Someone who helped make the Canes what they are

25 years ago I'm pretty sure that nobody forecast an outdoor hockey game at Carter-Finley Stadium with a first-place Carolina Hurricanes team taking on the Washington Capitals. I'm pretty sure 25 years ago nobody saw that. In fact, even 23 years ago people were not sure about the Hurricanes in this market, so they placed a call. Jim Kane, who became the president and COO of the Hurricanes and Gale Force, joined them for a couple of years and I can say the rest is history.

He's also a past ambassador to Denmark, which makes him the only guest on this program that ever lived in a castle. Mr. Kane, how are you? I'm great, Adam.

It's great to hear your voice and be back connected with you again. Well, so I'm just going to ask you the broad brush question. Are you amazed at what this franchise has been able to do in the 25 years? Now, you were a big part of the initial, you know, insertion into the community. They called on you to help with that, not only the community but the business community, but where do you see this franchise today?

You know, Adam, it's an interesting question. I think if we look back on the first couple of years, including those first two years in Greensboro that you remember, yeah, I think I am amazed based on what we saw and felt then. But I think by 2001, you know, you remember we had that great all-star crusade where the fan and the community's base really stepped up and supported the team and bought season tickets. We had the great run in 2002. I think many of us knew then that there was something special and magical that could happen to this community and to this team. And it did. You know, did I foresee this stadium series game on the ice?

Heck no, I don't think anybody even knew that that was a possibility back in those days, just from a technological point of view, nothing else. But to go from where we've been, I mean, you know, we had the draft, and then we had the all-star game, and then we had the Stanley Cup finals, we had the Stanley Cup championship, you know, and now this. It's just an unbelievable success story for a sports franchise, and it's really a testament to this community and the fan base.

So there's two different communities here, and I have a number of questions I want to ask you, and I know time is short and you're a busy man, but what's the difference between a fan base and then the business community, which are really two separate entities and both must be cultivated for a franchise to have success? Yeah, and you know, early on, unlike most markets where a news professional sports team comes to town, there was no campaign to get the community, either community, the fan base or the business committee behind this team before it moved down. As you remember, in 1996, Gary Bettman basically called and said, look, we have an owner who needs to relocate to Harvard Letters.

You guys want to talk to him? And, you know, leaders in the community said, yes, we do. And the team came down. But at that point, you know, there were there was no pre sort of prepared, structural basis support, either in the business community or in the fan base. So and of course, the hurricanes were a new brand, a new team, a new logo. And so, you know, we had to sell.

And, you know, the early days, as I say, were tough. But but I think once the organization began really respecting the collegiate atmosphere of the region and understood that this community was looking for something to rally around, we'd all been, you know, we'd all been separated by collegiate loyalties over the years, but we finally had something we could rally around. The fan base came forward and then the business community realized that, you know, if we're going to really be a world class market like we want to be, then the business community is going to have to support this this one professional sports franchise that this community has. And they did. And it's in great support, thanks to, you know, some business leaders like the Bob Ingrams and the Jim Goodnights and the Jim Goodmans and others that the business community got behind the team.

And it's it's been just a tremendous success since then. Jim Cain is joining us past president and COO of the Carolina Hurricanes and a former ambassador to Denmark. I'm probably more jealous about that than I am your your position with the Hurricanes. When you first joined the organization, did you find pushback in the community? Because, you know, hockey is in northern, blah, blah, blah, then the northern part of it. And because we are such a college basketball and college sports area.

Yeah, pushback may be a hard word. There was indifference, I think is probably the right word early on. And, you know, we'll remember what I've been in Raleigh for 40 years. Many of the traditional sort of folks who are from this area just didn't embrace the team. Their loyalties were, as you say, to their basketball teams, Duke of Carolina or Wake Forest or NC State. And it really was the people who had relocated from other markets, from bigger cities that had NHL teams, wherever they may be, who were the first sort of loyal fan base. I mean, some of those fans drove to Greensboro and followed us back to Raleigh in 99. And it wasn't really, I think, until that first run to the Stanley Cup finals in 2002 that really the entire community, even those folks who, you know, were a long time inside the beltline, Raleighites or, you know, Chapel Hill, UNC, Tar Heel loyalists, really decided to embrace this team for what it could be. And I think since then, nobody's looked back.

Everybody, I think, has been locked up in support through the good times and the bad times. I know we've had some seasons that haven't been all that successful, but, you know, the fans have been there. And we started out as the loudest arena in professional sports, and we still are. Jim Cain is joining us.

Here's what's interesting to me. It took a long time. The Hurricanes went without a playoffs berth from the end of the 2010 season until 2019.

