A representative from the Carolina Hurricanes, along with a representative from the Hockey Hall of Fame, will display the Stanley Cup, the championship trophy from the National Hockey League, in the Brickyard today from noon to 2 p.m. Students will be able to line up to see, touch, hug and take pictures of the 2006 championship trophy.
The Carolina Hurricanes, who have had 15 victories so far this season, took home their first Stanley Cup in the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Hurricanes first received the Cup Sept. 29 engraved with the 52 names of players and executive staff.
“It’s coming to N.C. State because we have a great partnership with the school and we feel like the students deserve some time with the Cup,” Doug Warf, manager of promotions and fan development for the Hurricanes, said.
Warf said the team will not attend the event because they are on a west-coast road trip. Therefore, an official person from the Hockey Hall of Fame, Carolina Hurricanes staff and Stormy, the mascot, will be presenting the Cup.
“As long as the lines aren’t too long, under 300 people or so, students can touch it, hug it, take a photo with it,” Warf said. “The only thing they can’t do is lift it because that is only reserved for the players.”
Members of the Union Activities Board obtained the permit to allow the event to come to campus after a representative contacted them from the Carolina Hurricanes.
Dokey Ashmore, president of UAB and junior in industrial engineering, said he plans to stand in line to see the Stanley Cup today.
“The Hurricanes want a chance to show it off before they have to turn it back into the NHL,” Ashmore said. “I’ve seen it once, but I want to see it a little bit closer and maybe touch it if I can.”
The Stanley Cup has made appearances on other college campuses, including Elon University and East Carolina University, although according to Warf, the Hurricanes wanted N.C. State to be the first university to see the cup.
However, because the Stanley Cup was damaged and had to be repaired in early October, the event had to be rescheduled from Oct. 10 to today.
“We had a great turnout when we went to ECU on Oct. 11,” Warf said. “It’s important to know we wanted [NCSU] to be the first college to visit because you are the one that we are closest to, share the building with and have a relationship with.”
In an additional way of showing college fan appreciation, the Carolina Hurricanes are holding College Appreciation Night at the Jan. 18 game against their division rival, the Washington Capitals.
To take advantage of this opportunity, students can now purchase tickets for that game for discounted prices.
According to Paul Hutchens, group sales representatives for Carolina Hurricanes, the purpose of College Appreciation Night is to increase awareness of the college rush program, which gives students regular discounts for games.
Hutchens said there will also be events, games and activities for the students on College Appreciation Night.
“It is all a way to thank students for their continued support for the Carolina Hurricanes,” Hutchens said.
The Stanley Cup is 97 percent silver and 3 percent nickel. It travels roughly 320 days per year and is engraved with 52 names of the Carolina Hurricanes players and staff, including all the players from the Stanley Cup Championship team. The names will remain on the Cup for 64 years before the ring with the names is removed and permanently stored at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
