The Carolina Hurricanes will play in the first outdoor hockey game in franchise history when the NHL Stadium Series comes to Raleigh on Feb. 20, 2021.
The game will be held at Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State’s football venue. The NHL had tested logistics at the venue last November, using traffic cones to map where the rink would be constructed on the field. A crowd of more than 50,000 could be in attendance.
No opponent has been named. There was heavy speculation that the Washington Capitals, a geographic and playoff rival, would get the call. But the Washington Post reported on Saturday that the Capitals are not the opponent, per a team spokesman.
With the Hurricanes getting a Stadium Series event, there are now five NHL teams that have yet to play in an outdoor game: The Arizona Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights.
The Stadium Series game held at the Air Force Academy on Saturday night between the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings was the 30th for the NHL since Edmonton’s Heritage Classic in 2003.