The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They are the only major league professional sports team in North Carolina to play in Raleigh; the state's other two major franchises, the NFL's Carolina Panthers and the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, are based in Charlotte. The Hurricanes were formed in 1971 as the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association (WHA), and joined the NHL in 1979 as part of the NHL-WHA merger, renaming themselves the Hartford Whalers. The team relocated to North Carolina in 1997 and won its first Stanley Cup during the 2005–06 season, beating the Edmonton Oilers.