Adam Lee Decker will sing the national anthem again before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night at Lenovo Center as the Carolina Hurricanes try to even the series after Tuesday’s opener. Decker, who delivered the anthem for Game 1, returns to what has become a familiar ritual at Hurricanes home games.
Decker has been the Hurricanes’ anthem singer for nine years, a run that makes him a regular voice inside Lenovo Center as Raleigh hosts its first Final since 2006. “There’s just so much love from the Canes fans, and I’m just taking it in stride and just taking it one day at a time,” Decker said, adding, “Canes Nation has been incredible, and they’ve been great to me, and I just can’t wait to fire off tonight.”
That local connection runs deeper than pregame tradition. Decker is a Durham resident and the lead singer of Adam Lee Decker Music; he built his chops in school choirs, madrigals and a cappella groups and has performed in playoff and regular‑season settings before — including a playoff anthem before Game 3 in 2019 and a 2025 pregame appearance versus Pittsburgh.
There is a small friction in the familiarity: while Decker has been the Hurricanes’ familiar anthem voice for about a decade, the organization does occasionally invite guest performers for special events. Decker acknowledges the moment’s larger scope but still keeps to his routine — warming up by himself in a corner before stepping into the stadium lights — and balances it with family, saying, “It’s cool because they get to watch dad kind of rise to this occasion and I feel like a good role model for them because I’m just me still and just being humble.”
Practical detail for attendees: Decker will appear on the Lenovo Center stage ahead of Thursday’s Game 2, a high‑stakes home atmosphere coming off the franchise’s return to the Final. The Hurricanes are in the Final for the first time since 2006 and this season marks their eighth consecutive playoff appearance; the visiting opponent in the series is the Vegas Golden Knights.
What remains unresolved is whether Decker will sing any other games in the Stanley Cup Final beyond Thursday’s scheduled appearance. For now, his presence is locked in for Game 2; whether the Carolina organization sticks with its long‑running anthem fixture for later home or road games in the series is not stated.
