Not that they needed much of it during the first two rounds. ”So in a way, I kind of want to say he’s helping us.” ”It fuels our fan base, it fuels us,” defenseman Brett Pesce said. So, naturally, the Hurricanes quickly announced plans to sell more shirts with ”front-running” written in script over the ”Bunch of Jerks” phrase. He called Carolina fans ”front-running” and argued the players ”know it’s the wrong thing to do or else they’d do it in the playoffs.” After Carolina’s marketing department started selling $32 shirts with the three-word jab in the team store, he doubled down on the criticism. The curmudgeonly commentator earlier this season called the Hurricanes ”a bunch of jerks” for their choreographed Storm Surge celebrations on the ice after regular-season home victories. Well, maybe not everyone – at least, not Cherry. ”Just seeing what we’re doing for the whole city and kind of everyone’s coming together to share it.” ”It’s been a lot of fun so far, and I think the biggest thing is, you see the city’s kind of come together and the fans, and everyone’s been so involved and that makes a lot of fun too,” said Hamilton – the player, not the pig. Let the Detroit Red Wings have their octopi, and the Nashville Predators their catfish. It’s all come together in a phenomenon that’s uniquely North Carolinian. He’ll fill up countless Instagram feeds while posing for photos with dozens of fans – many of whom no doubt will wear the T-shirts that carry Don Cherry’s ”Bunch of Jerks” insult-turned-rallying cry. He will make his rounds at the pregame tailgate parties that became a signature of this region during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup in 2006.
He became so popular that the team invited him into the arena for the Game 6 victory over the Capitals, as well as Carolina’s two home games in the second-round series with the Islanders.Īnd when the Eastern Conference final with Boston shifts to Raleigh for Game 3 on Tuesday night, Hamilton will be back in his customary spot amid hopes the Hurricanes can rally from two games down in the best-of-seven series.
On a whim, Eckenrode brought Hamilton – whose name is a play on ”ham” – to the parking lot for Game 3 of the first-round series against Washington. ”I guess I’d never seen anything like it,” well-traveled goalie Curtis McElhinney said. The Hurricanes can’t argue with the results: Ever since Hamilton began hanging out in the area behind PNC Arena’s corner boards – right along the players’ path from the dressing room to the ice – earlier this postseason, they haven’t lost with their prized pig in the building. It’s really crazy to watch it all unfold.” ”People just love it when we bring him out. ”He’s like this little internet sensation that caught on,” said his owner, Raleigh real estate broker Kyle Eckenrode. In the land of pulled pork barbecue, this pig pulls for the Hurricanes.
The 90-pound Juliana potbelly who catches games from behind the boards in a personalized wagon has shown plenty of chops during his three-week run as the team’s unofficial good-luck charm. Get 50% up to $2500 bonus on your first deposit and get generous lines and great customer service when you check out BetOnline today.