And He Calls Himself a Hockey Fan!

Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer wrote a column on Monday that
basically says the 'Cane's victory in game seven was no big deal. In
it, he touts the playoff victories of the Panthers and the Hornets (a
team Charlotte couldn't even keep from moving to New Orleans). Of
course, he neglects to mention that in each of those playoff runs, the
teams in question ultimately LOST the championship. The following is
the article in it's entirety. I think maybe we should send Mr.
Sorensen an email (tsorensen@charlotteobserver.com) and let him know
what we think of his comparisons.

I know that Charlotte is ticked off because they're not the capitol of
N.C. but geez. And this coming from a self-proclaimed Hurricanes fan.

Cheers,
Rob

**********************
Jun. 20, 2006 (Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News delivered by
Newstex) --

Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals was one of the biggest games ever
played in North Carolina. Even if you don't like hockey, there's no way
to suggest otherwise. Come on now. This was for the championship of an
entire professional sport whose games this season were televised by
OLN.

But how big was it? Was it the biggest game ever played in North
Carolina? Was it in the top 10? The top 25?

Let's find out.

The Carolina Panthers' first foray into the playoffs, on Jan. 5, 1997,
was bigger because the NFL is bigger. The first for any team is huge,
and this game consumed a state and a region.

This drops the Hurricanes to second, and Carolina's second playoff
season, seven years later against Dallas, drops the Hurricanes to
third.

The Charlotte Hornets, at the time the only professional franchise in
the state, reached the playoffs for the first time in 1993. Again, a
region was consumed. They twice beat the Boston Celtics, still
legendary at the time, at the Charlotte Coliseum.

The two playoff games against Boston push the Hurricanes to fifth. The
two games the Hornets played in the next round against the New York
Knicks, then a legitimate team coached by Pat Riley, push the
Hurricanes to seventh.

The best rivalry in college basketball is in our state. Duke and North
Carolina have played 56 times in the modern era, which began in 1984,
when the Blue Devils became competitive. This pushes the Hurricanes to
63rd.

There was a huge North Carolina-Wake Forest basketball game season
before last. The Hurricanes drop to 64th.

Remember N.C. State with David Thompson in the 1970s? Thompson was
spectacular and the team was so talented that every home game was an
event. But to be fair to the Canes, let's not count every N.C. State
game. I think they played Elon once, and we won't count that. We'll
count 30 others. Whoa. The Hurricanes are still in the top 100, but
they are 94th.

Charlotte's Ric Flair wins many coveted wrestling titles. The
Hurricanes drop to 103. Ric Flair loses many coveted wrestling titles,
but only because the official cheats and his opponent uses a metal
folding chair stashed beneath the ring, a clear violation of the rules
of society and the squared circle. The Hurricanes drop to 117.

Kelvin Seabrooks, the former International Boxing Federation
bantamweight champion of the world, beats Bobo Brooks in a fight at
True Legends people still talk about. The Hurricanes drop to 118.

The Charlotte 49ers play arch-rival Xavier at Halton Arena. The
UltraSwim features an especially strong field. Vijay Singh comes to the
Wachovia (NYSE:WB) Championship and considers signing an autograph. The
Hurricanes fall to 121.

The NFL is so big and the anticipation so overwhelming that every home
game the Panthers have ever played is bigger than Game 7 of the Stanley
Cup Finals. To adhere to the strict guidelines dictated by the
extensive research and analysis on which this column is constructed, I
did not count games played at Clemson, exhibitions or games against
Arizona. This drops the Canes to 198.

There was a huge football game at East Carolina when Ed Emory was
coach. The Hurricanes fall to 199.

So Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals was the 199th biggest game ever
played in North Carolina. At least it's in the top 200.

But wait. Remember how big the ACC basketball tournament was when only
the winner qualified for the NCAA tournament?

Remember the major races at Lowe's Motor Speedway and, in the old days,
at Rockingham and North Wilkesboro? You ever see the Charlotte rugby
team? The national Putt-Putt tour once came to the historic Albemarle
Road No. 2 course.

The Hurricanes finish 393. If this doesn't prove North Carolina is
Stanley Cup Crazy, I don't know what does.