Storm watch

The author can't seem to get Carolina off his mind

There's something about these Carolina Hurricanes that makes them come unbidden into my craw. Maybe it's because I (and plenty other dunderheads of my ilk) doubted them all season long. They couldn't outlast the Capitals to win the Southeast, we figured; they couldn't beat the gold-standard Devils in Round 1; they were no match for the momentum-riding Canadiens in the second round; they would surely fall to the more experienced Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference finals. Maybe I can't stop thinking about them because they keep me humble.

Or maybe it's because once I finally realized that they did have a chance at the Cup, I went so far as to give them a blueprint for upsetting Detroit and they followed it to a T in Game 1. The 'Canes needed to get big production from their top line and they got it. They needed to clear out the area in front of the net and -- save for the Tomas Holmstrom crease-crashing that led to Sergei Fedorov's first-period goal -- they did. They needed to push the game into overtime, where they thrive, and they did that, too. They needed to win one in Joe Louis Arena and, well, did you catch all those wheel-clad Red Wings fans dragging glumly out of JLA last night?

Carolina 3, Detroit 2 (OT) Three Stars       CNNSI.com's Jon A. Dolezar gives you his three stars of Game 1.  Analysis and Opinion  • Eliot: 'Canes do it again • Farber: Bluecollar boys • Kennedy: Can't shake the 'Canes More Stories  • Game 1 Recap | Summary • Wings mad at Game 1 effort • Hurricanes stay strong on road • Notes: Wings' OT woes continue • Line Analysis: Hurricanes | Wings • Goalie Analysis: Irbe | Hasek   Stanley Cup Game 1 Click the image to launch the clip 'Canes coach Paul Maurice praises Ron Francis' effort, and Carolina's Game 1 stars discuss the victory. Play Video Instant Poll  Did Game 1 change your opinion about the outcome of the series? Yes, the 'Canes can do it No, the Wings are still in control View Results Team Store  • Get your Carolina Hurricanes gear • Buy Detroit Red Wings souvenirs

Or maybe I can't get these Hurricanes out of my skull because I can't wait to get to Raleigh and see the city in its Stanley Cup splendor. "We're gearin' up," my motorhead friend down south told me. Probably because half the crowd is used to yelling over the roar of a NASCAR race, the Entertainment and Sports Arena has been thundering at alarming decibel levels for weeks. Now that there's silver at stake, I'm bringing earplugs.

Or maybe it's just because they came into the finals as 7-1 underdogs, and everyone loves a longshot.

Or maybe I'm feeling sympathy pangs. Even now, playing in the Stanley Cup finals and working on an upset of the mighty Red Wings, the Hurricanes are still soaring just beneath the radar. Heck, they didn't even post the biggest upset of the past 24 hours. That would be the U.S. soccer team's win over Portugal in the World Cup early Wednesday morning. A 3-0 lead in the first half? For the just-gettin'-around-to-soccer U.S.? Against championship-caliber Portugal? Now that'll bump hockey off the back page.

If it's not the soccer story, it's the Nets and Lakers (now here's an I-told-you-so I can't resist; check out this Finals prediction). Why, the poor Hurricanes aren't even the biggest longtime-downtrodden-franchise-up-against-a-dynasty story going right now.

If it's not the World Cup or the NBA, it's War Emblem trying to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. Even as the Hurricanes' swirling eye is getting unprecedented exposure, it isn't even the most talked about emblem these days.

If it's not War Emblem's mile and a half, it's the freak show heavyweight bout down in Memphis this Saturday night. Even if all the Hurricanes were to throw down their gloves and start pummeling and gnawing every Red Wings player in sight they wouldn't be the craziest spectacle out there.

So maybe I can't help loving these Hurricanes because I'm thinking not many other people outside The Triangle will.

Or maybe images of these Hurricanes keep floating into my head just because it's a dang fun hockey team to watch. Did you see Carolina rally not once but twice to tie Game 1? Did you see the Canes kill penalties? That's all team effort right there. Did you see the way Aaron Ward, the unwanted Red Wings castoff, exploited a hole in the neutral zone? And the way Jeff O'Neill took Ward's pass and went hard to the net as a goal-scorer should? Did you see the way Ron Francis -- now there's a cat who's fun to watch -- calmly flipped O'Neill's centering pass into the net for the game-winner? Tic-Tac, then Dominik Hasek says D'oh!

Nope, I can't get these Hurricanes off my brain these days. And the truth is, I don't want to. I never thought they'd still be in the postseason come June, but now that they are, let them linger.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Kostya Kennedy takes sides every Wednesday at CNNSI.com.

 

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