By John Manasso
FOXSportsSouth.com
January 31, 2011
RALEIGH -- It's a phenomenon known well by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 13 seasons since the franchise relocated from Hartford to North Carolina.
If the team is in town for "ACC Week" -- during the celebrated NCAA league's men's basketball tournament in which four nationally prominent programs call the state home -- then NHL hockey is a tough sell.
At the same time, that does not mean the Hurricanes have not found a niche. If the recent NHL All-Star Weekend proved anything, it's that the community has embraced the sport, its local stars and a franchise with a strong record of winning as well as any nontraditional market's -- even though the 'Canes might go through their share of up-and-down cycles because of market size and the need to maintain a disciplined payroll.
"There is a buzz," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said during his prepared remarks in addressing the media on Saturday. "There is a sense of energy around this All-Star Weekend and all of the events."
In a statement released by the team on Monday from general manager Jim Rutherford, he saluted the fans. The organization did not have to hold a public sale for tickets for the All-Star events, as season ticket holders gobbled up all of the team's allotment.
"Most of all, I want to commend the Caniacs and the people of the Triangle, who were gracious and welcoming hosts for each and every one of our visitors from around the world," Rutherford's statement read. "Everyone came together to make All-Star Weekend what it was, and we've never been more proud to call North Carolina home."
Since 2002 when Carolina earned the franchise's first trip to the Stanley Cup final with a group of motley veterans, it has reached a relative degree of stability and success. Over the last eight seasons, the Hurricanes are tied for the lead for the most Eastern Conference finals appearances with three. (Only Philadelphia, supporting a much larger payroll -- not to mention Carolina's old coach -- is equal; Pittsburgh, Ottawa and Buffalo each have two appearances apiece.) Rutherford is one of the league's longest tenured general managers and the team has only had two coaches since 1995 (though Paul Maurice is now in his second stint).
Stability in the front office and behind the bench gave rise to success on the ice with first-round picks in 2002 and 2003. The 'Canes took Cam Ward 25th overall in '02 and, as a rookie in 2005-06, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy in leading the team to the Cup, and in '03 when Eric Staal, one of the game's elite players, was taken second overall.
"Starting from the grass roots, the youth hockey and all the way up, there's been a real strong base of support for this team and for hockey in general," Staal said. "It's been exciting for me to be a part of that and to watch it grow and it's only going to get bigger, I think, as our team continues to get better, as it is now, with younger guys. The game's going to continue to grow like it has."
Ward was struck by the size and reaction of the fans who greeted the All-Stars during Saturday's red carpet event outside the RBC Center.
"For me, coming into '06, winning the Stanley Cup really got started the roots here in Raleigh," he said. "I can't speak on what happened before that, but ever since we've had a real loyal group of Caniac fans who've been able to support us for years and years and I knew I heard about how excited Raleigh was about hosting the All-Star Game, but walking down the red carpet tonight I didn't expect it to be that big of a buzz.
"It's great to see that, I think, you talk to families, you talk to kids and youth and minor hockey programs continue to grow in the North Carolina area and that's great to see. The feedback from the fans, even this weekend, has been tremendous."
Other Southern and nontraditional markets have hit their peaks and valleys. Tampa Bay won a Cup and the St. Pete Times Forum rocked for the years surrounding that '04 title, but an ownership mess has forced the franchise to rebuild and it's currently doing very well at that under its third owner in about seven years. The same happened in Dallas, the 2000 Cup winner, and the Stars sustained excellent success for years, but, like the Lightning, even they have fallen on hard times and the Stars, again, are rebounding in the standings, if not the box office.
Other franchises have had more short-lived success. Florida created a sensation in '96 as the Cup runner-up with Scott Mellanby's "rat trick" creating a buzz around the franchise, but that has faded and the franchise has languished for years, owning the league's longest current playoff drought.
But Carolina has something of a small-town feel and the management has done a quality job of instilling organization success. Players want to come to a city that has an alumni base of retired players and Carolina has that. In the intro to Sunday's game, former captains Rod Brind'Amour and Ron Francis, both of whom work for the team, took part in a heart-warming ceremony depicting children playing pond hockey. Later, former defenseman Glen Wesley, who also still has a role with the team, took on the ceremonial role of cranking the hurricane siren to rev up fans.
And as Staal and Ward referenced, the organization appears to be built for long-term success. This year's No. 1 pick, Jeff Skinner, has evolved into an All-Star and a matinee idol (always good for box office sales) and 2007 first-round pick Brandon Sutter, still only 21 for a few more weeks, is another player for Carolina to build upon.
All in all, that core could cement a good recent tradition of winning and a fan base that is already fired up.
