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Under an elegant spray of water cannons from two adjacent fire trucks, the Carolina Hurricanes landed back in the Triangle as Stanley Cup champions.
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The Canes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, cementing their place in history and securing the highly coveted Stanley Cup. While the team won in Las Vegas, hometown fans at watch parties all throughout the Triangle celebrated the achievement.
On Monday, before the Canes’ arrival, hundreds of fans of all ages lined up alongside a barricade facing the general aviation terminal at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Some were set up with lawn chairs and umbrellas to block the sun. Others brought flags, signs and rally towels to applaud the players as they returned.
The Canes previously lifted the trophy in 2006.
Water from the fire trucks created a rainbow before players stepped off the airplane and immediately boarded two buses. The buses drove by the row of cheering fans and several players including forward Nicolas Deslauriers leaned out of the roof emergency exits, pumping their fists in celebration.
Although the Canes plane was not scheduled to land until around 7 p.m., longtime fan Suzanne Hagen secured her spot three hours earlier.
Hagen — a 23-year season ticket holder — said she stood up for the entirety of the Canes’ winning game in 2006 when they last delivered the Stanley Cup to Raleigh.
On Sunday, she said, “I was at home in my La-Z-Boy [recliner] with my big screen TV, my own refrigerator, free parking, and free drinks.”
“I’ve known they were gonna do this since the beginning of the season,” she said. “I said, ‘This is the year. This is the year.’ And here we are.”
A few cars driving by the patient Caniacs gave three distinct honks of the horn, to which the fans responded, “Let’s go Canes!”
Jeremy Thomas leaned up against the barricade and chatted with other Canes fans in nearly the same place he stood in 2006. Back then, he said, there was a much smaller crowd.
“Obviously, hockey’s taken off a lot more in the area, but everybody was super excited,” he said. “We’re just happy to share the moment with the boys.”
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Thomas, a season ticket holder for 15 years, said his journey feels much like Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour’s — “he’s done it, but he wants it for the boys.”
Brind’Amour became a Stanley Cup champion in 2006 as a Hurricanes player.
“So many of them put so much effort, and we’ve all been through the pain and the suffering,” he said. “So, to finally come through on the other side feels really good.”
Sisters Dana and Sara Shaut came prepared with chairs, dinner and sparkly pants. They not only brought their own poster, but came with extra supplies for other fans who wanted to make one too.
The Shauts said loving the Canes is a family affair. The two split season tickets with their parents and rotate — the sisters take weekday games while their parents go on the weekends.
“We’ve met plenty of the players at different events, and they’re great people,” Dana Shaut said. “ … It means a lot to me because it means a lot to them.”
Sara Shaut said the team’s championship win “feels like they’re finally getting their due, especially with the last eight years.”
The Canes have an eight-year streak of making it into the playoffs but had not been able to make it past the Eastern Conference Final.
“We knew they could get here,” Sara Shaut said. “I’m finally glad to see them actually get to [the Stanley Cup Final] and then actually … get it in the same go.”
Dana Shaut said the players showed off their humble sides in postgame interviews when they cited how the win was a team effort.
Sara Shaut said they’ve watched the team build year after year.
“They are finally getting the recognition I think they deserve from not just the fans that already support them, but the other teams,” she said.
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The sign the sisters brought read, “Same time next year?”