Hurricanes and Fans Revel in Stanley Cup
The Carolina Hurricanes and their fans celebrated the first major pro title in the state's history Tuesday, with the 114-year-old Stanley Cup signifying that hockey has found a home in North Carolina.
Less than a day after beating the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 in Game 7 of the finals, the Hurricanes took a victory lap around the RBC Center before taking the stage to thank about 30,000 fans who waited through a hot June afternoon to greet the first post-lockout NHL champions. "You guys helped us to win this," said captain Rod Brind'Amour, a 17-year veteran who was one of several Hurricanes to finally win the Cup after years of falling short. "At the start of the year, we wanted to make you proud of this hockey team, and I think we did that."It was the team's second trip to the finals since the former Hartford Whalers moved south in 1997.
But unlike a five-game loss to Detroit four years ago, the Hurricanes took the final step by holding off a determined Oilers squad in front of a rowdy home crowd Monday night to end an intense and dramatic series. That prompted Tuesday's parade carrying players through a cheering crowd of "Caniacs" clad in red, white and black. Alternate captain Glen Wesley - an 18-year veteran who won the Cup for the first time - held the silver trophy aloft as children in his truck pitched foam pucks into the crowd as if they were medallions tossed from a Mardi Gras float.
June 21, 2006
Posted By Skip Davis
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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