Pay no attention to the haters. As NHL hockey markets go, Carolina is pretty great
Dear Raleigh (and Durham, Cary, Apex, Garner et al),
I’m sorry.
I can’t offer apologies for an entire region, no more than an entire region can represent who I am as a person, but I can also admit when apologies are necessary at a personal level.
Having been part of the hockey landscape in the Northeast for better than 30 years, I’ve allowed my regional affiliation — and subsequent indoctrination into the hockey culture there — shape my thoughts about hockey markets, and specifically their viability for long-term success.
And, yes, some time in the past 24 years, something like, “What the heck is the NHL doing putting a team in North Carolina?” crossed my lips. I don’t remember specifically when that was, nor could I swear to the transcript, but I know that’s about right.
And it was based entirely on the tired tropes I still hear in New England and across the northern tier of the United States:
Location? Too warm.
Fans? Uneducated; No passion.
Youth program? They have no base.
Attendance? Poor.
Conclusion: Move the team ASAP. To Quebec. Back to Hartford. Add another team in the Toronto area. Anywhere but Carolina. Or Florida. Or Arizona. Or (insert market south of Ohio here).
And that’s a thought among more than just the uneducated. Two years ago, a morning host (who it should be noted is not affiliated with the Boston Bruins, nor with the coverage of the team) on the Bruins’ flagship radio station hung up on my colleague here at the N&O, Chip Alexander. He couldn’t handle someone speaking in a different dialect of his own language. Perhaps he should have tried speaking Neanderthal?
I was working in Boston at the time. I heard it. It was uncalled for regional bias at its worst.
The idea that teams in the South don’t deserve hockey because they’re not part of the good ol’ boys network (ironic, eh?) is pervasive.
But it’s also just not true. I never really believed that, but I had nothing tangible to back it up. Now, I do.
Location?
Who cares if it’s warm outside. I’ve attended games in Tampa, Sunrise, Florida, Glendale, Arizona, and Anaheim, California. Modern technology can help professionals make a rink in Raleigh feel like you’re in Rouyn-Noranda. (Never been? Look it up. I’d advise tripling up on your long johns and tuques.)
Heck, having warm weather for the majority of the season enhances the fan experience. Tailgates anyone? Delicious. Just don’t cook Hamilton.
Youth program?
It takes time to build that out, of course. There’s a period of education, and then a period of growth. It takes the pro club building and sustaining a regional product, and it takes a generation of players to grow up around it. This year, three Junior Hurricanes teams competed in USA Hockey national championships. The program is expanding, and sending players to the game’s highest levels. Young hockey players in the Triangle have plenty of resources and a lot to look forward to.
Attendance?
I’m not sure I could count 6,680 red seats (the number left empty per regulations) dotting the white-out towel landscape in the arena before the Caniacs flooded through the doors, like they’d been denied entry to meaningful hockey for more than a full calendar year or something.
Conclusion: The Hurricanes have a truly passionate fan base, one that has suffered more than it should have in the past 10 years. They have a good hockey team — a very good hockey team — with a bright future.
So, to the Triangle region, thank you for welcoming this New Englander, and proving what I kind of, sort of, already knew: Y’all are a solid hockey market.
Justin Pelletier is Deputy Regional Sports Editor for McClatchy, based at The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. He was born and raised on hockey in New England, and has led coverage of the sport at several levels for more than two decades.