So it was nine years, almost an entire decade, without being in the playoffs. It took a long time for the fans to go away, and they came back in a hurry. Most of the time, there is a year lag before the fans come back. But by the end of the 2019 season, which is probably at least half a year earlier than expected, the fans were back. They were just waiting to do this. So when we see everything that's going on this week, you know, Cam Ward's going to become a Hurricanes Hall of Famer tomorrow night at PNC Arena.

That's going to be fun. You see, we're going to see Fayetteville Street blocked, just packed with FanFest activities on Friday and Saturday and the tailgating. What do you think about when you see all of these things going on? Well, I think about what just a wonderful part of the country we're blessed to be in, because these are, you know, this is a part of the country where people enjoy getting out. They enjoy sports. They enjoy the, as I've said, the collegial atmosphere of our region, and they enjoy having something to pull together and rally around as a region. When we set out to get a team here back in the mid 90s, you know, we were the largest video market in America that didn't have a professional sports team. And we had great sports traditions, but not a team. And this team eventually really became the one major sort of cultural and entertainment and sports event or entity that everyone could rally around.

Didn't matter where you grew up, didn't matter what color you wore at college, you could pull for this team. And you see that now with just the enthusiasm for the FanFest, for the game on Saturday, for the alumni game on Monday, which I'm kind of excited about. And yeah, it just, it's a real testament to the spirit and enthusiasm of the fans of the region and the leadership of the region. And the media, Adam, you and your colleagues are a big part of this.

I remember we were trying to convince the fans to start buying tickets and to get that All-Star game here. You know, you and your colleagues in the media were a big part of why we were successful doing that. We all appreciate what you've done.

Well, thank you very much. We don't do it because we're asked to do it. We do it because we think the community will like it. And I've always said that about it. I never told, I have never told one person that, oh, you have to go to a game to appreciate it, even though that's true. Like, you'll make your own decisions. I'll just say it's fun. And I think, especially when you can rally around a pro team.

So my question for you is this. Can you explain, smart guy that you are, weight grad and all, can you explain why PNC Arena for hockey games is still anti-U.N.C.? What do you mean anti-U.N.C.? Oh, they boo Roy Williams when he comes in the jumbotron. They boo Tyler Hasbro when he comes in the jumbotron. I don't understand it. I don't know. No, I can't explain that. It's kind of like, you know, when they boo Dak Prescott for getting the, you know, Man of the Year award.

I think that's just horrible. It's the deep-seated rivalries between our three local universities, of course, that go way back. But as I say again, uh, this team finally gave us something we got all pulled for. I remember in the, uh, in the middle of that, uh, first, um, playoff run, we had the, uh, NNO, they had this, uh, editorial cartoonist named Duane Powell.

There's some wonderful editorial cartoons. And Duane had the three mascots, uh, NC State, Carolina, and Duke, walking up to the ticket box at the PNC arena, all in trench coats and in the skies. Like, they didn't want to be seen there, but they're all walking up to buy tickets to the playoffs. And I remember thinking that's exactly what captured the spirit of how this community came together. We, we all, you know, had these intense rivalries, but finally we had something we could rally around. And it's just, it's really exciting to see these 25 years later.

All right. Final thing, a little bit more serious because everybody's talking about the development around PNC arena and the expansion of the arena, optimistic that all parties are going to be happy here. Happy. Look, I think I'm optimistic that something will finally happen. It's been 25 years. We all had this dream, you know, two and a half decades ago that there would be more development around the arena. Uh, but I think now with the ownership we have with the vision and the leadership at NC state, I'm a big fan of Randy Woodson's, uh, with the leadership in the, at the city and county level.

Yes, I am at him. I am optimistic and hopeful. I'm not at all involved in it, but I do think that now we realize what this engine of economic development and entertainment can mean for the region. And I think we'll all come together. Everybody, everybody won't be totally happy in the end, but I think that's okay. We'll be some compromises around the table and we'll get something exciting done for that part of the triangle. Yeah.

Ambassador Jim Kane, former ambassador to Denmark, who once lived in a castle and was also for a time, the president and COO of the Carolina hurricanes. Thank you very much for your time, sir. I will see you soon, hopefully. And, uh, I appreciate everything. Thank you. See you at the big game. Thanks Adam. You got it.

Jim Kane here on the Adam Gold show. Imagine living in a castle. I know I can't, but that'd be cool. Probably a little creepy. No, no, no, no. It's a cool castle. He once sent me a picture of it. Oh my gosh. Just what a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful living. Uh, you know what?

I didn't ask. Oh, that'd be cool. Any, any castle worth its salt needs to have has a moat and a drawbridge and as a front door, maybe a little alligator on the moat or piranha piranha in Denmark. Those people are too nice for a person. They are. They probably just have snacks at the gate. Welcome to the castle. Snacks. They have Danish. Nevermind.