RALEIGH, NC -- I’d like for anyone who’s said that Raleigh isn’t a hockey city, or that the fans don’t care, or that this team would suck without Jeff Skinner/Elias Lindholm/Cam Ward/Noah Hanifin, to sit down.
This team has taken hit after hit (literally and figuratively) this season but kept getting back up. They stuck with it even when they were sitting at the bottom of the league, they stuck with it when the critics rained all kinds of crap down on them. This team has battled through adversity and I could not be any prouder. No one thought they’d be here, but they said, “Us? Of course we’d be here.”
It’s been so fun and so rewarding to watch this team come into its own and land a playoff spot. I know they weren’t happy with just getting into the playoffs, but I was. I was going to be proud of them no matter what they did in the first round, and even the second round, and I’ll be proud of them no matter the outcome of the third round. These guys have worked their asses off this season and it’s paying off. National broadcasters still don’t get it, but that’s okay. They don’t need to.
Because the fans do. The team does. The local broadcasters and analysts do. This city does. Raleigh is slowly becoming a hockey town again, and they’ve woken a sleeping giant, guys. Hockey is back in North Carolina, and the feeling is absolutely indescribable. I’ve talked hockey with so many random strangers in the lobby of my office as the local news shows highlights. All three of my teammates at work knew next to nothing about hockey aside from anything I’ve said, but now they’re all watching the games and coming into work the next morning just as excited as I am. Hell, the statue of Sir Walter Raleigh, the explorer our city is named after, is decked out in Canes gear. The buses all have their location on the tickers, then ‘GO CANES!’ following after. I’ve never seen so many Hurricanes flags hanging from businesses or houses in my life.
Before you call anyone a bandwagon fan, because I know some of you will, understand that this city loves this team. Even through the tough times, the tough years where they came so close to the playoffs but bottomed out before they could do anything, this city supported them. The games may have been mostly empty before this year, and there may have been fewer flags around the city. But. the love never dissipated from the city or the fans. For some people, this is their first foray into hockey, and to be honest, the jump into hockey can be a bit startling. But, you know what? Every fan starts somewhere. I probably wouldn’t be a Blackhawks fan if I didn’t see Patrick Kane at the 2010 Olympics, and I don’t think I would’ve followed the team as closely as I do now if they hadn’t won at least one of their Cups. But, I’m here to stay now, no matter what. And I’ll be here for the Canes, too.
This team has started a revolution in Raleigh and in the hockey community, and it’s time the national stage recognizes that. This isn’t some fluke, they didn’t just “luckily” beat Washington. This team is underrated, under-the-radar talent that can’t and won’t be stopped until they’re done. They’re going to fight until the bitter end, whether that means their journey ends after the Eastern Conference Final or after the Stanley Cup Final. The brotherhood of this team is tight and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before—they’re not playing for inidividual glory out there. They’re playing for each other and they will play for each other for as long as this team can be kept together. And that’s the difference.
Through Storm Surges, through incredible wins and upsetting losses, this team’s stuck with it. I’ve been incredibly impressed with them this year, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this team. They’re going to do great things—hell, they already have done great things—and they’re destined to make an impact on this league.
It’s about time a bunch of jerks stood up to hockey tradition and platitudes and played the game their way.
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