Recently, the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and North Carolina State have been in a bit of a situation recently regarding the sharing of their home arena, PNC Arena.
The two teams are in a dispute over scheduling conflicts, and to most in the media, it seemed like it was the two sides refusing to back down. According to the ‘Canes general manager, Jim Rutherford, the situation isn’t just the two sides going at it.
“The much bigger picture is what we are asked to do, which is to run a first-class facility for community events,” Rutherford told the Raleigh News Observer. “This is not just about basketball and hockey.”
Gale Force [Holdings, who own the arena] has claimed N.C. State used its priority on scheduling dates to lock down an excessive number of slots for a small amount of games. In a letter Rutherford sent last month to the Centennial Authority, which oversees the arena, he said NCSU held out 129 dates in a 214-day span for 23 football and men’s basketball games, making the scheduling of other events – wrestling shows, concerts, etc. – more difficult.
N.C. State released information saying they held 91 of the 123 dates for basketball and football games and they program needed flexibility. The two sides will meet in the next few weeks to discuss the situation.
This seems to be more of the Hurricanes issue than an issue for the Wolfpack.
Follow David Harten on Twitter at @David_Harten
