Post by Heather Burgiss

Not every Stanley Cup Final lucky charm has four legs, a snout, and hundreds of thousands of fans. As the Carolina Hurricanes head into another big Stanley Cup Final game tonight, one of the team’s most beloved supporters is getting a little extra attention. Hamilton the Pig has been making the media rounds lately as Carolina’s lucky charm and de facto mascot, charming everyone from ESPN Senior Writer Ryan McGee to the team at The News & Observer. A few years ago, Director of Photography, Miriam (MJ) McSpadden, Emily Frachtling, and I had the joy of telling Hamilton’s story for our PBS series My Home, NC. What we discovered was that while Hamilton may be the celebrity, the heart of the story is really the remarkable Eckenrode family, Hami’s Pig Dad Kyle, and the love, joy, and sense of community they’ve built around him. Hamilton has become something of a North Carolina legend, and it’s been so much fun to see a whole new audience discover what so many of us already knew. A special shoutout to Cassie Kiley (Irwin), who loved Hamilton from the beginning and did absolutely fabulous pig PR across PBS platforms. 🐷✨ As Canes fans get ready for puck drop tonight, it seems like the perfect time to revisit the story of Carolina’s lucky charm. #LetsGoCanes #CarolinaHurricanes #Hockey #NHL #HamiltonThePig #MyHomeNC #Storytelling #Film #Filmmaking #NorthCarolina #PBSNC

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