Beginning life as the New England Whalers of the WHL in 1971, the team we know (and love) as the Carolina Hurricanes played their first two seasons in the storied Boston Garden before making the move to Hartford, Connecticut (via Springfield). While the Whalers had built a strong local following, the challenge of being sandwiched between Boston and New York, forced ownership to make the move to Raleigh in 1997. Ten years later, with stars Rod Brind’Amour, Glen Wesley and a rookie goaltender named Cam Ward, the Carolina Hurricanes won the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Having missed the playoffs four years in a row, the Carolina Hurricanes have had the benefit of loading up in the draft and building around stars like the Staal brothers and Alexander Semin. But in 2013-14, it’s time for the youth movement to come of age. If Justin Faulk, Riley Nash and the rest of the phenoms progress as expected, the Hurricanes will be back in the chase for Lord Stanley’s Cup for the first time since losing in the Conference Finals in 2009. Band of Brothers Led by brothers Eric and Jordan Staal, among the best attacking combinations in the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes appear to have scored huge in the draft with Elias Lindholm. A Swedish teenager with superstar potential, there’s every reason to believe Lindholm should be an immediate contributor at the NHL level. Hockey in the South?! Absolutely First of all, let’s get one thing straight – you won’t find better stadium food on the planet than the insanely delectable offerings at PNC Arena. In the heart of the Research Triangle, the Hurricanes share the venue with NC State Basketball and there are all kinds of things to do and places to eat and drink nearby. While you may not imagine a cold-weather sport like hockey thriving in a southern city like Raleigh, Hurricane fans have adopted the team en masse. Score guaranteed savings on tickets to see the Hurricanes at ScoreBig.com.