE REALLY GOOD PLAYERS THEY FOUND. AND WE KIND OF BRIEFLY TOUCHED IT ON IT AS WELL. WAS THE GOALTENDER BRANDON BUSSEY. YEAH, I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING HIS HIS WIFE’S ALL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA AND I’VE BEEN FOLLOWING HER SO CLOSELY SINCE HE TOOK OVER. AND JUST SEEING THE JOY THAT SHE HAS, KNOWING THE JOURNEY THAT HE HAS BEEN ON IN HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER, AND NOW HAVING A SHUTOUT TO WIN THE STANLEY CUP FINAL, IT’S JUST, OH MY GOSH, WHAT A JOURNEY. HE BECAME THE FIRST GOALIE IN NHL HISTORY TO START THEIR CAREER 11 AND ONE. HE WAS HE WAS A WAIVER CLAIM. YEAH. AND AN INTERESTING PART OF IT. HE’S A WAIVER CLAIM FROM THE FLORIDA PANTHERS. AND THE TEAM THAT HAD KNOCKED CAROLINA OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS. A TEAM THAT HAD BEEN A THORN IN CAROLINA’S SIDE REALLY WAS THE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM THAT CAROLINA HAD BEEN CHASING FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF SEASONS WAS THE FLORIDA PANTHERS. WILL THEY GET A GUY OUT OF THE ORGANIZATION, BRANDON BUSSEY, AND IT WOULDN’T BE. IT WOULD BE FITTING THAT HE WOULD BACKSTOP THEM AND BECOME THE FIRST ROOKIE TO POST A SHUTOUT IN A STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME IN 87 YEARS. WHAT A PERFORMANCE HE HAD. AND IT REALLY CAME KIND OF OUT OF NOWHERE. YEAH. WHEN YOU SEE A GUY, FREDDY WAS SO DOMINANT TO A CERTAIN POINT. AND THEN IT WAS THE QUESTION OF, OKAY, DO YOU STEER AWAY FROM FREDDY ANDERSON, WHO HAS BEEN VERY GOOD FOR YOU THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE RUN, AND TURNED TO A GUY LIKE BUSSEY. AND POSSIBLY AT THAT POINT, YOU KNOW, THAT CAN MAKE OR BREAK A SERIES. YEAH. IF HE GETS IN THERE AND HE TANKS, THEN YOU HAVE TO PUT FREDDY BACK IN A MID SITUATION. THAT’S A MAKE OR BREAK FOR A TEAM. SO THE FACT THAT HE WAS ABLE TO COME IN AND RIGHT OFF THE BAT, JUST CLICK WITH THE GUYS AND GET IT ALL FIGURED OUT. JOHN ALSO, I LOVE THIS SHOT. YOU CAN’T TELL WHAT’S THE PARADE AND WHAT IS THE FANS BECAUSE THERE IS JUST SO MANY PEOPLE PACKED INTO ONE SINGULAR STREET RIGHT THERE. I MEAN, IT’S IT’S JUST AN AMAZING SHOT WE HAVE HERE LOOKING AT THIS PARADE FOR THE CAROLINA HURRICANES. I MEAN, THIS FAN BASE HAS SHOWN OUT IN A WAY THAT I’M NOT EVEN SURE WE EXPECTED. NO, YOU KNOW, WE KNEW THIS FAN BASE WAS PASSIONATE. WE KNEW THIS FAN BASE WAS GOING TO GET BEHIND THE CANES BECAUSE WE SEE IT HERE IN THE LENOVO CENTER. AND WE WE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE IN THIS ARENA WHEN THEY GET BEHIND THIS TEAM. BUT LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I DID NOT EXPECT IN A WAY TO BE IN THIS WAY. JOHN. I THINK IT’S ALSO SO SPECIAL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SO MANY FANS, THESE TICKETS AREN’T CHEAP TO GET INTO GAMES, ESPECIALLY TO GET INTO PLAYOFF GAMES, TO GET INTO CUP FINAL GAMES. SO THE FACT THAT THIS IS AN EVENT THAT EVERY FAN CAN ATTEND, JUST WALK UP ON THE SIDEWALK AND ATTEND AN EVENT LIKE THIS. THAT’S WHERE YOU SEE THE TRUE PASSION COME. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MANY FAMILIES CAN’T AFFORD TO ATTEND THESE GAMES. SO THE FACT THAT THEY NOW GET TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR THEIR TEAM AND THE LOVE THAT THEY’VE PROBABLY HAD TO SHOW FROM AFAR FOR THESE LAST FEW MONTHS, BUT NOW THEY GET TO SEE IT IN PERSON AND HAVE THE FULL EXPERIENCE. THAT’S WHAT MAKES TODAY TRULY MAGICAL. WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HIM EARLIER, JACOB SLAVIN, HOW HE BECAME JUST THE SECOND AMERICAN IN NHL HISTORY TO GET A STANLEY CUP TITLE AND A OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN THE SAME YEAR. WE’VE GOT SOME SOUND FROM HIM THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PULL UP IN OUR SYSTEM. AND, YOU KNOW, WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM ON THE ICE AFTER THE CELEBRATION, PHOTOJOURNALIST MOORE AND MYSELF WERE THERE, AND YOU CAN SEE THE JOY ON ON JACOB’S FACE BRINGING HOME A STANLEY CUP AND HOW MUCH IT MEANT TO HIM, ESPECIALLY A GUY WHO’S BEEN ONE OF THE LONGEST TENURED CANES. HE HAD SEEN SOME OF THE TOUGH SEASONS. HE HAD BEEN PART OF THOSE TOUGH YEARS, BUT HE ALSO SAW THE REBUILD. HE ALSO SAW THIS ORGANIZATION GET TO THIS POINT. I KNOW JACOB WAS PRETTY PUMPED ABOUT BRINGING HOME A STANLEY CUP TITLE. NO, I IT’S AWESOME. IT’S FUN. I MEAN, YOU LOOK AROUND THE ICE AND JUST THE FAMILY THAT’S HERE. THAT’S WHAT OUR ORGANIZATION IS ABOUT. THAT’S WHAT OUR TEAM IS ABOUT IS, IS WE’RE A FAMILY. AND SO IT TAKES IT TAKES A LOT OF PEOPLE TO GET TO THIS SPOT. YOU HEARD HIM TALK ABOUT THE FAN BASE THERE. CHANEL. THAT WAS LIKE THE BIGGEST PART OF IT FOR THESE GUYS, THAT ALL THOSE MANIACS THAT HAD FLOODED LAS VEGAS AND GETTING TO VEGAS ISN’T CHEAP EITHER. GAMES AT THE LENOVO CENTER NOT BEING CHEAP. THOSE TICKETS OUT IN VEGAS WERE SUPER EXPENSIVE AS WELL. WE RAN INTO SOME GUYS, A FORMER COLLEAGUE OF OURS, FORD HATCHETT, HE HAD PUT, YOU KNOW, SHOWED UP FROM THE GAME. HE NOW WORKS IN PHOENIX. HE WAS LIKE, JOHN, THESE TICKETS, YOU KNOW, COST A PAYCHECK TO GET IN THIS BUILDING. BUT I WASN’T GOING TO MISS IT. AND THAT WAS THE FEELING THAT WE GOT THAT THESE FANS WERE GOING TO ACTUALLY MAKE THIS TRIP BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T WANT TO MISS IT. THEY WANTED TO BE PART OF SOMETHING. AND YOU’RE SEEING IT ACTUALLY BEING HERE RIGHT NOW. THESE GUYS ARE CELEBRATING WITH WITH THEIR TEAM. THEY’RE ENJOYING THEMSELVES AND HAVING A GOOD OLD TIME HERE IN DOWNTOWN. RALEIGH YOU REMEMBER THE TOM BRADY TOSS IN THE TROPHY AROUND. THAT’S WHAT THE STANLEY CUP IS LIKE RIGHT NOW. THEY’RE JUST PASSING IT BUS TO BUS. YEAH. EVERYONE HAS TO GET THEIR TOUCH OF IT. I’M SURE THERE WILL BE DRINKS POURED OUT OF IT AS SOON AS SOON AS WE SEE JORDAN MARTIN, GET OUT HERE. I’M SURE. AND I REMEMBER THE EXCITEMENT WHEN THEY WE HAD THESE AERIAL SHOTS AS WELL. WHEN THEY GOT OFF THE PLANE IN RALEIGH. YEAH. SEEING THEM COME OUT IN THE STREETS WERE ALREADY LINED WHEN THEY GOT IN. AND THEN SEEING THE PARTY GO FROM THERE DIRECTLY TO DOWNTOWN, NOT EVEN A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT. IT WAS JUST JORDAN MARTINOOK SAYING, HEY, WE’RE HEADED DOWNTOWN. AND IT WAS PACKED THERE. SO I THINK WE KIND OF HAD A SENSE FOR WHAT TODAY WAS GOING TO LOOK LIKE. BUT THIS IS THIS IS A DIFFERENT LEVEL. IT HAPPENED IN VEGAS AS WELL. SO THE MEDIA, HOTELS, THE ARIA CASINO RESORT, AND THAT’S WHERE A LOT OF US MEDIA MEMBERS WERE STAYING. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WE GET A MESSAGE, THE STANLEY CUP IS COMING TO THE ARIA. AND IT WAS JUST FLOODS THAT WERE IN VEGAS. WE’RE LIKE, WE’RE GOING TO THE ARIA HOTEL. AND THEY WERE ALL THERE, HANGING OUT, CELEBRATING, HAVING A GOOD TIME. AND THEN THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, THE CUP WAS ON THE MOVE AGAIN, RIGHT? AND I CAN’T REMEMBER WHERE IT WENT. I CUP TRACKER WE DO WE GET AN APPLE TAG ON THE CUP. CAN WE. THIS WILL BE PART OF NEXT YEAR’S BUDGET I THINK. SO IF EVERYBODY IS PAYING ATTENTION AND LISTENING, IF THE CANES WIN THE CUP AGAIN, WE’D LIKE A CUP TRACKER. YES, WE’RE GOING TO PUT IT ON THERE AND WE’RE JUST GOING TO BASICALLY TRACK IT AROUND THE COUNTRY, SEE WHERE IT GOES. I MEAN, ACTUALLY WE’LL PROBABLY TRACK IT INTERNATIONALLY BECAUSE YOU SAY IT’S GOING TO GO LIKE MANITOBA. YEAH, IT’S BEEN TO SO MANY DIFFERENT SPOTS. I FEEL LIKE EVERY DAY THIS WEEK IT’S BEEN A DIFFERENT BUSINESS, DIFFERENT PEOPLE GETTING PICTURES WITH IT. I’M SURE THIS UPCOMING WEEK I SAW ANDREI SVECHNIKOV IS DOING AN APPEARANCE WITH IT SOMEWHERE. I’M SURE EVERY PLAYER WILL HAVE THAT MOMENT WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. DO THEY? DO THEY GET TO TAKE IT HOME FOR A NIGHT? LIKE HOW DO WE HOW DO WE SPLIT THAT UP? YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, THE KEEPER OF THE CUPS GOT TO HANG AROUND AND THEN YOU GUYS GET THE GUYS GET IT FOR A DAY. I THINK IT’S AT LEAST A DAY. AND THEN IT GETS PASSED AROUND AND EVERYBODY GETS A CHANCE WITH THE CUP. AND I REMEMBER SO FULL CIRCLE MOMENT ALSO FOR ME HERE IS I USED TO COVER WORK IN SYRACUSE. I COVERED THE SYRACUSE CRUNCH. THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING HAD WON THE STANLEY CUP, AND AFTER THE LIGHTNING WON THE CUP, THE CUP MADE THE TRIP TO SYRACUSE. BECAUSE YOU DON’T JUST WIN A STANLEY CUP WITH JUST THE NHL ROSTER, RIGHT? IT’S THE A H L, GUYS. IT’S THE INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS THAT COME OVER TO KIND OF LIKE HELP OUT. AND WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS THE CUP MAKES THE TRIP. AND IT WAS A REALLY COOL MOMENT TO SEE THAT ORGANIZATION. JIM CHEROKEE, WHO WAS THE GM FOR THE SYRACUSE CRUNCH. JIM GETTING A SHOUT OUT HERE FOR THE CAROLINA HURRICANES PARADE. I DIDN’T THINK YOU’D EXPECT THAT. DIDN’T HAVE HE PROBABLY DIDN’T HAVE THAT ON HIS BINGO CARD. BUT TO SEE THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS GET A CHANCE WITH THE CUP TO IS REALLY COOL. SO THIS WILL MAKE A TRIP OUT TO CHICAGO AT SOME POINT WITH THE CHICAGO WOLVES. I’D IMAGINE GREENSBORO MIGHT GET A CHANCE TO VIEW THIS WITH THE. THEY’VE HAD WATCH PARTIES THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE THING HAVE BEEN JUST AS ELECTRIC AS THE GARGOYLES ARE. THE ECHL AFFILIATE OF THE CAROLINA HURRICANES. I IMAGINE THERE WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT ORGANIZATION TO SEE THE CUP AS WELL, SO IT’LL MAKE SOME STOPS ALONG THE WAY, NOT ONLY WITH THE PLAYERS BUT DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE CAROLINA HURRICANES ORGANIZATION. WHEN THE GUYS COMING UP, I MEAN, THAT’S A TESTAMENT TO WHAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, ABOUT BRANDON BUSSEY. YEAH, A GUY THAT HAS PLAYED OVER 100 GAMES IN THE NHL NOW GETTING A CHANCE TO DO WHAT HE DID HERE. AN EMOTIONAL MOMENT FOR ALL OF THESE GUYS. WHETHER YOU’VE BEEN IN THE LEAGUE FOREVER, WHETHER YOU JUST GOT INTO THE LEAGUE, WE HAVE SOME EMOTIONAL SOUND BITES FROM SOME OF THESE GUYS. JUST POST GAME ON ICE. AFTER WINNING THE STANLEY CUP. I’M SURE THOSE EMOTIONS ARE JUST HEIGHTENED TODAY, SO LET’S LISTEN IN. THE CELEBRATION IS BETTER THAN I EVER COULD IMAGINE. THIS IS. I DON’T KNOW IF I’LL EVER TOP THIS FEELING. THIS IS THIS IS INCREDIBLE. AND I’M SPEECHLESS. YOU KNOW, IT’S AMAZING. YOU GO OVER THIS IN YOUR HEAD A THOUSAND TIMES FROM THE TIME YOU FIRST PUT ON THE SKATES. AND TO DO IT NOW AND GET TO THE, YOU KNOW, THE PINNACLE, IT’S PRETTY COOL. AND TO DO WITH SUPPORT AND HAVING A LITTLE GUY DOING IT TOO. AND I KNOW HE MIGHT NOT QUITE REMEMBER IT, BUT HIS MOM AND I WILL. AND IT’S SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR US. WHEN I SAW IT BEFORE GAME ONE, I WAS LIKE, I WANT TO WIN THAT THING SO BAD BECAUSE I’VE NEVER REALLY SEEN IT IN PERSON, HONESTLY. AND, AND TO FINALLY DO IT AND TO, TO LIFT IT AND GIVE IT A KISS, IT’S STORYBOOK. YOU’RE JACKSON. BLAKE. THERE. WE GOT SOME SKY FOOTAGE AS WELL. TAKING A LOOK AT THE INSIDE OF A CHOPPER AS WE GET OUR AERIAL COVERAGE HERE OF THE CHAMPIONS PARADE. HE’S GOT HE’S GOT A HUGE JOB. AND I THINK IT’S A COOL JOB. IMAGINE FLYING OVER THAT. I MEAN THAT’S THAT WOULD BE EMOTIONAL TOO, RIGHT. LIKE, YOU KNOW YOU THESE CHOPPERS, THEY GO UP IN THE AIR AND THEY GIVE ALL THESE SHOTS AND SET THE SCENE FOR A LOT OF US. AND, YOU KNOW, NOW YOU’RE SEEING THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS CELEBRATING A CHAMPIONSHIP THAT HAVE BEEN TWO DECADES IN THE MAKING. SPEAKING OF CELEBRATING AND SETTING THE SCENE, WE’VE GOT OUR KELLY KENDALL BACK IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH AS WELL. KELLY’S OFF FAYETTEVILLE STREET TOWARDS THE END OF THIS PARADE ROUTE. STILL A LITTLE TIME BEFORE THE PLAYERS ARE GOING TO GET TO KELLY KENDALL, BUT KELLY, I KNOW THE FAN BASE IS PUMPED BY YOU. YOU’VE HAD A CHANCE TO TAKE IN SOME OF THIS SCENE SINCE WE’VE BEEN ON THE AIR SINCE 11:00. WHAT’S GOING ON DOWN THERE? AND THIS HAS GOT TO BE AN EMOTIONAL SITUATION FOR YOU AS WELL. JOHN ABSOLUTELY IS. AND YOU CAN SEE FOLKS ARE EXCITED. HOW ARE YOU ALL FEELING TODAY? WE’RE FEELING GREAT. SO WHAT ARE YOU GUYS HEADED TO DO NEXT? WHERE ARE YOU? WE’RE GONNA KEEP THIS PARTY GOING. ALL RIGHT. YOU HEARD IT. THERE THEY ARE KEEPING THIS PARTY GOING. FOR REFERENCE, FAYETTEVILLE STREET. THIS SIDEWALK OVER HERE WAS PACKED BRIM TO BRIM. BUT NOW ALL OF THESE FANS ARE MAKING THEIR WAY DOWN THE STREET TO CITY PLAZA. SO THEY CAN HEAR FROM THESE PLAYERS. YOU CAN SEE WE’VE GOT NOT QUITE THE STANLEY CUP. LET’S GO. AND SO PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO STREAM DOWN THE STREET HERE, PACKING THEMSELVES TOWARDS THAT STAGE, JUST TO GET A GLIMPSE OF THE PLAYERS, TO GET A GLIMPSE OF TOGETHER. EARLIER IN THE WEEK, I GOT THE CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH RALEIGH’S MAYOR, AND I ASKED HER, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE YOU EXPECTING TO COME TO DOWNTOWN RALEIGH TODAY? AND SHE ESTIMATED MORE THAN 100,000 PEOPLE. NOW, WE DON’T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ON FAYETTEVILLE STREET HERE HEADED TOWARDS CITY PLAZA. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, WE KNOW YOU CAN SEE IT FROM THE SKY. YOU CAN SEE IT FROM THE GROUND. IT IS JUST A TON OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE TO CELEBRATE THIS TEAM AGAIN. EARLIER, I’VE HEARD THIS REFRAIN OVER AND OVER THAT THIS IS THE ONE THING THAT CAN BRING TOGETHER DUKE FANS, CAROLINA FANS, NC STATE FANS. EVERYONE IS HERE FOR THIS CAROLINA HOCKEY TEAM. YOU CAN SEE KIDS YOUNG AND OLD. EVERYONE HERE IS JUST EXCITED TO SEE THESE PLAYERS HEAR FROM THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY. AND THE EXCITEMENT IS JUST INCREDIBLE. AGAIN, THESE MOMENTS, YOU CAN HEAR THE CROWD THERE LEADING UP TO IT. WE’RE GETTING READY FOR IT AND JOHN CHANEL WILL SEND IT BACK TO YOU AS WE WAIT TO HEAR FROM THESE PLAYERS AND COACHES. CHANEL WE NEED WE NEED KELLY TO TAKE A DRINK OUT OF THAT CUP. ONE THING ABOUT KELLY KENDALL, SHE KNOWS HER STANLEY CUP AND THAT IS NOT IT. SHE SAID IT RIGHT AWAY THAT THAT’S NOT THE STANLEY CUP. YEAH, GOOD TRY THOUGH. YOU KNOW, IT WAS A LITTLE JANKY LOOKING, BUT I GIVE A FOR EFFORT. WHAT WAS THE SAME THING WHEN THEY GOT TO DOWNTOWN RALEIGH? WHEN THEY ARRIVED BACK, WHAT EVEN NIGHT WAS THAT AT THIS POINT? PLEASE, I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK IT IS. LET’S SAY MONDAY WHEN THEY WERE ALL DOWNTOWN AND THERE WERE SO MANY STANLEY CUPS FLOATING AROUND, IT WAS LIKE, WHICH ONE IS THE REAL ONE? YEAH, IT WAS JUST TIN FOIL ON THE OTHERS. YOU HAD NO IDEA. OH, THAT’S. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT. THAT’S WHAT MAKES THIS GREAT. WE ACTUALLY GOT SOME WE’RE GOING TO GET SOME SOUND FROM THE PLAYERS. OUR PHOTOJOURNALIST JEFF AMERNICK IS INSIDE THE MARRIOTT. HE’S GOING TO GET A CHANCE TO TALK WITH SOME OF THESE PLAYERS. WE’RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND LISTEN IN TO SOME OF THESE GUYS, TALK ABOUT THE CELEBRATION. THEM. LET’S GO AHEAD AND LISTEN IN AND HEAR WHAT SOME OF THESE GUYS WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE LOCKER ROOM IN THE MARRIOTT. HAVE TO SAY. OH NO. SO HAPPY THAT WE’RE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND I’M JUST REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE FANS WE HAVE BECAUSE I’VE KNOWN IT. I MEAN. THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE DOWN THERE. YEAH. LOOKS LIKE WE’RE HAVING SOME TROUBLE GETTING ROD SHOT UP THERE. OBVIOUSLY. ROD BRIND’AMOUR SPEAKING WITH PHOTOJOURNALIST JEFF AMERNICK RIGHT NOW INSIDE THAT MARRIOTT. OBVIOUSLY ROD IS A BIG REASON WHY THIS CAROLINA HURRICANES HOCKEY TEAM HAS TWO STANLEY CUPS. HE CAPTAINED THE TEAM 20 YEARS AGO IN 2006, AND THEN HE WAS ABLE TO BRING IT HOME HERE IN 2026 AS THE HEAD COACH OF THIS HURRICANES HOCKEY TEAM. NOW, THAT TEAM IN 2006, THEY ACTUALLY HAD A THREE ONE SERIES LEAD BEFORE THEY HAD TO GO TO GAME SEVEN AGAINST THE EDMONTON OILERS AND GET THAT VICTORY AT HOME RIGHT HERE. AT THE TIME, IT WAS NOT THE LENOVO CENTER, IT WAS THE RBC CENTER, I BELIEVE IT WAS CALLED. I THINK I HAVE THAT CORRECT BEFORE PNC, THAT WAS BEFORE PNC. SO WE’RE DATING OURSELVES. LET’S JUST SAY I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL AT THE TIME, SO I WASN’T EXACTLY I DON’T KNOW WHERE I WAS CHANEL VERY YOUNG. SHE DOESN’T KNOW BECAUSE SHE’S THAT YOUNG. I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. I’M DATING MYSELF. BUT YEAH, SO ROD, SPEAKING WITH THE MEDIA, WE’LL HAVE SOME SOUND FROM ROD LATER TONIGHT WHEN WE DO A RECAP. WE HAD A CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH SHAYNE GOSTISBEHERE AT ONE POINT. NOW THIS ONE FOR ME MEANT A LITTLE MUCH. I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL, BUT IN COLLEGE I WENT TO UNION COLLEGE. YOU KNOW, AS I MENTIONED, TWO SPORT ATHLETE. I’M GOING TO PLUG MYSELF THERE. SHAYNE GOSTISBEHERE WAS THE ATHLETE ON CAMPUS, THOUGH HE. I GRADUATED IN 2010. HE WAS A FRESHMAN IN 2011. WE WENT TO THE SAME SCHOOL. SHAYNE GOSTISBEHERE ENDS UP BRINGING A STANLEY CUP TITLE HERE TO THE CAROLINAS AFTER HE BROUGHT UNION COLLEGE ITS FIRST EVER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. I WAS ABLE TO WITNESS THAT AS A FAN, AS AN ALUM, TO SEE THAT, AND THEN I GOT A CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH HIM ON THE ICE FOLLOWING THE VICTORY, AND WE HAD A LITTLE MOMENT. THERE’S NOT WE HAVE THIS THING WHERE WE TALK ABOUT UNION COLLEGE, WHERE EVERYWHERE. YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE WE’RE NOW, THE GARNET CHARGERS OR THE DUTCHMEN. YOU KNOW, WE USED TO BE THE YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE WE ARE, BUT WE’RE EVERYWHERE. AND I HAD A CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH THEM. AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE AND WE HAD A SMILE ON OUR FACE. THAT WAS TWO UNION GUYS ON THE ICE WITH THE STANLEY CUP. HE WON. I’M COVERING HIM SEPARATED ONLY BY A COUPLE YEARS. WHAT A MOMENT IT WAS FOR OUR SCHOOL. IT WENT VIRAL. WHAT A MOMENT IT WAS FOR SHAYNE. I’M NOT GOING TO MAKE THIS ABOUT MYSELF. I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING. I JUST COVERED HIM ON THE ICE, YOU KNOW? BUT IT WAS A BIG MOMENT FOR OUR SCHOOL. HERE’S WHAT SHANE HAD TO SAY ABOUT BRINGING HOME THE CUP AND REPRESENTING UNION COLLEGE. I MEAN, I JUST WANTED TO PLAY COLLEGE HOCKEY, AND IT TURNED INTO SOMETHING AND TURNED INTO SOMETHING MORE. SO, YOU KNOW, I’M VERY THANKFUL FOR MY TIME AT UNION TWO. AND, YOU KNOW, IT’S JUST A SPECIAL PLACE. KIND OF HAS THE SAME FEEL SMALL SCHOOL. AND WE’RE A SMALLER MARKET IN THE HOCKEY WORLD, BUT WE’RE CHAMPIONS AND NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM US. JOHN, WHAT A MOMENT. YOU MENTIONED THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, THE 36TH PLAYER IN NHL HISTORY TO WIN A COLLEGE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND THEN A STANLEY CUP TITLE. AND NOW HE GETS TO EXPERIENCE IT THERE WITH HIS SON. YEAH. AND YOU KNOW WHO WAS THE 35TH JANKOWSKI? OKAY, TWO PLAYERS FROM THE CANES, NATIONAL CHAMPIONS