In Carolina, Fans Are Raising 'Canes; In NASCAR Country, Hurricanes Are The Driving Force

In Union Square, just outside the State Capitol, the statues ofGeorge Washington and Andrew Jackson, along with two sons of NorthCarolina, Gov. Charles Aycock and Congressman Zebulon Vance, were alldecked out in red and white Hurricanes sweaters.

Where NASCAR and ACC basketball run through the heart likegasoline through a carburetor, hockey is suddenly king, if onlytemporarily, of the road.

Hockey jerseys on statues? It's enough for the locals to stop,take notice, and snap a few pictures.

Carol Crews, an insurance broker and longtime Raleigh native, hadhis camera pointed at the statues as he enjoyed a fine late springday, a broiling 95 degrees -- perfect Carolina hockey weather.

"I like what they've done," Crews said of the Carolina Hurricanes."I've always loved hockey, even back to the days when we had theminor league team, the Ice Cats."

For a non-hockey town, Raleigh was primed and ready for Saturday'sfirst Stanley Cup finals game here.

There's a smattering of "One Team, One Dream" placards and bannerson buildings, storefronts and in hotel lobbies.

"It's something new and different for our area," Susan Tison, a 25-year-old accountant, said. "You see a lot of flags on the cars. Idon't know if it's a craze or will catch on long-term, but peoplehate the NFL Carolina Panthers because they lose, so the hockey teamhas a chance."

The Hurricanes moved to Carolina in 1997 from Hartford, Conn.,where they were called the Whalers. They played the first two seasonsat Greensboro Coliseum, then moved into the new Raleigh Entertainmentand Sports Arena.

A 10-minute drive from the arena is the campus of North CarolinaState. When Jim Valvano, who died in 1993, coached there, Wolfpackbasketball was No. 1 in the city.

"I'm not a hockey fan," said Erin Moore, a 21-year-old N.C. Statesenior and lifelong resident. "But you kind of have to be right nowbecause it's all you hear about on campus. I watch the games on TV.My brother, he goes. Right now, it's the craze, but I think peoplehave come to accept the team."

When asked whether he follows NASCAR, 20-year-old John Shortyells: "Yes!" Then he quickly adds that because the 'Canes are amongthe few NHL clubs that offer a student discount, he has attendedseveral hockey games this season.

"I moved here from Alabama when I was 16 and began playing rollerhockey and got into the NHL when the team moved here three years agofrom Greensboro," he said. "It's not foreign to me like it is for alot of kids. The ones who attend here from up North are big fans.Other than N.C. State basketball, we've never had a championshipteam."

Carolyn Davis, a 27-year-old graduate student, works part-time ata department store.

"Six months ago, you didn't hear much about the team," Davis said."Now everywhere you go, you hear people say, 'Did you see the gamelast night?' But I want to see how people react next season andwhether the fans are still with the team or if it's all because ofthe hype right now."

The true 'Canes fans gather at Sullivan's Steak House, where manyof the Hurricanes players dine after games.

"The locals here are all diehard fans," said Bart Bonbrest, therestaurant manager. "They've been in a frenzy the last couple ofweeks. The majority of people who come here are a little overwhelmedthat we made it to the Cup. They don't think it's a fluke, but theydon't think a team so young in a town not known for hockey would goto the Stanley Cup."

Lewis Whitehead's uncle, Burgess, was a member of the St. LouisCardinals' famed Gas House Gang. Lewis, a 58-year-old North Carolinagraduate, prefers college football and doesn't know much about the'Canes other than that Games 3 and 4 are sold out.

"If they won, they'd turned the hockey world upside down, I knowthat," Whitehead said. "It's strange to see hockey here, but peopleare talking about them."

In the outer reaches of Raleigh, there are distinct pockets ofHurricanes fans. In North Raleigh, you see more flags, banners, andfan support. There's a reason for that, said Walt Scheper, anInternet technology specialist.

"That's where all the Yankees are," he said, referring to Northernhockey transplants. "There's a lot more support for the team in thatarea of Raleigh. Basketball still has all of the community, buthockey is getting a smaller grip. Everyone is talking about them."

Jennifer Hiser, a computer programmer who moved to North Carolinafrom Cleveland, said that while Raleigh might not have embraced theHurricanes in the same way that Philadelphia has the Flyers, that'sto be expected.

"You have people who grew up living the Eagles and Flyers, butnone of them have grown up hockey fans here," she said. "They'restill learning the game and coming along. The team is still a fish ina new pond. You've got a lot of transplants down here who cheer forthe team even though it's not their team."

At Crabtree Valley Mall -- Raleigh's largest mall -- vendors werewearing 'Canes sweatshirts and people were packed inside "The Eye,"the Hurricanes' official team store. Salespeople said business isbooming.

Danny Evans, a police officer in his mid-forties, and a transplantfrom Washington, was looking at T-shirts.

"I had to switch allegiances from the Washington Capitals sixyears ago," Evans said. "I think some of what is going on right nowis a fad. The more the team won and the further it got, the morepeople who jumped on the bandwagon. I followed them and even went tothe games when they were in Greensboro. But hockey isn't my firstsport, anyway. Football is."