“Do well. Do good. Better Together” goes the MO of The Loading Dock’s first annual gala benefiting Gabi’s, a nonprofit org dedicated to employing individuals with special needs. theloadingdock.com
12/15 Hurricanes v. Kraken
The Canes will make waves to defeat the Seattle Kraken at PNC. nhl.com
12/15 Magic of Lights Vendor Night
Find the perfect Christmas gift for your loved ones this year at this holiday vendor market at Coastal Credit Union Music Park. magicoflights.com
12/15 Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet
Dreaming of sugar plums? This magical holiday tradition returns to Durham for its 50th anniversary. Expect puppet performances, amazing acrobatics, classy costumes and more. Let’s get crackin’! carolinatheatre.org
12/15 Wait Wait Stand-Up Tour
Featuring some of the funniest names from Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me, this stand-up set is sure to spur some belly laughs. dukeenergycenterraleigh.com
12/15–17 Rob Schneider
“You can do it!” The Waterboy’s Townie—aka famed funnyman Rob Schneider (also of Grown Ups, 50 First Dates and so many more)—is headed to Raleigh to stir up hilarity this holiday season. improv.com
12/15–18 Call of Duty League
Hey, ace. Watch professional gamers put their skills to the test at this Call of Duty tournament hosted at the Raleigh Convention Center. It’s time for a battle royale! callofdutyleague.com
12/16 Early Birds at Prairie Ridge
The early bird gets the worm… and spots the best birds, obv. BYO binoculars and get ready to bird out. #StaySquawkin naturalsciences.org
12/16–18 Shuler King
SC native Shuler King is taking a break from his main position as funeral director at his family’s funeral business (really) to bring the laughs to Goodnights, proving his career is anything but dead. goodnightscomedy.com
12/16–24 The Nutcracker
“Son of a nutcracker!” For an evening sure to be on pointe, see this classical Christmas performance with refreshed choreography by Artistic Director Zalman Raffael. dukeenergycenterraleigh.com
12/17 Ugly Sweater Holiday + Anniversary Party
It’s officially (ugly) sweater season! Don your tackiest or most outlandish Christmas sweater, sip on specialty cocktails and play all the arcade games at Boxcar this Saturday. … And if you’re feeling extra stylish, sign up for the ugly sweater contest—and may the ugliest, er–best dressed, win! theboxcarbar.com
12/17–18 Marbles Gingerbread Jamboree
Oh, ginger snap! Create a gingerbread house so tempting even Hansel and Gretel won’t be able to pass it up—then take it home to eat, natch. marbleskidsmuseum.org
12/17–18 The Raleigh Ringers Holiday Concerts
Ring in the holidays with The Raleigh Ringers during their annual holiday concerts feat. unique spins on sacred, secular and popular music—plus some rock ‘n’ roll. rr.org
12/18 Soccer Fan Fest
Got balls? Join a few fellow soccer—er, football!—fans at Moore Square to view the final FIFA World Cup match on the big screen. And with games, food trucks, a DJ and beer on the scene, it’s sure to reach all your viewing party #goals.raleighnc.gov
12/20 Hurricanes v. Devils
The devil is in the details–of losing. Take Warning! nhl.com
Our beloved Bunch of Jerks are slated to cover ~53,783.3 miles over the course of this season—adding up to a total of about 2.16 times around the globe! As you cheer on Raleigh’s home hockey team (the next home game is Nov. 17 against Colorado!), see how the Canes are stacking up. #LetsGoCanes!
More BTN Fun Facts
The average distance the Carolina Hurricanes travel for an away game is 655.89, compared to the average around the NHL—49,448.97 miles.
The Canes are the only team in the Metropolitan Division who ranked in the top 10.
The Edmonton Oilers travel the most (63,0965 miles) and The Philadelphia Flyers travel the least (40,410.70 miles).
The Pacific Division takes the title of the most traveled division, with 7 teams in the top 10.
Right wing player Martin Necas leads the team for most points scored, with 19 points so far this season.
Defenseman Jordan Martinook has spent the most time in the penalty box among his teammates (for 12 minutes total to date).
So far, left wing Andrei Svechnikov has scored the most goals (11 to be exact) out of his fellow Bunch of Jerks.
WEB EXCLUSIVE Calling all Caniacs! This playoff season is getting intense, with the Carolina Hurricanes currently in Round 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning (TBL leads 1–0). Join your fellow Canes fans at these local sports bars to cheer on the home team. From family-friendly to adults-only bars, we’ve got a watch-party spot for every vibe. Check out the Hurricanes playoff schedule to see when to assemble your Bunch of Jerks to head out!
The official Canes playoff watch-party host, Carolina Ale House is the place to be during a hockey game. You can’t go wrong with grabbing a table here for the next game, with its over 50-plus TVs, extensive food menu and fun family-friendly atmosphere—as long as you’re prepared to cheer long and loud for our city’s fave team.
Nothing beats watching a Hurricanes game in a bar owned by a former Hurricanes player! Owners Bates Battaglia’s (former Hurricane) and Anthony Battaglia’s (former professional hockey player) newest addition to Glenwood South, Teets, is quickly becoming a popular spot to watch Canes games. Opened as a tribute to their grandfather and head of the Chicago Outfit, Sam “Teets” Battaglia, Teets has an extensive bar, lots of TVs and a giant projector ensuring you won’t miss any of the action.
