The post-season has returned to Raleigh. And no, I don’t mean a Sweet Sixteen run by our mediocre basketball team. Last Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime, securing their first run for the playoffs since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Last Thursday, when the New York Rangers came to town, Canes fans packed the RBC Center for a sellout crowd. After being tied 2-2 for a good stretch of the game, Chad LaRose snagged a loose puck in front of the net and the Canes took the lead. But things got even better, as 28 seconds later, captain Rod Brind’Amour rocketed a shot past goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to secure a 4-2 lead and the win. The sellout crowd gave the team a raucous standing ovation for well over three minutes. “The last time I heard it that loud was in the playoffs,” LaRose said in a postgame interview.
Now ask yourself – when is the last time that the RBC was rocking during a basketball game? I certainly don’t remember. The only game in recent memory that can compare to this caliber of support and excitement is when the buzzer sounded and the students rushed the court in 2007 as the basketball team sent the Tarheels packing.
If you’ve never been to a hockey game, here’s a word of advice – go. If you’ve carried that anti-hockey, “It’s a boring sport” sentiment around, just give the game a chance. We have a successful, winning team just down the road from campus. They just set a franchise record Saturday with 11 consecutive home wins and have won 8 games in a row.
A whiteboard in the hallway leading to the Canes bench dons the message “Good teams find a way to win.” This team is more than good, and they’ve certainly found a way to win. Good things are happening in the RBC Center.
The ever-growing fan base in North Carolina knows a little bit about Southern hospitality, and the hell of a time that’s called tailgating. A good number of Caniacs fire up the grill for the afternoon before a regular season game. But during the NHL playoffs, you might think there was a game going on in Carter-Finley with the fans coming out in droves in their Wolfpack-red Canes jerseys.
Even if you can’t get a playoff ticket, round up a crew and go tailgate. There’s going to be more people in the parking lots than the arena can hold, and a lot of people without tickets, just watching the game on television outside. And if all else fails, at least you will be getting pumped up for what I’m hoping is an epic football season.
While N.C. State has been experiencing its own athletic letdowns, there is a winning team in town, and students should support them. I for one will be out in the lots, grillin’ and chillin’, giving high fives and doing the Ric Flair “Wooooo” on my way into the RBC Center. I’ve never been big on the idea of bandwagon fans…but if my fellow students want to jump on and cheer for my favorite team, then I hope to see y’all at the game, cheering ‘Let’s go Canes!’ all the way.