Game #16: Carolina Hurricanes (March 28, 2015)
March 29, 2015
With 14 effective sell-outs of the first 15 games I have attended, I knew this game would be a bit light for fans, but it wasn’t light for entertainment and fan frenzy.
The PNC Center is located about 15 minutes away from downtown Raleigh, and it’s another arena with plenty of fun going on before the game starts. For tonight’s game, there was a fun-zone area for kids to play, a street hockey surface, and a live band performing for people who arrived early for the game.
This was the first game where I just walked up to the window and bought a ticket – in previous games, I purchased my tickets in advance. There were no line-ups, and I was able to buy my favourite seat (14 rows up, and at centre ice) for a little over $100.00. And this seat provided a club section to order food and drinks at the top of the stairs, an area with incredible elbow room.
Walking around other areas of the arena showed ample space to move around, and while it’s fair to state that the game was not a sell-out, I could imagine this would still be the case in games which were sold out.
There were a lot of great food options to consider, but as I usually do, I deferred to the regular fans who suggested that I try the BBQ pulled pork sandwich. It did not disappoint, and we may have a new “leader” in my favourite arena food so far in my trip.
This next picture if for my good friends – Cam and Monika, who requested more photos of mascots, and for their daughter Samantha. (But I really think it’s my friend Cam who likes photos of mascots.) Also pictured below is a photo of the Canes warming up in their “Go Green” jerseys, which they wear before select home games, and to auction off with proceeds going to a local children’s charity.
With the the anthem sung, and the game about to start, I witnessed a new Canes tradition – the sounding of the Warning Siren. (It’s actually a real “air raid” siren.) 
For game action (and while both teams are effectively out of the playoff race), it was a pretty good hockey game. The Devils opened the scoring, but the Canes bounced back, winning the game by a score of 3-1!
(* For those looking for my “mid-trip report,” or past blogs, head to my blog page on this site.)
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