Cup Crazy in Carolina
DUNN, N.C. – With the Carolina Hurricanes on the verge of the Stanley Cup, interest has picked up in this area, where the only ice is usually seen in an occasional (and very unwelcome) winter storm.
The Raleigh-based National Hockey League team has excited local sports fans, even though many have never seen a live hockey game nor entirely understand the rules of the game. The Cup, donated by Lord Stanley almost 100 years ago, has been played for by professionals since 1918. But only one team from the old Confederacy, the 1999 Dallas Stars, has ever pulled off the big win. The Hurricanes had the chance Wednesday night, but the Edmonton Oilers won 4-3 in overtime in Raleigh to keep the series going into a sixth game.
Earl Jones of Dunn, who is 90-years-young, has been a “golf bug” most of his life, but has been to almost every Hurricanes’ home game this season. Jones was a volunteer worker at the 1999 United States Open in Pinehurst and also attended practice for the 2005 event there.
“I even played at the old Fayetteville Country Club when they had sand greens,” he said.
Jones added that he missed Wednesday’s game in Raleigh.
“I just could not risk traveling on slick roads at night, so I gave my tickets away,” he said. “The most exciting thing to me, other than scoring a goal, is when they drop the puck for a face-off. I love the way they all gather around, waiting to pounce.”
J.C. Moore, another local retiree, allowed that he was not a hockey fan. “But the team’s success is a great thing for our state,” he said.
Arvle Tart, who has run a local barber shop and been a Dunn council member, saw a Canes’ game in Raleigh three years ago. “I enjoyed the action and I’m still trying to learn the game. I have just learned what a penalty is and why they have to sit in that box, but I’m still trying to figure out what icing the puck is.”
“I am thrilled about all this,” said Beverly McLamb, a local bank officer. “I don’t know the game very well, but it is interesting and exciting. I never dreamed that North Carolina’s first major pro sports championship would go to hockey rather than basketball or football.”
North Carolina is one of the nation’s biggest hotbeds of college basketball and college football also is a big draw. The state has seen the Carolina Panthers play in a Super Bowl and has its third pro basketball team in the Charlotte Bobcats. Others have been the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA, now based in New Orleans, and the Carolina Cougars of the old American Basketball Association.
Former Dunn mayor Abe Elmore, who deals in furniture and appliances in several Eastern North Carolina cities, is a major backer of his alma mater, Wake Forest and enjoys sports of all kinds.
“I learn a bit more of hockey every time I watch a game on TV although I still have trouble understanding all of it,” he said. “I like it; it looks like a lot of fun. And the team’s success is a great boost for the area’s economy.”
Fred Robison, a retired Dunn resident, has lived in Connecticut, Illinois and California before settling in North Carolina.
“I like baseball, and am an old Yankee fan,” Robison said. “I have not been to a hockey game since I saw the New York Rangers play in Madison Square Garden 40 years ago. I was always amazed that a franchise like the Rangers has had so much trouble winning.”
The Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994, their only victory between 1940 and the present.
“I am really proud of the Hurricanes,” said Robison. “It is outstanding to have a home team like that.”
Ashley Ennis is a member of the football staff at Erwin Triton High School and also coaches JV girls’ basketball and golf. “I love hockey. It’s like football on ice,” he said.
Jerry Smith, principal at Clayton High School, coached basketball at Campbell University before entering educational administration. “The Hurricanes have created a lot of excitement around here,” he said. “I also don’t completely understand hockey, but I’ll tell you one thing: these guys are great athletes.”
Dunn banker Ben Collier has an extra interest in the Hurricanes. His firm sponsors their home arena, the RBC Center.
“I follow the team pretty well,” said Collier. “I can’t believe some of the things the Edmonton coach (Craig McTavish) has said. He said after the Oiler win earlier this week, ‘We have the better team.’ Well, when McTavish played hockey, he was the only player in the league who didn’t wear a helmet. It figures.”
If the Oilers can win three straight and take the Cup, McTavish may yet have the last word, and last laugh.
