LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 14: Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes carries the Conn Smythe Trophy after the team's 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. the Hurricanes won the series four games to two. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
As the calendar will turn to September in just a couple of days, that means the NHL season is right around the corner, but there is still about a month remaining until the regular-season opener, which will take place between the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers.
The Hurricanes are the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, so all eyes will be on their title defense during the upcoming season.
Since it’s the middle of the offseason, social media accounts across the league have to get crafty regarding offseason content. Well, for the Hurricanes, they decided to make the following post, which reads:
Take the quiz if you’d like, but the post has since received some backlash, and even the Hurricanes account manager got in on the discussion.
Carolina Hurricanes’ Social Post Goes Viral
GettyRALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – JUNE 20: Players and staff ride in bus floats during the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final Victory Parade on June 20, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina.(Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)
In reality, there is really nothing wrong with the Carolina Hurricanes trying to get some engagement in what’s been a fairly quiet offseason surrounding the team after their remarkable Stanley Cup playoff run, but there will always be critics out there.
Here are some of the comments under the post:
@brandnewpuck wrote: “Thought we would’ve been done with throwing around the phrase “spirit animal” in the big 26 but i guess not”
The Hurricanes X account then responded: “ah, we’ve reached the “complain about things that don’t matter” portion of the offseason”
While most of the comment section is Hurricanes fans just responding with which player is their ‘spirit animal’, that response by the admin of the account garnered a fairly strong reaction.
@puckdiary: “Native people do matter actually this is insane of a response”
@feiprofiel: “Admins need to stop acting like they’re one of us. You are representing the entirety of an NHL team and you’re out here picking fights with fans and completely overlooking the numerous indigenous ppl telling you to not use that term. Be professional and respectful or log out”
@oliviapwhl: “carolina hurricanes admin being racist, team usa players in canadian markets making STATEMENTS that they want to be traded in the middle of their contracts, mike babcock psychological warfare on the midst and training camp hasn’t even started yet…”
I don’t know that I would consider it racist, but perhaps a little insensitive, the account could have gone in a different directions with the wording of the post, but it’s mainly a fun engagement grab to get fans a closer attachment to their star players like Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Conne-Smyth winner Jordan Staal, Jordan Maritnook, Brandon Bussi, Nikolaj Ehlers, and others.
The rebuttal comment itself could also be considered a little bit ‘insensitive’, as the admin of the X account didn’t need to respond to the original comment, which only subjected the account to more flak, but Hurricanes/NHL fans, let me know in the comments what you think about this situation and the ‘backlash’ it’s caused.
TJ French covers the MLB for Heavy. TJ is a graduate of the University of Georgia. He has 2+ years of writing experience.
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Carolina Hurricanes Social Media Account Facing Backlash After Insensitive ‘Spirit Animal’ Post
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As the calendar will turn to September in just a couple of days, that means the NHL season is right around the corner, but there is still about a month remaining until the regular-season opener, which will take place between the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers.The Hurricanes are the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, so all […]
Carolina Hurricanes Social Media Account Facing Backlash After Insensitive ‘Spirit Animal’ Post