“In my mind, I’m going to Carolina. Can’t you see the sunshine, can’t you just feel the moon shine?” – James Taylor

Arena: PNC Arena (1999)

Location: Five Miles West of Downtown Raleigh, Adjacent to the NC State Fairgrounds

Games Attended: About a Dozen Games, Mostly vs. Metropolitan Division

Results: About 50-50 Carolina Wins

Seat Locations: Scattered, Mostly Upper Level

Overall Impression: Nice Facility, But Lack of Attendance is Glaring

When you think of North Carolina, professional hockey probably isn’t the first thought to come to your mind. True enough, college basketball still reigns supreme in the Tar Heel State, especially in the Research Triangle region of Raleigh (NC State), Durham (Duke), and Chapel Hill (UNC). So it probably came as a surprise to many seasoned fans when the Hartford Whalers moved to Raleigh in the mid-90s and became the Carolina Hurricanes.

But the Canes found a great deal of success in their first decade or so down South, including a trip to the 2002 Finals against Detroit and the 2006 Stanley Cup over Edmonton in the most bizarre combination of hockey cities. And here we are in 2018, the Hurricanes struggling to find an identity in the post-2006 Cup era. Names like Eric Staal, Cam Ward, and Glen Wesley still adorn the majority of fans’ jerseys, and indeed the franchise still employs two members of that Cup team: head coach Rob Brind’Amour and captain Justin Williams.

I had the privilege of attending many Canes games during my four years at Elon University, and perhaps it was just the games I went to, but the visiting fans almost seemed to have as much of a presence as the Canes’ faithful (the loud foghorn-style goal horn not withstanding). Perhaps for a lack of on-ice success, big-name talent, or simply a smaller market, PNC Arena always seemed like it lacked the same energy as many arenas in larger cities.

Further, the arena’s not in the most exciting place: a large piece of land with little around other than NC State’s football stadium, the State Fairgrounds, and one sports bar. If you’re looking for a city-style atmosphere before or after the game, it’s a ten to fifteen minute drive to downtown Raleigh. And because of the lack of amenities in the neighborhood, most fans simply arrive, enjoy the game, and head home.

Now, the good news is that because there’s not as much fan support as in other cities, you’re able to find stupid good deals on tickets. I’m talking $20-$30 for a seat upstairs or as little as $50 for a decent lower-level seat. So we got that going for us….which is nice!

The in-game experience is okay, but nothing too memorable. After the previously mentioned foghorn after Canes goals, North Carolina native Ric Flair appears on screen to celebrate with a signature WOOOOOOOOOOO!! And of course, Ric Flair makes everything better.

Recently (since 2019), the team has performed a special post-game celebration called the Surge. Following each home win, the Canes circle around center ice and lead the fans in a “Skol” chant before performing some kind of celebration. In the first season alone, we saw a Duck Hunt, some Fishin’ in the Dark, human bowling, and a knockout by the four time heavyweight champion of the world, Evander Holyfield! Definitely something cool to stick around for following a win.

The Canes also have a mascot, Stormy! Stormy is a hockey enthusiast….pig? No doubt a tribute to North Carolina BBQ, but a puzzling choice nonetheless. You do you, Stormy!

Now of course, the South isn’t exactly the quintessential hockey market in the world. But thanks to Gary Bettman, we have several teams in Southern markets, most of which have experienced championship success. The Canes aren’t exempt from that success, but it’s been twelve years, and the lack of historical success has caused some problems the atmosphere at PNC Arena. It’s a nice facility, with room for more than 20,000 fans comfortably, but sadly there are few sellouts. I hope the Canes can sustain some on-ice success so that more and more fans come out, but for now, it’s a disappointing arena experience that you might expect from a small market in the South.

Building: 2 / 5

Atmosphere: 3 / 5

Neighborhood: 1.5 / 5

Overall: 2.5 / 5