In a development that will come as a surprise to no hockey parent who has struggled to find ice time in the Triangle, a lack of practice rinks is the biggest obstacle standing in the way of the potential resumption of the NHL season in Raleigh.
Carolina Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said Thursday the team and NHL have discussed using PNC Arena as a neutral site for eight sequestered teams playing three games a day as soon as July or August, the NHL's current contingency plan to finish out the regular season. But Waddell told a committee of the Centennial Authority, which oversees PNC Arena, that the NHL needs practice facilities for all eight teams to conduct training camps simultaneously.
Even if one of the two ice sheets at the Hurricanes' new practice facility in Morrisville is ready by June, which Waddell said is possible, the Triangle would just meet the bare minimum of the NHL's needs in that respect, although the arena and area are otherwise capable.
"We'd love to be in a position to host for multiple reasons," Waddell said. "We're not at the top of the list, but we're still talking about it."
The NHL paused its season on March 12 as the coronavirus swept across the continent, and several players and team staff members across the league have since tested positive for COVID-19. Waddell said the NHL believes it can complete the remainder of a 76-game regular season in 13 days and a full 82-game season in 24 days of play at four neutral sites before going straight into the playoffs, presumably without fans.
The Hurricanes have played 68 games and have earned 81 points, sixth best in the Eastern Conference. They are tied for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division.
Because of the sharp dropoff in hotel and restaurant tax revenue and lack of events at PNC _ arena general manager Dave Olsen told the authority the building would "unequivocally" remain empty through the end of its fiscal year in June _ the authority's building and construction committee cut its project budget for the next fiscal year from $4.2 million to $1.6 million. Among several postponed projects is the next phase of the new scoreboard installed last year.
"Those are just going to have to sit for a while, as painful as that can be," authority executive director Jeff Merritt said. "We've had to make some of these decisions in a vacuum, and very quickly."
