RALEIGH, N.C. -- Some hockey purists insist hockey doesn't belong in the South.
The Carolina Hurricanes now have the answer to those critics.
"The (Stanley) Cup is here," said Carolina defenseman Aaron Ward. "Why don't you come down and visit it.
We're friendly down here."Monday night, the Stanley Cup was in good hockey hands as the Carolina Hurricanes emerged victorious from
a tense Game 7, taking a 3-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers to claim the first championship in franchise
history.
Despite the newness of the championship mantle, the Hurricanes embraced the Stanley Cup like seasoned
vets.
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Captain Rod Brind'Amour, who waited 17 NHL seasons, 1,187 regular-season game and another 141 playoff
games before he finally earned the right to hoist the game's most-coveted trophy, barely waited until
Commissioner Gary Bettman finished his words of congratulation before pulling the Cup from Bettman's hands and
lifting it skyward after a quick kiss to the base of the trophy. There, at center ice, Brind'Amour held the
trophy aloft as teammates gathered around and the fans shook the rafters of the RBC Center.
Brind'Amour's did an abbreviated jig before handing over the Cup to Glen Wesley, which will certainly be one of the
signature moments of this special night, much like Mark Messier's electric smile with the Cup aloft will always symbolize the New York Rangers' Stanley Cup championship in 1994.
"There's too many guys that deserve this," Brind'Amour said. "And, you know, that is -- I guess it all
came to a head, all that emotion."
The decision to pass the trophy to Wesley first was a calculated one. The veteran defenseman, an alternate
captain on the team, had played the most games -- 1,311 regular season, 169 playoff -- without winning a
Stanley Cup among active players. Monday, had became the operative word, however, as Wesley shed
that title off his back.
"Oh, boy," gushed Wesley. "Roddy told me he was giving it to me next. It's an incredible feeling. I
guess to wait 18 years and be able to obviously experience it, you know, it was never, never about me. I
truly believe that. It was about every guy in the locker room and it wasn't about one individual."
Monday, every guy celebrated Carolina's championship equally.
After Wesley, the Cup was passed to Bret Hedican and Ray Whitney, two more long-suffering Cup-less
players. Then Kevyn Adams lifted it high to the heavens, the pain in his wrist from blocking a Chris Pronger slap shot suddenly no longer a concern. Next was Doug Weight, who struggled to lift the Cup over his head because of his separated right shoulder, suffered in Game 5.
"I got part of it up," said Weight, "but, I'll tell you what before the summer is over, I'll get it all
the way over my head, I promise you that."
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Ray Whitney proclaimed the champagne was "the sweetest thing ever."
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Once everybody had a turn with the Cup on the ice and the requisite team photos were snapped, the party
moved into the dressing room where beer and champagne flowed freely among the players and their fans.
Amid the mayhem, Aaron Ward, who hinted strongly that he played the past two games with a head injury,
noticed the Stanley Cup sitting alone on the TV riser at the head of the dressing room and quickly made a bee
line there.
"Boys we have a lonely visitor here," he screamed above the din, signaling for some champagne. Once a
full bottle was passed through the crowd, he filled the bowl and raised the Cup, calling Brind'Amour over and
offering the inspirational captain the first official sip from the trophy. Brind'Amour tossed his head back
and took a quick sip.
He was followed by Weight, who took a much longer drink, perhaps to dull the pain from his aching shoulder. Then, it was Whitney's turn. Whitney, who served as a stickboy for the Oilers in his youth wasn't torn at all by conflicting loyalties on this night.
He tipped his head back and greedily gulped the amber liquid inside the Cup, smiling as it spilled out of his mouth and down his sweat-soaked tee-shirt.
"How does it taste Whitney," a teammate screamed from the crowd around Whitney.
"It's the sweetest thing ever," Whitney fired back without hesitation.
The Stanley Cup party that raged well into the night at the RBC Center was, indeed, sweet, as sweet as any championship celebration that proceeded it. So, maybe hockey does belong in the South. After all, the Stanley Cup looked pretty comfortable here Monday night.
