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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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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.

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