The Carolina Hurricanes’ run to the Stanley Cup Final is not only energizing fans but also driving a growing interest in youth hockey across North Carolina.
The team’s dramatic Game 2 comeback win over the Vegas Golden Knights — becoming the first team since 1944 to win after trailing by multiple goals in the final 10 minutes of a Stanley Cup Final game — has added to the excitement as the series shifts to Las Vegas for Game 3.
“I saw a lot of people I’ve never seen at a hockey game last night. I was glad to see it,” said Chris Derrenbacher.
Derrenbacher has been a season-ticket holder since 1998 and recalls the team’s lone Stanley Cup two decades ago.
“When my son, who went to the Stanley Cup championship in 2006, he went with me in a Baby Bjorn on my chest,” Derrenbacher shared.
But his involvement in the sport shifted when his son Jack was 5 years old and came to him with a request.
“He started saying, ‘Dad, I want to get into hockey.’ And candidly, I had no clue how to get my kid into hockey in North Carolina,” Derrenbacher said.
A few years later, he signed up Jack in the local Polar Ice League.
“I started figure skating and then as I started skate, I (said) ‘I want to play hockey,'” said Mary Derrenbacher, Jack’s younger sister.
There was only one problem.
“When Mary started, she had no choice but to play with the boys,” Chris Derrenbacher said.
Mary Derrenbacher is a Raleigh hockey success story. She’s played for the US in international tournaments and will play for Wisconsin in the fall.
At the time, there was no girls’ hockey program for her age group. That did not dull her enthusiasm, as she played for years with the boys’ team. Ultimately, as she sought further skill development, she eventually moved to play at Shattuck-Saint Mary’s School in Minnesota.
“Four years ago, we had to make that decision,” Chris Derrenbacher said. “The great thing is, is I don’t think she’d have to go today. I think now the girls’ program is really strong.”
“(They) built it, and they continue to push it even further because it is still expanding and still growing. I think they’re at the beginning of something great, and they have all the abilities to make it better,” Mary said.
The growth of girls’ hockey in North Carolina has coincided with the Canes success on the ice. According to USA Hockey data, the number of girls ages 18 and younger registered in North Carolina increased from 455 in the 2017-18 season (the last year Carolina missed the playoffs) to 749 this past season — a nearly 65% increase.
“We’ll be at our national tournament, and the Junior Canes girls would be there too, and we’d be playing them. That’s always great to see them (and) North Carolina be at the biggest tournament possible,” Mary said.
“Winning breeds success and success breeds fandom, and we’ve been able to do that across the entire state,” said Shane Willis, a former Hurricane and the team’s Director of Youth Hockey and Community Outreach.
Willis recalled times when Canes games featured low attendance, a far cry from a sell-out streak that lasted multiple seasons. A generation of Canes fans growing up with the team, combined with winning, has had an enormous effect.
“When I started in my youth and amateur role 15 years ago, it was going into the rinks and still battling every kid wearing a Sidney Crosby jersey or an Alex Ovechkin jersey. And over the years, we started to see that change. And now it’s Jacob Slavin, Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis. As a team builds success as this team has done over the last eight years, we’ve seen the growth in hockey spike tremendously here in our local area,” said Willis.
Overall, youth participation in the state has also grown significantly. USA Hockey registration data reports show that in 2017-18, there were 3,861 players 18 and younger in the state. Last season, that number hit 5,608, more than a 45% increase.
“I used to go to a park in the wintertime and just skate for free,” Willis said, who is originally from Canada. “We don’t have that option here. So rinks are starting to develop a little bit faster, but we’re going to need more because the growth isn’t stopping.”
He pointed to the team’s First Goal Program, which provides equipment, ice time, and game tickets to introduce children to hockey. During the past decade, the program has helped bring more than 6,000 children into the sport.
“We eliminate that barrier from a Hurricanes organization and make sure kids get into the game. Then it’s about keeping them there,” Willis said.
Derrenbacher has continued to represent her hometown of Raleigh proudly, achieving success at the international level when she earned a gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship.
“Very surreal,” she said. “Something I always dreamed of when I first started. Something I didn’t even think was possible.”
Derrenbacher, who was also a member of the silver-medal-winning team last season, is set to play collegiately for Wisconsin starting next season. The Badgers were the nation’s top-ranked team last season and have won the national championship in back-to-back seasons.
For Chris Derrenbacher, watching his children play hockey for years has been a joy, though there’s another layer potentially even more impactful.
“It’s really nice that they have an example,” Chris Derrenbacher said. “Girls come up to Mary when Mary’s at an event, and they say, ‘Oh, I wanted to meet you.'”
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