RALEIGH, N.C. — As the Carolina Hurricanes compete on the ice, in what is a game of inches, a fan is finding success in another area, while also dealing with change in inches.
Jessica McKnight is a first-time season-ticket holder for the Carolina Hurricanes, sitting in section 101 at PNC Arena. She has missed just one home game this season, as she cheers on the top-performing Hurricanes, who sit in second place of the Metropolitan Division standings of the Eastern Conference in the National Hockey League.
However, what separates McKnight from the other 20,000 screaming Caniacs inside PNC Arena on a nightly basis is how she dresses for the games, wearing a custom-made suit jacket/blazer she buys from common stores, before turning them into fashionable jerseys.
McKnight buys jackets from stores like T.J. Maxx, purchases numbers and letters of different colors from sites like Etsy and then uses her sewing skills to create a masterpiece only she has. It's not a business that makes millions of dollars, although it certainly could.
It's a hobby that allows McKnight to support her favorite player Sebastian Aho, while also supporting the team she loves so much.
"More than one time a week, the thrill of a sporting event is here, right here at RDU, excuse me ... Raleighwood.," McKnight said. "I think it's really fun to do something different, be a little different, and be exciting to cheer your team on. Especially to let them know how you care about what they're doing. To make it epic. It's all about the excitement of us all being together."
Upcycled, homespun fashions have been in the spotlight since mega popstar Taylor Swift donned a jacket made by San Francisco 49ers player Kyle Juszczyk's wife, Kristin.
Kristin Juszczyk's fashions have gone viral, and her sportswear has got the attention of NFL.
McKnight loves sports. When she isn't cheering on the Hurricanes, she's cheering on the East Carolina Pirates, the school she attended back in the day where she was also a track and field competitor for the university. In an area that has so many different teams and schools, she says it's nice to be able to come to PNC Arena and find friends who all have one common goal, to cheer on the Hurricanes.
"The one place in the Triangle where everybody gets along and loves the same team. It's not college basketball. It's not college football. It's not any of that stuff. It's the Carolina Hurricanes. I mean, a Cat-5. They're awesome," McKnight said.
McKnight also appreciates the reason she's a Hurricanes fan in the first place though, acknowledging that North Carolina has been through a lot in terms of weather disasters. Being a Carolina Hurricane means something more to her than what other mascots mean to their fans.
"There's one thing that everybody in this state has been through, and knows a lot about, and that's a hurricane," McKnight said. "Think about the other mascots. Nobody is really experienced in what we've experienced in our state."
McKnight is hoping her Hurricanes can give her something else to sew onto her jackets, as the Hurricanes look to make their sixth consecutive playoff appearance. She's hoping Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour can help lead his team to the trophy he won as a player with the team.
"How 'bout this year ... how bout a 2024 Stanley Cup? We can have a little Stanley Cup patch on the side," McKnight said. "That would be awesome. I think that needs to happen, Carolina Hurricanes. Rod, can you make that happen?"
McKnight says she has no plans of making her custom jacket a basis for a successful business, despite having so many people ask her at games where they can purchase similar jackets. However, she says nothing is out of the question in the future, as she sets out to start a specialized jacket for Aho's mother.