Cup Crazy
Posted June 6, 2006, 8:34 AM ET

Normally in these parts, when you mention the "Quest for the Cup"...you would be referring to the Nextel Cup title in NASCAR. Well, times are changing in the Carolinas. Now it is the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup.

The Carolina Hurricanes are back in the NHL Finals for the second time since 2002, and this time they are favored to bring one of the great trophies of sport to Tobacco Road. No, I'm not talking about an NCAA Basketball championship banner...I'm talking about the Stanley Cup.

The tradition and history behind the "Cup" is amazing, and still somehow it does seem strange to mention it in the possession of the Carolina Hurricanes....and that's assuming the Canes can take care of the Edmonton Oilers.

The Oilers haven't been back to the Finals since 1990 and they are the eighth-seeded team from the Western Conference, but they are playing their best hockey of the year at the right time.

What has been interesting about the Canes' great season and deep run into the playoffs is listening to the fans on our radio show. The die-hard pucking brothers have always loved the sport and claimed that we don't spend enough time talking about it on the air. Their passion for the game always can be heard on each and every call.

The problem with hockey is that it is an acquired taste. The good folks from the South don't grow up on skates or waste time watching people on the ice. But the sport can hook you in an instant...especially if you watch an NHL game in person. The speed and intensity of a game is truly addictive...in fact, it reminds me of NASCAR. Both sports get hurt by television...neither one of them portray the flash on the tube that you get when you see it up close.

It is also interesting how many people in Charlotte have called and emailed me saying that the Hurricanes' championship march to the Cup is a non-issue. Many claim that they want the Carolina Panthers to be the first major pro sports franchise to win the championship...not the outcast NHL team from Raleigh.

Please...get over it.

I think it would be great for the Canes to "break the ice" and win it all in 2006. It would be cool to know that Lord Stanley's Cup can be found somewhere in the boundaries of the Carolinas. Screw Canada and anybody else that doesn't believe that the best hockey team can be found in the same building that highlights the NC State Wolfpack and its arch-rivals from Duke and UNC.

Plus a Canes championship would make a potential Panthers NFL title that much sweeter, too...Can you imagine the Lombardi Trophy and the Stanley Cup being found within a few hours of each other in Carolina? I think it would be awesome.

But first things first, the Canes have to close the deal. And after their dramatic come from behind game one victory you get the sense that the Canes might be destined to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup in the very near future.

I hope they do it. And I hope the Panthers are taking notes.