Former Governor Roy Cooper shows strong support for the Carolina Hurricanes ahead of the Eastern Conference Final
Image Via Twitter
As the
Carolina Hurricanes
prepare to take on the
Florida Panthers
in the crucial
Eastern Conference Final
, former
North Carolina
Governor
Roy Cooper
has yet again affirmed his favorite team. An ardent Hurricanes supporter for years, he shared a photo of himself from days long gone on social networks: sporting in hockey gear, a customized Hurricanes jersey, helmet, and hockey stick.
Any such gesture goes not so much for a millisecond's casual wink but instead tells an entire story regarding the feelings of connection, fervor Cooper has had with that team and sport.
Roy Cooper's genuine bond with the Carolina Hurricanes and coach Rod Brind'Amour
Roy Cooper has long supported the Carolina Hurricanes. However, his support goes beyond mere fan enthusiasm. Earlier in the season, he shared a picture of himself fully dressed in Hurricanes hockey gear, helmet on, with a hockey stick in hand and a custom-made jersey.
The less said about the team facing the Florida Panthers, the better. His comments about holding back against Brad Marchand, a player who is rather high profile and now on some other team, speak of Cooper's knowledge of the game and individual players, thus making the support all the more personal and playful.
Cooper has even honored the Hurricane leadership on a formal basis beyond a social media shout-out. In December, he bestowed upon Rod Brind'Amour, the Hurricanes' head coach, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina's highest civilian honor.
This gave due recognition of Brind'Amour's impact on the team and the pride that the state feels in its hockey franchise. That honor symbolized a strong bond tying the team, its fans, and North Carolina at large.
The Eastern Conference Final is one of the most crucial stages of the NHL Playoffs, and Cooper's public endorsement greatly helps in sustaining the excitement among Hurricanes fans throughout the state. Cooper's involvement also speaks to how hockey has come to be a major sport in North Carolina.
It is neither a game of ice nor one of sportsmanship; it is all for the communal spirit and pride that welds the fans with their team and consequently with their leaders.
As the Hurricanes get ready to face off against the Florida Panthers, fans feel upbeat knowing that Cooper remains an avid supporter. Even the governor himself has supported the team commitment, being so genuine that he has worn full gear to an event, and to recognize their achievements right here on the living example, is where one can see how deeply sports unite people, inspiring players and fans alike in this high-stakes contest.
Also Read: Philadelphia Flyers shock the NHL world by hiring Rick Tocchet as new head coach
Finally, the governor's personal and visible passion for the Carolina Hurricanes marks a sincere commitment on his part. His endorsement is a testament to the affinity the team shares with the countrymen of North Carolina at this steep and taxing playoff run.
Get
IPL 2025
match
schedules
,
squads
,
points table
, and live scores for
CSK
,
MI
,
RCB
,
KKR
,
SRH
,
LSG
,
DC
,
GT
,
PBKS
, and
RR
. Check the latest
IPL Orange Cap
and
Purple Cap
standings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Stanley Cup Final for old men: Brad Marchand and Corey Perry shine on hockey's biggest stage
EDMONTON, Alberta — Brad Marchand and Corey Perry are by far the oldest players in the Stanley Cup Final. Marchand just turned 37 last month, and Perry is 40. Naturally, they combined for a third of the goals in Game 2 on Friday night, showing this is indeed a Cup final for old men, not for the earth but certainly in hockey. Marchand scored his second of the game to win it in double overtime for the Florida Panthers after Perry got the latest tying goal in the history of the final in the waning moments of regulation to give the Edmonton Oilers hope. "You saying he's old, or what?" teammate Seth Jones said of Marchand. 'I'm going to tell him you said that. He's a dog. He's a gamer. He's a competitor. He brings so much energy to our team on and off the ice.' Where does that energy come from to play 22 important minutes? Anton Lundell hopes it comes from him and fellow linemate Eetu Luostarinen, the pups keeping an older dog like Marchand feeling young. 