After a home win, some hockey players give a wave to the crowd for their support. Some teams, like the New York Rangers, give a stick salute at center ice after a home win. And then there’s the Carolina Hurricanes. Currently, 4 of the 8 wins that Carolina has have come at home at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. It’s early in the season, but they are already turning heads.

The Hurricanes may not be the most successful team in the NHL right now, but when they pick up a win at home, the energy and celebration is an awesome experience to be a part of. They lack the big superstars but they have a young developing roster that will grow over a few years. After the final horn is sounded in the PNC Arena when the Canes win, DJ Khaled’s song All I do is win is blasted from the speakers. Led by Captain Justin Williams, the team then engages the crowd right away by starting a ‘skol chant’. This is done by clapping your hands high over your head and letting out a sort of call. This continues for a while as the chant speeds up and starts to echo off the walls of the arena. When Williams is satisfied, he makes a beeline from one blue line to the opposite offensive zone with the rest of the team and Stormy, the mascot, right behind him as he jumps into the end board glass at the crowd. 

When asked about the topic, head coach and former captain Rod Brind’Amour stated simply, “We want to have fun when we win. The game should be fun. That’s why we are doing it”. It has sparked quite the motivation for the younger team. The more they win, the more fun they get to have. The celebration, nicknamed the Storm Surge or the Eye Wall by fans, is also not the only thing they’ve changed for this season. When they debuted the celebration on November 7th, they also debuted their new alternate jerseys: an all black jersey with two flags, which represent a hurricane warning, flying from the shaft of a hockey stick. Currently, the Canes are tied for 3rd in the metropolitan division with 18 games played. Keep an eye on them; they may have more celebrations in the future.