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Carolina Hurricanes: Raleigh is Ready for Outdoor Hockey

By Zac Hynus |
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 23: Fireworks are seen prior to the 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field on February 23, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 23: Fireworks are seen prior to the 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field on February 23, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)
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Carolina Hurricanes fans have been asking for years when will a outdoor hockey game be coming to Raleigh? The answer is possibly sooner than you think.

With the 2020 Winter Classic taking place at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, more southern markets are being considered for host outdoor hockey games, so now is the chance that Tom Dundon and the Carolina Hurricanes front office have been waiting for.

Dundon has stated in the past he is serious about bringing in either the 2021 Winter Classic or the  2021 Stadium Series game to Raleigh, and he is pushing hard on the league office to get it done. This included talks with the Governor about bringing some outdoor hockey to Carolina and setting things into motion to make it happen.

Gary Bettman, Commissioner of the NHL, even paid a visit to Raleigh to scout Carter Finley Stadium as a possible location where cones were laid out in the shape of a hockey rink on the field to show the possible locale.

The Carolina Hurricanes have so many advantages when it comes to hosting an outdoor hockey compared to most of the southern market teams, and recent events have even improved on our chances. Let’s look at why Raleigh is ready for some outdoor hockey?

RALEIGH, NC – JANUARY 30: Team Staal looks on during the awards ceremony concluding the 58th NHL All-Star Game at the RBC Center on January 30, 2011 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Team Lidstrom won 11-10. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – JANUARY 30: Team Staal looks on during the awards ceremony concluding the 58th NHL All-Star Game at the RBC Center on January 30, 2011 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Team Lidstrom won 11-10. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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.

RALEIGH, NC – NOVEMBER 08: Carter-Finley Stadium is filled with a huge American Flag during the college football game between Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the North Carolina State Wolfpack on November 8, 2018, at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by Michael Berg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – NOVEMBER 08: Carter-Finley Stadium is filled with a huge American Flag during the college football game between Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the North Carolina State Wolfpack on November 8, 2018, at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by Michael Berg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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.

RALEIGH, NC – MAY 14: Fans of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrate in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Third Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 14, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – MAY 14: Fans of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrate in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Third Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 14, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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.

Must Read. Carolina Hurricanes: A Case for a Global Series in Finland. light

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

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