What happened last season in Raleigh was nothing short of incredible. Duke fans, North Carolina fans and N.C. State fans, who during the college basketball season only acknowledge each other with dirty looks, jeers and slurs, took their tailgating skills to the parking lot of Raleigh's Entertainment and Sports Arena and cheered the Carolina Hurricanes right past two of the NHL's most storied franchises and into the Stanley Cup finals. While head coach Paul Maurice hasn't exactly reached Coach K-Dean Smith-Jimmy V status, he is a local celebrity in a state where ice melts faster than you can say Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

	2001-02 by the numbers
	Record: 35-26-16-5, 91 points (16th overall, 7th East, 1st Southeast) Goals for: 217/2.65 (13th overall) Goals against: 217/2.59 (19th overall) Differential: 0 (18th overall) 20-goal scorers: Jeff O'Neill (31), Ron Francis (27), Sami Kapanen (27), Rod Brind'Amour (23), Bates Battaglia (21) 50-point scorers: Francis (77), Kapanen (69), O'Neill (64), Brind'Amour (55)

The speedy, well-balanced Hurricanes thrive in the shaky Southeast Division -- in the Western Conference, their 91 points would have gained them the same status as the Oilers and Stars: a good team left out of the playoffs. But against the expansion Thrashers, the can't-get-out-of-their-own-way Lightning and Panthers, and the underachieving Capitals, the 'Canes had little competition.

When the Hurricanes introduced themselves to the rest of the league during the playoffs, it wasn't with the clutch-and-grab style that was their trademark. They rolled four lines and played solid team defense. They hit. And after a small bump in the first round against the Devils, little Latvian goaltender Arturs Irbe stole the show.

So what if they didn't have enough punch to knock off the Red Wings? They've proved their point -- North Carolina is hockey country and the Hurricanes are a team to be reckoned with.

Looking at next season
The Hurricanes enter the 2002-2003 season with virtually the same lineup as last year. Only Martin Gelinas and his 27 points opted to leave. GM Jim Rutherford spent $36 million in five days and engineered the contracts of center and captain Ron Francis ($11 million for two years), defenseman Bret Hedican ($18 million for six years) and center Jeff O'Neill ($7 million for two years), keeping all of his key players in town. Combined, the three will make $12 million next year, more than one-third of last year's payroll. To keep costs down, Rutherford may deal fourth-line center Kevyn Adams or veteran defenseman Aaron Ward, both very marketable role players.

Francis leads an offense that doesn't have a natural scorer. O'Neill, whose 31 goals led the team last year, comes closest to filling that role. The BBC line of left winger Bates Battaglia, center Rod Brind'Amour and hard-nosed rookie right winger Erik Cole was a playoff success and should stay together, as should Francis, O'Neill and Finnish right winger Sami Kapanen.

If the Hurricanes hope to continue their success, Kapanen will need to be more consistent and capitalize on his opportunities (especially from the point on the power play), O'Neill will have to at least maintain his production, and Cole will need to continue to develop into the aggressive two-way player that 'Canes scouts expect him to be. Young, talented forwards Josef Vasicek and Jaroslav Svoboda will be without linemate Gelinas, but the 'Canes have enough depth up front with Kevyn Adams, Jeff Daniels, Darren Langdon, and Craig Adams to fill the gap.

Defensively, the Hurricanes will have decisions to make. Defenseman David Tanabe, who was sidelined after breaking his wrist in the first game of last year's playoffs, is back at 100 percent. So is Glen Wesley, who returned from a separated shoulder suffered near the end of the regular season and absorbed considerable ice time in Tanabe's absence during the playoffs. With Ward, Hedican, Sean Hill, Marek Malik, and overtime-hero Niclas Wallin, the 'Canes have a mobile defensive crew with some offensive talent. If Ward or Malik are dealt to dump salary, 23-year-old defensive prospect Nick Tselios is also waiting in the wings. If not, the 'Canes will work with eight defensemen. Too much defense isn't the worst problem in the world.

Between the pipes, Irbe, with his throwback pads and style, is as solid of a goaltender that the Hurricanes could ask for. Against Detroit in the finals, he consistently stood up against the Wings' bevy of offensive threats. Backup Kevin Weekes proved against the Devils that he is capable of being more than just a backup.

The Hurricanes' scouts have done well in tabbing key prospects like Cole and Vasicek, while Rutherford has put together shrewd deals, like the ones that brought Hedican and Brind'Amour into the fold. The question is: Will they continue to be a hit with fans in the Tar Heel State?

Both the Carolina Panthers and the Charlotte Hornets had rabid fans at their beginnings. Now, the Hornets have left and the Panthers are struggling to fill Ericsson Stadium. But don't bank on Hurricanes fans falling off the hockey bandwagon. The franchise is committed to winning. Kids are picking up hockey sticks instead of basketballs, and rinks are popping up all over the state. The stands are packed with jerseys and yes, Aaron Ward is recognized when he grabs a fried chicken dinner at his local Bojangles.