Canes Begin Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts By Raising Over $300K

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes took the ordinary and turned it into extraordinary on Wednesday.

Their second of three home preseason games, a capacity crowd of 18,700 did a wonderful job of making an exhibition game on a weeknight feel like a meaningful regular season contest.

What was even more impressive was the way that fans, both those in the Lenovo Center and those engaged at home, rallied together for the state of North Carolina.

Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene over the weekend, the Canes announced on Sunday that ticket revenue from the contest would go to relief efforts. In addition to the $235,000 generated from the tickets sold, President Doug Warf appeared on the in-arena scoreboard before the game, sharing that Wednesday's efforts were just the start of the Canes' aid.

Highlighted by a season-long raffle toward the cause, the team also introduced auction items including jerseys, sticks, meet and greets, and more from players - all generating more money for relief efforts.

By Thursday morning, the total had reached over $300,000.

The togetherness was felt not just by those in the crowd, but also by those on the staff and in the locker room as well. Forward Brendan Lemieux, who scored in the game for Carolina, shared how close this hit home for him.

"My mom's from Vilas, just outside of Boone, and our family is from there. My grandpa and my grandma are buried there. We feel for all the people in Vilas and the surrounding areas. Western Carolina has just been hit so hard," Lemieux emotionally shared. "There's still hundreds of unaccounted-for people..."

Lemieux, who is set to enter his second season as a member of the team, was happy to hear of the efforts from the evening but knows there is still more work to be done.

"I understand how remote and how hard it is to access for people to help, but it's scary and it's something that we can all come together for, whatever side of the aisle you're on and get behind supporting these people that are in dire need of help," Lemieux continued. "I'm looking forward to my first chance to get out there and help."

As Lemieux and his teammates finish out the final days of training camp, their efforts of creating relief funds will continue into next week and beyond.

Several more auction items are expected to be added in the near future and more information on generating funds is expected to be announced next week.

“That’s obviously the most important thing coming out of tonight,” Hurricanes Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It’s everyone coming together and anything can help. What’s going on down there [is terrible] … (Playing hockey) is having fun. They’re dealing with real stuff. Anything we can do to help is great.”

As for how the funds will be used, Hurricanes Holdings CEO Brian Fork, who has an extensive background in North Carolina's political sphere, has been in contact with state and local leadership since Saturday to determine the best ways to assist the relief efforts.

To learn more about how you can help and remain up to date on the Canes' plans for Hurricane Helene relief efforts, fans are encouraged to stay tuned to Hurricanes.com.