The hockey franchise occupying NC State’s basketball arena had been dead to me for so long, and I’d shut off caring about it for so long, it took more than two periods of a purely gravy playoff game to bring me all the way back.
There was a time I lived and died with the Carolina Hurricanes almost as much as NC State—it’s the only major pro franchise representing my hometown; how could I not care about it? Plus I like hockey a lot, which helps.
But the Hurricanes slowly wore me down over the last 10 years, which is the span of time between their last playoff berth and their current one.