'He likes to spend time and be around us,' said Lundell, who set up each of Marchand's breakaway goals. "He's in great shape, and it seems like nothing is stopping him.' Marchand is not slowing down in his 16th NHL season and 13th playoff run, the first away from the Boston Bruins. He is in the final for a fourth time, this one 14 years removed from his first when he and Boston also faced a Canadian team, the Vancouver Canucks, and won the Cup to keep the country's title drought going. His two-goal game came on the anniversary of scoring short-handed on Roberto Luongo in the 2011 final. Luongo now works for the Panthers in their front office and posted on social media after the game, 'Favorite player of all time.' "Lu is awesome," said Marchand, whose 10 goals in the final are the most among active players, one more than Perry. "Happy to be on his team.' Perry even longer ago helped beat a Canadian team in the final when he and Anaheim defeated Ottawa in 2007. He's playing for the Cup for a sixth time in his career and for the fourth time over the past five years and is still producing at important moments. His tying goal with 17.8 seconds on the clock in the third period was just the latest example. 'Determination, finding a way to find the puck and then obviously putting it in the net. He's got a skill for that,' Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'Knowing in the playoffs it's hard to score and you need guys around the net and finding ways, he's as good as anybody finding ways to score.' Plenty of folks might be surprised to see Marchand and Perry doing this at their advanced ages. Paul Maurice, who has coached more games than anyone in NHL history except for Scotty Bowman, is not one of them. Maurice credits rule changes coming out of the 2004-05 lockout and sports science around the league for paving the way for players to contributed later into their 30s and even 40s. 'I think we're coming into an age of that,' Maurice said. "A tremendous amount of care for the players, whether that's the meals that they eat, how we travel — there's a lot of money that goes into allowing these players to play. The old guys and the young guys benefit from the rule change, and they're better fit, conditioned athletes over their entire lives.' Marchand has his own routine, one that goes beyond the Dairy Queen Blizzard jokes that keep swirling around him this playoffs. He rode a stationary bike before overtime, something he likes to do after most periods. 'You're trying to keep your legs going in overtime," Marchand said. 'Keep them feeling good.' The Panthers are feeling good after acquiring Marchand at the deadline from Boston and unleashing him for goals in Game 2 that tied the series. Winger Matthew Tkachuk thinks Marchand scored two of their biggest goals during this run, aging like a fine wine. 'Hopefully he can keep it going,' Tkachuk said. Unreal player, unreal competitor. ... 'He could play till he's 47 the way he's going.' NHL playoffs: /hub/stanley-cup and /hub/nhl
NDTV
28 minutes ago
- NDTV
Shreyas Iyer "Officially Joins" Captaincy Race: Indian Cricket's Influential Decision-Maker After IPL Show
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025 final, scoring 604 runs and showcasing his captaincy skills. Though they lost to RCB, his leadership potential is recognized, positioning him as a future contender for India's captaincy. Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings with great success at the IPL 2025 in his first year with the franchise. For the first-time since 2014, the franchise made it to the final and lost the title clash to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six runs. Iyer was PBKS' leading scorer with a tally of 604 in 17 matches. He scored six half-centuries and his 87* in the Qualifier 1 against Mumbai Indians will be talked about for a long time. He almost single-handedly rescued PBKS against MI and took them over the line. Now, according to a report in The Indian Express, quoting 'one of Indian cricket's influential decision-makers,' the rise of Iyer as a great captain is being considered biggest takeaway from the IPL 2025. "Right now he just plays ODIs but after this IPL we can't keep him out of T20 internationals and even Tests. Plus he also has now officially joined the white-ball captaincy race,' the official said. Currently, Rohit Sharma is the ODI captain while Suryakumar Yadav is the T20I captain. Shreyas Iyer has not been picked for India's Test series against England. He was a Knight in the shining armour for Kolkata in 2024 and in 2025, became the King who almost led Punjab to the crown. Shreyas Iyer's IPL season didn't end with the trophy but he well and truly established himself as the leader that India might need in the not-so-distant future. Iyer became the third skipper after Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to captain an IPL franchise to three finals and he did it with three different teams in the last five years. That's some range for a player, who astoundingly did not make the Indian Test team for the tour of England this month. KKR let him go last year as they didn't consider his demand for a higher retention fee to be just. Their loss was, needless to say, a massive gain for Punjab Kings. They got an astute captain and a