When you’re located off of Hurricane Alley Way, of course Caniacs are going to gather with you on game day. As the closest resto to PNC Arena, at Backyard Bistro, even when the Canes aren’t in town, you can feel close to the action. On game days enjoy drink specials like $2.50 Storm Brews—the official beer of the Carolina Hurricanes—and $5 penalty shots!
Everyone’s favorite unofficial mascot will be cheering on the team from Ruckus Pizza in Mission Valley, so, naturally, you should too. Join Hamilton the Pig and a Bunch of Jerks in cheering on the Canes as they battle it out for the Stanley Cup. Ruckus Pizza has something for everyone: sushi, Philly’s, sandos and, of course, pizza. Grab a table and grab a slice, then get ready for the puck drop.
Located right across the street from Meredith College, Brickhouse is a sports lovers’ paradise. Great food, a full bar, fire pits, large TVs and pool tables for intermission entertainment make this pub the perfect spot for Caniacs to unite. Be sure to check out their daily drink specials for something fun to sip on.
WEB EXCLUSIVE Hockey is back, baby! While the coronavirus pandemic has put a halt to traveling, getting together with friends, parties and the like, there’s at least one thing we can still look forward to and that’s sports. Even if you’re not the biggest sports fan, we’ve found that catching a game or two on TV brings some sense of normalcy back to our day-to-day.
This week, NHL season starts up again, with the Carolina Hurricanes playing their first game against the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 14. While there’s still no in-person attendance allowed, you can still catch the game from the comfort of your living room on Fox Sports Carolinas. (And, hopefully, fans will be able to return to PNC Arena soon.)
The Canes started training camp on Jan. 3 with 38 players—34 skaters and four goaltenders—including returning players Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Dougie Hamilton and Andrei Svechnikov. New to the team this year is former New York Rangers right-winger Jesper Fast, who has played a total of 422 career games and scored 29 points in 69 games last season.
Each NHL team will play a 56-game season, with the season officially kicking off on Jan. 13. According to CBS Sports, every team will only play divisional games this season in an effort to limit travel and potential COVID-19 exposure. As far as the playoffs are concerned, the top four teams in each division will qualify and four teams will advance to the Stanley Cup Semifinals.
While the NHL has done away with the “bubble” they established last year due to COVID, there are still many health and safety precautions in place. Each player will get their own hotel room during road trips; all coaches will be required to wear face masks on the bench; and teams must disclose when players have tested positive for COVID-19 and follow local isolation guidelines until they’re cleared by both a cardiologist and team physician to play again.
The Hurricanes puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 14. Let’s go Canes!
CBS 17 sports anchor Todd “Gibby” Gibson weighs in on the home team’s prospects for the season.
It’s hard to believe the Carolina Hurricanes franchise has never been able to put together back- to-back playoff appearances. But if there ever was a time to end that stretch of futility, the upcoming season would seem to be a good bet.
Why?
Well, let’s start with a productive off-season. Priority number one was to sign forward Sebastian Aho, which the Canes did, inking the 21-year-old Finnish star to a five-year deal worth more than $42 million. Aho led the Canes in scoring last season, tallying 30 goals while piling up 83 points during the regular season. Many feel Aho is on the cusp of greatness.
And while the Canes can count on Aho to put the puck in the net, someone has to be able to stop the puck. That’s Petr Mrazek’s job. Mrazek flirted with free agency in the off-season but ultimately decided to come back to Carolina, where he enjoyed the best year of his career last season. Mrazek recently signed a two-year contract that will pay him $6.25 million.
Petr Mrazek
Like Aho and Mrazek, Canes president and general manager Don Waddell is also back in the fold. Waddell, who had been working on a year-to-year contract with Carolina, received a three-year deal after the Minnesota Wild made a surprise pitch for his services. At one time just an afterthought, Waddell has been a key factor in the Hurricanes’ recent success. His return gives the franchise a sense of stability.
Waddell has done a nice job of stockpiling young talent, with a bit of luck as well. The Canes hit the jackpot with future superstar Andrei Svechnikov. The 19-year-old Russian fell into the Hurricanes’ lap when the team miraculously received the number two pick in the 2018 NHL draft.
General Manager Don Waddell
Along with Aho, Svechnikov is expected to be the face of the franchise. The power forward scored 20 goals in his rookie season while showing flashes of brilliance at times. The sky is the limit for Svechnikov; he has the potential to be one of the game’s best players in the years to come.
Andrei Svechnikov
Meanwhile, the Canes’ defense will once again be counted on to carry the load. Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Dougie Hamilton and Justin Faulk give Carolina two blue lines as good as any in the NHL. It’s a relatively young group, sure to get even better.
The only question mark: Will captain Justin Williams return for his 19th season in the NHL? Williams will turn 38 in October and has not indicated whether or not he will retire. His return, along with an added year of experience from second head coach Rod Brind’Amour, could be just what the doctor ordered for a franchise aching to become a yearly playoff contender.