ON THE ICE AND IN COLLEGE, AND ALSO CHAMPIONS HERE IN THE NHL WITH THE STANLEY CUP. IT’S NOT TOO OFTEN ACROSS ALL SPORTS THAT YOU HAVE THE DOUBLE CHAMPIONSHIPS, COLLEGE LEVEL AND THEN PROFESSIONAL LEVEL. YEAH, IT’S IT’S UNBELIEVABLE. THAT KIND OF SITUATION. YOU KNOW, TO SEE THAT KIND OF CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE AND AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF IS WHAT THIS CAROLINA HURRICANES TEAM WAS BUILT BUILT UPON. I KNOW THERE WAS ONLY TWO GUYS WHO EVER PLAYED IN A CUP FINAL BEFORE, WILLIAM CAREY, WHO HAD WON ONE WITH THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AND JORDAN STAAL HAD ONE WITH PITTSBURGH BEFORE THEY GOT TO THIS CUP FINAL. AND OBVIOUSLY THE HEAD COACH, ROD BRIND’AMOUR. BUT THESE ARE GUYS THAT HAD WON, YOU KNOW, AT THE JUNIOR COLLEGE OR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEVEL. THEY HAD WON AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL. THEY HAD WON IN THE NHL. JALEN CHATFIELD HAD WON A MEMORIAL CUP TITLE. SO THESE ARE GUYS THAT HAD WINNING PEDIGREES JUST WAITING TO FINALLY BREAK THROUGH THAT DOOR HERE TO BRING HOME A STANLEY CUP TITLE. NOW WE DO HAVE SOME SOUND THAT WE’RE ABLE TO TOSS INTO. WE HAD ROD BRIND’AMOUR, PREVIOUSLY PHOTOJOURNALIST JEFF AMERNICK IS STILL INSIDE THE MARRIOTT WITH THE MEDIA SCRUM. WE’RE GOING TO LISTEN IN WHILE WE’RE ALSO GOING TO SHOW YOU GUYS THE VIEWS OF THE PARADE AS WELL. WE’RE GOING TO TUNE IN TO JEFF AMERNICK HERE IN A LITTLE BIT AS WE CONTINUE WITH SOME SHOTS HERE OF THE PARADE. AND YOU KNOW, KELLY MENTIONED A 100,000 FANS. IT SEEMS LIKE THERE’S JUST 100,000, RIGHT? SHE MENTIONED THOSE FANS WERE ON THE MOVE THAT THEY SURE FILLED IN QUICK. I DON’T KNOW WHO’S MOVING WHERE. ABSOLUTELY. THESE PEOPLE ARE PACKED IN LIKE SARDINES AND IT’S HOT OUT HERE. YOU KNOW, EARLIER WE START WE CAME ON AIR ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF AGO. DAVE AIKEN TALKED ABOUT IT, ABOUT BEING HOT ABOUT 87 DEGREES OUT HERE IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH. SUN WAS STRONG. GUY. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE STAYING HYDRATED WITH WATER. OKAY. STAYING HYDRATED, PROPERLY BALANCE IT OUT, BUT YEAH, BALANCE IT OUT, GET SOME SHADE. AND THESE PEOPLE ARE PACKED IN. YEAH. AND IT’S, IT’S NOT GOING TO STOP WHEN THIS PARADE ENDS. JOHN. I FEAR ALL NIGHT IN RALEIGH IS GOING TO BE A VERY GOOD TIME. SEBASTIAN AHO WAS A BIG PART OF THE TOP LINE. THE SUCCESS THAT THIS TEAM HAD. HE’S BEEN A PART OF THIS ENTIRE REBUILD THAT ROD BRIND’AMOUR HAS BUILT. ONE OF THE KEY REASONS THE REBUILD. ABSOLUTELY. AND WE’RE TALKING TO HIM NOW INSIDE JEFF AMERNICK. LIKE WE MENTIONED INSIDE THE MARRIOTT HEARING FROM SEBASTIAN AHO. NOW LET’S SEE IF WE CAN LISTEN IN. BROTHERS. BONDING TOGETHER. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE STORY WITH THE CUP THIS WEEK? A PLACE YOU’VE TAKEN IT OR SOMETHING YOU GUYS HAVE DONE WITH IT? FAVORITE. OH MY. WELL, ACTUALLY WE JUST HAD A BEFORE WE STARTED, WE HAD WE HAD GATORADE IN THE CUP AND ALL THE KIDS WERE. SO EVERYONE’S KIDS WERE DRINKING GATORADE OUT THERE. SO THAT WAS PRETTY COOL. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT WHEN IT’S YOUR TURN? GOOD QUESTION. I DON’T KNOW, I MEAN, I’M SURE THERE’S GOING TO BE A PARTY IN MY HOMETOWN AND I’M SURE THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE GONNA SHOW UP AND SHOW AND IT’LL BE AWESOME. BUT FOR SURE, JUST WITH MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS, IT’S GOING TO BE SPECIAL. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY TO ALL THE CONTRACTS OUT HERE THAT CAME AND FILLED THE STREETS TO SUPPORT YOU GUYS? I MEAN, IT’S, IT’S HONESTLY, IT, IT THROUGH THE, THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, LIKE, NOT LIKE, NOT JUST THIS YEAR, BUT LIKE, ALSO THROUGH LIKE, I’VE BEEN HERE TEN YEARS. SO LIKE, I, I KNOW, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH THEY LOVE US AND HOW MUCH THEY, THEY GIVE ALL THE, ALL THE SUPPORT AND WE FEED OFF OF IT REALLY. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR, FOR ALL THE SUPPORT, ALL THE, YOU KNOW, GOOD TIMES AND BAD TIMES, I GUESS. SO NOW, NOW IT’S A VERY GOOD TIME AND, AND HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY WE CAN ALL CELEBRATE TOGETHER. SEBASTIAN, AT THE END OF THE GAME, YOU GRAB ROD RIGHT QUICK. YEAH. EVERYBODY ELSE WAS RUNNING ON THE ICE. WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT? WHAT DOES HE MEAN TO YOU? HONESTLY, I WAS LIKE STANDING ON THE BENCH SO I COULDN’T GET OUT ON THE ON THE ICE. BUT THEN I LIKE LOOKED BACK LIKE, HOW DO I GET OUT OF HERE? AND THEN RODDY WAS RIGHT THERE AND IT WAS JUST, IT’S JUST A MOMENT. BUT I. RODDY IS LIKE EVERYTHING FOR THIS ORGANIZATION AND IT IS, YOU KNOW, WE’VE BEEN THROUGH QUITE A BIT TOGETHER AND, YOU KNOW, I’M, I’M VERY HAPPY FOR HIM AND ALSO FOR ALL OF US REALLY. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE’VE HAD SOME MOMENTS WHERE WE, YOU KNOW, TALKING AFTER THE SEASON AND YOU’RE JUST LIKE, MAN, LIKE, IT’S, IT’S SUCH A DIFFERENT FEELING THIS YEAR. BUT IT WAS ALL WORTH IT FOR YOU AS A PLAYER, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE GUYS LIKE DELAURIER RODDY AND ONSLOW COMING OUT? YOU KNOW? OKAY. YOU SEE MY MY LEFT LEG. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. SO WE HEARD FROM SEBASTIAN AHO THERE. HE WAS DRAFTED IN 2015 IN THE SECOND ROUND AND HE WAS A BIG PART OF IT. MADE HIS NHL DEBUT WITH CAROLINA AT 2016 AT 19 YEARS OLD. AND OVER THE LAST NINE SEASONS. SO NINE OUT OF THE LAST TEN SEASONS, HE’S BEEN THE LEADING POINT SCORER FOR THIS, FOR THIS TEAM, FOR THIS CANES TEAM. HE’S A BIG REASON WHY CAROLINA IS WHERE THEY ARE. HE WAS THE LEADING POINT SCORER THIS YEAR FOR CAROLINA. HE’S THE FRANCHISE LEADING GOAL SCORER SINCE DEBUTING IN 2016 AS WELL. SEBASTIAN AHO, ONE OF THE GUYS WHO REALLY, REALLY DESERVES THIS MOMENT. HE WENT THROUGH SOME TOUGH YEARS WITH CAROLINA, COULDN’T DO IT ALL ON HIS OWN, OBVIOUSLY. YEAH, AND HE’S GOTTEN THE HELP AROUND HIM. THE ORGANIZATION HAS BUILT SOME PIECES. YOU HEARD HIM TALK ABOUT BEING GRATEFUL TO BE HERE IN THE CAROLINAS. WHAT A PLAYER HE’S BEEN. WHAT A MOMENT IT IS FOR SEBASTIAN AHO, THAT CORE GROUP AS A WHOLE HAS REALLY JUST BECOME BROTHERS. YOU KNOW. AND YOU MENTIONED TAYLOR HALL COMING IN AS A AS A NEW PIECE TO THAT BROTHERHOOD THAT THEY HAVE BUILT. WE’RE HEARING FROM HIM NOW. I’M SURE THERE’S JUST AS MUCH GRATITUDE COMING FROM HIM AS WELL. LET’S TAKE A LISTEN. THAT’S VERY SPECIAL. AS FAR AS JUST THE REST OF THE CELEBRATION, HOW LONG DO YOU THINK WE CAN GO? I’M DONE. AFTER TODAY. YEAH. I DON’T HAVE MUCH LEFT IN ME, BUT, YOU KNOW. YEAH, PARTYING IS A SKILL. YOU GOT TO BE A GOOD PARTIER. AND IT’S EASY TO PARTY WHEN THE WHEN THAT STANLEY CUPS ARE ON. WHEN SEBASTIAN BRADY WENT TO HIM, WHEN HE DECIDED TO PASS IT ON TO YOU, THAT YOU. I MEAN, THAT’S FISH. YOU KNOW, THAT’S THAT’S THAT’S SEBASTIAN. HE’S HE’S SUCH A GOOD GUY. YOU KNOW, AND HE HAS SO MUCH PRIDE IN THE HURRICANES AND IN RALEIGH. IT’S, YOU KNOW, VERY COOL. I MEAN, I, I KNEW I’D GET MY TURN EVENTUALLY, BUT, YOU KNOW, SPEAKS TO, YOU KNOW, THE PERSON HE IS AND JUST, YOU KNOW, HOW HE THINKS AND HOW HE THINKS ABOUT OUR TEAM. CAN YOU TELL US THE EXACT TEXT YOU SENT RYAN WHITNEY WHEN HE PICKED AGAINST YOU GUYS AGAINST OTTAWA? LAST QUESTION. ON MY LEGS. THAT’S THE PART. LIKE. I KNOW. THANK YOU FOR PICKING THE SENTENCE BECAUSE YOU SUCK AT BETTING. AND THAT MEANS THAT WE’RE PROBABLY GOING TO WIN THE SERIES. SO YEAH, IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WE’RE HEARD FROM TAYLOR HALL THERE. WE MENTIONED HIM EARLIER IN THE SHOW. CHANEL OBVIOUSLY HART TROPHY WINNER IN 2018. OUR OUR PRODUCER NICK MADE SURE TO PLUG HIS NEW JERSEY DEVILS WITH THAT ONE. OBVIOUSLY, TAYLOR HALL WON THAT WITH NEW JERSEY DEVILS BACK IN 2018. HE WAS A BIG REASON WHY THE CANES ARE STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS WITH HIS PERFORMANCE IN THE CUP FINAL AGAINST VEGAS. YEAH, PART OF THAT BIG THREE TEAM TRADE JUST A YEAR AGO. SO JUST HAVING HIM HERE AND BRINGING THAT LEADERSHIP, YOU KNOW, HAVING GUYS WITH DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES FROM DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THEN COME TO CAROLINA AND BRING THOSE EXPERIENCE. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO ALWAYS BE THE GUYS THAT HAVE BEEN HERE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE REBUILD, BUT HAVING VETERANS FROM DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL HAS BEEN KEY TO ROD BRIND’AMOUR IN THE CAROLINA HURRICANES SUCCESS. YEAH, THE INTERESTING PART OF THAT THREE TEAM TRADE THAT HE WAS INVOLVED IN, IT BROUGHT MIKKO RANTANEN FROM COLORADO TO CAROLINA. AND THEN THEY EVENTUALLY FLIPPED MIKKO RANTANEN TO DALLAS FOR LOGAN, STAN AND STAN. COVID HAS BEEN SO GOOD FOR THIS HURRICANES HOCKEY TEAM. TOOK HIM A LITTLE TIME TO GET HIS FEET UNDER HIM LAST SEASON WHEN HE CAME OVER FROM DALLAS, BUT THEN IT REALLY TOOK OFF THIS YEAR IN THE POSTSEASON AS WELL. NOW WE’RE GOING TO STEP ASIDE, TAKE A QUICK BREAK HERE ON WXII. WE’RE GOING TO GET OFF THE AIR, BUT WE’RE GOING TO STAY COVERING THE PARADE ON THE TRIAD, CW AND THE VERY LOCAL APP AND ON WXII 12.COM. SO YOU’LL STICK WITH US. IF YOU’RE ON XII. GO AHEAD AND FLIP TO THE TRIAD CW FOR SOME MORE COVERAGE OF THE CAROLINA HURRICANES PARADE. WHILE YOU’RE HERE, THE GUYS REACH THE PODIUM AND TALK TO THE FANS AS WELL, SO STAY TUNED. WE’VE GOT MORE COVERAGE OF THE HURRICANES PARADE OF CHAMPIONS. FOR 20 YEARS, CAROLINA WADED THROUGH HEARTBREAK THROUGH NEAR MISSES, THROUGH SEASONS THAT ENDED ONE STEP SHORT. BUT THIS YEAR, THE HURRICANES FINISHED THE JOURNEY, STORMING THROUGH THE PLAYOFFS, WINNING THEIR SECOND STANLEY CUP IN FRANCHISE HISTORY AND BRINGING HOCKEY’S GREATEST TROPHY BACK TO NORTH CAROLINA. NOW A CELEBRATION 20 YEARS IN THE MAKING FROM DOWNTOWN RALEIGH TO COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE CAROLINAS, THIS IS WXII 12 SPECIAL COVERAGE. THE CAROLINA HURRICANES STANLEY CUP PARADE OF CHAMPIONS. ALL RIGHT. THANKS FOR STICKING WITH US. IF WE’RE TUNING IN TO THE TRIAD, CW OR THE VERY LOCAL APP, OR ON THE WXII 12 DOT COM WEBSITE, JOHN JOHNSON. ALONGSIDE CHANEL PORTER CHANEL, WE’RE COVERING THE CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE OF THE CAROLINA HURRICANES. 