‘The more the merrier.’ Hurricanes to allow more fans at Saturday’s home game
The timing couldn’t be much better, not for the Carolina Hurricanes.
After two hard-earned road wins over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Canes return home Saturday to PNC Arena to go head-to-head with the Tampa Bay Lightning. There will be more fans in the arena, more noise, for the matchup between the two Central Division leaders.
In the past six home games, PNC Arena attendance has been limited to a little more than 2,900 fans -- albeit a hearty 2,900 -- and the Canes said the fans have been heard, their presence felt.
“You definitely notice it,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said on a media call Thursday. “For having such a small amount of people in the building, it feels like there’s a lot more. I appreciate the fans that have come and their willingness to do a little extra knowing that they need to create that energy.
“The more the merrier.”
Gov. Roy Cooper said this week that pandemic restrictions for indoor arenas were being further eased. While the Canes have not announced an official figure, it’s believed about 4,500 fans will be allowed Saturday for the Lightning game.
“When they announced that we were going to get 2,900, everybody was thinking ‘I don’t know how loud it will be,’” Canes forward Jordan Martinook said Thursday. “Then when they get in there, it’s incredible how much energy they give you.
“Hockey’s not the same without fans. The energy and the flow they provide, I can’t really explain it. When they get going, you get going. It’s momentum and adrenaline all in one.”
Keeping PNC Arena safe
Cooper’s new executive order said attendance at indoor arenas could reach 50% of capacity. In the Canes’ case, that would mean more than 9,000, but safe-distancing requirements will keep the number lower.
The Canes and PNC Arena have a number of health and safety guidelines for all events. The NHL required their arenas to meet certain air-flow and air-quality standards before allowing fans, and the testing was done at PNC Arena..
“Most arenas are seeking out the best practices as to what we ought to do,” said Jeff Merritt, executive director of the Centennial Authority, the arena landlord. “Air quality is a top-line issue for us and we will keep researching it.”
Seating areas at PNC Arena are sanitized with electrostatic sprayers and EPA-approved disinfectant, and door handles, railings and countertops are constantly sanitized. There are 40 touchless hand sanitizing stations in the arena.
Canes president and general manager Don Waddell said he talked with Gov. Cooper when fans were first allowed in.
“I said to him, ‘Let us prove to you we can do it the right way and do it correctly,’ and I think everything has gone smoothly so far,” Waddell said in a recent interview.
The Canes first had fans at the March 4 game against Detroit and have scattered the fans throughout the arena, which seats 18,680 for hockey. If 4,500 do attend Saturday’s game, it would be one of the largest attendance figures in the NHL during the pandemic -- Columbus announced 4,033 for the game Thursday at Nationwide Arena.
“Hopefully we can keep building on that because we’ve got an exciting team to watch,” Brind’Amour said. “If we can get the fans in there, I think that only will help us.”
The Canes are three points behind Lightning
The Canes (22-7-3) tightened the Central Division standings with their victory and some help from Dallas, which beat the Lightning (24-7-2). Ditto the Chicago Blackhawks, who shut out the third-place Florida Panthers 3-0.
Tampa Bay, the 2020 Stanley Cup champion, continues to lead the division -- and the NHL -- with 50 points. The Canes have 47 points and the Panthers 44, and the Canes have one game-in-hand on both.
In their four-game set with Columbus, the Canes lost the first two at home, in overtime and then a shootout. They then faced two on the road against the Blue Jackets but won 3-0 and then 4-3 in overtime Thursday on a Sebastian Aho goal, and with rookie goalie Alex Nedeljkovic in net for both.
The Canes did not practice Friday. It was expected Brind’Amour would go back to goalie James Reimer against the Lightning, although he could stick with Nedeljkovic again. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had a 12-game winning streak end Thursday in Tampa Bay’s 4-3 loss to the Stars.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Tampa Bay Lightning
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh
Watch: FSCR
This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 1:46 PM.
