Rod Brind'Amour at Canes celebration: 'The greatest team that has ever won the Stanley Cup'

Downtown Raleigh came alive Saturday morning for the Stanley Cup celebration. The celebration kicked off at 11 a.m. with a parade around downtown. Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell declared Saturday "Carolina Hurricanes Day."

1:20 p.m.: Team captain and Stanley Cup MVP Jordan Staal spoke with gratitude for fans and his team after the parade, and his son even got in on the action with one of the final "tarps off" moments of the celebration as the crowd cheered him on.

1:15 p.m: Head coach Rod Brind'Amour spoke to his team and the crowd, "When people talk about this team, they are going to say it's the greatest team that's ever won the Stanley Cup," Brind'Amour said. "Let me leave you with this, there's no better fan base in the National Hockey League and you guys just proved it."

12:45 p.m.: Carolina Hurricanes players, coaches and crew took turns coming to the front of the stage to hold the cup, and kiss it for good luck. The songs 'Rock You Like a Hurricane', and 'We are the Champions' played in the background. 

12:40 p.m.: Governor Josh Stein joined players on the stage and dedicated the strip in front of the Lenovo Center as "Hurricanes Highway", and Canes mascot, Stormy, displayed the new sign. 

"North Carolina, come and raise up... They said North Carolina is not a hockey state. I ask you, is there anything small about this celebration? In the finals, Staal was an indomitable beast. We love our sports here in North Carolina. These Canes brought us together, and the next time you go to a Canes game, you'll feel the storm surge before you even hit the parking lot because by the power vested in me... that stretch of Edwards Mill Road is now known as Hurricanes Highway."

12:30 p.m.: Tripp Tracy, retired goaltender praised the players. 

Behind the scenes: The Canes players took a moment and grab a bite to eat. 

The captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, Jordan Staal said, "Words can't describe this. I've seen the ups and downs of all of it. To all the guys who have worked to get to the top part of the mountain - the climb was amazing, the peak was incredible and everything in between. To share it with my family, my kids and everyone, you can't describe it. 

Taylor Hall, Hurricanes left winger said, "I thought we got tougher and tougher match-ups as the season went on, and as the playoffs went on. It's so cool being the only pro sports team in town... all those people out there are Canes fans for life, and that's so special."

12:15 p.m.: Crowds early await the team as their buses park outside the Marriott. Over 100,000 people are estimated to be in attendance. 

11:45 a.m.: Grace Hayba met with young fans before catching up with coach Rod Brind'Amour."When we're in the fight, we don't realize the magnitude of what is going on. I'm so happy we can bring everybody together in the city and I love it," said Brind'Amour. "I'm so proud of this city, I'm so proud of my guys."

11:30 a.m.: The team handed out pucks to fans along the parade route. "The joy of the crowd is remarkable," said Brian Shrader. 

"This is hockey town, and we're going to enjoy it and have some fun today," said goaltender, Brandon Bussi, before dropping the microphone back down to Ashley Rowe when she asked about the experience. 

11:15 a.m.: "It is a sea of red," said Brian Shrader as he flew over the crowds in the Sky 5 chopper. He said it looked like the Raleigh Christmas parade, but with way more people. 

11:02 a.m.: The parade offically began.

11:00 a.m.: Ashley Rowe caught up with the NC State band and color guard. She spoke with students Taylor and Colby, who said the team practiced for only one hour and a half before coming out today. They gave WRAL a preview by playing Petey Pablo's well-known North Carolina anthem 'Raise Up'. 

10:55 a.m.: Players continued to sign autographs for fans from atop of their buses.

"I feel fantastic," said Seth Jarvis. "This is incredible, the support we have from these people is amazing and I'm so happy we can enjoy this moment with them."

10:47 a.m.: Hurricanes players talk to the crowd from atop of their tour buses. "Raleigh is the city of champs," Jackson Blake said. WRAL's Louis Fernadez speaks with a fan who brought a giant replica Stanley Cup to the parade. 

10:39 a.m.: The city of Raleigh sent out a text alert telling people to clear the streets so the parade can begin. 

10:15 a.m.: People continued to pour into downtown, the crowd nearly doubled. WRAL joined them, as they played music and danced. Everyone was amped to see the Carolina Hurricanes. 

9:45 a.m.: Pat Welter talks with fans who got downtown around 5 a.m. to get their perfect parade spot. 

8 a.m: Caniacs lined Fayetteville Street in rows three and four deep.

A post shared by Pat Welter (@patwelter)

The Canes released this list of marching order for groups rolled through downtown with them Saturday morning.

• Raleigh Police Department Motorcade
• Raleigh Fire Department Honor Guard
• NC State Power of the South Band + Dance
• Community Hockey Groups
• Carolina Hurricanes Alumni
• Stormy and Carolina Hurricanes Entertainment
• Carolina Hurricanes Foundation
• Good Ol' Canadian Boys
• Shane Willis and Hanna Yates
• Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy
• Carolina Hurricanes Hockey Operations
• Carolina Hurricanes Assistant General Managers
• Carolina Hurricanes Owner Tom Dundon
• Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky
• Carolina Hurricanes Locker Room Staff
• Carolina Hurricanes Assistant Coaches
• Carolina Hurricanes Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour
• Hurricanes Players (Svechnikov, Bussi, Carrier, Nikishin, Deslauriers, Jankowski, Kochetkov)
• Hurricanes Players (Blake, Gostisbehere, Walker, Robinson, Reilly)
• Hurricanes Players (Jarvis, Stankoven, Andersen, Ehlers, Miller, Kotkaniemi, Chatfield)
• Hurricanes Players (Staal, Aho, Slavin, Martinook, Hall)