carolina hurricanes history
carolina hurricanes history
Carolina Hurricane ticket holders at the RBC Center are looking for a return to the Stanley Cup Finals. Hurricane tickets are once again all the rage in basketball country along tobacco road. The signing of free agents Ray Whitney and Corey Stillman brings immediate improvement to a Hurricanes team that has fallen on hard times since their 2003 Stanley Cup Finals appearance. With any luck the Hurricanes can challenge in the Eastern Conference just based on the improvement in their starting roster.
Now in their eighth season, the Hurricanes blew into the Carolinas as the former Hartford Whalers. While claiming to have left Hartford due to dwindling attendance, their first season in Carolina was hardly a successful venture. The Hurricanes averaged less than, 10,000 spectators per game. In the first two seasons below the Mason-Dixon Line, the ‘Canes played in Greensboro before their state-of-the-art arena in Raleigh was ready.
The first season in their permanent home showed that the Hurricanes continued to struggle with attendance and failed to reach the playoffs. Carolina would reach the NHL Playoffs in the next campaign, squeaking in as the eighth seed. They would have a devil of a time in the first round, losing in six games to New Jersey.
In the 2001-02 season, the Hurricanes stormed through the realigned Southeast Division to capture the crown. The NHL Playoffs would prove eventful as the ‘Canes blew past the heavily favored New Jersey Devils, avenging the previous year’s defeat. The Hurricanes also found new fans. Suddenly, they were playing before sell-out crowds at RBC. It wasn’t until Carolina trailed Montreal 3-0 in the fifth game, down by 3 games to 1 in the series, that the Hurricanes came to life. The Hurricanes screamed past the Canadiens in seven games. Another north of the border team, the Toronto Maple Leafs would put up a fight, but Carolina would take that series in six, sending Carolina to their first Stanley Cup Finals in franchise history, including their years in Hartford. Their magic faded however, as the Detroit Red Wings hoisted the Stanley Cup after a five-game series.
For Carolina ticket holders, the 2002-03 season was the proverbial penthouse to the outhouse. The Hurricanes followed up their conference championship with the worst record in the league. They would improve the following season. The Hurricanes finished a respectable six games under .500 in third place in the division.
NHL hockey fans who buy Hurricanes tickets, along with mascot Stormy Ice Hog, are hoping for another playoff season. Carolina is trying to go with a youth movement by trading long-time Whaler/Hurricane Ron Francis for several prospects. This year, the Hurricanes are looking for a blend of youth and experience. Hurricanes ticket holders are expecting the roller coaster to head back in the upward direction and storm back into the NHL Playoffs and hopefully into the Stanley Cup Finals.
