AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n
Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n For Caroline Carrier, the Carolina Hurricanes\u2019 road to the Stanley Cup Final is well worth a few school absences.<\/p>\n Read more RDU tries novel approach to stormwater flowing off its massive parking lot<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s a necessary trade-off if it means her kids can watch their dad \u2014 Hurricanes forward William Carrier \u2014 compete in arguably the biggest test in professional hockey.<\/p>\n \u201cMemories over school,\u201d Caroline Carrier said.<\/p>\n The Carriers\u2019 6-year-old daughter missed four days of school last month to watch the Hurricanes face off against her family\u2019s hometown team, Montreal, in the Eastern Conference Final, with family members lining the stands for the matchup. And she\u2019ll likely miss school again if the Hurricanes advance further in the final series, Carrier said.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s a sacrifice they are willing to make to ensure the kids never forget the time their dad competed in front of millions to fight for the Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like it\u2019s the perfect age for them to be here, because they\u2019re going to remember that way more than three years ago when we won,\u201d she said, referencing William Carrier\u2019s previous Stanley Cup title run with Vegas. \u201cI\u2019m trying to bring them as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s the reality for dozens of wives, girlfriends and family members along for the ride as the Hurricanes have careened into the Stanley Cup Final series opposite those same Golden Knights, with jobs, school and travel colliding with the emotional rollercoaster of watching their loved ones vie for the Stanley Cup title.<\/p>\n As die-hard Hurricanes fans packed Lenovo Center on Tuesday night for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, burgundy leather jackets checkered a section of the stands near the ice, each with a Hurricanes emblem inscribed on the back.<\/p>\n The jackets are the current uniform for the wives and girlfriends of the Hurricanes \u2014 commonly referred to across the sports world as WAGs. Partners of the Hurricanes players started the tradition at the beginning of the playoffs to rally together in support of their husbands and boyfriends playing on the ice.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s incredible coming into an amazing group of women who all understand what you\u2019re going through moving to a new city you\u2019ve never been to before,\u201d said Mary Raclawski, who\u2019s engaged to Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi. \u201cThe jackets are a remembrance of everything that happened this season and an ode to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Clad in her leather jacket, Jane Korsh said she\u2019s been in Raleigh for the past three-and-a-half weeks to support her boyfriend \u2014 Hurricanes right wing Jackson Blake \u2014 through the playoffs, which has taken her further from her job in New York, where she works full-time for Morgan Stanley.<\/p>\n \u201cI told my boss where I\u2019m at, and he was like, \u2018I would want to be there too, so I get it,\u2019\u201d Korsh said. \u201cEveryone has been very understanding, which is nice and lenient. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Korsh said the group has found camaraderie with the other women soaking in the season through traditions like tailgating, and a champagne toast ringing in the first game of every playoff round.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all hang out outside of the games, and we all watch the away games together,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just about being there for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n And for the many young moms on the team, the playoff series and Stanley Cup Final has meant coordinating childcare during big games, or sometimes watching the game from home while taking care of their young kids.<\/p>\n The Hurricanes have seen a baby boom among their young players in recent years \u2014 with the team averaging one baby per round<\/u><\/a> in last year\u2019s playoffs, The News & Observer previously reported.<\/p>\n Read more Hurricanes need to fix these 5 problems as they head into Game 2 against Vegas<\/a><\/p>\n Just last month, Sean Walker had to race back to Raleigh after a Game 3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers to be with his wife for the birth of their first child, Quinn.<\/p>\n And Carolina defenseman K\u2019Andre Miller and his girlfriend Addison Clark welcomed a baby boy named Kashton, leading to a viral moment<\/a> after the team\u2019s Game 5 win over Montreal as Miller sat alone on the bench, tearfully cradling his newborn son.<\/p>\n K’Andre Miller was emotional celebrating with his newborn baby after helping the @Canes<\/a> win the East \u2764\ufe0f\ud83e\udd79 pic.twitter.com\/ybm4Vs2IZW<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt was a touching moment for sure,\u201d Hurricanes Head Coach Rod Brind\u2019Amour said of the video. \u201cYou catch him on camera and that stuff is special, but that\u2019s a personal moment for him, and I think it\u2019s a good reminder for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, Sebastian Aho and his wife Rosa, as well as Eric Robinson and his wife Alli, both became first-time parents in the middle of the playoffs, with the newborns joining a growing list of Hurricane kids.<\/p>\n Now, many young kids of Hurricanes players are often pressing their noses against the glass and waving to their dads as they warm up before games, which Courtney Martinook says serves as a reminder for her husband \u2014 Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook \u2014 of what\u2019s on the line.<\/p>\n \u201cJordan said to me the other day, \u2018I want to win it for me, but I want to win it so bad for him,\u2019\u201d Martinook said of the couple\u2019s seven-year-old son. \u201cAnd he understands it now, so it\u2019s an extra layer of just how much this means to so many people other than them.\u201d<\/p>\n Martinook said she won\u2019t be attending Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final in Las Vegas to take care of the pair\u2019s three kids. But she said when she does fly out to away games, it takes \u201ca lot,\u201d with coordinating babysitters and schedules.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all bring them sometimes,\u201d she said. \u201cIf there\u2019s earlier games, we\u2019ll bring the really little ones. The guys love to see them at the glass. But it\u2019s a lot of babysitters this time of year and kind of like survival mode.\u201d<\/p>\n But it\u2019s the responsibilities of fatherhood that bring Martinook \u201cback down to Earth\u201d and take his mind off a big game, she said, like changing his infant\u2019s dirty diaper just before heading out the door for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday.<\/p>\n And as throngs of fans roar for the starting forward from the stands, all she really sees is her husband.<\/p>\n \u201cFor some people, they look at them and they\u2019re these big superstars, which they are,\u201d she said. \u201cBut to us, they\u2019re just our husbands, and I think that\u2019s what makes it special. They\u2019re almost superheroes in that sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Shelby Swanson contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n Jim Valvano taught us to enjoy life and to cherish every moment.<\/p>\n As we continue this journey, we\u2019re reminded that the Stanley Cup Final is about more than hockey. It\u2019s about people, purpose, sacrifice, and appreciating the moments that bring us together. pic.twitter.com\/K5c7PGSz6p<\/a><\/p>\n