NHL Players Recognize Caniac Nation
With “Toughest” Votes For PNC Arena
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
It’s always nice to hear when Carolina Hurricanes executives, coaches, players and broadcasters mention and celebrate the home-ice advantage the franchise’s fans have created consistently at PNC Arena in recent years.
It may be an even bigger compliment when opposing players say the same thing.
In a wide-ranging poll conducted by the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) this season and released on April 10, PNC Arena received the second-most votes — among 32 NHL venues — in the “toughest place to play for a visiting team” category.
The NHLPA poll asked questions of 639 active NHL players, which represents an impressive average of roughly 20 players per team.
“Toughest Arena For Visiting NHL Team”
(Arena, Team, Highest Voting Percentages)
1. T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Golden Knights, 31.4%
2. PNC Arena, Carolina Hurricanes, 16.3%
3. TD Garden, Boston Bruins, 15.6%
4. Ball Arena, Colorado Avalanche, 7.9%
5. Bell Centre, Montreal Canadiens, 4.7%
As recently as 2018, remember, the Hurricanes were an embarrassment. Their attendance numbers ranked at or near the bottom of the league every year, and they missed the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons (2009-10 through 2017-18), one of the worst such streaks in NHL history.
At that point, everything started changing pretty quickly for a once-proud franchise that had captured the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Texas-based billionaire Tom Dundon bought the team from Peter Karmanos, who had owned the franchise since its Hartford Whalers days (1994 to 2018 in all). Dundon then immediately hired as the Hurricanes’ head coach former player Rod Brind’Amour, who had been the team captain and legendary leader on the Canes’ championship team.
From that inarguable turning point, Carolina went from a franchise that missed the playoffs for nine straight years (in a sport where half the teams make it each year) to a franchise that has now made the playoffs for six consecutive seasons and reached Eastern Conference finals in 2019 and 2023.
Even as early as the spring of 2019, Dundon himself recognized that, while some fans had complaints about the growing crowds (and resulting complications) at PNC Arena, the pluses far outweighed the minuses.
That same spring, as the Hurricanes advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, Brind’Amour told the David Glenn Show that he had personally witnessed an incredible change in North Carolina’s hockey culture, starting with his arrival in Raleigh as a player.
Traded to the Hurricanes from the Philadelphia Flyers in January 2000, Brind’Amour said the clerk at his Raleigh hotel couldn’t describe the location of the city’s hockey arena. Others didn’t even know there was an NHL team in Raleigh at the time.
In 2006, of course, Brind’Amour was a vital part of the Hurricanes’ championship season as a player. By 2019, after seeing more quiet times at PNC Arena as a Canes player and assistant coach, he made a point to mention the crowd’s resurgence as Carolina eliminated the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders in the first two rounds of the postseason.
“Because of the fans, we felt like we just weren’t going to lose,” Brind’Amour said. “The feeling in the building wouldn’t allow that. There were times it felt like we had six skaters on the ice. They’re a huge part of this, and we’re thankful.”
Five years later, that theme continues, as do the Canes’ winning ways.
Most recently, on the day of the team’s final home game of the 2023-24 season, Brind’Amour told Hurricanes color commentator Tripp Tracy how much he and the players appreciated the boost they get from the home crowd, which is now responsible for 61 straight PNC Arena sellouts.
“I think it’s a real testament to the fans,” Brind’Amour said. “They come out every night. And not just come out and watch … they certainly give us a lot of energy.
“I think it shows in the way we play here. We don’t always win every night, but we certainly give a good effort, and I think that we’re in every game that we play here, and it has a lot to do with the great support that we have.”
Heading into the final week of the 2023-24 regular season, the Hurricanes had the second-best record in the NHL (51-22-7, 109 points), behind only the New York Rangers (53-23-4, 110 points). The Canes’ 27 home victories ranked third in the league, behind only the Colorado Avalanche (30) and the Rangers (28).
