As the stadium emptied out and the immediate crowd around me thinned, one of the few tweets of the night that I was able to go through from Carter-Finley Stadium was simple: it’d have been nearly impossible to script the Carolina Hurricanes‘ first Stadium Series appearance much better than what unfolded on Feb. 18, 2023. We’re going to be a little more detailed than that statement today, but from the game, to the setting, to the performances, everything was just about as perfect as anyone connected to the organization could have wished it to be.
The Hurricanes and their fans went home happy, winning in dominant fashion by a score of 4-1 over the visiting Washington Capitals. But this night was so much more than another hockey game and another win in a long string of them for one of the best teams in hockey. It was the celebration of a franchise and a city, validation for a fanbase that has often felt overlooked or under-appreciated.
From the video tributes to the alumni appearances to the fiery introductions, the night was a culmination of 25 years of growth and perseverance. So, today, I wanted to go over my personal experience as a hockey fan of the magical night that was, considering both the shortcomings (spoiler, there aren’t many) and also what the team and the NHL got right. Let’s dive into a night that will forever live in the history of the Hurricanes.
The Game Was Quintessential Hurricanes
First and foremost, the Hurricanes came ready to play and dominated the full 60 minutes. They scored on their first shot, a beautiful passing play from Teuvo Teravainen to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and never let off the gas from that point. The team’s new-look top six has been stellar in the two games since being put together; in the last game against the Montreal Canadiens the Sebastian Aho line was on fire, with Aho netting a goal and an assist, Andrei Svechnikov picking up three helpers, and Seth Jarvis potting his first NHL hat trick. In the Stadium Series, it was the aforementioned Kotkaniemi line, with he and Teravainen picking up a goal and an assist, and Martin Necas scoring a power-play goal with two assists.
Even more impressive was their team defense. I mentioned in the preview that the Capitals were a banged-up team (although Tom Wilson did end up playing, despite the reports at the time seeming to indicate it was unlikely), and without Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson, the offense was obviously much harder to come by. Still, the Hurricanes were absolutely relentless with their pressure on the puck, and when this team plays with that kind of intensity and five-man defensive structure, they’re nearly impossible to even maintain possession against – much less mount an attack on.
The only goal the Capitals scored was midway through the third period of a 4-0 game, a little bit of a soft goal from a bad angle by Wilson. Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen can be forgiven for probably not being super locked in. Seeing that he faced 25 shots was almost a little surprising, and very few of those were of the high-danger variety. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Capitals had just six high-danger chances, while the Hurricanes had 13.
As the national broadcast alluded to, the Hurricanes showed what makes them a Stanley Cup contender. Under head coach Rod Brind’Amour, they may sacrifice a little bit of offense at times with their defensive structure, but that allows them to be as capable as anyone in the NHL at completely suffocating an offensive attack. This is a topic for another day, but their defense is championship ready, but I still think they need to add one more impact piece to their forward ranks to really round out the roster and be ready for a deep playoff run this summer.
From the Tailgate to the Storm Surge, North Carolina Showed Up
We’ll get the one little qualm fans seemed to have out of the way quickly, and that’s that the lines to get in were pretty significant. Now, if someone didn’t expect that to be the case to begin with, I’m not sure what to tell them. The announced attendance was at 56,691; one way to look at that, out of 773 cities in North Carolina, if Carter-Finley on Feb. 18 was a city, it would have ranked as the 17th-biggest in the state of North Carolina (as of 2021 population data). The Hurricanes and the NHL tried to forewarn people to get there as early as possible, and, despite reports of long waits, looking around the stadium at puck drop it seemed that a vast majority of attendees were in their seats. It was packed right away.
Related: Hurricanes’ Jarvis Shines in Win as Trade Deadline Approaches
For those who did arrive early, the atmosphere was electric. Hurricanes fans have been well-known for their tailgating for years now, and nearly tripling the usual attendance impacted that with trucks and grills set up all around the PNC Arena lot. The NHL also had a large sponsored area set up with booths for merchandise, food, drinks, and hockey nets with accuracy shooting competitions, plus the stage where lovelytheband could be found playing a concert. It was a great chance to catch up with familiar faces – and lots of new ones, as I was able to connect with people from all over the country I had otherwise only chatted with on social media or over the phone previously.
