Playoffs make hockey the new hot ticket in Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina sports fans have had a rough six months.

The Carolina Panthers went 1-15, the North Carolina basketball team lost 20 games for the first time in school history and the Charlotte Hornets packed up and moved to New Orleans.

Even Final Four favorite Duke stumbled, losing to Indiana in the South Regional semifinals.

So maybe it's only natural the Carolina Hurricanes have turned many local fans into puckheads with an unprecedented Stanley Cup playoff run.

The Hurricanes lead the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals and can advance to the Cup finals with a victory tonight.

"When you get to this point, where you create this kind of excitement and interest with the team's success, more people want to be a part of that," general manager Jim Rutherford said. "You find that everywhere, not just here. It just goes with the territory."

The Hornets, now out of the playoffs, have watched with envy as the popularity of the Hurricanes grows in a state known for its rabid basketball and auto racing fans.

"The Carolina Hurricanes, they are fresh, they are new, they are drawing well," Hornets forward P.J. Brown said. "They have created a deep bond with the community."

That wasn't always the case.

The team got off to a rocky start with its sudden move here from Hartford, Conn., in 1997. There was no Raleigh arena to play in and the club received a lukewarm reception from fans, most of whom grew up following Atlantic Coast Conference basketball or NASCAR.

"We came here by falling out of the sky," Rutherford said.

The new nickname for the old Hartford Whalers angered some people who had seen their share of devastating hurricanes in the area.

The players and fans spent two seasons commuting 90 minutes to "home" games at the Greensboro Coliseum, which was usually less than half full.

MAPLE LEAFS: Toronto faces elimination from the playoffs after failing to draw inspiration from Pat Quinn's unexpected return.

The Maple Leafs on Friday had no update on Quinn, who returned to the hospital following Thursday's 3-0 loss to Carolina in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Leafs assistant coach Rick Ley said Quinn remained hospitalized, where he is being monitored for an irregular heartbeat. He didn't know whether Quinn he would be cleared to travel to Carolina for today's Game 5.

The Hurricanes lead the best-of-seven series 3-1.

Ley said Quinn would not be on the team's flight Friday afternoon, but didn't rule out the possibility of the coach making another surprise appearance.

-- From wire reports