I have been following Lauren on Twitter for quite some time now (pretty much all of last season) and the one thing I can tell you about her is that she is passionate about her sports!  Reading her Tweets about the games she worked and the games she watched gave me hope for the Carolina Hurricanes, and during the playoffs the excitement level and pure adrenalin was apparent in every one of her posts.  Lauren and I have talked via email throughout the season (she also contributed a post to the Deke back in Feb - 7 Questions With The Carolina Hurricanes Storm Squad) and I asked her to give us a wrap up of the Hurricanes season through the eyes of someone that was there, integrated with the Organization and mingling with the fans!  So - Here is Laurens take on the ‘Canes 08/09 Season …

As a member of the Carolina Hurricanes Storm Squad, I was lucky enough to get a front-row seat to one of the most exciting shows in the NHL. I love talking about the Canes with people who are less familiar with the team and its history – especially confirming questions like, “So is it really as loud in the RBC Center as they say it is?” (That would be a yes. Imagine a jet taking off right in front of you, and you’d be getting warmer.)

The Storm Squad broke ground in the league by rethinking the way the NHL approaches fan development. Many other teams have mirrored the trend of the Storm Squad with their versions of ice crews, ice girls, cheerleaders, and dancers. That has drawn its share of criticism, but you’d be surprised by how many little girls who come with their families to games – the Canes are among the most family-friendly teams in the league – love coming up to us to tell us how we are their role models. The team means so much to the people here in the Triangle; one Cup in, they are an undeniable part of our culture.

That was really evident this year. Today there is such a great Caniac culture that can’t be found anywhere else. The girls and I love to go out on golf carts before the game to chat with the tailgating fans, and during the playoffs, it seemed like there was a sea of them for hours before the puck dropped.

I should go ahead and dispel the common notion that cheerleaders are light on sports fandom. All of the girls are diehard Caniacs themselves, and it was tough to cheer through all of our last-minute action that gave us the nickname “Cardiac Canes.”

The playoff atmosphere is hard to describe; there are plenty of chances to say, “What just happened?” You could tell the players were unusually focused; during the regular season, it’s pretty standard to see most of the team kicking a soccer ball around the RBC Center catacombs, but any aspirations of World Cup stardom disappeared come April. It was a stressful time for me, too. I had to juggle law school finals with games and Storm Squad appearances, so I usually had to bring my books with me to our locker room.

Speaking of locker rooms, we were forced to use a different one than we normally do, mostly due to the influx of media in attendance. It was great to see the big names like Don Cherry (who we got to go on-camera with before one game – what a snazzy dresser).  I got to do a radio interview with Ric Flair, who is famous in Raleigh not for his stint as The Nature Boy but his many appearances on our Jumbotron. (Newcomers to the RBC Center should count how many minutes it takes, upon entering the arena, to hear a “WOOOO!” Usually you can count them on one hand.)

I missed the game in early April that saw Anton Babchuk’s overtime goal against the Pens lead the Canes to a playoff berth. I was on the famous Franklin Street in nearby Chapel Hill, watching my North Carolina Tar Heels in the Final Four with my phone clutched in my hand, updating the score of the Canes game every two seconds. When Babchuk scored, I started screaming and jumping up and down. (As any true hockey fan should do in a crowded setting.) There was a timeout in the basketball game, so naturally, everyone turned to look at “the crazy girl.” I screamed, “The Canes are in the playoffs!” Mind you, I’m in Chapel Hill watching a Final Four game, where basketball is king and you can set a clock to each Tar Heel tipoff. But when I shared the good news, people started clapping and cheering. High fives all around!

We had a disappointing end to our season, but I’m so proud of the effort given by the team, the organization and especially the fans. I have some great memories from the 2008-2009 playoffs. That said, we’ve got one goal next season, and we can’t wait to get started.

Tags: Carolina Hurricanes, Guest Post, Ice Girls, Twitter