Polite on the streets (OK, screens), âjerksâ in the standsâclearly Usher needs to do a fan version of âYeahâ at the Lenny. We may proudly rep âBunch of Jerks,â but for a fan base known for getting a little rowdy, Caniacs are apparently minding their manners.Â
In fact, Canes fans are the âmost politeâ fandom in the NHL, according to a new Canada Sports Betting study analyzing more than 1.6 million comments across all 32 teamsâ subreddits for tone and such party fouls as profanity from August 2025 through September 2026.
And apparently Caniacs kept it clean, with just 8.62% of comments containing swearsâthe lowest rate in the league, followed by Pittsburgh and Washington fans. And letâs be real: If thereâs anywhere to be a monster, itâs from behind a screen. So thatâs saying something.Â
Turns out, weâre downright pleasant to boot: Carolina also ranked No. 5 for positivity, with San Jose taking No. 1. Meanwhile, Edmonton apparently forgot its manners entirely, taking the crown for both most foul-mouthed and most negative.
To be fair, the data doesnât track behavior at the Lenny (we see you, âNo means no, go Canes goâ chant). Or perhaps RM reader Trevor Woodham said it best: âBecause the âNorth Carolina kindnessâ code hasnât been cracked: Bless your poor, sweetheart.â But hey, weâll take this crown and add it to our Stanley Cup bling. Bless our hearts, indeed.Â
Irrefutable truth: Raleigh is indeed a hockey townâand now the whole world has been put on notice. The Cap City was absolutely electric during the Canesâ historic run for the Cup, skating it home exactly 20 years after the first championshipâand turning an already hockey-obsessed region into the center of the sports world.
Photo by Cato Cataldo/Carolina Hurricanes
CUP CHECK
24:Hours each Canes player gets alone with the Cup. No pressure.
5: Consecutive Stanley Cup Final games with a goal for playoff MVP Jordan Staal, earning him the MVP Conn Smythe Trophy.
TWO: Jaccob Slavin joins Ken Morrow as the only Americans to win Olympic gold and a Stanley Cup in the same year.
7: Rod BrindâAmour is just the seventh person in NHL history to lift the Stanley Cup as both a player and a head coach for the same team.
Eight for eight. Thatâs the postseason run for Rod BrindâAmourâthe only active NHL head coach to punch a playoff ticket in each of his first eight seasons behind the bench. Setting the standardâand with the Canes in contender modeâthis may just be the year it all clicks. Take warning!
What Raleighites can expect from the Lenovo Center enhancement and Entertainment District projects.
Over just five days in May, more than 100K people made their way through the doors at Lenovo for a pentad of sold-out cross-genre hot tickets including stand-up Shane Gillisâwho set the Lenovo record for most tickets sold for a comedy appearanceâa Canes playoffs twofer and a pair of Pearl Jam performances. Itâs precisely the type of vibe Raleigh hopes to deliver on the daily via the fast-approaching Lenovo Center renovations and Raleigh Sports and Entertainment District.
âThe Entertainment District and the renovated arena will have a significantly positive effect on quality of life and civic prideâthings you canât quite put a dollar figure to,â emphasizes Centennial Authority Executive Director Jeff Merritt, who imagines crowds from all over flocking in, not just for the gameâbut for the energy and experience. âI wish I could teleport to 2029 and see what this place looks like because itâs going to be so, so cool,â he adds of the Lenovo Center reno set to wrap by December 2027âwith the Entertainment District expected to unfold over the next 15 years.
As momentum builds, the streets are talkingâand about more than just the hype. Here, we break down everything you need to know right now.
Parking Shift
Between hockey season, football fast approaching, and a steady stream of events in the mix, parking is top of mind. Two surface lots on the Northeast side of the building will remain as-is, with a potential new lot also in the works (location TBD as of press time). Lots on the East side will be replaced with two multilevel above- and below-ground parking decks, slated to kick off construction right after the final home football game this yearâunless detoured by an NC State playoffs runâand slated to be game-day ready by the 2026 home opener. During deck construction, cars will likely be funneled temporarily to Carter-Finley and the State Fairgrounds.
