Hurricanes storm surge, explained: Detailing Carolina’s post-win celebration involving fans
A storm is brewing in Carolina.
Wait, no, that’s just the hurricanes and their storm surge.
Carolina enjoys another successful NHL season, making it to the Conference Finals where the team faces Florida for a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals. With the team on a longer run, there’s a chance of more storm surges in PNC Arena.
There’s nothing quite like a storm surge to end a series. 🌪 pic.twitter.com/buIAo7ReUz
– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 12, 2023
The Hurricanes’ tradition of celebrating victories hasn’t gripped the hockey nation as much as it did a few years ago when it began, but it continues today. The squad stick around even after home wins to give the fans a proper thank you for supporting the club.
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The Sporting News explains the Hurricanes’ victory celebration and how the storm surge came about.
What is the storm surge of hurricanes?
The Hurricanes’ storm surge is celebrated with fans in the PNC Arena after the game. After a win, the team gathers in the middle of the ice, stands around the center faceoff spot, and begins a Viking skol chant while clapping their hands overhead. After the singing, all players skate and jump on the boards.
Carolina got really creative in the first season with the storm surge. After the applause, the club changed its subsequent celebrations.
There was a variety of creative activities performed by the Canes, including Andrei Svechnikov sliding into the net through a tunnel of sticks, Justin Williams using his helmet as a bowling bowl, the group playing duck-duck-goose, and a limbo -Bar.
Nowadays, after the skol chant, the team keeps it simple and doesn’t add any extra theatrics like it used to.
When did the hurricanes trigger the storm surge?
The storm surge was brought to Raleigh ahead of the 2019–20 season. Like much of the franchise’s recent success, he owes it to Rod Brind’Amour.
The Canes’ head coach brought the idea to Williams, the team’s captain at the time, in the summer of 2019. Wanting to involve the fans more, Brind’Amour recalled an environment he experienced playing in Kloten: Switzerland during the 2004 NHL lockout.
We now officially know that Rod the Bod caused the storm surge.
📺: https://t.co/qofX8ZJw9x pic.twitter.com/L2maCaizIn
— Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) February 7, 2023
Brind’Amour told Williams about the celebrations he had seen in Switzerland, the Hurricanes’ captain told the rest of the team, and the storm surge began.
“The whole idea was the cameras are off and it’s game over,” Brind’Amour said in an interview with Spittin’ Chiclets. “Nobody was like, ‘Okay, the cameras will roll on and make a big deal out of it.’ … It didn’t become a story until the middle of the year, but it’s been going on all along.”
After this season, the storm surge disappeared. Due to opposition from the older generation (remember Bunch of Ierks?) and because there were no fans in the stands for the 2020-21 season, the celebrations stopped.
However, it made a comeback in the 2021–22 season and is still in use today. It was reduced to simple skol singing, but the storm surge still lives on in Carolina.
“The fans are still there, and you know, it’s for them,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s not for anyone else.”