Tripp Tracy, voice of the Canes, breaks silence on Twitter before Game 6

Raleigh, N.C. — Carolina Hurricanes fans responded with supportive messages Saturday when Tripp Tracy, the longtime voice of the team, posted on Twitter for the first time since his concerning tweets about alcohol use a month earlier.

Tracy, who announced in April he would take a leave of absence from the team, posted a photo with his mother, writing, "Cannot properly express my gratitude to Canes, The Hockey World, and Huge Caniac Nation for your amazing support."

He also wrote that "digging in" is "for me, owning mistakes, acceptance and doing the work. Wonderful path. Go Canes."

The tweet comes as the Canes prepare for Game 6 against the New York Rangers, a game that could send them to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Tracy, who has provided color commentary on Fox Sports and now Bally Sports South for more than two decades, posted a series of tweets in April that alluded to battling addiction, some of which were deleted.

“Tripp is going to take some time away from the team and the broadcast to address a personal matter,” said Hurricanes President and General Manager Don Waddell. “We are in full support of his efforts to get healthy and ask that everyone please respect his privacy in this matter."

The first tweet mentioned Tracy has a drinking problem. The second tweet went more in-depth about the difficulty of trying to quit.

Both tweets contained typos. The second read, "For those who struggle with drinking, trust me I have tied (sp) harder than anything else I've done in my whole life ... but on this one I finally surrender."

Tracy's account tweeted again the next morning, adding he was "disgusted" over being "an extremely unimpressive distraction" in reference to the Hurricanes winning the division.

Canes fans have flooded the internet to show their support and love. Shane Willis, who formerly played for the Hurricanes and currently serves as an analyst during the Hurricanes LIVE pregame and postgame shows, filled in for Tracy on Tuesday.

Tracy, 48, has become popular in Raleigh and across the league for his ability to mix in humor and an offbeat, energetic personality with his hockey insight. His oft-used phrases 'dig in' and 'huge caniac' have become focal points on social media and in fan circles.

Tracy played collegiately as a goalie for Harvard University and was drafted in 1993 by the Philadelphia Flyers. He played in the ECHL and AHL for several years before joining Carolina.

WRAL multiplatform producer Ryan Bisesi contributed to this report.