The Carolina Hurricanes playoff clinching celebrations are an absolute joy to watch

This is what hockey, and life in general, needs more of. Hugs, kisses and (consensual) butt slaps.

On Thursday night, with a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils, the Carolina Hurricanes clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2009.  It’s a historic moment for a franchise that has too long languished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and fans and players alike celebrated by hugging, kissing and butt-slapping everything in sight.

Seriously, it is a joy to watch.

Take, for instance, these incredibly emotional embraces among long-suffering fans as it became clear that the playoff drought was over. I can’t be sure, but it certainly looks like tears are being shed.

Or, this kid’s teary howl of pure emotion after the buzzer.

There’s also goalie Petr Mrazek’s emotional post-game interview with NBC Sports that’s mostly just him yelling and hooting in victory.

My favorite though, is forward Jordan Martinook walking around the Canes locker room and hugging every single person on the team like this is the last time he’ll ever see them.

Hockey die hards and curmudgeons across the globe will say the team should act like they’ve been there before, even if “before” was 10 years ago, and that the real victory is the Cup itself, but honestly, it should be criminal to begrudge anyone this kind of joy. The world is a mostly miserable and cruel place, and people’s lives are often constantly disappointing, so when there is one bright spark of joy to be found, in the fact that a team no one believed in at the start of the season actually made it to the playoffs, it should be embraced whole heartedly.

This is what hockey, and life in general, needs more of. Hugs, kisses and (consensual) butt slaps.