The Carolina Hurricanes will host their first outdoor game on Saturday against the Washington Capitals, and anticipation is building in Raleigh as more than 50,000 fans prepare for an NHL rarity.
The home of North Carolina State soccer, just steps from the Hurricanes’ regular home of PNC Arena, has been transformed for the latest installment of the NHL Stadium Series.
Well over 30,000 additional fans will be able to savor this weekend’s clash, with the Hurricanes participating in their first outdoor game and the league’s 37th overall since 2003.
Expect a college game day atmosphere with fans throwing parties in the parking lot, as well as a marching band in the stadium before the evening showdown under the floodlights.
Check out this cool time-lapse video of Carter-Finley Stadium setting up for an ice hockey rink ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes’ NHL Stadium Series opener outdoor hockey game this Saturday against the Washington Capitals. ????✨: https://t.co/56yKwEZ77Y pic.twitter.com/wWXl7cJmvq
— CLTure® (culture) (@CLTure) February 14, 2023
On the franchise’s 25th anniversary, the opportunity to host the latest edition of the Stadium Series has been highly anticipated and is expected to be a celebration of the team’s rebirth and return to Stanley Cup contention following the return of the 2006 winner. Rod Brind’Amour, who has led a resurgence as head coach.
Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon said: “It’s fun to do things that are a little bit different, a new life experience.
“So I think the most interesting thing is to do something different, and it fits well in our market between tailgating and college football to be able to do it right there in your parking lot. So, it’s something interesting and different.”
Dundon’s inauguration in 2018 marked the beginning of an overhaul for the franchise as a whole, with average attendance at an all-time low of just over 11,000 in 2016, now triple that number with fans buying tickets to a nearly sold-out crowd. each game on average.
Carolina is perhaps one of the hottest outdoor climates the league has had to deal with, and reflective silver tarps have covered the ice this week to combat Raleigh’s 72-degree Fahrenheit temperatures. However, fine mists of water have been sprayed over and over again to create a dense, compact layer of ice ready for players to break on Saturday night.
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