Tar Heel hoists the Stanley Cup — twice

This story, written by UNC Hussman alumnus Michael Lananna ’14, was originally published at unc.edu.

Mallory Wilmoth ’20 knows how much the Stanley Cup weighs. It’s about 35 pounds and can be cumbersome to lift — especially while standing on ice in high heels.

The UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media alumna hoisted the trophy June 14 in Las Vegas after the Carolina Hurricanes clinched the NHL championship by defeating the Golden Knights.

“Your worst fear ever is dropping the Cup or falling on the ice in front of everyone,” said Wilmoth ’20, Hurricanes’ team operations assistant for three seasons.

“I wasn’t expecting to hold it. It’s not my moment. It’s their moment. I think my face was kind of shocked, like, ‘Oh my God, this is the craziest moment ever.’”

Wilmoth built a “brother and sister” relationship with her hockey-playing co-workers, who made sure the one they lovingly call “Mal Dawg” shared in the glory.

Wilmoth plays a key behind-the-scenes role that “is different every day and can be literally anything.” She works with players’ families and significant others, organizes community appearances for players, arranges scheduling and travel coordination logistics, manages players’ tickets and more.

Wilmoth even took the Hurricanes to see the Carolina men’s basketball team play last season.

“It’s making sure the players know that they have someone that’s in their corner,” Wilmoth said. “No matter what is going on in hockey, no matter what’s going on with their contract or how they’re playing, that doesn’t matter to me.

“I care about them as a person, and I care about their family and making sure that they feel just completely taken care of.”

Carolina roots

Growing up in the small town of Dobson, North Carolina, Wilmoth fell in love with Tar Heel sports after the men’s basketball team won the national title in 2009. Wilmoth had a Tyler Hansbrough poster in her bedroom and was “obsessed” with Danny Green, talking about him like he was a personal friend. “It consumed my life,” she said, laughing.

UNC-Chapel Hill was her obvious choice for college, although whe wasn’t sure what career path she would take. An introductory course at UNC Hussman led Wilmoth to public relations, a good fit for her personality.

When she met longtime director of men’s basketball operations Eric Hoots, he saw her passion and people skills and helped her find a role with the team. Wilmoth worked as a student manager for two seasons, first with the junior varsity team, then with the varsity team in 2019-20.

“That really changed my life and just set the tone for me, knowing what a good locker room was,” she said. “They treated me so well. They gave me an opportunity to just do my job. They never underestimated me for being a girl or anything.”

After earning a graduate degree in sports management at Florida State University, Wilmoth was hired by another UNC Hussman alumnus, Mike Sundheim ’00 to work for the Hurricanes.

The parade

On June 20, in front of thousands of Hurricanes fans in downtown Raleigh for the Stanley Cup parade, Wilmoth was singled out by Hurricanes veteran left wing Jordan Martinook.

“We’ve got one more person that’s an integral part of this whole thing that didn’t get to lift this thing in front of all you people,” Martinook told the crowd. “She is the glue that holds our team, our wives, everything together.

“Let’s start a little chant: Mal Dawg! Mal Dawg! Mal Dawg!”

As the crowd chanted her nickname, Wilmoth hoisted the trophy in the air to raucous applause. The moment still feels surreal, but Wilmoth has no doubts about what led her to it.

“Every little choice that I made, and every little thing that happened once I got to Carolina led to me holding the Stanley Cup,” Wilmoth said. “It really is that true.”