Carolina Hurricanes: Raleigh is Ready for Outdoor Hockey

History of NHL Events

Raleigh is no stranger when it comes to hosting big events for the NHL, and every time the Carolina Hurricanes vastly exceed the expectations of sceptics from across the league.

In 2004, Raleigh hockey fans got their first taste of an bigtime NHL event when they host the 2004 NHL Draft. The two-day long event was a massive success with thousands, including myself, filling  the then RBC Center. The event was so successful that Gary Bettman even promised to bring the NHL All-Star Game to Raleigh in the near future.

Due to the ownership crisis with the Arizona Coyotes at the time, Gary Bettman lived up to his promise and decided to move the 2011 All Star Game from Phoenix to Raleigh. Not only was it the first NHL All Star Game in North Carolina, but the first under a new format for the All Star Game that turned the usually two-day event to a three-day extravaganza including the players draft, skills competition, and the All Star Game.

Now, it is time for the NHL Stadium Series to make its way down to the land of the pine.

Location: Carter Finley Stadium

Just a few steps away from PNC Arena sits, the home of the NC State Wolfpack football team, Carter Finley Stadium. This modern 60,000 seat stadium would be a perfect and unique location for outdoor hockey. Events can take place in both parking lots, PNC Arena can be used to live entertainment and other uses, plus if you need extra space the North Carolina Fairgrounds is right across the street.

One of the biggest draw backs for the stadium was the North Carolina law that did not allow the selling of beer and alcohol at college venues. Of coarse, you can’t have any huge event without one of the NHL’s biggest league sponsors, Coors. Well thanks to a recent law change, NC State was given the chance to vote on the matter, and they approved.

With that huge obstacle out-of-the-way, we can look more at what will make this venue a unique experience for all who attend.

If you look at the last few years of the Winter Classic and the Stadium Series, most of the games have been played in either profession football, professional baseball, or a large college football stadium. Though it looks good for the NHL with the large attendances, it hurts the fans as many of the seats are vast distances from the ice making it hard to watch.

At Cater Finley Stadium, the stadium is so compact that there is no bad seat in the house. If you sit in the first row, you will be no more that 10 yards away from the action, compared to the 2019 Stadium Classic in Philadelphia where fan were closer to 20-30 yards. Even if you are in the highest seat in the house because of the design of the bowl and the upper levels, you are as close to the action as you would be inside PNC Arena.

The Atmosphere

Coming off the best season the Carolina Hurricanes have had in the last decade, this hockey fan base is buzzing with excitement for this team. The “Bunch of Jerks” took the NHL by storm and they are hungry for more, and what better way to bring more attention to the sport in North Carolina than to get an outdoor game.

Think about how the Carolina Hurricanes were during their 2019 Stanley Cup run. The organization pulled out all the stops to create a playoff atmosphere both inside PNC Arena, but also on Glenwood Avenue on away games. What will Tom Dundon and company come up with to make a statement to the rest of the NHL.

Once the outdoor game does arrive, we caniacs all know what will happen. Thousands will be in the parking lots tailgating hours before puck drop. Carter Finley Stadium will fill up with a sea of red, white, and black for the first time that doesn’t involve college football. Then, the proud fans of “the loudest house in the NHL” will turn this moment into the loudest outdoor hockey game in recorded history no matter what the opponent or the circumstances.

Question for the Cardiac Cane Readers: Who should be the Hurricanes opponent in an outdoor game?