How did he lose to a guy in a suit?

Stadium Series Week right here on 99.9 The Fan. If you're listening in Raleigh, that's where you're listening. If you're listening in Greenville, I apologize, or Asheville or Wilmington or wherever you're listening, I apologize. But we're all brought to us by Window World of Raleigh, Raleigh's exterior remodeler. That doesn't mean you don't have a friend if you're in Asheville who lives in Raleigh that might need some some window remodeling.

So by all means, tell them about Window World. All right, so we have this outdoor game coming up here tomorrow. But what it really is, and last night was also kind of a double-edged thing. It wasn't just about honoring Cam Ward. It was about honoring really the history of the Carolina Hurricanes and Cam Ward's place in that history. But it was more about arriving for me, or as much about arriving.

And I said this on the podcast. It's about the inspiration of us as a city. Because it isn't just about winning. It's not just, oh, the team is good. There are teams that are not good that get these games. It's about us arriving as a market.

And I think there is some significance to that. And before I forget, when we're talking about all the things that happened here, starting last night with the Hurricanes and the team's Hall of Fame, and tonight with Hootie and the Blowfish, and then the outdoor game, and then State Carolina on Sunday, and then the two, the alumni game and the club hockey game. Last night, not to be overlooked, was NC State Carolina women's basketball and a pretty remarkable comeback for the Wolfpack. So congratulations to Wes Moore and his team. But all three local schools are really good in women's basketball this year. And it has been kind of interesting to see how all of it plays out.

ACC, of course, is again a dominant women's basketball conference. They just keep beating the crap out of each other. Figuratively. Not literally. Because basketball is a nice, genteel sport.

Unlike hockey, where they punch each other in the face from time to time. But that has never happened to Chad LaRose. Chad LaRose, our friend, one of the most popular Hurricanes ever. Appreciate you helping the club honor Cam Ward last night. I was disappointed, though, in your performance in the tricycle race in the first intermission.

So, how do you guys let Jesse... Go ahead. I've had enough punches to the face that I have short-term memory loss. I believe I won. Didn't I?

I don't know, man. I saw a guy in a sport coat win, and I don't know how you and Eric Cole both allowed Jesse Bolaris to win. I don't remember that I had him at all. I think I won, and I'm sticking to my guns on that. Good for you. Good for you. How you been doing? I've been doing great.

I hope things are well with you and your family and all of that. This has to be, for somebody who was here, and you have your name on the cup. This has to be, what happened last night was honoring a friend, but also honoring the franchise in a way, but what's going to happen tomorrow night has to be like, you've got to pinch yourself, because nobody could have foreseen this happening even 15 years ago.

Oh, I agree. They've made so many strides to where I was shocked when they announced the outdoor game in Carolina. I was ecstatic, to be honest with you. I was very excited, but it just shows this community and the fans and what has come of all of this being here when they entered in 1997 to now. I'm honored to be here, especially for Cam and all my friends. Roddy already chirped me about not coming back down to the locker room last night. I got to see Justin Williams.

I got to see all those guys. We'll take care of it. But stuff does change. Stuff does change.

It's funny. I went to school in the Washington, D.C. area, and a good friend of mine who I met after I was out of school, but a good friend of mine is from here. When we moved down and we were hanging out, he was telling us where Raleigh ended. I had been here a couple of years when we connected.

Raleigh ended at Millbrook Road. That's not really North Raleigh, that's Raleigh. And now we go 15, 20 miles further north because everybody realized how cool it is down here. At the game last night, just to see every top-deck row on the ceiling completely full is a testament to the fans and what has happened here, I believe, and also to you guys. You guys have always promoted us and always been great with us and always sold the canes. That's a testament to the whole community, not just the players. Our coaching staff is always great and our training staff is awesome, but a testament to you guys buying into what's going on here. Well, it's certainly been fun to do this. So you played with the head coach as a teammate.

I think I know the answer to this, but I just want you to kind of crystallize it. Could you have foreseen him being this successful as a head coach when you were playing with him? No doubt.

Yes. I think he was the greatest leader I've ever had in my life, but also we both stood up in each other's weddings and he has been a friend to me, but he has taught me so much. The work ethic, I didn't realize what it took to be in the NHL, to be honest with you. Cause I was a young kid and running or I have energy galore, but I didn't understand what it really took. So that's when I moved down here and trained with Roddy every single day and we were skating in the first week of may.

If we didn't make the playoffs, I'm like, are you serious? So, but yeah, he would tell me to show up to APC center. I don't know if it's so called that, but he used to tell me to get there at 7 0 AM for workouts every day in the summer, just me and him. And I would get there and he's pouring sweat and I'd be there at six 50. And I'm like, dude, why'd you tell me to get here at seven? He's like, cause you don't need as much cardio as I do. He's already been on the bike for 50 minutes, but you follow guys like that. Um, it was, it was meant to be what he's doing right now. I think, um, the, the leadership, how do you not look at a guy who's done it, been there and he's in the gym before you get to the rink and you're a player and he's the coach.

I mean, he's a, I'm so proud of him too. Um, it's so, so fortunate to been, been able to be around these guys and, you know, see cam and those guys last night and we jumped in each other's arms. Cause I haven't seen cam in a while. We text, but I haven't seen him in a long time. And, you know, it's bringing back a lot of memories, a lot of memories and, um, how fortunate I really was to, I mean, Brett Haddock and Glen Wesley, uh, Aaron Ward, Nicholas volleen, Doug, wait, Mark Recchi.

Like I got to play with these guys at 23 years old, like had posters of them on my wall as a kid. So, let me, let me ask you this, cause I think there's another element to this and it always comes through with rod. He never lets anybody forget that it's not just about the hockey. Um, and I think in a way that promotes all of the stuff that is related to hockey and because it's, it's always been about the people around you as much as it's been about the, you know, what you do on the ice. It's been about family. Uh, it's been about community at that. To me, that's a huge part of it.

Yes. And Roddy, you know, he amplified that with me, um, type thing where, you know, it's not always about the hockey, but it's about the person you are off the ice, um, and how you, how much family means and we're all family. So type of thing where he always was in control of making sure that hockey was fun, but that wasn't the end game.

Um, it was all about family and, you know, Amy, I love Amy. And, um, so his kids, I mean, Skyler's doing great. So Reese, um, they're doing, they're doing awesome. So he's always been, he's a man you would want to role model yourself after.

There's no question. He, I, you know, it's funny. Uh, I know Rod pretty well and it, it's almost intimidating and it's, it's in a good way.

It's almost intimidating because Rod does embody a lot of the things that we want to be. Uh, you're signing autographs. What time today?

I am on at 4 PM to 5 PM and I was actually hoping you were going to call later cause I'm going to the lobby right now to meet my Commodore and I was going to put him on air with me. Oh, no, no. We'll talk to Kami another time.

Uh, Kami's great though. I love both of you guys. Uh, but tell Mike we said hello. I appreciate your time, Chad. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Adam. Thank you to all you guys. Thanks a lot of Chandler Rose. Gosh, he's so cool.