RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The Carolina Hurricanes are starting their push to win the Stanley Cup. The Canes are looking to take down the New York Islanders in round one of the playoffs. They take the ice 5 p.m. Saturday at PNC arena.
The team is practicing hard to get ready for the first game. For the fans, it’s not just the game they are getting ready for, it is a whole day experience.
“We start very early on weekends, so we’ll be here probably between nine and ten tomorrow,” Michele Geraghty said.
Geraghty has been coming to Canes games for 15 years, and she said morning tailgating is an essential part of the experience.
“We have become a community of our own in this city,” she said.
As for the game, she is looking forward to watching the team.
“I’m very excited. Nervous a little bit, but very excited. They’ve worked very hard to get here. They’ve turned around under adversity to get here,” she said.
Other fans are dealing with those nerves with tried and tested rituals.
“Just have to walk around the arena in a certain manner, it’s just, have to wear the jersey, the black T-shirt,” Leigh LeClair said.
After two decades of Canes games, LeClair has seen her share of ups and downs.
“Oh I’ve seen it all,” she said.
With the Canes starting their push for the Stanley Cup Saturday, Friday meant a trip to the team store.
“With this one, I wanted to make sure I had a new I had a new T-shirt to wear for games. I have really very strange rituals,” LeClair said. “It’s just another T-shirt and needed to get my pin and wanted something with the 2024 playoffs.”
The Canes are the betting favorite to win it all, after a phenomenal regular season.
“Since the trade deadline, I think we have been the best team in the league. So you’re going in with a lot of momentum,” General Manager Don Waddell said.
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour said this moment is what the team has been working toward.
“It’s obviously a fun time to play. The atmosphere and everything’s always just that much greater and it should be exciting,” he said.
Brind’Amour also said having previous Stanley Cup champions on the team is big.
“All the emotion that goes with it, so if you’ve been through it, it certainly helps and especially if you’ve won too, because you know what it takes,” he said.
Waddell said there is one more advantage. The Canes are playing at home for at least round one.
“The guys have done a great job to earn this. And, you know, we know that PNC Arena will be rocking come 5:00 [Saturday]. There’s no doubt about that,” he said.
Fans are certainly ready.
“Even in the regular game atmosphere it’s absolutely just it’s on fire and then it’s absolutely, absolutely electric during the playoffs,” Geraghty said. “You can’t even describe it. It’s so loud, you can’t hear. You need earplugs and you can still hear everything.
“It’s very exciting. You get chills,” LeClair said. “There are moments when you just can’t believe what you just saw. I sit with a lot of people I’ve been around for the last four or five years, and we all kind of feed off each other with the excitement and it’s just a lot of fun.”
For fans planning to tailgate early, parking lots at PNC Arena do not open until 2 p.m. Saturday.