20 YEARS IN THE MAKING. WE’VE SEEN SO MUCH CELEBRATION SO FAR TODAY, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF FANS AND SCREAMING PHOENIX FLOODING DOWNTOWN RALEIGH FOR A MOMENT. UNLIKE WE’VE SEEN ANYWHERE ELSE THESE CANES FANS HAVE BEEN CRAVING THIS MOMENT. THESE PLAYERS HAVE BEEN CRAVING THIS MOMENT TO GET BACK AND CELEBRATE WITH THEIR FANS AFTER WINNING ON THE ROAD, AND WE GOT TO HEAR FROM SOME OF THE GUYS JUST WITHIN THE LAST FEW MINUTES, JUST ABOUT THE GRATITUDE THAT THEY HAVE FOR THE GUYS IN THE LOCKER ROOM, BUT ALSO FOR THIS FAN BASE, FOR STICKING BY THEM THROUGH ALL OF THOSE HARD YEARS. THE YEARS OF FALLING JUST SHORT AND NOW GETTING TO SEE IT ALL COME TOGETHER. HERE’S SOME OF THE SHOTS AND VIEWS WE HAVE RIGHT NOW. LIVE IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH. AS WE MENTIONED, KELLY KENDALL MENTIONED EARLIER IN OUR SHOW BROADCAST THAT 100,000 FANS WERE EXPECTED. I’M GOING TO SAY THEY’RE GOING TO EXCEED THAT NUMBER. I’M NOT SURE HOW RALEIGH SURVIVES THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO BE HERE. THIS PLACE IS PACKED. IT’S BEEN PACKED SINCE LAST NIGHT. WE GOT HERE LAST NIGHT AS WELL. WE STAYED IN A HOTEL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE’D BE HERE ON SET IN TIME. OUR WHOLE CREW HERE OUT IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH, WE’VE GOT TEAM COVERAGE ACROSS THE AREA, AND WE NOTICED HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE FLOODING DOWNTOWN RALEIGH FOR THIS CELEBRATION, A CELEBRATION THAT THIS FAN BASE TRULY DESERVES. IT DIDN’T MATTER TO WHICH CREW WE PITCHED IT OUT TO, TO AARON, TO DAVE, TO JOSHUA, TO KELLY. THEY ALL WERE HAVING A HARD TIME HEARING US. AND THAT JUST TELLS YOU THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE ROUTE FROM HILLSBOROUGH STREET ALL THE WAY TO FAYETTEVILLE STREET TO THE CAPITAL WHERE JOSHUA IS THROUGHOUT THAT ENTIRE ROUTE. IT’S PACKED WITH FANS AND FANS OF ALL AGES. WE’VE SEEN GUYS WITH THEIR KIDS OUT THERE. THESE THE LITTLE UP AND COMING ACTS, HAVING A GOOD TIME. YEAH. AND WE SHOULD RESET THE SCENE FOR EVERYBODY HERE AS WELL. SO THE PARADE STARTED. WE CAME ON AIR AT 11:00. THE PARADE STARTED AT 11. AND YOU MENTIONED IT STARTED AT HILLSBOROUGH STREET AND SAINT MARY’S AT THE LITTLE INNER INTERSECTION. AND THE PARADE WENT EAST THROUGH THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN BY THE STATE CAPITOL. AND THEN IT ENDS HERE AT FAYETTEVILLE STREET, WHERE THERE WILL BE A PARADE CELEBRATION TO CAP OFF, WHERE THE PLAYERS WILL THEN GET A CHANCE TO SPEAK ON THE PODIUM TO WHAT WE ESTIMATE OVER 100,000 FANS IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH. AS PART OF THIS CELEBRATION. I HEARD WE GOT SOME SOUND FROM THE CAPTAIN AS WELL, SO LET’S GO AHEAD AND LISTEN IN AS WE’RE PINBALLING AROUND HERE, DOWNTOWN RALEIGH, FROM WHERE WE ARE, THE CENTER TO THE MARRIOTT IN DOWNTOWN TO FAYETTEVILLE STREET. LET’S GO AHEAD AND LISTEN IN TO THE CAPTAIN EVERY DAY. IT’S JUST A ANOTHER STEP TO GET HERE. AND WE DID IT. I MEAN, WE DID IT. IT’S LIKE, IT’S IT’S UNBELIEVABLE. LIKE IT WOULD BE A RANDOM DAY IN THE SUMMER. I DON’T FEEL LIKE WORKING OUT OR JUST LIKE YOU’RE JUST CONSTANTLY TRYING TO PUSH YOURSELF, PUSH YOURSELF TO, TO GET HERE THIS MOMENT. AND I CAN’T, I CAN’T BELIEVE IT. THERE’S NOTHING BETTER. IT’S LIKE IT’S A POLICE CHIEF, RIGHT? THERE HE IS. JORDAN STAAL, THE CAPTAIN. CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN WHO JOINED THE CAROLINA HURRICANES SEVERAL YEARS AGO FROM THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS IN A TRADE THAT BROUGHT HIM TO THIS ORGANIZATION. HE WAS ACTUALLY TRADED TO CAROLINA ON HIS WEDDING DAY. WHAT A WHAT A DAY, WHAT A WEDDING. NEVER FORGET THAT DAY, RIGHT? NEVER FORGET THAT DAY. HE WAS TRADED TO TO CAROLINA FROM PITTSBURGH, JOINED HIS BROTHER ERIC STAAL. AND NOW BOTH OF THEM HAVE BROUGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS TO THE CAROLINAS. JOHN, IT’S BEEN SPECIAL TO WATCH THE IMPACT THAT HE’S HAD THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PLAYOFF RUN. WE ALWAYS SEE THE DIRTY WORK THAT HE HAS TO PUT IN, RIGHT? HE’S ALWAYS NOT DOING THINGS THAT DON’T NECESSARILY MAKE THE STAT SHEET, BUT SEEING THE IMPACT THAT HE HAD MAKING GOAL AFTER GOAL WHEN THIS TEAM NEEDED IT, WHEN THEIR BACKS WERE AGAINST THE WALL. HE HAD GAME WINNING GOALS. HE HAD GAME TYING GOALS AND DOING IT ALL. 17 YEARS REMOVED FROM HIS FIRST STANLEY CUP. SPEAKING OF IMPACTS, RIGHT, HE’S HAD IMPACTS ON FANS OF ALL AGES. FANS ALIKE ARE KELLY KENDALL IS DOWN IN FAYETTEVILLE STREET IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH. SHE’S GOT A LIVE INTERVIEW WITH SOME FANS WHO I’M SURE HAVE GLOWING THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THE CAPTAIN, JORDAN STAAL. JOHN CHANEL THAT IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. YOU KNOW, WE KEEP SAYING THAT THIS WIN IS 20 YEARS IN THE MAKING. NOT EVERY SINGLE HURRICANES FAN WAS AROUND IN 2006 TO SEE THIS WIN, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT WAS ANY LESS MEANINGFUL. THIS IS CARTER AND CARTER. HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY ABOUT SEEING THE CAROLINA HURRICANES COME DOWN THE STREET? WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? COOL. REALLY EXCITING TOO. AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO SEE THE STANLEY CUP IN PERSON? IT WAS REALLY COOL. AND WHAT ARE YOU HOPING FOR THE FUTURE OF THE CAROLINA HURRICANES? DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING TO KEEP WATCHING THE GAMES? YEAH, DEFINITELY. DID YOU WATCH THE GAMES THIS PAST SEASON? YEAH. AND WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? WAS IT EXCITING? YEAH, IT WAS INSANE. AND SHOW ME THIS SIGN YOU’VE GOT HERE. ALL RIGHT. YOU SEE THAT TWO TIME CHAMPS AGAIN. YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO BE AROUND IN 2006 TO BE EXCITED ABOUT THE HURRICANES. THAT RIGHT CARTER? YEAH. WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE APPRECIATE IT. I MEAN AS YOU COULD JUST SEE, I MEAN, WE’VE BEEN TALKING TO KIDS OF ALL AGES WHO ARE JUST AS EXCITED ABOUT THIS TEAM AS SOME OF THE ADULTS WHO WERE HERE WHEN THE TEAM STARTED DOWN THE ROAD IN OUR NECK OF THE WOODS IN GREENSBORO AND ARE NOW SEEING THIS HERE. SO SOME OF THESE KIDS, THEY’VE COME FROM ALL OVER WITH THEIR PARENTS, AND IT’S JUST ACROSS GENERATIONS. PEOPLE ARE EXCITED. NOW, AGAIN, THESE FOLKS ARE WAITING HERE ON FAYETTEVILLE STREET. THEY ARE BACKED ALL THE WAY UP DOWN THE STREET. I MEAN, WE’RE NEARLY AT THE CAPITOL BUILDING. THAT IS HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE DOWN HERE. THEY ARE WAITING TO HEAR FROM THESE PLAYERS AND COACHES. YOU’VE GOT SCREENS. YOU CAN SEE THIS LARGE SCREEN OVER HERE POINTING AT THE STAGE BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE HERE THAT YOU SIMPLY CANNOT GET YOUR EYES ALL THE WAY DOWN ON THAT STAGE. SO WE KNOW IT’S ABOUT TO GET ROWDY HERE AS WE GET A GLIMPSE OF THE STANLEY CUP AND GET A GLIMPSE OF THE PLAYERS. BUT JOHN AND CHANEL, AS YOU SAID, NOT SURE HOW DOWNTOWN RALEIGH IS HANDLING ALL OF THIS EXCITEMENT. I KNOW THE RESTAURANTS AND BARS HERE ARE GOING TO BE ABSOLUTELY PACKED THROUGHOUT THE DAY. YOU WILL NOT FIND A SINGLE TABLE AVAILABLE AT ANY RESTAURANT BAR. NOT HAPPENING TODAY. NOW, IF YOU’RE HUNGRY, YOU GET OUT OF TOWN SEEING THAT LITTLE SIGN. I’M SURE HE HAS HEARD ABOUT THAT OH SIX CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR YEARS FROM HIS FATHER, FROM HIS GRANDFATHER, FROM EVERYONE INVOLVED, AND NOW GETTING TO EXPERIENCE IT AND ADDING ANOTHER 26 DOWN TO THAT SIGN. A SPECIAL MOMENT. DOESN’T THAT MAKE GO BACK TO WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, THAT THIS IS A GENERATIONAL THING, RIGHT? LIKE THIS CELEBRATION OF THIS CUP VICTORY. YOU’VE GOT YOUNG MEN AND YOUNG WOMEN WHO WERE NOT AROUND IN 2006, WHEN THE CHAMPIONSHIP WAS FIRST ONE. THEN YOU’VE GOT YOUNG MEN, YOUNG WOMEN WHO ARE NOW PARENTS THAT WERE YOUNG MEN AND YOUNG WOMEN IN OH SIX WITH THEIR PARENTS WHO SAW IT THEN. RIGHT. