“I think one of the things we’ve noticed being here is just the talk everywhere we go. “This city has embraced us,” said Steve Mayer, the NHL’s chief content officer and event producer. Now it’s North Carolina’s capital city grabbing a spotlight for professional hockey in a region long associated with college football.

The game, delayed two years because of COVID-19 attendance restrictions, is set to draw a sellout crowd of roughly 57,000.īeyond Saturday, there is additional significance: It marks another season that the league known for its “Original Six” roots in cities like New York, Chicago and Toronto is holding marquee outdoor events in a so-called “nontraditional” market within its southern footprint. The Hurricanes face the Washington Capitals in Saturday night’s game at Carter-Finley Stadium, home to North Carolina State's college football team and just across the street from their home ice at PNC Arena. “It’s very exciting because we’re going to expose the game of hockey to a lot of people in the region here that have never been exposed to our game,” said Waddell, Carolina’s president and general manager.

It’s the same mix of emotions for NHL organizers, too. (AP) - The Carolina Hurricanes were days away from hosting an NHL Stadium Series outdoor game and Don Waddell was feeling the stress of hoping that everything goes smoothly and the thrill of the opportunity ahead.

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