The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1493632
50 ■ THE WOLFPACKER NHL's Stadium Series Visit Was A Victory For The Game's Hosts Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. PACK PERSPECTIVE BY TIM PEELER W hen NC State drained a small re- search pond adjacent to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in the fall of 1964 to begin construction of its long- awaited football stadium, coach Earle Ed- wards and those in charge of building it dreamed small. All they wanted was a new place for the Wolfpack to play a couple of ACC teams and a few nonconference opponents, something that crumbling Riddick Sta- dium did not provide. State only sched- uled a few games a year at the on-campus facility. They never really wanted a showplace that could host major league sporting events, but they got one anyway. Unlike Reynolds Coliseum or PNC Arena, Carter (now Carter-Finley) Sta- dium wasn't intended to host concerts, special events or NHL games. On Feb. 18, however, the NHL brought its Stadium Series outdoor game to the venue across from PNC for the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals to play in front of one of the largest crowds in stadium his- tory, announced at 56,981 people in wool socks and heavy jackets. With hours of tailgating, a Jim Valvano pregame speech, former basketball play- ers David Thompson and Dereck Whit- tenburg introducing the home team and football coach Dave Doeren on field level, the NHL and Raleigh Sports Alliance gave a serious nod to all things Wolfpack. The NC State marching band led the Hurricanes from PNC's front door across Dail Plaza to the north entrance of Carter- Finley. It was all smiles and happy faces, so much so that UNC fans complained bit- terly that the Hurricanes' red-and-black was nothing but an advertisement for NC State's red-and-white. There was more to it than branding, however. Since the franchise moved to North Carolina in 1997, there has been an underlying and sometimes visible strain between Hurricanes owner Gale Force Holdings and NC State, which are the co- tenants of PNC Arena, under the leader- ship of the Centennial Authority. Originally, the disputes were over small matters like the exact color of the red seats in the arena or major concerns such as the number of dates NC State would be al- lowed to rent the arena from its Centennial Authority landlord for men's basketball games, commencement addresses and other school-sponsored events. When original owner Peter Karmanos Jr. sold the Hurricanes to Tom Dundon in 2018, the relationship changed even more. The Hurricanes commissioned a study that looked at how to develop the land north of the arena and the possibil- ity of turning parking spaces to parking decks. That would cut into the hours-long tailgating that Wolfpack and Hurricanes fans engage in before, after and sometimes during home games. None of those strains or stresses were visible during the outdoor game, nor should they have been. The NHL event made the two organizations put on their get-along sweaters, and there were good feelings all way around, even if the players opted to enter the stadium wearing golf- style tam-o'-shanter caps and plus-four pants in tribute to 1999 U.S. Open cham- pion Payne Stewart. Carter-Finley, home to the Wolfpack football team since its opening in 1966, never looked better, except for the soon- to-be-replaced scoreboard. The $210 mil- lion invested by Wolfpack Club boosters since 2000 has turned it into a substantial venue for the area's biggest events. Operationally, there were the same traf- fic complaints that plague all non-football events at Carter-Finley, like the concerts by Beyonce in 2016, the Rolling Stones in 2015 and U2 in 2009. It goes all the way back to the inaugural NFL exhibition game in 1967 between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, for which kickoff was delayed 15 minutes because of traffic snarls for the first night game in stadium history. The NHL helped set the expectations, opening the gates more than six hours before puck drop for the Saturday night game. One day, folks coming into the North Carolina State Fairgrounds com- plex will embrace that parking is not re- served like at football games and that in- gress and egress are going to be difficult, especially as the city of Raleigh and Wake County continue to make major renova- tions to the roads around the complex and the Beltline. Still, with the Hurricanes celebrating their 25th anniversary in North Carolina, it felt like a significant event in which the professional franchise and NC State had a truly integrated partnership, a comple- mentary effort to show off everything good about Raleigh and the Research Tri- angle. There was also a second game two nights later on the same ice, with 24,000 fans turning out to watch the NC State Icepack club team defeat its counterpart from UNC-Chapel Hill, 7-3. The erector set originally built on a small research pond held its own for the Stadium Series and showcased the best NC State and the Wolfpack had to offer. ■ A crowd listed at 56,981 attended the NHL's Stadium Series matchup between Carolina and Washington on Feb. 18. The Hurricanes won the game 4-1. PHOTO BY TIM PEELER