RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – The Carolina Hurricanes gathered with their fans Tuesday to relish the team’s first NHL championship, the first major pro title in state history, and above all the Stanley Cup – the 114-year-old silver chalice that signaled to all hockey has a home in North Carolina.

“Nine years in the making. It’s about time,” said an impatient Adrian Ionescu, 19, of Cary.

In the team’s second trip to the Stanley Cup finals since the former Hartford Whalers moved south in 1997, the Hurricanes beat the Edmonton Oilers in seven games, unleashing Tuesday’s parade of pickup trucks carting players through a cheering crowd of Caniacs at the RBC Center.

Assistant captain Glen Wesley held the silver Stanley Cup aloft as children in his truck pitched foam pucks into the crowd like they were medallions tossed from a Mardi Gras float.

Other fans waited to hear their hometown heroes trumpet victory on stage, where a band warmed up a crowd at the end of a 90-degree day. Long lines formed for beer and smoothies, while better prepared fans brought coolers and kicked back under the few shady spots.

“They call it a nontraditional hockey market, but there’s all those people out there screaming in the heat,” said defenseman Aaron Ward. “So maybe by the standards of temperature we’re not a hockey market, but we’ve got some enthusiasm out there.”

Bill Murphy, 44, of Raleigh, wore his red Hurricanes sweater and took pride in the life-size replica of the Cup he spent hours building out of cardboard, tape and aluminum foil. He said he engineered the model using specifications he found on the Internet, attaching it to the trunk of his Honda Accord two days ago.

A New York transplant and an Islanders fan his entire life, he wanted his son 8-year-old Brendan to experience his adopted city’s celebration.

“There’s so much history in that Cup,” Murphy said. “Some people think it’s just a trophy, but it’s a way of life for hockey fans.”

Bob Cadran, 55, of Apex, sat on a folding chair under a tree’s shade and sported his new Hurricanes championship baseball cap. The former Massachusetts resident compared the day’s thrill to his beloved Boston Red Sox recovering from a 3-0 deficit in the 2004 American League Championship Series and beating the New York Yankees before winning a World Series for the first time since 1918.

“This is heaven. I called my mom and said this was better than the Red Sox winning four straight from the Yankees and winning the series. This is our home team,” Cadran said.

Tuesday night’s party took on a movie-star, red-carpet atmosphere as the players – some stopping to give high-fives – left the parade vehicles and walked by waving, cheering fans toward the stage.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” said defenseman Mike Commodore. “I didn’t know how many people would show up, but there’s a lot of people here. People are excited and it’s great. I’m glad they appreciate and everybody enjoys what we did.”

The party will continue Wednesday when the team heads to the state House chamber before an afternoon parade through downtown, capping a celebration that started the moment Carolina won the Cup Monday night.

Commodore said he didn’t managed to get into bed until 7:30 a.m. after what he thinks was a “pretty good” party.

“From what I remember, it was great,” he said.

AP-ES-06-20-06 2036EDT