RALEIGH, NC - Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team will host 1,000 first responders who assisted citizens during Hurricane Florence for its Opening Night game on Thursday against the New York Islanders. Tickets for the first responders were donated by team sponsors Lenovo, Pepsi Bottling Ventures, UNC REX Healthcare and Syneos Health.

"We wanted to celebrate and recognize the brave men and women who helped to save lives during Hurricane Florence," said Waddell. "We truly appreciate the tremendous support of Lenovo, Pepsi, UNC Rex Healthcare and Syneos Health in helping us show appreciation for these heroes."

In addition to hosting first responders, the Hurricanes are offering special $40 lower-level tickets to their regular-season home games on Oct. 7 against the NY Rangers and Oct. 9 against the Vancouver Canucks, with proceeds benefiting the State of North Carolina's Disaster Relief Fund. Those tickets may be purchased via this link. The team will also continue to support the One Carolina campaign by wearing One Carolina stickers on their helmets into the start of the regular season. The Hurricanes ran a Hurricane Florence Relief drive in September, collecting 92 pallets full of materials that were delivered to New Bern and other areas in need following the storm with help from Advance Auto Parts.

The Hurricanes open their 2018-19 regular season against the New York Islanders on Oct. 4 at PNC Arena 7 p.m. (FOX Sports Carolinas, Hurricanes Radio Network). For information about Hurricanes ticket packages, please visit Hurricanes.com/tickets, or call 1-866-NHL-CANES (1-866-645-2263).