From growing up a die-hard sports fan from a very young age, I have been a fan of a number of professional and major college sports teams in a variety of ways. When a person invests a reasonable amount of time an energy into a team, it becomes theirs, and a fan to some degree feels like he/she is part of it. At its core, I really think that is what is at the core of human’s love of sports — the chance to be part of something first and then on top of that to be part of something special. That is why fans regularly use the word “We” to talk about their teams.
So when I adopted the Carolina Hurricanes as “my local team” in 1997 after they magically fell out of the sky and into North Carolina, I had a variety of reference points for what it means and/or feels like to be part of a professional sports fan base or community. The Carolina Hurricanes were different from the very beginning. The group that ushered NHL hockey into North Carolina was refreshing and like nothing I had ever experienced before. From my years as a Chicago sports fan growing up there was a natural gap and separation between the team/players and me as part of the fan base. In my years growing up, my interactions with anyone from my favorite teams was a small handful of times my dad took me to wait in line to get an autograph from a single player or two, not one of the stars, who was doing an event somewhere. And those were essentially events where you waited in line for an hour and got a signature and virtually nothing in terms of interaction. Maybe out of necessity, the Hurricanes were completely different. John Forslund and Chuck Kaiton tirelessly answered questions and interacted with new fans. The players were also accessible and incredibly humble and whether they liked it or not signed up to grow a hockey fan base one fan at a time. So from the very beginning, I think the relationship between the fan base and the team has always been different here.
But what is even more cool is the way that unique genesis has in my opinion affected the relationship between the team and its fan base. The gap that I perceived from other sports teams seems non-existent with the Hurricanes. Because of that, it feels much more like the team and the fan base are in the same boat together. That shows up a bit when the team is successful and the community rallies around it, but I think more significantly, I think it shows up more clearly at other times. The standing ovation at the end of the elimination game in the 2001 NHL playoffs for me was the first time I think that I realized how special our hockey community was. To this day that game gives me chills. And the incredibly awkward rally in downtown Raleigh after the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals defeat was also something unique that I really do not think would ever happen in 95 percent or more of sports markets. The 2006 and 2009 playoff runs were very much the same. Then after a 10-year layoff from the playoffs, we relived it again with the ovation that the fan base gave the team in the final minutes of Thursday’s series-ending loss to the Bruins. Had things been reversed, you cannot tell me that Bruins fans would have cheered their team that was losing 4-0 and on their way to a series loss in a sweep. That is what is different here.
I have a couple of times tried to explain the Hurricanes hockey community and its unique bond with the team to friends that I have who are not local/fans of the team, and it has never been something that I can effectively put into words. Yet, whenever I talk to a Hurricanes fan who is similarly immersed in our unique hockey culture, he/she knows exactly what I mean. And that is what makes Carolina Hurricanes hockey so incredibly special. Sure, it might go somewhat dormant during extended droughts like we just had, but there is something in the fabric of our hockey community that seems to transcend time, playoff droughts, losing seasons or whatever else and return on cue again and again.
Like everyone else, I have my set of favorite memories from this magical hockey season, but I think my favorite one occurred when Brock McGinn scored the game 7 game-winner against the Capitals and one of my two younger sons who attended the 2009 playoff games but was too young to remember them exclaimed, “WE won! Dad, WE won!” while jumping on the couch.
As I said above, it is very common for sports fans to use the word “We” when discussing their favorite teams, but I sincerely believe that the “We” for Carolina Hurricanes is 20X more powerful and something unique and completely different from anything else in sports. My sons have been part of our hockey community more or less since they were born, but especially for my two younger sons, I think the 2019 playoff run saw them come to understand the uniqueness of our Carolina Hurricanes “We” as I am sure it did for many other fans.
To the team and everyone else who is part of our hockey community, thank you for being part of the “We” for my hockey world.
Go Canes!
I speak for myself but probably many others when I say that being a Canes fan wouldn’t be nearly as much fun and I would be significantly less engaged if not for your leadership and tireless dedication. I’m very grateful for that. So thank you, Matt.
“We” had a great season. All of us.
I second dmilleravid in his praise for your sports reporting and opinion here at C&C. Of all the options to stay current on the Canes you lead the pack. Thanks!
Thanks Matt–totally agree with dmiller and surgalt (at least on how much we appreciate all your efforts!!).
Agreed! Been reading you since the Hockeybuzz days… and the core posters here. Thanks for the great reads, always!
It’s really all about the kids isn’t it? As adults we can revel in the current success, especially after an extended run of irrelevancy like we’ve experienced over the last few years. But for kids, that initial feeling of being a part of something so large, so uncontrollable and absolutely so much fun, well it just doesn’t get much better than that. They’ll always have those memories and I’m confident in this case, with this season, most won’t remember that the Canes didn’t win the Cup because in many ways, it feels as if they did. It was that much fun.
As the adult – or at least practicing to become one some day – having a place like this to share and participate with others who enjoy this game like no other is a wonderful thing. Thanks for staying up late and getting up early to do what you do in providing a place to share, bitch and celebrate together. Thank You.
Thank you all for the kind words and for spending part of your Canes hockey time at Canes and Coffee.
I could not be more thankful for the “Coffee Shop” group here at Canes and Coffee. The insight and variety of opinions is my favorite part of the site, and the respectful way that people interact (not perfect but admirable considering pretty much anything else on the internet) is amazing.
I want to add to the chorus of thanks, Matt. You have created a great place to discuss Canes hockey. I’ve had a few issues, but nothing much you could do about it. Kind of nature of the beast you get with the internet.
Thanks again, and keep up the great work.
Matt, everybody else has already said it. It is a great site and thank you for all the effort you put into it.
It was a great season. I think as Rod and Justin might say, we are relevant again. The team deserved that standing ovation at the end of the game. Not what we wanted but these games were close regardless of the score. And we are young. We have so much to look forward too. It was a really fun season.
Yes, a big thank you to Matt, and to y’all who contribute to this site. I don’t agree with everyone’s opinions all the time, and that’s what I find great about this little corner of the internet. That, and knowing that even if we have different opinions on how to get there, we all want to see the Canes rise and ultimately win it all, and remember that we witnessed it as a little internet community run by a longtime Caniac with a big heart, big passion for the team and location, and who created something special that transcends the product on the ice.
Thank you guys!!