Last night the Carolina Hurricanes scored two quick goals in the game’s waning minutes to put away the New York Rangers. The stirring ovation that followed Rod Brind’Amour’s goal caught the attention of the players and the media. Claimed to be the loudest minutes since the team won the Stanley Cup in 2006, it was one of those special, spontaneous moments that will go down as one of the RBC Center’s finest.

Where does this moment rank in the building’s lore? On reflection, the 9-1/2 year old building has hosted important dignitaries, legendary entertainers, and some of the world’s greatest athletes. In fact, moments like last night’s, the return of Van Halen, Pavarotti, Britney Spears, Elton John, Billy Joel, Celene Dion, Kid Rock, and other great events don’t even break the Top 20. When it comes to special, goosebump moments, not many facilities in the country have a list that compares to this in the last 10 years. ( videos )

1. 2006 Stanley Cup Finals – Game 7 – (6/19/06) The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 to capture the city’s first major pro sports championship. The loudest crowd in the NHL (measured at 121 dB) stood the entire game in an extended moment that will probably never be topped again. ( video )
2. 2002 Stanley Cup Finals – Game 3 (6/8/02) In the third-longest game in Stanley Cup Finals history (just :30 from being the longest ever), the Detroit Red Wings took a 2-1 game lead in the series. Brett Hull forced OT with just 1:14 remaining in regulation, and the game was far from over. Igor Larionov scored his second goal of the game 14:47 into the third overtime, and the Red Wings never looked back en route to winning the cup.
3. 2006 Eastern Conference Finals – Game 7 (6/1/06) – Lindy Ruff quipped that he forgot his cell phone charger after winning Game 6. Down 1-2 with only 1 period remaining, the Canes got goals by Doug Weight, Rod Brind’Amour, and Justin Williams to seal the Prince of Wales trophy and the franchise’s second Stanley Cup Finals appearance in four years.
4. 2006 Playoffs, Round 2, Game 2 (5/8/06) – With just :41 seconds remaining, the New Jersey Devils took a one-goal lead, almost certainly knotting the second-round series at 1 each. Fans headed to the exits, however with just 2.7 seconds remaining, Eric Staal scored the most important goal of his career, sending the building into utter bedlam. Fans were sprinting back into the building and running around on the concourse in complete disarray. Niclas Wallin would go on to win the game 3:09 into OT, giving the Canes a strangle-hold on the series.
5. 2002 Playoffs,. Round 1, Game 5 (4/24/02) – The Weekes Save – With only a few minutes remaining, Kevin Weekes made one of the great all-time saves in playoff history against John Madden. Josef Vasicek would end it, scoring the game-winner 8:16 into OT. ( video )
6. 2001 Playoffs, Round 1, Game 6 (4/22/01) – The Day Hockey Was Born in Raleigh – The Canes were eliminated by the Devils on this day, losing 5-1. The only score came from a David Tanabe breakaway down the middle, yet the crowd’s unwavering standing ovation for the final six minutes (and then some) will stand as one of the franchise’s all-time great moments. It was from this point that the doubters of the Whalers’ move basketball country were silenced, and hockey was cemented as an important piece of Raleigh culture.
7. 2006 Stanley Cup Champions Parade (6/20/06) – Downtown Raleigh was under construction, so the official parade for the champions occurred on the grounds of the RBC Center. About 30,000 decorated fans arrived to greet the team under confetti and fireworks. ( video )
8. 2008 NCAA Tournament Second Round (3/23/08) – Davidson Comes Back on Hoyas – Stephen Curry led Davidson’s rally from a 17-point, second half deficit. The nation watched Davidson and UNC fans create the RBC Center’s loudest-ever basketball moment as Davidson became the darlings of the 2008 tournament.
9. 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, Game 5 (6/14/06) – Tropical storm Alberto hit, dumping 8” of rain on Raleigh in 24 hours. However what really rained on the Canes’ parade, was Fernando Pisani’s theft of a lazy Cory Stillman pass. Pisani scored the short-handed goal that took the series back to Edmonton for one last time.
10. 2002 Playoffs, Round 1, Game 1 (4/19/02) – Battaglia’s Circus Shot – In front of a rowdy Friday night crowd, Bates Battaglia redirected a Marek Malik shot 15:26 into OT to seal a Game 1 win. Bates redirected the sailing shot downward, after which the puck bounced up and over Martin Brodeur’s far shoulder for the win.
11. 2006 Stanley Cup Finals – Game 1 (6/5/09) – Goalie Meltdown –  Rod Brind’Amour scored with 31 seconds remaining as Ty Conklin left the net and botched a puck exchange. The Canes rallied from a 3-0 deficit in winning their first ever Stanley Cup Finals home game.
12. 2001 Playoffs, Round 1, Game 4 (4/18/01) – Brind’Amour Wins in OT – Rod Brind’Amour cemented his place as one of the franchise’s greats with an overtime win that revived the team’s chances in the series. Facing elimination, the Canes were without Shane Willis (concussion) and Team Captain, Ron Francis (concussion), but managed to put the game into OT. Only 14,339 were in attendance (remember item #6?)
13. 2001 Playoffs, Round 1, Game 3 (4/17/01) – After knocking out Shane Willis with a big hit earlier in the series, New Jersey’s Scott Stevens hits Ron Francis so hard that Francis doesn’t know which way is up. ( Video at 1:37 ). The Canes lost the game 0-4 and were down 0-3 in the series. This was one of the darkest, most memorable nights in Hurricanes history.
14. 2008 NCAA Tournament First Round (3/21/08) – A star was born as Stephen Curry led Davidson in a 6-point win over Gonzaga. Curry hit 8 of 10 3-pointers, and scored 30 of his 40 points in the second half ( video ).
15. 2004 NCAA Tournament First Round (3/18/04) – Manhattan Dumps Florida – In one of the classic 5/12 upsets, Manhattan and their zany fans won by 15 points to knock fifth-seeded Florida out of the tournament. Later that night, the Arizona pep band would put on the greatest performance by a pep band in the RBC Center’s history.
16. 2002 Playoffs, Round 2, Game 5 (5/12/02) – Mother’s Day Rout – One game after the “Miracle in Molson” ( video ), the Carolina Hurricanes dominated the Montreal Canadiens and showed, for the first time in franchise history, that they were no longer underdogs. The Canes would win Game 6, 8-2 and march on to the Eastern Conference Finals.
17. 2005 Wake Forest at N.C. State (3/6/05) – Hodge Punched in the Jewels – Wake Forest point guard Chris Paul hit the game winner, and had to be restrained from jawing at State fans all the way into the tunnel. This wasn’t his lowest blow of the game, however. With 12:48 remaining in the first half, Paul gave a low blow to Julius Hodge, sending him into a crumpled heap on the court. ( loud video )
18. Ron Francis Night (1/28/06) – If you didn’t get goose bumps watching the honoring of team captain Ron Francis, then you don’t have a pulse. ( photos )
19. N.C. State beats #3 UNC (2/3/07) – UNC came into the RBC Center with a 20-2 record, but the 12-8 Pack, with first-year coach Sidney Lowe, shot 61% and won by 4 , reviving the area’s oldest rivalry. The moment when Wayne Ellington missed a 3-pointer that would have cut it to one stands as the loudest N.C. State moment thus far in the RBC Center.
20. 1999 Opening Night (10/29/99) – The New Jersey Devils handed the Hurricanes a loss on opening night of what was then known as the Entertainment and Sports Arena. It was the first time that Raleigh had an air-conditioned facility that could hold more than 3,000 people.