A big word I brought up in my preview was validation. This game validated that hockey is surviving and thriving here, in an event that couldn’t even remotely be fathomed a decade ago. Hockey was an afterthought even for years after the team relocated from Hartford, with the Stanley Cup in 2006 when the impact really began to expand a bit (but the path from there was anything but linear).
It’s only fitting that Brind’Amour play such a large role in both of these cornerstone events, and that man alone deserves so much of the credit for this event happening in the first place – and for the current state of the franchise as a whole. The now-head coach truly is the lifeblood of this franchise, the man center stage in the most iconic photo in its history, the leader on the only championship team, and the bench boss that marked the turning point in the current era of Hurricanes hockey. When he took over the team, they became what they are now: a relevant, contending hockey club. Brind’Amour is the Carolina Hurricanes, and seeing him gush over the experience postgame was really special.
The Setting, Other Ins and Outs
As a lifelong hockey fan, I got goosebumps so many times Saturday night that it just about felt like my normal state by the time the opening puck dropped. There was the initial realization of where my seats were – sorry for the subtle flex, but we were in Section 24, Row F. That ended up being the second row, basically right at ice level in the corner where the Hurricanes came out. Then there was the hype video featuring legendary NC State basketball coach Jim Valvano, a neat nod to the neighboring school hosting the event. The late coach will always get a visceral reaction from people from around these parts. Or even just looking around, taking it all in, that this could ever happen for a hockey game in my little hometown in the south. I’m not going to lie, it was legitimately emotional for me.
The setup within the stadium was very neat as well – even if there were a couple of small shortcomings. The fireworks show was stellar. The musical guests, country singer Jake Owen and lovelytheband (again) put on great shows during the intermissions, even though neither genre was my cup of tea (and I think a local artist such as J. Cole or Scotty McCreery could have been more meaningful). The team graphics at ice level were great, and the sweaters that I initially thought were underwhelming really popped under the lights. The sight lines, a big complaint for many other outdoor games, for the most part, were very clear.
I say for the most part – remember what I said about being in the second row in the corner? While it was really cool to watch the Hurricanes warm up with a soccer ball not 15 feet away, or to be within arm’s reach of alumni from Justin Williams to Cam Ward to Erik Cole, watching the game wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. Now, being that low was only an issue for a small minority, but the issue was that the video board closest to our seats was very pixelated. This meant we tried to watch the other, smaller monitor across the stadium, which was similarly difficult to see the puck on. Don’t get me wrong, my group and I had a great time either way, but an easier way to look up and follow the action would have been nice.
The end result was that on a couple of the goals, I really didn’t know the puck had gone in the net until I saw the reactions from the fans and players; even with the goal horn sounding, which seemed pretty low. This actually leads to my next point – the audio was a little weird around the game. There were microphones piping out the on-ice action such as skate blades skirting to a stop, shots being taken, or Necas ringing the post in the third period, types of things that would never have been otherwise audible amongst the buzz of the massive crowd. Meanwhile, I’ve heard from other attendees that some sections of the upper deck couldn’t even hear the PA announcements. Considering how loud the announcing usually is for NC State football, that seemed odd.
Still, overall, the game delivered – and then some. The Hurricanes came out like a team that wanted this to be a memorable game, completely suffocated their opponent, and ensured that it would be remembered fondly for every single detail. Meanwhile, the team and the league dug into the college gameday-type setting, and it set a nostalgic, familiar environment. Having the NC State band playing the classic NHL on ESPN theme song, and the Hurricanes’ goal song, Petey Pablo’s “Raise Up” when they scored, was a unique touch. Add it all together, and it was a dream for a lifelong hockey fan like myself that grew up watching the Tobacco Road college basketball rivalries.
Hurricanes fans have been waiting a long time for this, and they partied the way they should have. It was a truly special night that’ll go down in the history of the franchise. I’m just a humble hockey writer, and I was in the stands cheering just like 56,590 other hockey fans were. I’ve been to and covered a lot of games, including some special postseason ones; but this night was a lot more, one of the fondest memories that will forever stick out within my hockey fandom. I’ll be forever grateful that I got to be part of it, on a night the Hurricanes proved to the world that the game of hockey – and this franchise in particular – is home right here, in Raleigh, NC.