Canes feeling some creative pressure for celebrations

The pressure’s on the Carolina Hurricanes to keep winning games on home ice, and not just for the points in the standings.

There’s now the postgame palooza to consider, and how to keep it creative, fresh and fun.

As Canes forward Brock McGinn said Saturday, “We’ll have to start brainstorming some ideas and get some good ones.”

It all began after an 8-5 win over the New York Rangers at PNC Arena, with the overhead clapping by the players, then the sudden skate down the ice and leap into the glass. It seemed totally impromptu at the time but team captain Justin Williams, the ringleader for the leap, later said it was discussed a bit in advance.

Another leap, led by forward Micheal Ferland, followed after a win over Vancouver, but the San Jose game on Friday had two new twists -- the players sliding across the ice in a kayaking, paddling motion, then defenseman Dougie Hamilton doing the floss dance after being called out as the game’s second star.

Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said he stayed out long enough after the 4-3 shootout win over the Sharks to catch the kayaking, saying, “Trust me, I was probably one of the most serious guys when I was playing and I wish I had more fun when I was playing. It’s hard. We ask a lot of the guys and demand a lot, and they need to be able to enjoy what they’re doing at the same time.”

Brind’Amour did miss Hamilton’s floss but has seen others do it -- namely his youngest son. “I’ve seen my little guy do it, over and over,” he said.

Not everybody is amused and applauding the Canes’ postgame celebrations, which keeps a lot of the fans in their seats, wondering what might come next.

Brian Burke, appearing on Hockey Night in Canada, said his fear is it will be copycatted by teams in the American Hockey League, college hockey and the Canadian Hockey League. Burke, the former hockey executive turned TV analyst, can come off as a grumpy curmudgeon but there are other hockey old-schoolers who also might be questioning the Canes’ mischief.

Not Brind’Amour.

“It’s a surprise, right?” he said. “It’s not hurting anybody.”

McGinn said the players talked about the kayaking thing before the game. He then was picked to lead it after scoring the winning shootout goal, the players first acting as if they were ready for another skating leap, then pivoting and heading the other way to go low and “paddle.”

“It’s something fun that I think the fans have a lot of fun with and so do we,” McGinn said. “It’s kind of a show of ‘thank you’ to them and we’ll continue it.”

Hamilton at first was coy in explaining his decision to show off the floss, arms swinging in one direction as the hips go the other. It’s a dance move seen on Fortnite and popularized by “The Backpack Kid,” an Instagram star who appeared with singer Katy Perry on Saturday Night Live and showed off his moves.

“I didn’t get it from Fortnite or Backpack Kid but from seeing kids do it all the time, kids at hockey games,” Hamilton said. “Kids are so good at it, so it’s funny to see a big, awkward guy do it.”

Videos of the Canes and Hamilton quickly went viral Friday. Could a team floss be too far behind? Don’t count it out.

The Canes didn’t get a chance to try out a new postgame routine Sunday, losing to the New York Islanders 2-1. They’ll try again Tuesday when the Canes end a three-game homestand against the Boston Bruins.

“Hopefully we can keep winning and keep doing stuff like that,” McGinn said.

This story was originally published October 28, 2018 at 4:00 PM.