Tailgate Time
Upping the ante for sports fans, the two new parking decks will house âTailgate Suitesâ on the first and second levels facing a shared promenade for NC State and Canes fans looking to level up their pregame. Serving up a literal gamechanger, this first-of-its-kind setup connects two parking spots with a decked-out suiteâthink furniture, fridge, TV, counterspaceâso fans can roll up and plug straight into the party. But for old-fashioned tailgaters, have no fearâthose longtime authentic NC State tailgating lots arenât going anywhere.
Live Nation
At the same time construction kicks off for the parking decks, work will begin on an adjacent 4,300-seat Live Nation venueâresulting in a plaza between the two buildings feat. enhanced outdoor public spaces.
Arena Level Phase 1
While Lenovoâs full vision is still in blueprint mode, come July 1 (đ€), contractors will hit the ground running with Phase 1 public-facing construction. Think: an ice-level Lenovo Legend Club, packed with premium all-you-can-eat food stations and a full-service barâexclusively for fans in the first and second off-ice rows, plus rows CâE in sections 101, 122, and 125â128 on the South end. Fans in the new private âbunker suitesââcomplete with oversize screens rolling an exclusive feed from 8K cameras to catch every playâwill also score access to the Club, in addition to seats in the first few rows of the lower bowl around the corner from their suites.
300 Level Phase 1
In place of sections 317â319, an open-to-all-fans state-of-the-art View Bar is landing, serving up direct ice views and fresh F&B optionsâplus a new grab-and-go concession space and refreshed bathrooms on the 300-level. While select work on these sections can be done behind, say, a plywood wall, some of the work will pose an inconvenienceâperiod. Nate Bargatze fans headed to his July 17â18 stand, for example, canât buy tickets in the three sections being swapped for the upcoming View Bar. And, if youâve got a ritual beer or dog stop, it might be MIA for a little while, says Merritt. âBut, hopefully, the payoff is worth it,â he adds.
Phase 2
Once Phase 1 wraps around yearâs end, Phase 2 is on deck for 2026. While plans are still taking shape, look for bigger, better back-of-house service and loading spaces, a 100-level facelift, a 200-club-level refresh, more grab-and-go and amenity spotsâand potentially a fresh facade for the green glass section to bring it all home.
Coming exhibit highlights local skating from the â60s onward.
There are no refs, no penalties, no set playsâand almost anyone can do it almost anywhere. Which is precisely why skating has long been a staple sport around Raleigh. Now, further highlighting the subculture is City of Raleigh Museumâs The Endless Grind, a one-night-only preview exhibit May 2 in collaboration with DTRâs nee-1986 skate shop Endless Grindâwith a more extensive exhibit bowing by 2027.Â
The sportâs local history showcase boasts photographs from the â60s through the â90s, featuring Fairgrounds contests, NCSU Brickyard skating snaps, and shots of a ramp in the Endless Grind parking lotâaltogether bringing the widespread but oft-overlooked lifestyle to the forefront.
While an exceptional documentation of the early days of this culture isnât always easy to come by, local publications from the time covered all the bases. Enter the State Archives of NC.Â
Growing up in Raleigh, exhibit organizer Cody Charland regarded the East Jones Street locale as just another building among the puzzle of âsuper-seriousâ government properties into which heâd never need to venture. But after following Olde Raleigh on Instagramâa local account posting a few archived Raleigh photographs weeklyâCharland followed the rabbit trail into the archive building, where he stumbled upon the beginnings of the Cap City skating culture.
âWe looked at film negatives of thousands of pictures and picked the bestâthe few we wanted everybody to see,â he reminisces. âIt was incredible to see not only skateboarding evolve, but also the city.â
And giving the skating community a leg up is the upcoming Wheel-A-Thon at Conlon Family Skatepark April 12. In partnership with Leadership Raleigh, the fundraiser will get as many peopleâand wheelsâout to the park. Skateboards, Rollerblades, skates and scooters are slated to roll out for four hours straight in support of this look back atâand celebration ofâthis crucial Raleigh subculture. Get ready to grind! skateraleigh.comÂ
