The lighthearted moments continued when Staal spoke to the crowd.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy little guy wants to go \u2018tarps off\u2019 for the boys,\u201d he said, as his son quickly pulled his red T-shirt over his head and waved it to the roaring crowd.<\/p>\n
Hall, who joined the Hurricanes in a trade last season, told the fans, \u201cYou guys gave a jolt to my career I didn\u2019t know I needed. Thank you guys so (expletive) much. I\u2019m never going to forget this moment with you here today. This is for you guys, too. This is awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Slavin, who won a gold medal for the United States at the Winter Olympics in February, was greeted with cheers of \u201cUSA! USA!\u201d but quickly put the two accomplishments in perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, winning the gold medal, unbelievable. Honored to represent this country,\u201d Slavin said, \u201cBut winning the Stanley Cup with this team right here in this city, there\u2019s nothing better, baby!\u201d<\/p>\n
Seth Jarvis<\/a> took the stage and first thanked his brother, then said, \u201cNow, for the 23 brothers I have on this stage … we\u2019re the (expletive) champs!\u201d<\/p>\n Nikolaj Ehlers<\/a> came to the podium draped in a Danish flag and quickly gave his teammates credit for making him feel welcome in his first season in Carolina after spending the first 10 years of his NHL career playing for the Winnipeg Jets.<\/p>\n \u201cI loved that place, but coming here, the way these guys took me in was exactly what I wanted,\u201d Ehlers said. \u201cI needed a change \u2026 I got the Stanley Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n When Andrei Svechnikov<\/a> took the stage, rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin<\/a>\u00a0tore Svechnikov\u2019s T-shirt off.<\/p>\n \u201cHoly cow, guys,\u201d the Russian forward said. \u201cSaturday night in Raleighwood. Let\u2019s go! I\u2019m so grateful for my teammates and my coaching staff. And I want to say one more thing: Thank you so much, guys. I love you. You guys are the best fans in the world. We are champions!\u201d<\/p>\n