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT’S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE IT’S JUST PASSED DOWN FROM ONE FAMILY TO THE NEXT FAMILY TO THE NEXT GENERATION. AND THE HOPE IS YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT 20 MORE YEARS FOR ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP. BUT THEN THIS GENERATION OF YOUNG FAMILIES AND YOUNG KIDS AND YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN THAT WIN THIS TITLE, THAT ARE ABLE TO CELEBRATE THIS CHAMPIONSHIP, THEY CAN THEN PASS IT ON TO THEIR THEIR KIDS DOWN THE LINE AS THEY CELEBRATE AS WELL. AND IT’S FUN TO SEE RALEIGH JUST DO IT UP RIGHT FOR THIS MOMENT. YOU KNOW, DAVE MENTIONED WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THIS NEWSCAST, WHAT WAS THAT AN HOUR AND 38 MINUTES AGO, DAVE SAID, I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN 2006, BUT THIS HAS EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS. WE’VE GOT GOVERNOR JOSH STEIN MEETING HERE AT CITY PLAZA. HE’S GOING TO ADDRESS THE SCREAMING MANIACS. WE ACTUALLY HAD AN INTERVIEW FROM HIM WITH JOSH JOSHUA DAVIS EARLIER THAT JOSH AND JOSH KNOW. JOSH, JOSH, WE’RE LISTENING TO JOSH STEIN, WHO IS NOW THE BIGGEST CANDY ACT OF THEM ALL IN CITY PLAZA IS A GREAT DAY BECAUSE TODAY WE CELEBRATE YOUR 2026 STANLEY CUP CHAMPION CAROLINA HURRICANES. THESE PLAYERS, THIS STAFF, THIS TEAM PUT IT ALL ON THE LINE TO DELIVER THE STANLEY CUP FOR EACH OTHER, FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND FOR YOU. THE COGNAC. THEY BROUGHT US ALL TOGETHER. WE’RE GONNA. WE OWE THEM SO MUCH FOR WHAT THEY HAVE GIVEN US. SO LET’S GIVE IT UP FOR THE BOYS. EACH ONE OF THEIR NAMES ETCHED IN THE STANLEY CUP FOREVER. LET’S GIVE IT UP FOR THE CAPTAIN, CONN SMYTHE WINNER, JORDAN STAAL. LET’S GIVE IT UP FOR GENERAL MANAGER ERIC TULSKY AND OWNER TOM DUNDON. AND LET’S GIVE IT UP FOR, WITHOUT A DOUBT, FUTURE HALL OF FAMER COACH ROD BRIND’AMOUR. THEIR VICTORY WAS THE DEFINITION OF HURRICANES HOCKEY. THE PLAYERS, THE COACH, THE STAFF. THEY EACH PULLED THE ROPE, DELIVERING THE CUP BACK TO NORTH CAROLINA, AN ACCOMPLISHMENT THAT THE HOCKEY WORLD SAID WOULD NOT HAPPEN. FOR TOO LONG, PEOPLE HAVE TALKED DOWN THE HURRICANES. THEY SAID WE LACKED SUPERSTARS, THAT WE WERE BORING, THAT WE WERE NOT TOUGH ENOUGH. THEY SAID WE WERE A BUNCH OF JERKS. THEY SAID THAT RALEIGH WAS TOO SMALL TO BE SUCCESSFUL. THEY SAID THAT NORTH CAROLINA IS NOT A HOCKEY STATE. I ASK YOU, IS THERE ANYTHING SMALL ABOUT THIS CELEBRATION? I ASK YOU, IS NORTH CAROLINA A HOCKEY STATE? IT IS BECAUSE OF YOU. NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, YOU SHOWED UP FOR THE CANES. YOU ALL MADE SURE THAT EVERY HOME GAME FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS WAS A SELLOUT. YOU MADE SURE THAT THE LENNY IS THE LOUDEST HOUSE IN THE NHL. FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS, YOU’VE SHOWN THAT, YES, TAILGATING IS A PART OF HOCKEY. AND AFTER EVERY GOAL, NORTH CAROLINA, YOU RAISED UP BECAUSE YOU LOVE THIS TEAM. AND DID THIS TEAM GIVE US A PLAYOFF RUN FOR THE AGES? BEFORE THE PUCK EVEN DROPPED IN THE FIRST GAME, GORDO DROPPED HIS MITTS, SHOWED THE SENATORS THAT THIS IS NOT YOUR MOTHER’S HURRICANES. AND I NEED TO ASK ABIGAIL IF JORDAN EVER ANSWERED HER QUESTION IN THE FIRST THREE ROUNDS AGAINST THE SENS, THE FLIERS AND THE HABS, THE TEAM WAS DOMINANT 12 AND ONE. FREDDIE WAS A BRICK WALL. BLADEN PAUL AND STAN CRAVEN WERE THE BEST LINE IN HOCKEY. DEANDRE MADE A RIDICULOUS DIVING POKE CHECK. CAREY AND WALKER HIT ANYTHING THAT MOVED OVERTIME. WINNERS FROM MARTY EHLERS AND SVEC AND JANKOWSKI ALMOST IN THE FINALS, STAAL WAS AN INDOMITABLE BEAST. SIX GOALS IN SIX GAMES, INCLUDING THE GAME FOUR WINNER, A MIRACULOUS BACKHANDER THAT HE WILLED OVER THE GOALIE’S GLOVE AS HE FELL TO THE ICE, JARVI BLASTED AN ZERO TWO OT WINNER IN GAME TWO. GHOST MASTERFULLY QUARTERBACK THE POWER PLAY SLOT. SLAVIN IN AHO WERE SIMPLY SLAVIN AND AHO TO CLINCH GAME SIX. THE TEAM PUT ON A DEFENSIVE MASTERCLASS AND BUSSEY. BY SEA. WHAT A GOALIE. WHAT A STORY. BRANDON, WE THANK YOU FOR LETTING US GET ON THE BUS ALL SEASON LONG. WE LOVE OUR SPORTS HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA. AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL, WE ROOT FOR DIFFERENT TEAMS AND THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH RIVALRY AMONG FRIENDS. BUT THESE CANES, THEY BROUGHT US TOGETHER. AND THE NEXT TIME YOU GO TO A CANES GAME, YOU ARE GONNA FEEL THE STORM SURGE BEFORE YOU EVEN HIT THE PARKING LOT. BECAUSE BY THE POWER VESTED IN ME AS GOVERNOR, THAT STRETCH OF EDWARDSVILLE ROAD IS NOW KNOWN AS HURRICANES HIGHWAY. LET’S GO. OKAY. OKAY, LET’S GO. KATE. THANK YOU. LET’S GO. GATES. HURRICANES HIGHWAY HAS A REALLY NICE RING TO IT OUT THERE. JUST SO YOU KNOW. SO FOLKS, THERE’S SO MANY STORIES THAT WE CAN SHARE THAT WE CAN TELL FROM WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS REMARKABLE PLAYOFF RUN, BUT YOU CAN KIND OF GATHER BY THE MUSIC. WHAT’S ABOUT TO HAPPEN HERE. ALL THE FAMILIES KNOW WHAT’S ABOUT TO HAPPEN HERE. YOU GUYS HAVE LIVED IT FOR A LONG TIME. EVERYBODY ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE CAPITOL KNOWS WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN HERE. YOU’VE LIVED IT FOR A LONG TIME. SO, TRIPP TRACY, LET ME. OH, REALLY? I GOT YOU, PARTNER. I GOT YOU. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IN JUST A LITTLE MOMENT, WE’RE GOING TO BRING TO THE STAGE YOUR 20 25 2026 STANLEY CUP CHAMPION. OH, MERCY. CAROLINA HURRICANES. THERE IS A 35 POUND CINDERBLOCK YOU MIGHT KNOW FROM THE BEST HEAD STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH IN THE BUSINESS, BILL BURNISTON. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MAKE AS MUCH NOISE AS YOU WOULD IF WE DID HAVE A GAME SEVEN, WHICH WASN’T NEEDED FOR YOUR CAROLINA HURRICANES. ALL RIGHT. THERE’S A VIEW OF CITY PLAZA. THERE’S THE STANLEY CUP BEING LIFTED BY THE CAPTAIN, JORDAN STAAL. IT SHOULD BE FITTING THAT JORDAN HAS THE STANLEY CUP THERE. GETS TO KISS IT A FEW TIMES. HE’S DONE IT NOW TWICE IN HIS CAREER. CHANEL ONCE WITH THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS AND NOW WITH THE CAROLINA HURRICANES. JOHN, I KNOW YOU’VE SEEN ALL OF THE VIDEOS OF THEM TRAINING TO HOIST THE STANLEY CUP THROUGHOUT THE SEASON WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING. JORDAN STAAL HAS PUT THAT INTO EFFECT THIS THESE LAST FEW DAYS. I MEAN, HE HAS HOISTED UP THAT STANLEY CUP. I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES HE’S HE’S GETTING UPPER BODY STRENGTH, I’LL TELL YOU THAT. WE SAW JORDAN MARTINOOK WALK IN WITH THE CINDERBLOCK THAT THEY USE. AND THERE’S THERE’S SEBASTIAN AHO GETTING A CHANCE TO CELEBRATE. WE TALKED ABOUT HIM BEING DRAFTED IN 15 BY THIS CAROLINA HURRICANES HOCKEY TEAM. HE’S GETTING A CHANCE TO CELEBRATE WITH THE COMPANY AS WELL. A LOT OF EXCITEMENT THERE. JORDAN MARTINOOK BEING THE FIRST ONE UP THERE GRINNING EAR TO EAR WITH THAT CINDER BLOCK READY TO ROLL. THEY’RE PASSING IT OFF. NICK EHLERS IS GOING TO GET THE CUP NOW. AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT WHEN WE CAME ON AIR AT AROUND 11:00, THAT NICK EHLERS IS ONE OF THE KEY FREE AGENT ADDITIONS FOR THIS TEAM. A BIG REASON THEY WERE ABLE TO GET OVER THE HUMP. AND HERE’S JACOB SLAVIN, JACOB HAVING AN AWESOME YEAR. JUST THE SECOND AMERICAN IN HISTORY TO HAVE AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL AND A STANLEY CUP TITLE ALL IN THE SAME SEASON. LET’S GO AHEAD AND LISTEN IN AS THEY ALL PASS THE COUPLE ROUND. FREDDIE. FREDDY, FREDDY. THAT’S MR. ANDERSON FOR THOSE IN THE KNOW. WELL, WE’RE GETTING A SOMEWHAT TARP OFF. THIS YOUNG MAN IS FROM WINNIPEG, MANITOBA. SETH J. JARVIS. UNDERNEATH THAT FLOWING MULLET, A DEFENSEMAN WHO JUST CAN QUARTERBACK A POWER PLAY LIKE NO OTHER. SHANE GOSTISBEHERE. THIS GUY HIT EVERYTHING IN THE OTHER TEAM’S JERSEYS. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, SHOULD. WALKER. OH, THIS GUY DID IS JUST SCORE A BUNCH OF POINTS ALL PLAYOFF LONG. TAYLOR OH! OH! KEEP IT GOING. CANES FANS. THERE’S MORE. CARNEY. UP NEXT. HE HAD HIS FIRST 30 GOAL SEASON. SCORED A COUPLE OF GOALS IN THE STANLEY CUP. ALL. OH HEY HEY OH HEY. I’M GONNA TAKE THIS ONE. PLEASE DO. OH. MR. SPENCER. THANKS FOR THE ASSIST, MARTY. THE LEADING GOAL SCORER FOR YOUR CAROLINA HURRICANES AND THIS STANLEY CUP RUN. LET’S PUT SOME STANK ON IT, EVERYBODY. LOGAN. STAN COLEMAN. WHO’S UP NEXT? OH, HE LEVELED UP AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, JALEN CHATFIELD. THIS GUY’S STILL ENJOYING THE STANLEY CUP WIN FROM GAME NUMBER SIX. MARK JANKOWSKI. I GOTTA TAKE THIS ONE TOO. YOU GOT IT. OH, MR. JANKOWSKI. OH, THERE WE GO. ROBBIE. HI, EVERYBODY. LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO JACKSON. BLANK. HE MADE IT. TWO. NOTHING IN GAME NUMBER SIX. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T REMEMBER. YOU MIGHT KNOW THIS GUY ALEXANDER. NAKISHA. THIS IS ABOUT AS COOL AS IT GETS. THIS GUY CAME IN FROM NEW YORK CITY IN THE OFF SEASON. KEANDRE. MILLER. FUSSY, FUSSY. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE BUS DRIVER DARE BUSSIE. BRANDON BUSSIE. HE’S LIKE IN THE FRONT ROW. THIS GUY PLAYED THE MOST IMPACTFUL THREE MINUTES AND NINE SECONDS OF PLAYOFF HISTORY. DELAURIER. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MAY I PRESENT TO YOU A MAN WHO HAD FOUR HITS PER MINUTE IN THE POSTSEASON. WILLIAM CAREY, A. GOOD FRIEND. WITH A VERY GOOD CIGAR. YES, VERY. CANNY. M WHAT’S UP? K K? THIS GUY JUST STEPPED INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS AND HAD TWO ASSISTS IN THE FIRST GAME. HE PLAYED MIKE RILEY. YOU MIGHT KNOW THIS GUY. FROM POKE CHECKS AND BODY CHECKS. PYOTR KUNCHENKO. FOLKS, I PRESENT TO YOU. THERE’S ONE MORE WAIT FOR THIS. WE’LL SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT. IT’S LIKE A GAME. WE’LL JUST CALL IT. FOLKS. YOUR 2026 STANLEY CUP CHAMPION, CAROLINA HURRICANES. OH, HOW ABOUT A SECRET MVP? CHRIS HUFFINE THREE GOALS OFF THE BOARD. HE’S BEEN HERE THROUGH ALL OF IT. ASSISTANT COACH YOU MIGHT REMEMBER HIM FROM HIS PLAYING DAYS. TIM LEASON. YOUR GOALTENDING COACH. PAUL SCHOENFELDER. HE’S A VETERAN. JEFF DANIELS, HIS SECOND CUP BEHIND THE BENCH FOR THE HURRICANES. JOHNSTON YEAR. IT’S NOT A CINDER BLOCK. BILL. BERNSTEIN. IT’S THE STANLEY CUP. YOUR HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER DOUGIE. BENNETT. YOUR HEAD EQUIPMENT MANAGER AND THE BEST 7.9 SECONDS OF GOALTENDING IN NHL HISTORY. GEORGE AND. YOU WANT THE GUY BEHIND THE GUY BEHIND THE GUY? NICK MAHAFFEY. PART OF THE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING AND TRAINING PROGRAM. HE’S THE GUY WHO DOES ALL THE DIRTY WORK BEHIND THE SCENES. HIS FINAL SEASON WITH THE CAROLINA HURRICANES, THE LEGEND BOB GORMAN. NOBODY HANDED OFF STICKS BETTER. BOBBY. TRYING TO MAKE SURE THE GUYS ARE RIGHT BEFORE THE GAME. YOUR MASSAGE THERAPIST, THAT’S MIKEY MARESCA. ALL RIGHT, KRISTEN, YOU MAKE SURE THE GUYS ARE FED, RIGHT? YOU’RE A NUTRITIONIST. KRISTEN. SHE RAEFORD. THAT MEANS IT’S SOMEBODY ELSE. HE IS THE HAPPIEST MAN TO BE AROUND EVERY DAY. NICK RALEIGH. MAKE SURE THE EQUIPMENT IS THERE ON TIME. PATRICK FUDGE. ATHLETIC TRAINER. CORD. LOVE HIM ON. YOUR GENERAL MANAGER ERIC TOLSKY. ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER TYLER DARROW. ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER. YOU WAITED A WHILE FOR THIS ONE. DARRIN. YOU SURE? THE OWNER OF YOUR CAROLINA HURRICANES. TOM DUNDON. THE SCENES. CHRIS ABBOTT. THE HEAD OF TEAM SERVICES, MIKE BROWN. AND HE STILL HAS HIS SHIRT ON YOUR HEAD. COACH RON BRIND’AMOUR SET UP. TAKE IT OFF. TAKE IT OFF, TAKE IT OFF, TAKE IT OFF, TAKE IT OFF, TAKE IT OFF, TAKE IT OFF, TAKE IT OFF, TAKE IT OFF. WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS. KEEP ON FIGHTING TILL THE END. THE CHAMPIONS ARE THE. CHAMPIONS. WE ARE THE. TO THE END. YOU ARE THE TRACK. WE ARE TRAINED UP. TAKE US. ALL RIGHT. AT THIS TIME, CAN I FIND THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE CAROLINA HURRICANES? OH, WAIT WAIT, WAIT. THEY’RE PLAYING SWEET CAROLINE, CAN YOU WAIT FOR A MINUTE? YOU. SWAIN. I. TYPEKIT SEE? SO GOOD. I BE LIKE. WE LEAVE WHENEVER. I LOVE. NOTHING WRONG. RIGHT. ALL RIGHT, IF I COULD. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE CAROLINA HURRICANES. I GOT YOU. DOCTOR ERIC TOLSKY. WOW. TRULY UNBELIEVABLE TO SEE THIS CROWD OUT HERE. I CANNOT EXPRESS ENOUGH HOW THANKFUL I AM. SO YOU GUYS KNOW I LIKE WALKING AROUND WITH YOU GUYS BEFORE THE GAME DURING INTERMISSION. WHEN I TALK TO OTHER TEAMS, THEY ARE SHOCKED BY THAT. THEY’RE LIKE, WOW, YOU’RE SO BRAVE. I’M LIKE, MAN, I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOUR ISSUE IS. THEY LIKE ME HERE. YOU GUYS ARE SO SUPPORTIVE, SO ENTHUSIASTIC. CAN’T APPRECIATE THAT ENOUGH. THE SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY, WHEN I’M WALKING AROUND AT THE TAILGATE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. CAN’T TAKE THE SHOTS OF FIREBALL, BUT I DO APPRECIATE IT. YOU GUYS DO SO MUCH. YOU SAY THANK YOU TO ME SO OFTEN. I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU THANK EVERYONE. THERE’S SO MANY PEOPLE WHO PUT THIS ON, FROM PARKING LOT ATTENDANTS TO PEOPLE WORKING THE STORE, TO PEOPLE WORKING AT JUMBOTRON. ALL OF THEM. LET’S HEAR IT. THERE’S SO MUCH SUPPORT HERE. IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE WE BUILT A HOCKEY FOLLOWING LIKE THIS IN A PLACE WHERE A COUPLE INCHES OF SNOW BRINGS THE APOCALYPSE TO GLENWOOD AVE. YOU GUYS ARE HUGE FANS. SO SUPPORTIVE. ARE YOU HAPPY TO BE HERE? EVERYONE HERE IS. EVERYONE ON THIS STAGE IS HAPPY TO BE HERE TOO. IT’S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT’S INCREDIBLE. WE’VE GOT A TEAM FULL OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HAPPY TO BE HERE. THEY KNOW WE’RE BUILDING SOMETHING SPECIAL. THEY WANT TO BE PART OF IT. SOMETHING THAT REALLY STOOD OUT TO ME AFTER GAME SIX WERE ON THE ICE. WE’RE DOING OUR CONGRATULATIONS AND PLAYER AFTER PLAYER KEPT TELLING ME, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING ME HERE. ONE OF THE PLAYERS WHO SAID THAT IS A FREE AGENT. NICK DELAURIER, COME ON UP. WE GOTTA TAKE CARE OF THIS RIGHT NOW. I GOT A CONTRACT FOR YOU. COME ON, NICK. YEAH. TWO MORE — YEARS. THANK YOU EVERYONE. IS. AND MATTHEWS OVER HERE. THEY HAVE SHOWN BEFORE SIZING EACH OTHER UP. HERE’S THE TALENT TAPE. 065. YANCEY LAUREN WALSH. SOME CHICKEN. ANOTHER SHOT. THERE. AND HERE IT IS AGAIN. AND MATHIEU OLIVIER, WAY OF THROWING THE FLOOR, SIZING EACH OTHER UP. HERE. THE TALENT ATTACK BOTH SIX ONE. IN GO IN ALREADY QUITE THE WAY. I WANT A BRAND NEW HOUSE ON AN EPISODE OF CRIBS AND A BATHROOM. I CAN PLAY BASEBALL AND A KING SIZED UP BIG ENOUGH FOR TEN. PLUS ME. SO WHAT YOU NEED? I NEED A CREDIT CARD THAT’S GOT NO LIMIT AND A BIG BLACK JET WITH A BEDROOM IN IT. JOIN THE MILE HIGH CLUB AT 3700 ZERO FEET. BIESK DUNN. I WANT A NEW TOUR BUS FULL OF OLD GUITARS. ROGER. OKAY, OKAY OKAY, OKAY. GOT IT, GOT IT, GOT IT, GOT IT. I APPRECIATE THAT. HOLD HOLD IT. APPRECIATE THAT. IF ANYBODY WASN’T A PART OF MY PERFORMANCE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AT WALNUT CREEK, THERE’S A LITTLE SNEAK PEEK. I’M JUST GONNA START THIS OFF WITH. I — LOVE YOU, RALEIGH. MY. MY NAME. CAUSE WE ALL JUST WANT TO BE BIG ROCK STARS. YOU GOT. OKAY, OKAY, OKAY, OKAY. GOT IT. OKAY, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM. GAME TWO AGAINST OTTAWA. THERE’S. WE THOUGHT WE WON. WE DIDN’T WIN. AND THIS GUY GETS A PENALTY SHOT, AND THAT — SONG COMES ON THE THE SPEAKERS. IT WAS AURA. I WAS LIKE, OH, I NEED THIS SCORE. BUT THEN I GOT MY HEAD COACH SCREAMING, CAN ANYBODY TAKE THIS PENALTY SHOT? IS HE KIDDING ME? I HAVE THE BIGGEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE AND HE’S JUST DOUBTING THE — OUT OF ME. THANKS FOR THAT, RODDY. HEY, I WANT TO KEEP I KNOW I WHEN I GET A MIC IN MY HAND, I WANT TO TALK FOREVER, BUT I WANT TO KEEP THIS SHORT AND SWEET. I LISTEN, WE HAVE SOME INCREDIBLE PEOPLE UP HERE LIKE OUR, OUR WIVES, OUR GIRLFRIENDS, OUR KIDS. THEY’RE THE PEOPLE THAT KEEP US GOING. AND. THEY ARE THE MVP’S. LIKE THIS. LAST WEEK, EVERY EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING, IF WE DON’T HAVE OUR SUPPORT SYSTEM THAT IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US, AND I’M JUST GOING TO SINGLE OUT MY WIFE BECAUSE COURT, YOU’RE — AMAZING. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I CAN’T WAIT WITH OUR DAY WITH THE CUP. HEY, BOYS. BUT BUT OKAY. I LOVE ALL THESE GUYS, BUT LOOK AT THIS — CROWD. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THAT WAS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. HEY! LET’S GO CANES. LET’S GO. CANES. HEY, I WANT TO SAY ONE MORE THING. PEOPLE THOUGHT HOCKEY COULDN’T WORK IN THE SOUTH. LOOK AT THIS –. YEAH. WE DID IT. WE’RE THE CHAMPS. LET’S GO. I LOVE YOU GUYS. I LOVE YOU, RALEIGH. COME ON, BOYS. JUST ONE QUICK END NOTE ON THE GUY THAT JUST SPOKE. FIRST MOVE. THE FIRST TRANSACTION. AFTER TOM DUNDON BOUGHT THE TEAM WAS A TRADE. WHEN YOU DIDN’T THINK YOU COULD MAKE A TRADE DURING THE PLAYOFFS FOR JORDAN MARTINOOK, HE’S A HURRICANES HALL OF FAMER. BEFORE I INTRODUCE THE GUY THAT’S GOING TO SPEAK. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU LEGENDS BEHIND ME. THE JOY THAT YOU GIVE ALL OF US IN THE TRENCHES DURING THE SEASON, CULMINATING RIGHT NOW. BLESS YOU BOYS. IT WAS PROBABLY 2016 OR 17. I WAS HANGING OUT, HAVING A COFFEE AT THE PREGAME MEAL IN GLENDALE, ARIZONA. ROD BRIND’AMOUR WAS AN ASSISTANT COACH. HE LONG SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE HEAD COACH, BUT HE WAS AN ASSISTANT AND A GUY SAT DOWN NEXT TO ME OUTSIDE THE PREGAME MEAL NAMED JORDAN STAAL. AND JORDAN STAAL AS ROD BRIND’AMOUR WALKED BY AS PASSIONATELY AS HE SET THE TONE FOR THESE PLAYOFFS BY FIGHTING BRADY, TKACHUK, JORDAN STAAL PASSIONATELY POINTED TO ROD AND SAID, THAT GUY SHOULD BE OUR COACH. WELL, HE IS THE COACH. LET’S WELCOME UP THE GUY. THAT IS EVERYTHING. HURRICANES ROD BRIND’AMOUR. ALL RIGHT. I GOTTA TAKE ONE SECOND BECAUSE I DIDN’T GET TO DO IT AFTER THE GAME. OUR LAST GAME AND I ALWAYS THESE GUYS ARE GETTING SICK OF HEARING ME SPEAK. BUT I’M GONNA ADDRESS MY BOYS HERE FOR A MINUTE. SO I ASK THESE GUYS A LOT. I ASK A LOT OF THESE GUYS. NUMBER ONE IS TO PLAY TO AN IDENTITY, AND AN IDENTITY IS WE GOTTA COMPETE OUR — OFF EVERY NIGHT. AND WE DO THAT BECAUSE WE KNOW WE’RE GONNA. THAT’S WHAT GIVES US THE BEST CHANCE. BUT WE DO IT BECAUSE WE KNOW YOU GUYS ARE HERE PAYING YOUR GOOD EARNED MONEY TO WATCH US PLAY. SO WE GOTTA COMPETE. AND THESE GUYS, NO ONE COMPETES HARDER THAN THESE GUYS. NO ONE. AND THEN WE GOTTA DO IT EVERY NIGHT. AND I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT NO ONE DOES IT BETTER THAN THESE GUYS. EVERY NIGHT. AND THEN WE ADD ONE MORE THING. YOU GOTTA TAKE PRIDE IN WHAT YOU DO AND WHO YOU’RE DOING WITH AND HOW THEY DO IT. AND THESE GUYS DO IT BETTER THAN ANYONE. THESE ARE THE WORLD CHAMPS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU HERE. HOLD ON, HOLD ON. THEIR NAMES ARE GOING ON THIS CUP. AND HOCKEY. HOCKEY IS THE GREATEST TEAM SPORT IN THE WORLD. I PROMISE YOU, I PROMISE YOU. AND WHEN THEY GO ON THAT, THAT’S GONNA BE ON THERE FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. AND WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THIS TEAM, THEY’RE GONNA SAY, IT’S THE GREATEST TEAM THAT’S EVER WON A STANLEY CUP. OKAY. NOW LASTLY, I GOTTA THANK ONE GUY BECAUSE EIGHT YEARS AGO, HE GUYS. AND THAT’S MR. TOM DUNDON OKAY, HE GAVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD YOU GUYS IN ONE. ONE OF THE VERY FIRST THINGS WE SAID WE HAD TO DO WAS PUT A TEAM OUT THERE THAT YOU GUYS COULD BE PROUD OF. THAT WAS THE GOAL. WHETHER WE WIN OR LOSE, WE’RE GONNA MAKE SURE YOU’RE PROUD OF US. AND I PROMISE YOU, I KNOW BECAUSE OF WHAT’S HAPPENED RIGHT HERE, YOU GUYS ARE PROUD OF THESE GUYS. AND I’M GONNA JUST LEAVE IT WITH THIS. I’M GONNA LEAVE IT WITH THIS. I TELL YOU WHAT, THERE’S NO BETTER FAN BASE IN THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE. AND YOU GUYS JUST PROVED IT. COMING OUT HERE THE WAY YOU DO. TAKE A LOOK AT OUR HOME RECORD OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS. RIGHT. THE LOUDEST AND TOUGHEST BUILDING TO PLAY IN THE NHL IS OUR BUILDING. AND THAT’S BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS. SO HEY, WE WANT TO ENJOY IT. THESE GUYS ARE ENJOYING IT RIGHT NOW. BUT I PROMISE YOU, WE’RE GONNA TRY TO DO IT AGAIN. