Carolina Hurricanes: NHL side dividing opinion with outlandish celebrations

'A bunch of jerks,' was how Canadian commentator Don Cherry described Carolina Hurricanes at the weekend for the NHL side's elaborate victory celebrations this season.

The Hurricanes have certainly been drawing attention to themselves more for their antics after the final whistle than their performances on the ice.

Choreographed victory celebrations have ranged from competing in the children's game 'duck, duck, goose' to human bowling and the limbo. What started as fairly simple celebrations -- players rushing from one end of the ice to the other in a 'storm surge' -- have developed into the sort of routines which wouldn't be out of place in 'Dancing With The Stars.'



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After victory over Edmonton on February 15, one of the players pretended he had hit a game-winning home run with his hockey stick. But for respected commentator Cherry at least, that was the celebration which left him fuming.

'That is absolutely ridiculous,' he said on 'Hockey Night in Canada.'

'I know all the broadcasters are afraid to say something ... I know what I'm talking about. You never do anything like that. They're still a bunch of jerks, as far as I'm concerned.'

The Hurricanes' response? To start selling officially licensed 'Bunch of Jerks' T-shirts.

Without perhaps realizing it, Cherry has helped build the Hurricanes brand, which is at the crux of the team's post-game tomfoolery in the first place, beginning after new owner Tom Dundon asked for more entertainment to boost attendance at home games.

Captain Justin Williams told ESPN earlier in the season: 'We're trying to rebrand the Carolina Hurricanes into being relevant. This is one small thing. This is just a celebration after the game. But it means something to us because there hasn't been a lot of success here, and we're trying to show people that we won't stand for it.'

An average attendance of 13,930 this season leaves the Hurricanes 28th of 31 NHL teams in terms of attendance.

With the Hurricanes' 16-10-4 record at home, it's difficult to gauge whether such post-match antics have had a positive effect on the team's performance, but the franchise is becoming known to a wider audience at least.

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The NHL side are not alone in trying to captivate a new audience as sports teams across the globe are now fighting for fans, social media followers and sponsorship. It's no longer just about the trophies.

Serie A side Roma and Bundesliga outfit Bayern Munich, for instance, have gained a devoted following on Twitter for their quirky, sometimes bizarre, often humorous posts. With the help of social media, the soccer clubs have left the VIP seats and joined the masses in the terraces, forming a digital community, gaining new fans.

At least the Hurricanes haven't taken their celebrations to the extreme. Some may disapprove, but no-one has been hurt, unlike in 1993 when Arsenal's Steve Morrow broke his arm and needed oxygen and an ambulance after calamitously falling from the shoulders of his 6ft 3in captain Tony Adams when celebrating winning the League Cup at Wembley.

And no celebration could be worse than Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad's. The Frenchman, cruising towards the finishing line in the 3,000m steeplechase at the European Championships in 2014, removed his shirt on the home stretch.

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The gold was his, so he thought, only the powers that be believed that ripping off a shirt and clutching it in his teeth was too much and they disqualified him.

There is an art to celebrating, it seems, and no-one is doing it with quite as much elan as the Hurricanes.

Without perhaps realizing it, Cherry has helped build the Hurricanes brand, which is at the crux of the team's post-game tomfoolery in the first place, beginning after new owner Tom Dundon asked for more entertainment to boost attendance at home games. Choreographed victory celebrations have ranged from competing in the children's game 'duck, duck, goose' to human bowling and the limbo. What started as fairly simple celebrations -- players rushing from one end of the ice to the other in a 'storm surge' -- have developed into the sort of routines which wouldn't be out of place in 'Dancing With The Stars.' There is an art to celebrating, it seems, and no-one is doing it with quite as much elan as the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes' response? To start selling officially licensed 'Bunch of Jerks' T-shirts. The NHL side are not alone in trying to captivate a new audience as sports teams across the globe are now fighting for fans, social media followers and sponsorship. It's no longer just about the trophies. An average attendance of 13,930 this season leaves the Hurricanes 28th of 31 NHL teams in terms of attendance. Captain Justin Williams told ESPN earlier in the season: 'We're trying to rebrand the Carolina Hurricanes into being relevant. This is one small thing. This is just a celebration after the game. But it means something to us because there hasn't been a lot of success here, and we're trying to show people that we won't stand for it.'

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