Why do the Hurricanes get no respect?

Question

We won the Stanley Cup last year, what else do we have to do to get the approval of everyone in the league?

Answer 1

Hey Im right there with you. Carolina will never get respect. I am a long time Hartford Whalers fan and I live in North Carolina. But no matter if Carolina wins seven cups in a row they will still be a joke in the eyes of the rest of the NHL and other fans. Like in Ottowa tonight they played "thank god Im a country boy" over and over again. It pissed me off so bad. Carolina is a clean cut team and is very passive when It becomes to pysical plays. Anyway thats my view and GO CANES!!!!!!

Answer 2

You won the Stanley Cup and now have a record of 32-26-7, 17th in the league. That doesn't exactly command respect (think the Steelers after their Super Bowl win.)

Winning the Stanley Cup was no small feat and it shouldn't be taken lightly, but hardcore fans prefer consistancy -- like at least threatening a repeat if not actually making it to defend your title -- over one-time wins.

Also, Carolina is a non-traditional hockey market, so how much respect do you draw from your own community? Fans, sure, will support you, but Carolina fans are hardly as feared as, say, the Canadian markets or the ever-dreaded Philly fans.

So, until people in the Carolinas start respecting their team, we won't respect you either.

(Except for me, of course, because I'm a long-distance 'Cane lover. Even if you did steal Recchs, even if it was just for the playoffs. Jerks.)

(Just kidding about that 'jerk' comment. Mostly.)

Answer 3

Here's how I view Carolina - in the interest of full disclosure, I am a Sharks fan.

1) Carolina is only a handful of games over .500 this season. Teams like Anaheim and Buffalo got off to great starts, so a lot of the focus was on them.

2) Carolina doesn't play in a traditional hockey hotbed. It just isn't as big a story for them to win the Cup as it would were Detroit or the Rangers to do so.

3) Carolina has some very good young talent (Staal, Williams, Cole), but those guys aren't household names. They're led in scoring by Ray Whitney and Rod Brind'Amour, two strong players but certainly not superstars.

If I were a 'Canes fan, I'd take a "who cares who respects us" attitude. Nothing beating winning, right?

Answer 4

I think it might have something to do with the fact that when they pan the crowd with the TV cameras, there are THOUSANDS of empty seats...even during the Stanley Cup finals last year...I'm an Ottawa Senators fan, and I think the Hurricanes are a great team, it's just too bad they don't get more bums in the seats...more fans translates to more talk and hype about the team

Answer 5

Maybe why don't you lose the cheerleaders? This isn't football or basketball, it's hockey. Also, get some fans that aren't bandwagon fans, how many of them are bandwagon fans? I could easily say 99% of the fans. They know NOTHING about hockey, and you have more away fans at your games then Carolina fans, which is pathetic. Maybe if you can learn to get some fans who actually know hockey, and lose the cheerleaders, you'll get some respect. The Hurricanes got so many bandwagon fans, so do a lot of other teams, but Carolina is the worst team.

Answer 6

Because their fans suck. As proof, look at your "Cam Ward sucks!" question. Most Canes fans that I've seen on message boards say stuff like "it wasn't illegal, but it was a cheap hit" or "they should take fighting out of the game" and so on.

And because Cole got Brooks Orpik suspended. Cole turned around at the last second! It's his own damn fault his neck broke. Here's something from a Hurricane fan's blog:
"Second, he has a history of violence against Erik Cole. I haven't heard anyone talk about this, but Brooks Orpik was penalized TWICE in the previous meeting of these two teams (February 10) for plays against Erik Cole. Once was for roughing, in which Cole received a matching penalty. The other, with just five seconds remaining in the game was for cross-checking Cole."

Wow, a tough defensive defenseman got two (o my god!) minor penalties against one of the other teams better players. That must mean that Orpik specifically targets Cole, right? Well guess what. Yes, and it's not a big deal. Hockey is a rough sport, and intimidation has a role. If Cole hadn't been good at scoring goals, Orpik would've let him go. And it's not like Cole is the 1st guy that Orpik got a roughing penalty (or 2) against.

Answer 7

The Hurricanes might not get respect, but the people of Carolina sure get mine and other Canadians respect. My friends who went to watch the playoffs in Carolina last year were surprised at how friendly the fans were to visitors and how great your parking lot tailgate parties were before the game, etc. They said it was a lot of fun and they would return to the city to watch a game if they could.

Answer 8

I think it has a lot to do w/ the fact you won the cup. Everyone wants that team to fail the next year no matter who it is. It's a Canadian sport so it would take an awful lot for a southern team to gain the respect your looking for.

Answer 9

Sorry you feel that way. The fact of the matter is, people in Canada and the northern U.S. can't accept he fact that there is NHL hockey in the south.

Keep in mind that there are many people in the south that despise the fact that there are now major NASCAR races in the northern states.

In addition, I think people in southern states are slow to accept hockey. For instance, a few days ago, the Predators game was not televised in Nashville, since Fox South was broadcasting a college basketball game. If something like that happened in Detroit or Boston, there would be massive rioting!

Answer 10

well im a buffalo fan, i respect the hurricanes but i dont respect their fans. during the finials last year, sabres fan took up half of the arena and there where a ton aof seats still left! n now at least half of their fans probaly only like them b/c they won the Cup( which to me they don't deserve it but thats just my opinion)

i don't like bandwagers even in buffalo. i have been a fan since i was born. And the only reason people should want to become fans is if they really want, not b/c their city's team is doing well