Go 'Canes Posted 6/20/2006 3:59:55 PM I'm gonna be honest with you, I wasn't a major NHL fan prior to this season. I was barely a minor one. For I live in Raleigh, North Carolina, the fertile heart of Tobacco Road, and between football in the Fall/Winter and basketball in the Winter/Spring, who has the time, energy, or patience for hockey. But something magical happened over the course of an NHL season that ended in spectacular fashion at the RBC Center last night. I became a hockey, specifically a Carolina Hurricanes, fan and I don't think this feeling will be leaving anytime soon. Let me explain. Sports have long been the bedrock on which the boy (my son Josh) and I bond. I've convinced him that football is the greatest sport ever (it still is BTW). He then discovered soccer, followed by basketball, and then baseball. I've coached him in all four and we have wasted many a weekend watching the points, goals, and runs rack up. But we never really paid much attention to hockey. We'd been to a few ‘Canes games and casually followed NHL games on TV when nothing else was on. That was about the extent of our hockey devotion. Even when Carolina ended up in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002 against the Detroit Red Wings, the best we could muster was an "Oh look, the Canes are in the Cup. What's for dinner?" level of excitement. But as the 'Canes rolled to a 52-22-8 record (31-8-2 at home, the best in the league) and earned the Southeast Division Title, they were hooking the boy, who in turn was dragging me along for the ride. And what a wonderful ride it was. It all culminated with the boy and I celebrating NC's first major pro sports title (hear that Panthers and Bobcats) together. We enjoyed, and I personally loved, every minute of it. So, many thanks go to the Carolina Hurricanes, Stanley Cup champions, for giving me a season worth of memories that I'll replay forever with the boy. You will always have a fan in me. (0) Comments

Archives June, 2006

Calendar

Blog Categories All Categories

General Comments magicalmysterytour Posted 8/20/2008 11:55:28 AM happy birthday Please login to post a comment.