Big Mike’s – For 25 years, Mike Whiting—“Big Mike” to Carolina Hurricanes fans—has filled the Lenovo Center with a booming horn and a “Let’s go Canes” chant. This postseason, he says the atmosphere feels electric, and the community that rallied around his health challenges
RALEIGH, N.C. — Mike Whiting, better known to Carolina Hurricanes fans as “Big Mike,” can be found right where the energy gathers at the Lenovo Center. For every home game, he sits in Section 229—right beside the siren—blowing a horn that has become part soundtrack, part spark.
He’s done this for 25 years, and this postseason, he doesn’t mince words about what it feels like. “This postseason has been ‘electric.’”
Whiting describes playoff hockey as something you don’t just watch—you sense it. “You got the lights, the sounds, you can hear the players yelling from the ice skate scraping on the ice. It’s like a multi-sensory experience. You have to be here,” he said.
He spends his time not just making noise, but building a mood. On game nights. he can often be found on the concourse greeting fellow Caniacs. showing off his 2006 Stanley Cup ring and inviting strangers into the same rhythm. “It’s just amazing, the atmosphere and being around all the people, everybody rooting for the same team,” he said.
His involvement goes back to 2002, when he joined the Storm Squad, the NHL’s first gameday dance and spirit team. Even then, Whiting says, he wasn’t sure how teams would handle something like that—but he knew it mattered. “A lot of other teams. they would either send people out here to observe us or just calling. you know. what do we need to do to start a program like this. ” he said.
That first season became the origin story for the horn itself. Whiting said he found a box of horns in a storage room. “There was a big box of horns. It looked just like this. I said, Let’s play with those. And I started blowing the horn. That was sometime back in the 2002 season. It never stopped,” he said.
Now, the horn is tied to the moment on the ice. Whiting said he blows it after every goal. and when he thinks the crowd needs a push—whether it’s a quiet stretch or a lull—he reaches for the same sound that keeps fans leaning forward. “I blow it after every goal and then if I feel the crowd needs a little pump up or something. ” he said.
For Whiting, it’s not just about being loud. It’s about being a thread in people’s memories. “It feels good to have a small part of their game night experience and maybe give them some good memories. It’s all about the fans,” he said.
Those fans have also shown up for him beyond the arena lights. Whiting has faced health challenges in recent years and needs a double hip replacement. The community raised more than $50,000 last year to help him get the care he needs.
At Section 229, the horn keeps doing what it always has—turning one person’s enthusiasm into something shared. And for Whiting, the meaning of the noise remains simple: fans first, whether the game is full-throttle or life demands a different kind of support.
Carolina Hurricanes Mike Whiting Big Mike Lenovo Center Storm Squad playoff hockey horn Let’s go Canes Section 229 2006 Stanley Cup ring double hip replacement $50 000 fundraiser