Championship Celebration Draws Over 150,000 To Downtown Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. - Just when you think Raleigh and the Caniacs couldn't do it any better, they do.

In 2006, when the Carolina Hurricanes held their Championship Celebration at the RBC Center, the attendance was estimated to be about 30,000.

Of course, since then, both the size of the fan base and market have grown, so the expectation was that, along with the new route through the heart of downtown, the number would be much higher. Initially set to be estimated around 100,000, the Raleigh Police Department went with 50% higher than that on Saturday, officially sharing that more than 150,000 fans made their way to celebrate the franchise's second Stanley Cup win.

"I'm in shock," Rod Brind'Amour told reporters when meeting with the media after the celebration. "It doesn't happen very often, but I'm just kind of speechless. I did not expect that. I mean, it was just wave on wave on wave of enthusiastic people. That's why we do this. It meant so much to so many people, and you get to really see it. It was such a turnout, and I'm so happy that we were able to do this for everyone because clearly they were excited about it."

Parade walkers, cars, and floats officially hit the starting line at 11 a.m., but fans had been in position for many hours prior, flooding the streets to show their support.

"I was trying to explain to the fellas what I knew was going to happen, and my expectations were so high because I know these Caniacs, and I know what they're all about, and I was still blown away," Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jordan Staal described. "I couldn't even describe how amazing that was. I know everyone else was blown away, too. What a showing. What a day. What a moment."

From Hillsborough Street, by the State Capitol, and onto Fayetteville Street, there was an abundance of cheers and smiles as players and staff partied their way toward the event-ending rally.

"Just a lot of gratitude for all that support. I knew it was there, but in that capacity, it just kind of blew me away," Brind'Amour continued of the event, which was presented by Spectrum. "It was just more and more fans going crazy. This meant a lot to them... This run, really, I think brought this community together in a way that I'll never forget."

The celebration-culminating party featured every member of the roster and front office staff taking a turn lifting the Stanley Cup, and a few words from most of them as well.

Highlighted by a shirtless "Rod The Bod", again, General Manager Eric Tulsky also announced a two-year contract extension for trade deadline acquisition Nic Deslauriers, and Jordan Martinook provided some comedy on the microphone. It was a day that nobody in attendance will forget for a long time.

"That was absolutely incredible. I can't put into words what that meant to us," Martinook said in a late-night selfie video shared on X. "That was the best day of our lives, and I can't believe it."