COMMENTARY
By Bill Clement
NBCSports.com contributor
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I'm sure anyone living in the South is welcomed to jump on the Hurricanes' bandwagon, and even if they are not a hockey fan, Monday's Game 7 Stanley Cup win by Carolina will probably help convert them into one.
Caring about a Cup
Without a doubt what Carolina winning the Stanley Cup will do is raise the level of awareness for NHL hockey in a region of the country where it might have otherwise remained static.
With the Hurricanes prevailing over the Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals, interest in the NHL will take a step forward in the southern United States, which got a bit of a boost two years ago when Tampa Bay won it's first Cup.
It's hard to hold one franchise responsible for growing an interest level in a sport for an entire section of the United States, but the Hurricanes — with the Stanley Cup in tow — moving along Tobacco Road, and then on to points south will certainly get the attention of southerners.
And while hockey is still kind of a regional sport, it's a mandate of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman that the league grow the sport nationally.
If Carolina had fanned on a chance to reign over the other 29 teams in the NHL, it would have set back that objective. But the Hurricanes lifting the Cup will move it forward.
Drama works very well
The bounce to hockey — especially south of the Mason-Dixon line — from Carolina winning the Cup will be even greater with the help of such a dramatic series.
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Going seven games with a close Game 7 will do a lot for the popularity of NHL hockey in the South — and for that matter everywhere.
People gravitate towards drama. They also love a winner. But when the winner packages triumph in a dramatic fashion, it creates a much greater interest.
A different story this time around
Carolina made it to the Stanley Cup finals in 2002, but the Hurricanes were overmatched and lost to the Detroit Red Wings in five games. That season the odds were stacked so high against the Hurricanes making it to the title series, that they caught even their own fans by surprise.
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They did so mostly through strong goaltending, and good fortune. And since they weren't expected to play for the Stanley Cup that season, they hadn't built a giant wave of support in their city and among their fans as they did this season.
The Hurricanes are a team that has played excellent hockey right from the start of the schedule. That's enabled the wave of fan support for this franchise to build to a crescendo during the finals.
There's been plenty of tailgating going on outside the RBC Center in Raleigh, and even Hurricanes' general manager Jim Rutherford has taken part in a bit of it.
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And while the Caniacs --as the Carolina diehard fans are nicknamed — may tailgate and do some other things not traditional to hockey, there's absolutely no question they love their Canes.
The championship this year means even more to this franchise than it would have in 2002 simply because the fans have been engaged from the opening game of the season, and they have embraced their team.
And with the Stanley Cup championship, the Carolina franchise will be solidified as a sturdy member of the NHL family. The league is hoping the popularity of NHL hockey rises throughout the South.
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