By Louis Fernandez, WRAL Sports

If you look at just the right angle through the glass on the ice in Lenovo Center you might just think it’s 2006. With the folks skating on Monday night, it would be easy to believe.

“It’s definitely unique, it’s very nostalgic,” said Hurricanes fan Lee Phillips.

Monday night marked the Carolina Hurricanes Alumni game. An annual tradition now, where Canes of the past share a moment on the ice.

Head coach Rod Brind’Amour, Conn Smythe winner Cam Ward and Eric Staal, just to name a few. Stall’s number 12 is now in the rafters after a ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

“I looked up at it early when I got out there, kind of a surreal feeling,” Staal said on Monday.

Surreal is fair way to describe this entire night. Many legends from the franchise’s history came back for Staal’s ceremony on Sunday, so might as well play on Monday.

Call it a family reunion.

“We don’t see each other anywhere near as often we’d like or as we should,” fan favorite Ray Whitney said. Whitney played five seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, winning a Stanley Cup in the 2005-06 season. “Once you retire everybody goes back to their respective hometowns and stuff and gets into family life and it’s moments like this that you cherish because you never know if everybody is going to be able to come the next time.”

The fans cherish it too. Phillips played in goal against the Canes alumni team the year of the outdoor game. He has vivid memories of having to face down Brind’Amour and Shane Willis zipping a puck right by his face. Their camaraderie reminded him of his friends and the way they play hockey together.

“It’s super cool to see that they all care about one another, they all laugh and joke just like we do and to play a club hockey team, I think it’s super cool for the community.

Monday night’s opponent, the NC State Icepack, gave the veterans everything they could handle. After trailing 6-3 in the third period, NC State scored three-straight goals to tie it up, coming off the sticks of Ricky Frosch, Austin Finch and Daniel Prazma. Then with 20 seconds left, Raleigh’s Jake Gifford added his third goal of the night, a hat trick, to seal the deal. Icepack win 7-6 over the Hurricanes alumni.

“I’m still a little, just taking it all in, so, I don’t want it to end, it’s a lot of fun, and to share it with these guys, no one can ever take that from us,” Gifford said after the game.

There’s a lot of truth in those words. That glass around the ice, it plays tricks. This isn’t 2006, but those memories, for players and fans, no one can take those away.

“I miss a lot of things, what I don’t miss is practices, I don’t miss arguing with coaches, the travel is okay, you miss being in the locker room,” Whitney said. “We were probably the tightest group I’ve ever played in my 23 years of being a pro, so great being in the locker room with these guys again.”

Source: wralsportsfan.com