Carolina Hurricanes: Three Upgrades Needed for the Arena

The Carolina Hurricanes have made strides in upgrading PNC Arena lately. But what else can the hockey club do to upgrade the game day experience in Raleigh?

1. Outdoor Screens

The Canes added a much-needed upgrade to the jumbotron in the offseason, replacing the existing scoreboard for a whopping 4,000 sq ft Daktronics HDR screen. The new video display is 180% bigger than the previous one and is definitely the first thing you notice walking inside the arena. But what if the Canes were able to add outdoor video boards?

Outdoor viewing would be an excellent way to create viewing parties for away games without utilizing the indoor amenities. Eliminating the cost of cleaning, concessions and game day operations but at the same time drawing people to the arena itself would be a superb way to ensure the fans have a destination to watch those Bunch of Jerks play.

2. Outdoor Aesthetics

This one isn’t as important on my list of ideas, but would definitely add a visual sex appeal to the arena. Looking at PNC from the outside, it looks rather bland with only the arena name and blue glass breaking up the monotonous white cream color. There are a few things the Canes could do to improve the look of the arena they call home.

One thing that could break up the wallpaper look of the building could be to add some red highlighted awnings or pieces around the arena. Not to add a linear look, but to add some texture. Not only would something simple like that make the building more inviting to the eyes, it may also make the building seem more, “aggressive.”

Another idea that has crossed my mind has been a, “Carolina Hurricanes Walk of Fame” on the South entrance by the box office with dedicated bricks or monuments of the Carolina Greats that have come before them leading up to the arena!

3. Parking

We all know where this is going so I’ll keep it short and sweet. The prices for parking HAVE TO STOP RISING. I know, I know, first world problem, right? But when the price of your parking is higher than some of the seats for sale in the arena, something needs to be done.

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The Centennial Authority is in charge of parking prices as they own the actual building itself. But the Canes may have some pull as they are the operators. PNC has 8,000 designated parking spots. If you do the math and assume the parking lot is at capacity, they are making a minimum of 160K A GAME just on parking. It’s highway robbery and it needs to end.

One thing the Canes CAN change is their parking passes for STM’s. After spending almost $2300 on my seat for the season, they try to sell me a parking pass for $500 extra. To me, any season ticket member making that commitment needs to be compensated with a parking pass included. That’s just me and of course this entire article is subjective. Take it as you will.

CC Readers: What other upgrades would you like to see at PNC Arena, both interior and outside?