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TWO TIME STANLEY CUP CHAMPION ROD BRIND’AMOUR. AND IT’S NOW MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE THE CONN SMYTHE TROPHY WINNER, THE CAPTAIN OF THE 2026 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS, ONE OF THE BEST PEOPLE ON PLANET EARTH. I COULD GO ON AND ON AND ON. HIS TEAMMATES SAY IT FOR YOU, JORDAN STAAL. WHAT’S UP KENNY, HOW ARE WE DOING? ALL RIGHT. I’M A TERRIBLE SPEECH GUY, BUT I’M GONNA KEEP THIS SHORT AND SWEET. TOM. AMAZING. I TAKING THIS THING OVER AND SEEING THE PASSION IN YOUR EYES AND SEEING THAT YOU WANTED TO WIN, BAR NONE. YOU TURN THIS SHIP AROUND AND GOT IT GOING. MVP. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. OKAY. AND AND RODNEY WHAT MORE CAN BE SAID ABOUT ROD BRIND’AMOUR IN THIS CITY. MY GOODNESS. THAT GUY’S BAR NONE THE BEST HUMAN BEING I’VE EVER MET. THE HARDEST WORKING GUY. HE’S UP AT FOUR IN THE MORNING ON THE BIKE ALREADY HUFFING AND PUFFING, READY FOR THE DAY. AND MY GOODNESS, HE IS. HE IS A MAN. AND YOU FELLAS. MY GOODNESS. LIKE WHAT? EXACTLY WHAT I SAID WHAT A TEAM. WHAT A TEAM WE HAD. IT WAS EVERYONE WE NEEDED EVERYONE. THAT WHOLE RIDE. AND I COULDN’T HAVE LOVED YOU MORE. I WANTED IT SO BAD FOR YOU GUYS. AND WE’RE CHAMPS, BABY. WE’RE CHAMPS. SO GOOD. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? WE NEEDED EVERYONE ON THIS ON THIS STAGE. BUT WE NEED ALL OF YOU. ALL OF YOU. AND YOU GUYS BROUGHT IT, BABY. EVERY NIGHT, ALL SEASON LONG AND IN THE PLAYOFFS. MY LIKE THAT THAT ARENA, THAT ATMOSPHERE, THAT PASSION FROM YOU GUYS. I FELT IT. YOU SAW IT IN MY EYES AND I SAW IT IN ALL YOUR EYES. I COULD FEEL IT. YOU GUYS NAILED IT. AND SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CAN I FOR ALL. AND I KNOW THERE’S ONE MORE THING THIS GUY’S BEEN ASKING ALL DAY LONG. AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A TURNING POINT IN THE SERIES. BUT MY LITTLE GUY WANTS TO GO TARPS OFF FOR THE BOYS. THAT’S THE. WAY YOU DO THIS AGAIN. LET’S GO BABY. EDDIE RYAN LOVE YOU. WOO! ALL RIGHT, SO HEY. OH GO AHEAD. WE’VE GOT SOMEONE HERE. WE GOT WE GOT ONE MORE PERSON THAT’S AN INTEGRAL PART OF THIS WHOLE THING. THEY DIDN’T GET TO LIFT THIS THING IN FRONT OF ALL YOU PEOPLE. SHE IS THE GLUE THAT HOLDS OUR TEAM, OUR WIVES, EVERYTHING TOGETHER. AND LET’S GET A LITTLE CHANT GOING. MAL DOG, MAL, DOUG, MAL DOG, MAL MAL DUNK, MAL DUNN MAL. DOUG, LIFT THAT CHALICE. WILLIAM. MAL. DOUG. OH! ALL RIGHT. ARE YOU SPEAKING? MAL? DOUG. NO! ALSO, LET’S ASK TOM WHAT? HE’S BUILDING. THE — STATUE OF ROD BRIND’AMOUR IN FRONT OF THE LENOVO CENTER. ROD, HE NEEDS A STATUE. LET’S GO. HEY, HOW DO YOU GUYS FEEL ABOUT RUNNING LONG OVERDUE PUNCHING HIS TICKET TO THE HALL OF FAME ON MONDAY? OKAY. WELL, I’M GONNA WE’RE GONNA GET A COUPLE. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? WE’RE GONNA START WITH? IN MY OPINION, SOMETHING THAT YOU NEEDED TO GET OVER THE HUMP. NASTINESS. ASIDE FROM ELITE SKILL, THE SAM BENNETT OF THIS YEAR’S STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS, TAYLOR HALL. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I REALLY WANT TO I WANT TO DO MY SPEECH BECAUSE I REALLY HAVE TO PEE. AND I JUST I WANT TO GET IT OVER WITH. SO I, I KIND OF TREATED THIS LIKE A GAME. I ALWAYS TALKED TO MY DAD BEFORE MY GAMES, AND HE GAVE ME ONE PIECE OF ADVICE. HE’S LIKE, JUST DON’T SWEAR, LIKE, KEEP IT CLASSY. SO I’M GONNA SAY THERE’S WAY MORE THAN 100,000 PEOPLE HERE, RIGHT? THIS IS INCREDIBLE, GUYS. I PLAYED MY FIRST HOME GAME LAST YEAR AGAINST LA, AND THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE BUILDING WAS ELECTRIC. I THINK IT WAS IN JANUARY, FEBRUARY. AND YOU GUYS GAVE A JOLT TO MY CAREER THAT I DIDN’T KNOW I NEEDED. SO THANK YOU GUYS SO — MUCH. I’M NEVER GONNA FORGET THIS MOMENT WITH YOU GUYS HERE TODAY. SEEING THE JOY ON YOUR GUYS FACES. THIS IS FOR YOU GUYS TOO. THIS IS AWESOME. WE — DID THIS. LET’S GO, LET’S GO. ALL RIGHT. I GOTTA PEE NOW. OKAY. I’M LOOKING OVER AT A FINNISH FLAG. NICE BALL CAP OVER THERE. AND BEFORE I EVER EVEN SAW HIM IN A HURRICANE SWEATER, A HURRICANE. GREAT. YOU SEE JOKINEN FROM OULU IN NORTHERN FINLAND. HE CALLED ME AFTER THE 2015 DRAFT, WHERE THIS GUY SHOULD HAVE GONE IN THE LOTTERY, AND HE SAID, TT SEBASTIAN AHO, HE IS GONNA BE A LEGENDARY HURRICANE. YOU. SHE WAS RIGHT. I GIVE YOU SEBASTIAN. HEY. OH, HEY. OH. HEY HO! HEY! WHOA! HEY HO! WALLPAPER. I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THIS, SO THANKS A LOT. KENNY. ACTUALLY BEEN UNBELIEVABLE FOR US. THIS CITY IS EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. I AM SO PROUD TO BE PART OF THIS TEAM. I AM SO PROUD THAT WE FINALLY GET TO BRING THIS CUP TO YOU GUYS. YEAH. WHY NOT? I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY, HONESTLY. I WAS LIKE I SAID, I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THIS. OH. LOUDER. SO. OH YEAH. WE GOTTA GO CLOSE. YEAH. CLOSER. WELL, I GOTTA SAY HOW PROUD I WAS OF YOU GUYS AND US. AND HOW HOW GREAT IT IS. BUT I FEEL LIKE OUR MVP TURNS THOUGHT HE DIDN’T GET THE ENOUGH RECOGNITION WHEN HE WAS HERE. SO HERE’S A LITTLE CHANT. IT GOES LIKE THIS. MARTY. SO HE GOES HE’S THERE. HE’S HERE. HE’S EVERY — WHERE. JORDAN STAAL, JORDAN STAAL HE’S HERE, HE’S THERE. HE’S EVERY — WORD. JORDAN STAAL, JORDAN STAAL. ONE MORE. HE’S THERE. HE’S EVERY — WORD. JORDAN STAAL. WELL THERE’S THERE’S ONE MORE GUY WE CAN BRING UP. I DON’T HAVE AS MANY PERSONAL STORIES AS TRIPP DOES, BUT I DO KNOW IF YOU EVER NEED A MATTRESS, YOU CAN FIND JACOB SLAVIN AND HE’LL HELP YOU OUT. I DON’T KNOW IF YOU KNOW HOW GOOD THIS GUY IS. WE’RE THE BEST IN THE LEAGUE. HATE PLAYING AGAINST THIS GUY NIGHT AFTER NIGHT. AND TRIPP AND I JUST GET TO SAY IT’S JACOB SLAVIN DOING JACOB SLAVIN THINGS. YOU’RE STANLEY CUP CHAMPION JACOB SLAVIN. OH MAN. THANK YOU TO THE DEACS OUT THERE. I LOVE YOU GUYS. USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA. OH NO. HEY, WINNING A GOLD MEDAL. UNBELIEVABLE HONOR TO REPRESENT THIS COUNTRY. BUT WINNING A STANLEY CUP WITH THIS TEAM RIGHT HERE AND THIS CITY, THERE’S NOTHING BETTER, BABY. THERE’S NOTHING BETTER. I’VE BEEN HERE FOR A LONG TIME. I REMEMBER A TUESDAY NIGHT GAME BACK IN 2015. THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN 5000 FANS IN THE BUILDING, MAYBE. AND NOW YOU GUYS PACKED THAT ARENA EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. IT’S THE LOUDEST BARN IN THE NHL, AND YOU GUYS DO THAT. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY? I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU. YOU GUYS KNOW MY FAITH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO ME. I GIVE ALL THE GLORY TO GOD. I LOVE THIS TEAM, AND I CAN’T WAIT TO BE A HURRICANE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. WELL, THIS GUY WHO EXUDES, EXUDES CHARISMA. HE’S GETTING THRUST UP HERE BY HIS TEAMMATES WHO LOVE HIM. SETH JARVIS. I DON’T KNOW WHY I’M UP HERE. WHO LET ME UP HERE? BECAUSE YOU’RE A CHAMPION. TRUE. BEFORE I SAY ANYTHING, LITTLE PERSON, I WANT TO THANK ONE GUY WHO’S BEEN WITH ME SINCE THE START. MY BROTHER. I — LOVE YOU, MAN. NOW FOR THE 23 BROTHERS I HAVE ON THIS STAGE, WHERE THE — CHAMPS. I NEED YOU, MARTY, TO INTRODUCE THIS GUY, TO TALK TO THE CROWD, BECAUSE YOU GET HIM BEFORE EVERY GAME. READY TO PLAY. HE SERVES FRIED CHICKEN. NOW, IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW THIS AND HE SCORES A BUNCH OF GOALS, THIS THIS GUY DIDN’T WANT IT THIS YEAR. I GUESS I WAS THE I WAS THE REASON WE WERE OLD, OLD US BACK FROM THE STANLEY CUP. HE DIDN’T WANT IT THIS YEAR, BUT IS ANYBODY HERE FROM MR. SPECTACLE? HOLY COW. GUYS. SATURDAY NIGHT IN RALEIGH WOOD. LET’S GO. I JUST WANT TO SAY TWO THINGS, GUYS. I’M SO GRATEFUL FOR MY TEAMMATES. I’M SO GRATEFUL FOR MY COACHING STAFF. I LOVE THIS BECAUSE WE GOT THE BEST COACHING STAFF AND WE GOT THE BEST — TEAM. AND I WANT TO SAY ONE MORE THING. THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS, I LOVE YOU. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST FANS IN THE WORLD. WE ARE CHAMPIONS. LOGAN. STAN. CORBIN. FIRST OFF, I JUST WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU GUYS FOR BEING HERE TODAY. YOU GUYS ARE UNBELIEVABLE. THE TURNOUT TODAY, THE SUPPORT YOU GUYS BRING US, IT’S INCREDIBLE. WE’RE BROTHERS FOR LIFE. RALEIGH WOOD IS A CITY OF CHAMPIONS. THAT’S WHAT WE’RE ABOUT. YOU GUYS JUST CEASED TO AMAZE ME. THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT CAME OUT TODAY. INCREDIBLE. RALEIGH IS A HOCKEY CITY. I LOVE THESE GUYS. ALL OF OUR NAMES ARE ON THE CUP. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US IS ON THAT CUP BECAUSE WE’RE CHAMPIONS. THAT’S WHAT WE’RE ABOUT. THANKS AGAIN. WE — LOVE YOU GUYS AND LET’S DO IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR. I WAS TOLD AT THE START OF THE YEAR MORE DANES, MORE WINS AND THIS GUY IMPORTED FROM WINNIPEG AND DECIDED TO SIGN WITH YOUR CAROLINA HURRICANES. GOOD ASSIGNED ANYWHERE. THEY CALL HIM FLY. NOW. THEY CALL HIM CHAMPION. NIKOLAI ELON. THANK YOU GUYS. FIRST OFF, I WANT TO SAY INCREDIBLE. THANK YOU GUYS. THE WAY YOU GUYS TOOK ME IN, THE WAY THIS GROUP, THE COACHES, THE STAFF TOOK ME IN. IT MEANT A LOT TO ME. I WAS IN THE SAME PLACE FOR TEN YEARS. I LOVED THAT PLACE. BUT COMING HERE, THE WAY THESE GUYS TOOK ME IN WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED. I GOT THE STANLEY CUP, SO THAT’S A PRETTY GOOD — CHANGE. THERE IS ONE THING I GOTTA CLEAR UP, THOUGH. EVERY SINGLE PERSON I HAVE MET IN THE GROCERY STORE, ON THE STREET EVERYWHERE, HAS SAID, PLEASE STAY. I’M LIKE, I GOT ANOTHER FIVE YEARS. I’M NOT LEAVING. I’M — GO. THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. OH, WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT. FREDDY, HE HAS FINISHED HIS CIGAR. FREDDY. YOU GUYS ARE UNBELIEVABLE. SOMETIMES WE GOALIES LET IN A BAD GOAL, AND WE THINK WE SHOULD HAVE HAD IT. BUT THEN THE VERY NEXT PLAY, YOU GUYS ARE RIGHT BACK AT THE CHANCE. THE SUPPORT MEANS — EVERYTHING. AND THAT’S WHY WE’RE STANDING HERE AS CHAMPIONS. I LOVE YOU GUYS. HEY, ONE OF ONE OF MY TEAMMATES NEEDED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM, BUT HE’S GONNA COME BACK SOON. DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER WE US MAKING A TRADE TO THE NEW YORK RANGERS AND. THE RANGERS FANS BEING LIKE, THIS GUY’S THE WORST. YOU’RE NOT GONNA LIKE HIM. AND THEN HE COMES TO CAROLINA AND WHAT HAPPENS? HE TURNS INTO JACOB. SLAVIN 2.0. OH MY GOODNESS. WHERE IS HE? KEY. OH DRAG MILLER. KEY KEY QUI QUI. ALL RIGHT. RALEIGH, I’M GONNA KEEP THIS REALLY SHORT BECAUSE I AM AWFUL AT PUBLIC SPEAKING. BUT –, WHY DON’T WE DO THIS AGAIN NEXT YEAR, RIGHT? COME ON. THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE PLACE TO PLAY IN, AND I CAN’T THINK OF FANS ENOUGH. PHOENIX, YOU ARE A HUGE PART OF THIS TEAM AND MAN, WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU. STANLEY CUP — CHAMPS BABY. LET’S GO. SHANE, GO! YEAH! WHERE IS HE? THERE HE IS. I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS. THIS IS MY NEPHEW, LANDON. BIG FAN OF THE CANES. AND IF YOU NEED SOMEONE TO RUN YOUR — POWER PLAY, I GOT YOU. I’M YOUR GUY. LET’S GO. HE SAID LET’S GO. YEAH, SHE SAID, LET’S — GO. OKAY. ONE, ONE, ONE LAST THING BEFORE WE SAY SAYONARA. YOU GUYS REMEMBER EIGHT YEARS AGO, TOM BOUGHT THE TEAM. HE GOES, WE NEED TO KEEP THE FANS IN THE STANDS. AND THERE WAS A THING WE STARTED. THERE’S FIVE OF US LEFT FROM THAT FIRST YEAR. AND WE DID A THING CALLED THEY NAMED IT THE STORM SURGE. I LOVE EVERY ONE OF YOU GUYS. AND THERE’S A — TON OF PEOPLE HERE, AND I THINK IT’D BE INCREDIBLE FOR US TO GET THE STORM SURGE GOING. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THAT? WE’RE GONNA GET THE DJ TO DO. OH, HE’S ALREADY GOING. TAKE ME ON THE RALLY, BABY. LET’S GO. SEE YOU ALL AT GLENWOOD TONIGHT, BABY. COME ON, MAN. NORTH CAROLINA. WE LOVE YOU. RALLY. STADIUM DRIVE. IT’S ONLY FITTING, CHANEL, THAT THIS WOULD END WITH A STORM SURGE WITH THE FANS AS THE CELEBRATION IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH CONTINUES. AND I DON’T THINK THIS CELEBRATION OF THIS STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONSHIP IS GOING TO END ANY TIME SOON. NO WAGON WHEELS, JUST GETTING STARTED. THIS TEAM HAS MOMENTUM GOING INTO THE REST OF THE NIGHT. JORDAN MARTINOOK IS HE’S HE’S WELL ON HIS WAY. HE COULD GO ALL DAY. HE’S HE’S ALL WELL ON HIS WAY TO RIGHT GOING ALL DAY. WE SAW FROM THE CAPTAIN JORDAN STAAL WHAT A SEASON. AS IT WAS, WE MENTIONED FOR JACOB SLAVIN WINNING A GOLD MEDAL AND THE STANLEY CUP TITLE. SETH JARVIS SHOUT OUT TO HIS BOYS. JUST A TREMENDOUS SEASON. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FANS IN ATTENDANCE FOR THIS CELEBRATION IN RALEIGH, LONG OVERDUE, LONG DUE FOR THIS FRANCHISE. NIKKI SAYING, I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE. THE GUYS, WHY WOULD YOU, WHEN YOU HAVE A MOMENT LIKE THIS THAT YOU REALLY GET TO SOAK IN WITH THE BROTHERS THAT YOU’VE BUILT THROUGHOUT THESE LAST FEW MONTHS, SEVERAL MONTHS, I SHOULD SAY. AND NOW YOU JUST GET TO SOAK IT IN WITH ALL THE MANIACS. AND HOW ABOUT A SHOW ME MOMENT BY ERIC TULSKY. THEY SIGNED NICK DELAURIER TO A THE WORK NEVER STOPS. NO WORK NEVER STOPS. BUT WHO’S HAVING A BETTER DAY THAN NICK? DYLAN CONTRACT ENDS, GETS A PAYDAY ON CELEBRATION DAY IN RALEIGH. HE’S GOING TO BE HERE FOR ANOTHER COUPLE YEARS. ANOTHER COUPLE YEARS AND JORDAN MARTINOOK WILL BE HERE FOREVER. AND JORDAN STAAL WILL BE RAISING THAT CUP ALL NIGHT IF YOU NEED HIM ALL NIGHT. AND YOU HEARD TRACY TALK ABOUT IT, WE’LL FIND OUT. THE NHL AND THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME CLASS, WE WOULD THINK ROD BRIND’AMOUR, WHO’S BEEN KNOCKING ON THAT DOOR FOR SO MANY YEARS, HE’S GOT A REALLY GOOD CHANCE TO GET HIS NAME CALLED. FINALLY. IT’D BE MORE THAN DESERVING AS A PLAYER AND AS A COACH. WE’LL FIND OUT ON MONDAY IF HE’S PART OF THIS YEAR’S CLASS. THAT’S GOING TO CONCLUDE OUR COVERAGE, THOUGH, OF THE CELEBRATION AT. I MEAN, JORDAN MARTINOOK STILL GOT THE MIC, EVERYBODY. BUT WE’RE GOING TO. HAVE TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM HAVE TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK SO WE CAN TAKE A BREAK BECAUSE IT’S BEEN A LONG DAY FOR EVERYBODY AS THEY’RE GOING TO BE CELEBRATING. WILMINGTON NOW, IF YOU MISSED ANY OF OUR COVERAGE, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND CHECK IT OUT ON OUR WEBSITE, WXII 12 DOT COM. THERE’S STUFF POSTED ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, WHATEVER THEY WANT TO CALL IT, INSTAGRAM MOORE COVERAGE THERE AS WELL. WE’LL ALSO HAVE SOME COVERAGE HERE TONIGHT. WE’LL HEAR FROM MORE OF OUR REPORTERS WHO ARE ALL THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN RALEIGH BREAKING THINGS DOWN. CHANEL PORTER AND I WILL ALSO RECAP THIS PARADE, THIS CELEBRATION FOR THE CAROLINA HURRICANES. CHANEL. YEAH, GREAT STUFF WE HAVE COMING UP LATER ON TONIGHT. WE TRIED TO BRING YOU THAT SOUND THAT WE WERE LISTENING INTO TO ROD AND TO JORDAN AND THOSE GUYS, BUT WE’LL HAVE ALL OF THAT LATER TONIGHT. WE ALSO HAVE A BIG SHOUT OUT TO ONE OF OUR PRODUCERS THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE WITH US TODAY, WELCOMED IN A BABY THIS MORNING. SHOUT OUT TO BRUCE CURTIS AND HIS WIFE. THEY’VE GOT A NEW BABY BOY. SO IT’S A HOUSE FULL OF BOYS. IT’S GOING TO BE A ZOO. ALL ABOUT IT. IT’S GOING TO BE LIKE THE CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE IN THAT HOUSEHOLD. ONCE THEY GET A LITTLE BIT OLDER. AND I CAN SPEAK THIS. YEAH, KNOWING WITH TWO BOYS, IT’S A HOUSEHOLD. IT WILL BE A FIVE. ONE DAY THEY WILL BE BACK. SO WE THANK YOU GUYS FOR WATCHING AND JOINING US FOR THIS CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE CELEBRATION FOR THE CAROLINA HURRICANES FOR CHANEL PORTER. I’M JOHN JOHNSON. THANKS FOR WATCHING. WE’LL HAVE MORE COVERAGE COMING UP LATER TONIGHT.

Carolina Hurricanes to play preseason game in Greensboro against Nashville Predators

Updated: 10:20 AM EDT Jun 25, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

The defending Stanley Cup Champion the Carolina Hurricanes will hit the ice in Greensboro for a preseason game against the Nashville Predators.The game will be held at the First Horizon Coliseum on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. The preseason exhibition game will mark the Hurricanes’ first appearance in Greensboro since 1999. The Hurricanes originally called Greensboro home for its first two season while construction in Raleigh was being completed. “We are thrilled the Carolina Hurricanes will begin the defense of their Stanley Cup championship with their first appearance in Greensboro in 27 years,” said Scott Johnson, Oak View Group general manager for First Horizon Coliseum. “Making this even more special is that the game will be played in the home of the Greensboro Gargoyles, the Hurricanes’ ECHL affiliate.”The Hurricanes captured the Stanley Cup recently against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.“Hockey has experienced tremendous growth throughout the South over the last three decades, and moments like this showcase just how far the game has come,” said Greensboro Gargoyles President Jon Forsberg. Tickets will be announced at a later date.

GREENSBORO, N.C. —

The defending Stanley Cup Champion the Carolina Hurricanes will hit the ice in Greensboro for a preseason game against the Nashville Predators.

The game will be held at the First Horizon Coliseum on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.

The preseason exhibition game will mark the Hurricanes’ first appearance in Greensboro since 1999. The Hurricanes originally called Greensboro home for its first two season while construction in Raleigh was being completed.

“We are thrilled the Carolina Hurricanes will begin the defense of their Stanley Cup championship with their first appearance in Greensboro in 27 years,” said Scott Johnson, Oak View Group general manager for First Horizon Coliseum. “Making this even more special is that the game will be played in the home of the Greensboro Gargoyles, the Hurricanes’ ECHL affiliate.”

The Hurricanes captured the Stanley Cup recently against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

“Hockey has experienced tremendous growth throughout the South over the last three decades, and moments like this showcase just how far the game has come,” said Greensboro Gargoyles President Jon Forsberg.

Tickets will be announced at a later date.