Smith: The End

I often find that crafting the ending of a story is one of the more satisfying experiences in the writing process.
Except this time.

Maybe because this is my story, and I'm hyper-conscious of the inherent navel gazing that will likely accompany that.
Maybe because this column, inevitable for the last decade as it might have been, was one I was hoping to shove off for as long as possible.
Maybe because this is the end for me and my time with the Carolina Hurricanes. I've been barreling toward this day for weeks, but now it's here. Now it's real. And this is it.
I don't want to oversaturate this column with platitudes or cliches, but I suppose those are somewhat inevitable in goodbyes.
So, here goes nothing.
For the last 10 years (plus another season as "Mike the Intern," or "MTI" for short), I've had the best job in the world. Childhood Michael is probably furious with Adult Michael right now.
As a kid (read: nerd), I tinkered with creating websites on Yahoo! Geocities, and I've loved writing for as long as I can remember. I fell in love with hockey when the Hurricanes arrived in North Carolina in 1997, just a short half-hour drive from my childhood home. My dad recalls a story of when I ran back into Greensboro traffic in an attempt to fetch a Canes hat that flew off my head while crossing the street outside the Coliseum, but I don't remember that.
I do remember Game 5 of the 1999 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. It was late on a Friday night and might have very well been early Saturday morning by the time the game ended. My sister was asleep at the end of our row in the lower-level corner, but I was still riding the high of Sami Kapanen's game-tying goal late in regulation. That was, of course, until Anson Carter crushed my spirits with the game-winning goal in the last six minutes of the second overtime. Game 6 back in Boston was a mere formality, really.
So, being able to manage Hurricanes.com, write about the team, and, in essence, be a part of the team, has been a true dream job. I've been pinching myself ever since ditching sandwich artistry.
I don't think I could have ever imagined the breadth of insanely cool experiences I'd be privileged to enjoy. All-Star Weekend in Raleigh was unquestionably the highlight of my intern season - and really, my time with the team as a whole. The end of that season was, well, not one of the highlights, but I knew I didn't want it to end there, and thankfully it didn't.
I've been to All-Star Weekends in Nashville, Los Angeles (with Snoop Dogg!), Tampa, San Jose and St. Louis. I'm already regretting missing out on Las Vegas. I've been to drafts in Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Sunrise, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas and Vancouver. I've visited all 30 other NHL cities (also already regretting missing out on Seattle) and been to even more buildings - the now-defunct Joe Louis Arena, Rexall Place, Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum among them. I watched as a small town got a taste of the big leagues in Marquette, Michigan. I fell in love with Traverse City over and over again. Banff was a road trip detour that would never be topped.
Between Raleigh and all those miles logged, I wrote thousands of stories and recorded close to 200 podcasts. There were triumphs and shortfalls, comebacks and injuries and everything in between. I was honored to tell the stories of
Jorge Alves
and
David Ayres
. Sometimes I got to do fun things on camera, like
eat Girl Scout cookies with Anton Khudobin and Andrej Nestrasil
or drink beers with Calvin de Haan.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs were an experience like no other. I was a fan in the stands in 2009 when Jussi Jokinen deflected the puck past Martin Brodeur with 0.2 seconds left on the clock. The many playoff-less seasons that followed were painful. Heartbreak after heartbreak. Seeing, hearing and feeling the raw emotion of the fanbase in 2019 is something I'll never forget. That run to the Eastern Conference Final was pure magic. The bubble was unique in its own way, and the 2021 season was a
wild ride from start to finish
.
Even more memorable than all of these moments, though, are the people I experienced them with.
Working in sports isn't always as glamorous as social media might make it seem. The hours are long and odd. Nights and weekends? What are those? And don't think we're in it for the money. We do it for the love of the game, and for you, the fans.
And the people make it all worth it.
When I was "MTI," I was just happy to be there, but my coworkers made me feel as if I belonged. Returning in a full-time role just a handful of months later felt like returning home.
1400 Edwards Mill Road was, essentially, my home. During the season, my co-workers were my family, and I'm so thankful for the lasting friendships I've formed, not only in Raleigh but around the globe.
Thank you to everyone who has read or listened or watched or consumed anything I've put into the universe over the last decade. The digital landscape has shifted so drastically in my time with the team, but I like to think we did some really good work, and my hope is that we, in some form or fashion, brought you closer to the team you love. That's something Childhood Michael would be proud of.
I'm confident the Canes are poised to succeed on and off the ice, and I'm excited to see what the future holds.
As for what's next for me: TV's Mike Maniscalco dubbed me "The Web's Michael Smith," so, naturally, I'm remaining in the digital content space but doing so outside of the sports world. I'll still be local, and you'll likely find me enjoying a cold Storm Brew or two at PNC Arena this upcoming season. I'm looking forward to the tailgates and to just being a fan again.
If you've made it this far in what is surely an overwrought goodbye column, we've reached the end of The End, what's supposed to be one of the more satisfying experiences in the writing process. It is, if nothing else, a relief to be here - I honestly wasn't sure what this would look like or how we'd get here, but we made it.
It's satisfying to know I got to live a dream, and based on the overwhelming outpouring of kind words this week, it's even more satisfying to know I leave behind a lasting impact. I'm so grateful it happened, and I'm thankful to every single one of you.
Moi moi.