The Carolina Hurricanes are taking their local TV future into their own hands.
Brian Fork, the CEO of Hurricanes Holdings, announced Thursday that the organization is launching its own sports network, which will become the exclusive local television home for Hurricanes hockey. The network will be owned and operated by Hurricanes Holdings, with the team handling production, distribution, sales and marketing in collaboration with the NHL.
“We’re thrilled to launch our own sports network, and provide consistent access to Hurricanes hockey for our great fans,” Fork said. “More than ever before, the organization will have the freedom to deliver innovative programming that strengthens the connection between the team, its fans and its community partners.”
For viewers, the setup will include multiple ways to follow the team this season, with games available through cable, satellite and streaming services. The network’s name, branding, distribution partners, channel listings and direct-to-consumer streaming details, including pricing, will be revealed before the regular season begins.
The broadcast booth is staying familiar. Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy will continue calling Hurricanes games on the new network.
Maniscalco, entering his 11th season with the team and seventh as its play-by-play voice, was named North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year for 2025 by the National Sports Media Association. Tracy, a former professional goaltender, is set for his 28th season as the Hurricanes’ television analyst after being named NCMA’s Co-Sportscaster of the Year in 2024.
The announcement comes after a postseason run that produced record-setting television numbers. Carolina’s six-game Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights was the fifth-most-watched Cup Final on record and drew the largest TV audience for the series since 2019.
TNT Sports also said the Hurricanes’ Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens was the network’s most-watched Conference Final on record. And Carolina’s Game 1 win over Philadelphia in the Second Round became the most-watched Second Round Game 1 ever, topping Devils-Flyers on NBC in 2012.
In Other News...
Hurricanes May Be Weighing A Stunning Gamble With Their Blue Line
Alexander Nikishins first full NHL season gave the Hurricanes exactly what they hoped for from a young defenseman, with the rookie showing he could handle a regular role and chip in at both ends. For a team that has spent years trying to stay in the contender lane, that kind of emergence should have made him part of the long-term core, especially with general manager Eric Tulsky already showing a willingness to think big when the right opportunity appears.
Instead, Carolina appears to be weighing whether Nikishin can become part of a larger move that would give the roster more flexibility or help land a proven difference-maker now. The wrinkle is that the blue line is one of the clubs strengths, which is exactly why this kind of decision carries so much weight: keep the young defenseman and build around him, or use a valuable asset to chase immediate help and accept the risk that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]
How The Hurricanes Lost One Of Their Most Heated Rivalries
For a stretch in the 2000s, the Hurricanes and Devils were the kind of postseason pairing that could shape a franchises identity. Carolina met New Jersey four times in that span, won three of those series and collected a handful of memorable moments along the way, from bruising hits to clutch goaltending to an overtime winner that still fits neatly into the teams playoff lore.
What has made the rivalry fade is less any single turning point than the way the two clubs have traveled in different directions since realignment. Carolina has remained a steady contender while New Jersey has had a harder time keeping pace, and the gap has shown up in the head-to-head results as well as in the recent playoff meetings between the teams. Even so, the old matchups still linger in the background, because the next chapter between them may say as much about where the Devils are headed as where the Hurricanes already are. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Prospect Charlie Cerrato Just Reached A Bigger Stage
Charlie Cerrato is getting a notable next step in his young career, as the Carolina prospect will represent the defending Stanley Cup champions at the 16th annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Chicago from July 28 to July 30. The event, hosted by the NHLPA and Upper Deck, has become a familiar summer checkpoint for some of hockeys top young names, and Cerratos invitation adds another sign that his path is moving from college standout to pro hopeful.
Cerratos rise has been built on a strong Penn State background, where he produced immediately as a freshman and followed with another productive season before an injury interrupted the year in January. He has already gotten a taste of the pro game, too, after signing a tryout with the Chicago Wolves and appearing in one Calder Cup Playoff game, and he is now entering the second season of his three-year entry-level deal with Carolina. [Read more 🡒]