The Perfect Opponents against the Carolina Hurricanes for the Outdoor Game
With each passing rumour the chances of the Carolina Hurricanes playing an outdoor game next season rises. So who should the other lucky team be?
Ever since Tom Dundon took the reins of the Carolina Hurricanes, he has made one thing clear; he wants an outdoor game and he wants in Carolina. That has taken people by surprise when he first mentioned it. An outdoor hockey game in the south? What was he thinking? Well perhaps he isn’t as crazy as he is coming off.
To quote The Six Million Dollar Man, “We have the Technology”. And sure enough, an outdoor game in North Carolina wouldn’t even be first time a game will have been played in the south. The Nashville Predators plan to take on the Dallas Stars on New Year’s Day in the first Winter Classic to be played south of St. Louis, MO.
Now chances are they won’t be playing another Winter Classic in the south on back to back years, but that does open us up to a Stadium Series game. Speaking of stadiums, look what has shown up at Carter-Finley Stadium, home of the NC Wolfpack, for the second time in as many years:
https://twitter.com/CardiacCane/status/1199015078605008897
Now if you are wondering why there would be cones set out on that field in the shape of a big round oval, you aren’t alone. No, it isn’t the marked receptions for the entire season of the Wolfpack! The NHL heads are in town once again. The cones are there to show them just how perfect an outdoor rink would look like on the grass across the street from PNC.
And what a sight it is. Carter-Finley has one of the best sight lines of sports stadiums across America. The bowl itself is tighter and smaller at the bottom putting the fans that much closer to the field and ultimately the rink. While this is all still conjecture at this point let’s look at some of the possible matchups that might get played on that very field.
Columbus Blue Jackets
It’s almost a shame that the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars are getting their outdoor game this season. Either of those teams would be excellent matchups for the Carolina Hurricanes as a battle of the south. Nashville vs Carolina would have to be called the Barbeque Classic. Think of just how enraged the gatekeepers of the north would be. Simmer in it.
Alas with those two teams battling it out that leaves six other teams remaining without an outdoor game to include the Carolina Hurricanes. Now there is a huge possibility that they opponent is a massive market team that can help ensure it is a sellout and keep the revenue coming for the league. But is that necessary with Carolina?
A few years ago I might have had to say yes. But the Carolina Hurricanes have shown that they are more than capable of filling the building and perhaps even a stadium when it comes to big events such as the playoffs and perhaps even an outdoor game. This team is finally a good team once again and the fans are returning in droves. so why not pick a team that has yet to play outside?
That brings us to the Columbus Blue Jackets. They, along with the Hurricanes are one of the six teams that have yet to play an outdoors game. They are the only team on that list that are a division rival. Question becomes can they draw enough of their fan base to help fill in the 57 thousand seats that Carter Finley features?
Washington Capitals
Speaking of division rivals in massive hockey markets, let’s take a moment to talk about the Washington Capitals. Yes, they have already played in three outdoor games. Yes, they JUST had one a little under two years ago at the Naval Academy. But they are our most eccentric rival. You cannot deny that.
The seven game playoff series to open the playoffs showed just how much these teams are a good rivalry. The teams know it too, throwing shade at each other via twitter in some of the most hilarious ways. But is that enough to justify giving the Capitals their fourth outdoor game in a ten year span?
One would argue that the Chicago Blackhawks got away with having one every year for four straight years and the New York Rangers had TWO in a single season (both technically away games due to the tax regulation of Madison Square Garden) so why not allow Washington another one? They are one of the most cherished franchises in the NHL.
While I would love to tell you that nothing would excite me more than facing off with the villainous Washington Capitals outdoors on a brisk winter day defeating them while scoring goal after goal to thousands of Carolinians raising up and waving their shirts over their heads like helicopters causing the stadium to slowly lift off the ground and rock to the cheers of the crowd, there just might be a better team.
So hear me out, the next page has my perfect opponent for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Yes the Tampa Bay Lightning. Why are they the perfect opponent? They check pretty much all the boxes. They are one of the six teams that have not played an outdoor game in the NHL (the other three are the Panthers, Vegas, and Coyotes). They are a big market team, with their current average attendance sitting at eighth in the league. While they aren’t a division rival they are a conference rival.
This would put the battle of the south back on the table as the two arguably largest teams in the south east. It could also be considered the battle of the pirate states as both the Carolinas and Florida have a history with pirates. But even more interestingly this would be a battle of teams with diagonal jerseys:
🔴C
— Cardiac Cane (@CardiacCane) November 26, 2019
A
N
E
S
🌀vs⚡️
🔵B
O
L
T
S
Stadium Series.
Carter Finley, Raleigh, NC
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Hear me out, home red jerseys for Carolina, but instead of the regular Hurricanes logo, go with white diagonal lettering spelling out CANES and the storm flags on the shoulders much like the new aways. White offset on the arms and black edged warning flags at the bottom. Red Helmets with white 3D decals. Basically an inverse of the new away jerseys.
On the other end of the ice for the Tampa Bay Lightning their deep blue Jerseys but instead of the regular lightning logo, we have white diagonal lettering spelling out BOLTS with their regular thunderbolts on the shoulders, not much unlike their third jersey from 2014-2015 (seen below). Black offset at the arms and white trim at the bottom. Blue helmets with white 3D decals.
Red versus Blue. How clean and beautiful would that be. Now this is nowhere near a perfect concept and it is a perfect matchup for me individually. There are those who would rather us face another team such as Washington or even the Panthers. There is nothing wrong with that. I absolutely respect that. But for me, this would be the best alternative to seeing them face the Preds.
Question for CC readers: Which team would you like to see the Carolina Hurricanes face off against in an outdoor game at Carter finley?
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