passionate leader of the men in the 30-year-old, who knows a thing or two about handling the highs and lows of a career with grace. The jury is still out on Shubman Gill, who will face a trial by fire as captain in England. But after June 3, 2025, Shreyas Santosh Iyer should be rated as one of the best captains in Indian cricket. There is a Dhoni-like cool quotient, a Virat Kohli -like aggressive streak when the situation demands and also a ''Bindaas Mumbaikar in him just like his illustrious India teammate Rohit Sharma. "Job is still half done, we have to win it next year," Iyer's confidence shone through the disappointment of missing it this time by a mere six runs in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night. That he is not in the squad for England has surprised none more than his Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting. "I actually was he's accepted that really well and he's moved on," Ponting said on The ICC Review of Iyer, prior to the IPL Playoffs. "He's just got that real hunger in his eyes to do well every time that he plays for us here and wants to win games of cricket and wants to evolve and develop into the best leader and captain that he can be." Listen to the latest songs, only on
NDTV
28 minutes ago
- NDTV
Bengaluru Stampede: Top Karnataka Cricket Officials Resign Taking 'Moral Responsibility' For Fatal IPL Celebration
Karnataka State Cricket Association secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam have tendered their resignations 'owning moral responsibility' of the stampede that took place near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 at Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2025 title celebration. For the first time in IPL's 18-year history, RCB won the trophy but its taste turned sour after stampedes at the celebration parade killed 11 and injured close to 50. After the team's maiden IPL title celebrations in Bengaluru took a tragic turn, resulting in the deaths of 11 fans, the police have made four arrests in the case. Among those four people arrested is the franchise's marketing head, Nikhil Sosale. After that comes these high-profile resignations. "This is to inform that due to the unforeseen and unfortunate events that have unfolded in the last two days and though our role was very limited, but owing moral responsibility, we wish to state that last night we have tendered our resignation to our respective posts as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, by way of a letter dated 06.06.2025 to the President of Karnataka State Cricket Association. This is for your information. A. Shankar E.S. Jairam," a statement IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru announced a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the 11 supporters, who lost their lives in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the team's victory celebrations . Lakhs of people turned out to catch a glimpse of Virat Kohli and Co. leading to complete chaos and eventually a stampede that caused the death of 11 people outside the stadium here on Wednesday. "The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family," said an RCB statement on Thursday. More than 50 people were also injured in the incident and the franchise said a fund is being set up to assist them. "As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced a financial support of Rs 10 lakh to each of the eleven families of the deceased. In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident," it added. A magisterial inquiry is currently underway into the tragedy and its report is expected within the next fortnight. RCB has drawn widespread criticism for going ahead with the victory celebrations just a day after winning the trophy, denying the administration and police authorities enough time to arrange adequate security needed for an event of such magnitude. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has already questioned the lapses in arrangement on Wednesday and also stressed on the need for proper co-ordination between the franchise, the police and the district administration for smooth conduct of such a programme. He cited the seamless victory parade in Mumbai, which drew lakhs on to the streets, after India's T20 World Cup triumph last year as a case in point. RCB's social media team had invited people to the celebrations with a social media post but later withdrew it after the Bengaluru Traffic Police stated that it would be difficult to allow a victory parade given the congestion on the route. The parade was given the go ahead by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah but did not take place due to crowd chaos and rain. Former India wicketkeeper and Karnataka legend Syed Kirmani was scathing in his criticism while talking to India Today, calling it a "deadly welcome".
