Five reasons the Carolina Hurricanes will win the Stanley Cup:

5. Because Andy and Opie are on board
OK, we've heard all the Mayberry jokes already. Floyd the Barber and Barney Fife will probably be wearing Hurricanes sweaters on game days. The folks from Mount Pilot are busing in, too. That said, the Raleigh-Durham area is turning into a hockey hotbed (well, sort of). The simple fact of the matter is the Entertainment and Sports Arena is one of the loudest buildings in the NHL and the fans really are excited about getting the chance to watch a championship team. Sure, a few of the neophytes think their team's recent success gives them free license to become annoying e-mail experts, but the vast majority of the fans are just fun-loving people who are getting their first chance to experience the game at its highest level. Remember, you can't blame the fans for the awkward move that seemed to alienate two towns.

4. Because the Hurricanes' defense is really smart

	Hill

	Wesley

Yeah, we know, the Hurricanes don't have a defenseman who would play above the No. 4 spot in Colorado or Detroit. Still, you have to love what the group has accomplished together. Glen Wesley is a great guy, but he was minus-8 this season. They couldn't get Sean Hill out of St. Louis fast enough. Aaron Ward was a Red Wings' castaway. Niclas Wallin is talented, but is still inexperienced. The two most talented players in the group might be Bret Hedican (198th overall pick in 1988) and Marek Malik. Yet, together, this group has been strong positionally, physical when they have to be and extremely patient with the puck. What's more, no defenseman has averaged less than 15 minutes of ice time a game. That's balance.

3. Because Rod Brind'Amour is a lot better than anyone will admit
If you want to get right down to it, you can say that Brind'Amour is just about the only good thing that Carolina ended up getting from the original Chris Pronger trade -- and for a while, the end result of Pronger for Brendan Shanahan for Keith Primeau for Brind'Amour looked like one of the worst trades in NHL history. But Brind'Amour has been the glue on the ice in the playoffs this season, holding this team together. He plays 24:21 a game (almost as much as any defenseman), is the best face-off man in the NHL, and has chipped in 11 points. While Ron Francis has been spectacular, he wouldn't be nearly as effective without the BBC line drawing the best checkers in just about every game.

2. Because Arturs Irbe has spunk

	Irbe

And, unlike Lou Grant, we love spunk. The little guy from Latvia has endured. He stood up to the Soviet hockey machine in his youth, stood up to the Detroit Red Wings as a member of the San Jose Sharks in 1994 and stood up for his dream as a No. 1 goalie while ferrying through Dallas and Vancouver. Even in Carolina he has had to fight for everything -- and this season he outbattled Tom Barrasso and Kevin Weekes for the right to stand in the Hurricances' net. Irbe works hard, is a great team guy and respects the game. Go ahead and cheer for Dominik Hasek's first Cup if you like, but the guy at the other end of the ice deserves a shot at a championship, too.

1. Because smart, safe hockey will take you far
Carolina has skill and speed and a good amount of forward talent, but you probably won't see much of that during the Cup finals. That's because the Hurricanes have made it this far using an ancient hockey secret called the law of averages. It's not a trap, per se, and it's not what you would call "defensive" hockey, it's called puck possession and smart placement. Carolina leads the league in faceoff winning percentage in the playoffs and also is plus-50 in the turnover department. That means the Hurricanes control the puck. By doing that, they also get to place the puck. Carolina puts the puck in the "safe areas" in the offensive zone, meaning they might get one scoring chance in five possessions, but you're probably not going to get any. If the Hurricanes get a lead, they're murder to come back against. Their goals-against average of 1.61 is the lowest of any team in NHL history after three playoff rounds. And hockey is the sort of game where if you keep the score low, anything can happen.

Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.