RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Gregory Wilson and his son Nolan forged a unique bond with the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I started bringing my son to the games when he was about 5,” Wilson said.
As the saying goes, looking at Wilson and Nolan’s memories, a picture is worth a thousand words.
“As the years go by, the memories stack up,” Nolan said. “I can thank this guy for helping me make so many of them.”
These memories extend beyond the game itself.
“If the team loses and we eat a certain food, we don’t go back there,” said Wilson, highlighting how even the post-game rituals contribute to their shared memories.
Said Nolan, “We are like Stevie Wonder in terms of what we eat and wear to games, very superstitious.”
As Wilson and Nolan continue their bonding journey, Neal Eichhorn and his son Easton are getting started.
“When your son gets excited about sports and you get to hang out with them and get away from the devices, it means a lot,” Eichhorn said. “They’re only little once.”
It’s the little moments 11-year-old Easton admits are cool to share with his dad.
“We like to get our food together,” Easton said. “It’s kind of fun. The games are very energetic.”
Like Wilson and Nolan, Eichhorn and his son said the energy inside Lenovo Center is electrifying.
“He gets up and spins the towel for all 18 minutes of the warmup,” Wilson said.
Each minute and each memory takes Wilson back to the day his son was born 22 years ago.
“I knew then I had a little person,” Wilson said. “He was four pounds. He was in NICU for a week. I knew I had a little person who was going to depend on me for the rest of my life.”