The Carolina Hurricanes will host their first Hispanic Heritage Night on Tuesday as they return to their home arena after two weeks on the road. The event is intended to honor Hispanic culture and introduce hockey to new fans.
Amy Daniels, Executive Director of the Carolina Hurricanes Foundation, explained the motivation behind the initiative: “We’re incredibly proud to host our first-ever Carolina Hurricanes Hispanic Heritage Night. This night is about creating meaningful connections—celebrating Hispanic culture, welcoming new fans who may be experiencing hockey for the first time, and showing our commitment to engaging a diverse community in authentic ways. From local non-profits on the plaza to dance performances and a special logo designed by a local Hispanic artist, every detail reflects the pride we have in our community.”
A special logo set has been created for the occasion by Medina, a first-generation U.S. citizen living in Cary. The design incorporates elements of both Hispanic heritage and the team’s primary emblem.
Medina described his approach: “To be able to create this logo, it’s special. I’ve worked on a lot of Hispanic Heritage pieces before, but when (Hurricanes Vice President of Marketing Matt Sutor) called me about it, he approached me about it in the right way. He knew how passionate I was about this space,” Medina said. “To introduce a part of my culture to a sport that’s not very tied into it is very meaningful. It means that we get to introduce something to a new audience. I think that’s really important nowadays.”
He also noted his father’s influence on his work: “My dad speaks Mayan and he grew up in a small town that still had tribal members, so he taught us a lot about that,” Medina continued. “He taught cultural upbringing stuff, and I asked him what he’d want to be brought out, he said, ‘Everything that signifies something.’ There are a lot of things that aren’t very rooted when they’re designed. They don’t turn out very factual. He was really big on, ‘If you ever do anything, make sure it’s meaningful.'”
Medina pointed out an additional connection between his family heritage and the team name: “Fittingly enough, the word ‘hurricane’ comes from the Taino word ‘Huricán’, derived from the Mayan god ‘Huracán’, and was picked up by Spanish explorers.” He added: “I just think it’s very serendipitous that it’s the Hurricanes and the significance of where the word Hurricanes comes from. It’s from my dad’s tribe. So that it all just happened, I’m just happy that the significance came to fruition with this project,” Medina added. “I just wanted to do it right and not go overboard with design. It feels really good that it came together the right way.”
The custom logo will appear digitally throughout Tuesday night during various game-related activities.
Daniels emphasized its importance: “Having a unique logo designed specifically for this night was important to us—it’s a visual statement that this celebration is intentional, meaningful, and rooted in cultural pride,” Daniels added. “Walmer did an incredible job capturing the spirit of the Hurricanes and the vibrant energy of Hispanic culture. I absolutely love the design—it’s a perfect representation of what this night is all about.”
Looking ahead at what he hopes people take away from his work with this project, Medina stated: “The biggest thing I want this piece to do is to make sure that when you do things, you do things with purpose. I think this piece here was done with purpose. I really appreciate that the Hurricanes organization is taking the time to really invest in the communities that are in North Carolina and make themselves a part of the area’s fabric,” he said. “Often, a lot of organizations try to do something like this, and it’s just for the purpose of sales or to be a part of something just to be a part of something, but I feel Matt was thoughtful in the process, and the creative team was thoughtful in who they selected and why they selected to work with somebody. We need to be conscious that we all want to be a part of something, and all we have to do is create opportunities for others who want to be a part of something as well.”
