WRAL Sports Fan

Hurricanes

RBC Center hopeful to host All-Star Game in future

By Tim Hall

Jan 23, 2009

Eric Staal from the Carolina Hurricanes is in Montreal preparing to defend his MVP performance at last year's NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta.  This Sunday the best players in the game will meet in Canada, but will they ever meet in Raleigh?

Years ago NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told the Hurricanes they would host an all-star even if they raised season tickets sales above 12 thousand.  The Hurricanes have since accomplished that goal.

Next year there is no game because of the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.  The site for 2011 has not yet been announced.  Vice President and General Manager of the RBC Center Davin Olsen says the team is constantly trying to bring the game to Raleigh.

"I know they have not said we have 2011 yet, I don't know if that is in the works or not," Oslen said. "Our owner (Peter Karmanos) petitions Gary Bettman on a regular basis to get it here."

One of the standards to host the event is having enough convention center space and four and five star hotels, a requirement Olsen says Raleigh now meets.

According to Olsen the original plan for All-Star games was to put the game in all of the league's new buildings.  However the RBC Center is now nearly ten years old.

"That was the old premise, now I'm not sure what they're using," Olsen said.  "But it certainly wouldn't hurt the community to send e-mails to the NHL and let them know how excited they would be about having it here."