Hurricanes flood – Carolina fans packed downtown Raleigh hours ahead of the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup victory parade and rally, turning the morning into a celebration tied to the franchise’s 2006 triumph and its second championship over the Vegas Golden Knights.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Long before the first bus rolled and the route began to wind toward the State Capitol, downtown Raleigh was already buzzing.
Thousands of Hurricanes fans arrived hours early Saturday. either lining the sidewalks for the victory parade or taking their places near the rally stage where the team was set to cap off the celebration. When the Carolina players boarded double-decker buses to start the parade. fans met them with screaming. chanting. waving flags. and Carolina jerseys that stayed on even in the early morning air.
The emotion had a clear spark: the Hurricanes’ franchise beat the Vegas Golden Knights last weekend to win the Stanley Cup for the second time. The first came in 2006. and the memory was visible everywhere—from outfits to the way people talked about what it means for a team to deliver on this stage twice.
Carly Goodman. 35. of Raleigh. was impossible to miss in the front row behind barricades in front of the stage where the parade would end with a rally. She wore a red Sebastian Aho jersey. waved a large Hurricanes flag. and even wore a silver “Stanley Cup” chain necklace. She was drinking from a “beer skate. ” the novelty mug shaped like a Hurricanes skate that sold out immediately during Game 1 of the second-round series against Philadelphia.
Goodman said she got up at 5 a.m. — “Let my dogs out, they were mad to get up” — and made her way downtown hours ahead to secure a prime spot.
“It’s been something special ever since 2006,” Goodman said. “Raleigh’s a small market. We’ve got college sports, but this is epic. It’s a team that everybody can get behind. It breaks down all the barriers. Everyone just comes together and smiles. no matter if you’re a Duke fan. Carolina fan. whatever — it doesn’t matter.”.
For Scott Stiles, 60, and his son, Joey, 24, the distance didn’t matter. They live in Concord. a city outside of Charlotte known for its ties to NASCAR and other motorsports. but they weren’t going to miss the celebration. They hopped in the car around 3 a.m. for the 2 1/2-hour drive, arriving more than five hours before the parade was scheduled to start.
They found a lineup already waiting near the City Plaza stage. including Goodman. and the Stiles duo staked out their own spot on Fayetteville Street with chairs set straight back from the stage. Scott wore an Andrei Svechnikov jersey, while Joey had on a Seth Jarvis one. A giant Hurricanes flag marked their place.
“When’s the next time they’re going to win a Cup?” Scott said as a “Let’s go Canes!” chant wrapped up. “They might win it again next year, who knows? But we wanted to be a part of it.”
Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup parade Raleigh Vegas Golden Knights Sebastian Aho Andrei Svechnikov Seth Jarvis Carly Goodman Scott Stiles Joey Stiles